Chapter 109: Boyfriends
Kayden
The rest of the dinner went on with no other conversations, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing at what Rhys had said.
Pregnancy? Babies? More than fuck buddies? I wanted to believe that I had heard that wrong and he had said it due to the heat of the moment, but I was wrong.
Even though he didn’t speak after I shut him up with the shrimp, he was still staring at me. He was watching me like he really meant his words and wanted us to be more.
Once the dinner ended, I jumped to my feet, stretched, and rubbed my stomach, fully satisfied.
I stood up and looked towards Rhys, expecting him to say something, but he didn’t.
Soon, the attendants returned and led us to our sleeping area. I was in front of Rhys, and I could feel his burning gaze against my back, but I kept my eyes to the ground, pretending to read the patterns in the floor.
"Kayden," Rhys finally spoke, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "If you keep walking like that, you will trip and fall."
"I am fine," I snapped, though it didn’t sound offensive. "I am uhm... trying to process the uhm... the lobster."
Rhys scoffed but said nothing.
When we reached our sleeping area, it turned out to be a tent which was really more of a high-end architectural dome. Outside, a massive, plush bed was nestled under a canopy, surrounded by heated lamps that cast a soft, golden glow. Directly across from us was a screen so large it made the one in our meeting room look like a tablet.
Rhys didn’t wait for an invitation. He climbed onto the bed and leaned against the oversized pillows, then patted the space in front of him.
"Here."
I crawled over, my muscles groaning in relief as I sank into the mattress. Before I could settle, Rhys’s large hands were on my waist, pulling me back until I was tucked firmly between his legs.
"Why are you trying so hard not to look at me, Kayden?" Rhys’s voice was right against my ear, vibrating through my skull.
"I’m not," I protested weakly, staring straight ahead at the dark silhouettes of the trees. "I’m just... the screen is that way, Rhys."
He let out a low chuckle, his hands tightening slightly on my waist. "Look at me, Kayden, if you are not avoiding me."
I finally relented, turning my head just enough to meet his gaze. His eyes were so blue—intense and completely devoid of the usual playful edge he used when we were teasing each other.
"If this is about what I said earlier," he paused, his finger trailing down my face to my chin. "I meant it. Truly."
I visibly gulped, my throat feeling suddenly tight. "You... you shouldn’t joke about things like that. About ’more.’ About us being... whatever that was. It..."
"Do I look like I’m joking?" he asked.
I searched his face, looking for any sign of a smirk or a hidden punchline, but there was nothing but a terrifying sincerity. I met his eyes fully this time, my breath catching in my throat when I realized that he wasn’t joking.
"Really?" I whispered.
"Really," he replied, his thumb tracing a slow circle on my hip.
"You think I’m joking? I am not. I truly want more with you, Kayden. I don’t want the labels or the secret arrangements. I want you. I want us to be together. Actually together."
"So like boyfriends?"
Rhys shrugged. "Whatever names they call it."
I frowned at his words and rolled my eyes. "If we are truly dating then you need to mean it and not act nonchalant. It’s a huge moment for me. It might be something normal for you since you must have been in lots of relationships."
"No Kayden. I have never done any relationship. I just fuck Omegas during my ruts. That’s all."
A slow, giddy smile spread across my face. "So I am your first?"
Rhys nodded solemnly.
I couldn’t contain it anymore; I jumped on the bed excitedly, the pain in my ribs forgotten for a split second. "Wow! We are boyfriends for real!"
Rhys chuckled at my outburst, the sound warm and indulgent. He was enjoying this as much as I was. I settled back down, looking at him curiously.
"Why did you change your mind?"
"I realized that I wanted to be yours," he said softly. "The only one you will ever be with. The one that makes you happy. And you ticked all my boxes."
My heart hammered against my chest hearing his confession, but there was something else I wanted him to say. "Do you love me?"
Rhys didn’t reply. Instead, he looked away from me for a moment, and I got nothing but silence. I felt a small pang of disappointment building up inside, though I tried to hide it.
I shouldn’t have asked him.
"It’s okay if you don’t want to say it yet," I added quickly.
Rhys simply nodded, saying nothing, and I let out a small sigh, leaning back against him.
"Do you?" he suddenly asked.
Do I? Of course I do, but I wanted to hear what he had to say. To know if my feelings were being reciprocated.
"I..." I contemplated whether to tell him—to lay my heart bare right here under the stars and let him know how I truly felt—but before I could find the rest of the words, the large screen came to life with a blinding, icy blue light that reflected off the glass dome of our tent.
The stadium speakers from the broadcast kicked in, the sharp, rhythmic scrape of blades on fresh ice echoing through the valley.
"OMG!" I screamed, bolting upright and nearly knocking the wind out of myself. My ribs twinged, but I didn’t care. I pointed a trembling finger at the screen. "Rhys, look! That’s Rio Takahashi and Soren Papanikos!"
On the screen, the atmosphere was electric. The camera pulled back to show the two figures standing on opposite ends of the rink. Even through a broadcast, the tension between them was evident.
"The best figure skaters in the world," I breathed, my hockey-obsessed heart racing for an entirely different reason. "Soren is a two-time gold champion, and Rio is the only person on the planet who ever managed to take it from him. The only time Soren lost his gold to Rio was during the time Soren had a minor injury while skating. Can you believe that?"
The camera zoomed in on their faces—one had a calm expression, which was Rio, while the other, Soren, was glaring at the cameras.
"They are crazy rivals," I told Rhys, my eyes glued to the way they circled each other like predators before the music even started.
"People say they hate each other’s guts. It’s not just sport with them; it’s a war. But now they are paired together for the Olympics. Crazy, isn’t it?"
I was practically vibrating with excitement, ready to analyze every triple axel and step sequence, but Rhys didn’t join in. He didn’t even look at the screen. He stayed silent, his heavy gaze still fixed on me.
It was like he didn’t care about anything else except me. Finally, he reached out, his hand sliding behind my neck to gently pull me back down into the pillows.
"Sleep, Kayden," he said softly, his voice cutting through the noise of the cheering crowd on the screen.
"But the program just started! I have to see how they skate together," I protested, though my body was already betraying me, sinking into the warmth of the blankets.
"It doesn’t matter who wins," Rhys murmured, tucking the duvet around my shoulders. "You need to rest. Come on, you have been playing all week and besides, I have a surprise for you tomorrow."
I blinked up at him, my curiosity momentarily overrunning my exhaustion. "A surprise? What is it?"
Rhys just leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead, his thumb brushing over my temple. "If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise. Now close your eyes and sleep. This week was long and tiring for you so rest. You’vedone so much kayden."
I wanted to argue, to demand answers about the surprise and about us, but the steady rhythm of his heart beneath my head was a lullaby I couldn’t resist.
As Rio and Soren danced on the screen in a blur of silver and blue, I finally let go, drifting off into the dark knowing that Rhys and I were boyfriends now.
And what comes after that?
~~~
Please read the author’s note.