Be With Me

Chapter 21

After some time, Kelvin finally woke up and found that he was lying inside of a car. His head is throbbing from pain, his mouth was dry and his vision was a bit blurry.

Kelvin blinked a few more times to get a clearer picture of his situation while everything that happened before he passed out came back to him.

Kelvin felt his hands tremble a little from the memory, but when he saw the silhouette of that perfect figure sitting on the driver's seat, his increasing panic and accelerating heartbeat slowed down.

The man was leaning his head on the headrest with his eyes closed. As Kelvin stared at him, he slowly recovered from his lightheadedness. It might sound very outrageous but he momentarily forgot that horrific experience just by staring at his beautiful face.

Suddenly, the man spoke but his eyes were still closed. "Mr. Kelvin… I hope you already learned your lesson. Never attempt this again. I'm telling you one more time; someone like you doesn't belong in my world. You belong in your own peaceful paradise," he said, still not throwing Kelvin a glance.

Kelvin could hear in his voice the blatant warning and he clenched his fists tightly. He felt like there was something caught in his throat and the words he said before he passed out keep on echoing in his head. 'I told you… you can't handle it…'

Kelvin felt the urge to cry.

He didn't understand… all he wanted was to fall in love. All he wanted was to experience saying those three words - 'I love you' - to the man he loved, and to know how that would feel. Was that really too much to ask?

That was all he ever wanted, his only wish… so why can't things just go smoothly as he wanted?!

Should he really give up now? Should he really just go back into his own world like a scared little bunny and go back to living that safe, uninteresting, loveless life that he had? Should he just sit still and just wait for the day when he could finally leave this world?

Just the thought of it made Kelvin's heart break. He's always been a good son. And for once he wanted to be selfish. Was it really wrong for him to desire just a little bit of happiness? For himself. Not for everyone else's but his.

All his life, he never asked for anything. He never cursed God and got angry at him, nor did he ask why, of all people in the world, he had to be the one who got sick. Kelvin accepted everything and only wished for one thing…

But it seemed like that single wish of his was like a balloon on a fragile string that was being forcefully pulled from his grasp no matter how much he tried to hold onto it. Kelvin could see it slowly fly away from him and it didn't feel right. It was more painful than the pain he felt when Cris Yoon rejected him.

He knew in his heart that he didn't want to give up because he felt that he would definitely regret it if he did. Kelvin didn't have the luxury for another lifetime or second chances and he was well aware that his time was running out.

"Go home and stay there, Kelvin. That's where you belong. You've seen the outside world and there is nothing good out there," he added and Kelvin just looked away.

"You're right. The world is not always a nice place… it can be scary…" Kelvin answered. His voice was weak, almost a whisper. And it's lace with sadness and pain. "But I don't agree with you that there's nothing good out there."

Cris Yoon furrowed when he heard his words. He finally looked at him as he opened his mouth to speak. However, when he saw his eyes glimmering with tears that were threatening to fall, he was forced to hold back.

"Cris…" Kelvin called out his name in a really sweet yet sad tone. "Why did you come and save me?"

What followed Kelvin's question was a deafening silence.

What happened tonight rocked his world. It was terrifying. He never wanted to experience something like that ever again. He finally understood why this man believed since the beginning that he couldn't handle it. His actions and reactions tonight proved it, even if he deny it now.

However, this man came and saved him. No matter what he said, no matter what he thought and no matter what he saw, this man came and saved him. That single act of his was enough for Kelvin to persevere and try to catch the balloon again. He decided to try again one last time. If he couldn't get him to agree tonight, then he would stop, once and for all. He would accept that this was probably his fate.

"I think that there is something good out there…" He lifted his hand and gently poked the man's cheek. "You."

Cris Yoon's lips parted in disbelief. He caught his wrist and held it as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Kelvin, you don't know what you're saying," he said and then, out of nowhere, he moved closer to him. His eyes blazing again with ice cold fire as his fingers traced his jaw. "Didn't you see how much more dangerous I am than that man? I have and can still do far, far worse things than that. I have done things you can't even imagine, Kelvin… Believe that!"

"But you saved me."

"I did that out of impulse."

Kelvin ignored his words. Even if he was just being impulsive, he still saved him. And really? Out of impulse? Didn't he just acknowledge the fact that he had some good in him?

"I believe that I'll be fine out there, as long as I'm with you."

Cris Yoon leaned back, now pinching the skin between his brows.

"You don't get it! I'm the one who's much more dangerous for you, Kelvin." He looked at him again. His eyes were still cold and filled with urgent, dangerous, warnings. "If you become my lover… I might ruin you… In fact, I know I would. You don't know what I am capable of doing to you."

Kelvin swallowed.

"Why don't we try it then? How about you give me a month? If I really can't handle it, I will run away from you on my own."

