"What the hell did you do?" Adrien questioned with marked irritation. Ten minutes ago, they had finished eating, and now they were in his office. He had dragged Carlo inside.
"I ate?" he replied doubtfully. Adrien snorted, utterly annoyed. If it was hard to know what Carlo was thinking before, now he was completely lost.
"Don't play dumb, Carlo." Adrien leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and brow furrowed. He was definitely very upset.
"I'm not Mr. Mancini anymore? Where did the respect from a while ago go?" Carlo seemed to be amused by the situation. His hands in his trouser pockets, his relaxed posture, and the curve of his lips made it clear.
"Why did you tell my grandfather that we were going to fix things? We have nothing to fix. Besides, why didn't you let me tell him the truth about our so-called relationship?" Carlo stopped smiling and took a step forward. Adrien's posture brought back many memories at that moment.
That office had witnessed countless hot kisses. That desk was the same one where Adrien would sit, wrapping his arms around Carlo's neck, his legs around his waist, while Carlo held him tightly by the waist or thighs. The feeling of their tongues tangling in their wet mouths was vivid even though it had been months since they had last kissed so intensely.
The sharp rap on the desk brought him back to reality. He looked at Adrien, who raised an eyebrow, waiting for his answer.
"We are colleagues, Adrien, we have to keep our personal problems out of our work matters," he explained. Adrien had thought about it too, but he wasn't ready to face it. "And second, well, your grandfather has had the wrong idea for a long time, and I don't want to shatter his illusions all at once."
"Now you're worried about my grandfather?"
"Believe it or not, I do. Your grandfather has helped me a lot; it would be disrespectful to tell him out of the blue that there was never anything between us." Carlo moved a little closer, staying at a moderate distance.
"Don't worry so much about him, he's not that weak." Adrien placed his hands on the edge of the desk and leaned in further. "Besides, now there's Cedric, he can..."
"Will you stop mentioning that idiot? Throughout the entire meal you kept mentioning his name and how well you're doing with him." Carlo abruptly approached Adrien and cornered him against the desk, placing his hands on the wood beside his waist. "His face, his name, his voice, everything is damn irritating."
Adrien's breath grew heavier with Carlo's sudden closeness. Although the situation was tense, he couldn't help but notice how close their faces were, almost touching. Their eyes met in an uncomfortable silence charged with emotions.
"Does it bother you so much that I mention Cedric? Does it hurt you to know that I'm with someone else?" Adrien's voice was a whisper filled with defiance. Carlo tightened his hands slightly against the edge of the desk, containing the frustration that was engulfing him.
"I don't care what you do, Adrien. It's your life, after all," Carlo replied with a coldness that tried to hide the latent pain inside him. Adrien raised an eyebrow at the indifferent answer.
"It seems like you don't care about anything I do, do you?" Irony crept into Adrien's voice as he pushed himself away from the desk, creating distance between them. "Well, if that makes you happy, so be it."
Carlo remained in place, watching Adrien with a mixture of feelings that were difficult to decipher. There was something about the way Adrien walked away that made him want to stop him, but his own emotional barriers prevented him.
"It's not about making me happy or not. It's just that everyone goes their own way, Adrien," Carlo replied in a calmer tone, though there was a hint of sadness in his words.
Adrien turned toward the window, avoiding direct eye contact with Carlo. He sighed deeply, trying to maintain his composure.
"I understand. Everyone goes their own way," Adrien repeated, but his voice betrayed the inner struggle he was experiencing at that moment.
Silence filled the room, laden with unspoken words and repressed emotions. Both men faced a reality they had tried to evade all along.
Carlo clenched his fists tightly, fighting against the mix of emotions that invaded him. "Everyone goes their own way," he repeated like a mantra, trying to find clarity amidst the emotional chaos. Although Adrien had shown dependence on him in the past, things had now changed drastically. Adrien's recent indifference and detachment made things even more complicated.
"Adrien, why can't we be... just friends?" He had uttered those words without thinking, almost like a hidden desire that slipped from his lips without permission.
Could they just be friends after everything they had shared?
He knew it was wrong to ask that when Adrien still had deep feelings for him, but the thought of completely losing Adrien was unbearable. He had never been in Adrien's shoes, never been in love with someone who rejected him, let alone asked for friendship when feelings were involved.
The presence of Cedric in the equation only added to Carlo's confusion and discomfort. He didn't understand why he felt that sense of insecurity in the face of Cedric. Perhaps it was the fear of being replaced, or simply the discomfort of seeing someone else close to Adrien.
"Are you seriously asking me that?" Adrien turned to him and he could see the hurt in his eyes, not so present, but there was still a trace of it. "Carlo, we will be colleagues, but we can never be friends, not in this life," he said with a trace of anger in his words. Carlo opened his mouth to say something, but he simply couldn't. "That's all, go back to your office."
Adrien's response echoed in his mind with a barely concealed tone of anger. The idea of just being colleagues and not being able to maintain a friendship felt like another blow amidst the emotional storm that surrounded him.
Leaving the office, Cedric's presence only intensified his discomfort. Cedric's arrogant smile contrasted with Carlo's disgusted look. Their past interactions had not left a good impression on Carlo, and that arrogant and superior attitude towards him only made things worse.
As he watched Adrien hugging Cedric with a radiant smile, Carlo felt a lump in his throat. It was as if a part of him was breaking as he witnessed that scene. Perhaps it was time to accept that the paths that had once been so close were now separating in opposite directions, leaving behind a relationship that seemed increasingly distant.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 31 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments