Chapter 329: Tell Me I Should Move On

Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted his chin and leaned in, hoping that maybe... just maybe... the distance between them could still be closed with a kiss.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Maxwell turned his head away.

The rejection landed like a knife. James froze, his lips parting slightly as the realization settled over him.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Maxwell muttered, his voice quiet but guarded.

"Because I wanted you here," James whispered.

His hands slowly fell to his sides.

"I wanted you to tell me to my face what I did wrong... or tell me it’s really over. Tell me to move on."

Maxwell lowered his gaze to the floor, his jaw tightening. "Do whatever you want, James. We’re done." His voice was cold, almost detached. "I don’t feel anything for you anymore. I lost interest, so stop acting like you’re special... or like there’s ever going to be an ’us.’ Forget the past and move on."

The words echoed through the apartment.

Maxwell turned and started toward the door.

"Look me in the eyes and say it." James’s voice wasn’t loud, but it stopped Maxwell in his tracks.

Maxwell came to a halt. Slowly, he glanced back over his shoulder.

James stepped closer, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Tell me you feel nothing anymore." His voice trembled despite his best efforts to steady it. "Tell me I should move on. I promise you... If you can look me in the eyes and say those words, I’ll never bother you again. Before you walk out that door, I’ll block you on everything and disappear from your life."

His gaze never left Maxwell’s. "But look at me first... and tell me you don’t feel anything."

Maxwell let out a bitter scoff, finally lifting his eyes. "What the hell else do you want?" he snapped. "You already have a boyfriend. Why aren’t you with him instead of playing games with me?"

James didn’t even react to the accusation.

He took another step forward until only a breath separated them.

"Answer me," he said quietly.

Slowly, he raised both hands and gently cupped Maxwell’s face, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Tell me you don’t love me anymore," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Tell me all you want... It’s for us to become total strangers."

Maxwell froze beneath James’s touch, his breath catching in his throat. Every ounce of resolve he’d spent months building seemed to crumble beneath the warmth of those trembling hands.

He opened his mouth, desperately searching for something that would push James away. A harsh word. A cold dismissal. One final lie to end it all.

But nothing came.

His lips parted, yet the words refused to leave. All that escaped was a shaky, uneven breath as the walls around his heart began to crack. "Does it even matter?" he managed to whisper, his voice breaking. "You already have—"

"You’re still not answering me," James murmured, his thumb trembling gently against Maxwell’s cheek.

Maxwell’s eyes searched James’s face, lingering on the tears he was trying so hard to hold back. At last, his voice dropped to a rough, almost defeated murmur. "Then answer me this... Is that guy... really your boyfriend?"

"He’s not my boyfriend," James answered without a second hesitation. "He’s just a friend."

Maxwell closed his eyes, a shuddering breath escaping him, but before he could open his eyes again, James closed the final distance between them and captured his lips in a desperate, long-overdue kiss.

Maxwell didn’t hesitate; he kissed him back with a sudden, fierce hunger, his hands instantly gripping James’s waist to haul him flush against his body. With a breathless gasp, James hooked his legs around Maxwell’s hips, climbing up into his lap as Maxwell caught his thighs, lifting him effortlessly and carrying him straight to the sofa.

They crashed down onto the cushions, the kiss deepening into something frantic and scorching, every movement fueled by months of agonizing distance.

James’s hands scrambled urgently for the front of Maxwell’s shirt, his fingers flying over the fabric as he popped the first, second, and third buttons open in rapid succession, exposing the hard plane of Maxwell’s chest.

Just as James leaned in to press hot, wet kisses down his throat, Maxwell’s hand shot out, wrapping tightly around James’s wrist to stop him.

"Wait," Maxwell breathed, his chest rising and falling heavily.

James froze, pulling back just an inch. His cheeks were flushed, his breathing uneven.

"Don’t let us do this right now," Maxwell pleaded, his thumb brushing gently over James’s cheekbone. "Please... give me a little more time. I promise I’ll come back to you."

"No, you won’t," James whispered, a flash of insecurity crossing his eyes as he tried to move closer. "Have sex with me. If you do, I’ll believe you’ll actually come back."

"I want to," Maxwell admitted, his voice thick with sincerity as he looked deep into James’s eyes. "God, I want to more than anything. But I respect you and your body too much to... I can’t sleep with you like this."

James didn’t let him finish. Hurt and frustration tightened his features.

"Fine."

He tried to climb off Maxwell’s lap.

Before he could pull away, Maxwell’s arms wrapped firmly around his waist, pulling him right back against him. He gently cupped James’s chin, lifting it until their eyes met.

"Sleeping with you won’t make me stay, and not sleeping with you won’t make me leave," Maxwell said firmly. "What will bring me back is knowing you’re not ready to give up on us. There’s a lot of messy shit going on in my life right now, James, and I can’t drag you into the middle of it until I get everything sorted out. Just... give me a little more time. I promise I’ll come back to you."

James searched his face, his lower lip trembling in a small, adorable pout.

"Are you sure you aren’t just going to disappear on me again?"

"Never," Maxwell swore, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "Trust me."

"Alright." James sniffled before holding out his hand. "Your phone."

Maxwell blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "What?"

"Give me your phone."

"Oh... my phone." Maxwell quickly pulled it from his pocket and handed it over.

James unlocked it with Maxwell’s Face ID, dialed his own number so it would be saved in Maxwell’s recent calls, then handed the phone back.

"There. Now you can’t block me or ghost me this time. You promised."

"I promise," Maxwell repeated with a faint, affectionate smile.

James let out a long breath before wrapping his arms around Maxwell’s neck again and burying his face against his chest.

"You still owe me a hell of a lot of apologies for this, you know."

"I know," Maxwell murmured, holding him a little tighter. "I’ll make up for every single day. Just give me time."

"Okay," James whispered softly, settling comfortably against him.

After a quiet moment, Maxwell’s brow furrowed as a memory resurfaced. He shifted slightly. "James... why did you let your friend act like your boyfriend the other day?"

James lifted his head and rolled his eyes. "His actual boyfriend cheated on him, and he caught them together, so they broke up. He’s been an absolute wreck ever since, refusing to leave his room. I just wanted to cheer him up, so I dragged him out and played along to make him laugh. He’s my best friend, Max. That’s all."

"I understand he’s your friend," Maxwell muttered, a possessive edge creeping into his voice as his hands tightened around James’s waist. "Just... don’t let him, or anyone else, hold your waist like that again. I didn’t like it."

James blinked up at him, a cheeky, disbelieving smile breaking through. "Are you jealous?"

"Yeah, I am," Maxwell admitted without hesitation, staring down at him. "I hate people touching what’s mine."

James raised an eyebrow playfully. "You’re the one who spent months pushing me away. So... when did I suddenly become yours?"

"Right now," Maxwell murmured, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to his lips. "You’ve always been mine."

James softened, smiling against his mouth. "Stay the night here."

Maxwell hesitated, opening his mouth to refuse. "I should probably—"

Before he could finish, James batted his eyelashes and looked up at him with the most unfair, pleading pout imaginable.

Maxwell let out a defeated laugh. "Fine."

A bright, triumphant smile lit up James’s face, and he threw his arms around Maxwell’s neck, squeezing him tight.

Back at Matteo’s estate, Matteo and Adrian were seated in the dining room, enjoying a quiet dinner together, when Matteo’s phone suddenly started buzzing against the table.

Normally, Matteo would answer a call immediately, no matter the hour. But this time, he deliberately ignored it. He let it ring until it stopped, leaving the phone face-down on the table. Adrian didn’t think much of it at first, assuming Matteo simply wanted to enjoy an uninterrupted dinner with him.

Once they finished eating, they headed upstairs to their bedroom. But the moment they stepped inside, Adrian couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Matteo was acting unusually secretive.

Matteo tossed his phone onto the bed, and almost instantly, the screen lit up with a new text notification.

Everything is ready, sir.

Adrian caught the preview out of the corner of his eye, but his expression never changed. He quietly pretended he hadn’t seen a thing.

Matteo picked up his phone, quickly typed out a reply, then walked over and placed it on the nightstand. Turning back, he crossed the room, sat down on the edge of the bed beside Adrian, and slipped an arm around his waist.

"Baby?" Matteo murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

Adrian looked up at him, a cautious smile playing on his lips. "Yes."

"Before we head out on our yacht trip this Friday," Matteo said, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious excitement, "there’s somewhere I want to take you tomorrow."

Adrian tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in playful suspicion. "Where?"

Matteo chuckled, pulling him a little closer. "It’s a surprise. You’ll see tomorrow."

God... I hope it’s not what I’m thinking. Adrian kept his smile in place, but a nervous flutter stirred in his stomach. I want to be the one to do it.