Kelvin let out an enchanting but chilling laugh. He was speechless. He could see that light in his eyes again, that light that was blinding for someone like him, that light that he knew he could probably never kill no matter what he said or did.

"Tell me, why me?"

"Because you're the most handsome man I have ever seen?"

He twitched, obviously not pleased. "There are tons of fish in the sea, Kelvin. You're only saying that because you've never jumped into the ocean! I just happened to unknowingly jump out of the water right in front of you."

"I have seen my share of fish but you're right, you were the first one to jump out of the water and the first one I truly noticed. You're also the only one that has ever sparked something in me. I-I… can't explain it. I just have this feeling that we… that I…"

… will never find another man like you again for the rest of my life.

Cris Yoon's grip on the steering wheel tightened. A calculating look flashed across his cold, intimidating eyes before another chuckle filled with disbelief escaped his lips.

"What a gutsy little lamb…" He said out loud, then sighed as he lifted his hand and ran his elegantly long fingers through his hair.

"One month, huh…?" he leaned on him and cupped his small face. "Kelvin Faustino, are you sure about this one month? Are you sure you don't want to start with small steps like a day or a week first?" The crooked and playful smile, that he showed him many times the night they first met, was now carved on his face.

"I am very sure!" Kelvin didn't even hesitate. His emotions were not easily hidden on his innocent face so Cris couldn't even question his resolve, because he could see that he had already decided to do this. As he scanned his face, he saw a certain something that radiated from within him that rendered him speechless for a split second.

He averted his gaze to avoid his soulful, bright eyes and looked out the window when suddenly, his eyes slightly narrowed and it glimmered with something Kelvin couldn't comprehend. Kelvin followed his gaze but he saw no one at the spot he was looking at, but then again, it was pitch dark outside. He returned his gaze to him just to see that Cris eyes had returned to normal, as if what Kelvin noticed a moment ago was just his imagination.

"Fine. Do what you want." And before he knew it, he finally gave in.

Kelvin gasped upon hearing him. This was totally unexpected. After rejecting him so fiercely before, he finally caved in. 'What?! Really? I heard him right, right? I didn't imagine that, right?' were the thoughts that running through his head.

Just like a child, Kelvin beamed and his eyes shone joyfully.

Cris looked away; there were some lingering regrets in his eyes but he blinked them away. He had said it; given his word to him and that was that. He jumped out of the water and he caught him, or at least, he let himself be caught by him.

"Don't come crying to me afterwards…" he murmured as if he was more than certain that this boy would.

"I won't." Kelvin raised his hand like he's giving him a salute and Cris smirked as he lazily rested his head on his palm.

"Uhm… where's the contract? I want to sign it now." Kelvin's big eyes questioned him. He even seemed excited, something that rendered him speechless once again.

"Little lamb, why do I feel like you're treating this as an exciting field trip or something?"

"That's not it. I'm just afraid you'll change your mind."

He twitched. "So you actually do know that you can't trust people so easily, huh?"

"I just learned it a while ago at that bar. I can't trust any man's words so easily like that." Kelvin shuddered when he remembered that man again but the sound of Cris fascinating chuckle rang in his ears and it pulled his thoughts away from that terrifying experience.

"Sigh… little lamb... I really don't know how you survived in this world this long and not been broken yet." He looked somewhat amazed. This crazy guy had changed again. He was nothing like the man who appeared and saved him not that long ago.

Kelvin ignored his words again. He instead held out his palm before him, silently asking for the contract.

Cris stared at his palm. "Abigail, actually… I think what you need to sign isn't a contract."

Kelvin blinked.

"I think… it should be a waiver." He playfully smiled again and he was mesmerised. Cris Yoon scowling and growling at him was quite outrageously pleasing to the eyes but his smiling face was just an out of this world type of incredible. He wondered how would he look if his smile reaches those ice cold eyes of his. "But we're not going to talk about that now. I'll give you time to come to terms with yourself one last time. You're still under the influence of alcohol, after all, little lamb," he continued.

"But…"

"Shh… don't worry, I already gave you my word."

Kelvin wanted to insist. He didn't want to waste any more time, but he needed to restrain his self or he might get suspicious if he acted even more desperate than this.

"F-fine," he bit his lips.

He brought out his phone and typed something in it and then, Kelvin heard his phone beep.

"That's my address," he said, his eyes probing again as he stared at him.

"I can come here once I'm prepared right?"

He nodded and Kelvin stared back at him, showing him that he was already more than prepared.

"One last thing for you to know, Kelvin…" his voice switched yet again to a serious and firm tone that left no room for any doubt or any other possibility. He was suddenly more authoritative than his aura already suggested, causing Kelvin to swallow in anticipation.

"I require my lover to live with me in my house. So make sure to think about this properly, understand??"

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