I'm sorry

Liam said nothing, simply listening as Jack spoke. His heart pounded wildly, overwhelmed by a joy he couldn't put into words. His throat tightened, and the warmth spreading through his chest made his eyes sting.

“There’s no one else between us. So I still don't agree to the breakup.”

Jack pulled him tightly into his arms and repeated his words.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me most.”

There had been no serious misunderstanding between them, and they still had feelings for each other. Now that Jack had come back into Liam’s life, there was no point playing games or deliberately hurting someone who was already at his lowest.

That whole love and hate routine was pointless. How could you truly cherish someone if you were willing to hurt them?

Liam finally gave in and hugged him back.

“Brother Jack… I was wrong…”

Perhaps the universe had given him another chance because he had died full of regret in his previous life.

Jack gently patted his back.

“You weren't entirely wrong either, Liam. Let's start over.”

His tone left no room for argument. Liam nuzzled against his shoulder and nodded.

“Yeah. Thank you, Brother Jack.”

Unfortunately, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.

Jack released him and stepped outside to answer the call.

Liam took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as his sadness gave way to happiness. He switched on the light, washed his face, and smiled through his tears. It felt as though he had finally made it through an exhausting emotional roller coaster.

A short while later, Liam walked out of the bathroom just as Jack ended his call.

He immediately got to the point.

“So, Brother Jack… can I borrow some money?”

Now that they were back together, perhaps he could get a little more this time.

Jack looked at him with a knowing smirk.

“No. My money is for taking care of my partner.”

He had held on to that belief ever since they started dating. After all, he couldn't disappoint someone who had chased him so relentlessly.

“Huh?”

Liam blinked in surprise before shamelessly moving closer.

“Well, what a coincidence! Your partner is completely broke right now.”

Who needed pride anyway? It was much easier to throw it away than to hold on to it. Nothing mattered more than having this man close to him.

After two years apart, his ex had only become more charming.

Jack felt an overwhelming urge to pull Liam down and kiss him senseless, but he held back. He couldn't stay the night, and rushing into things so soon after reconciling didn't seem appropriate.

Instead, he took a bank card from his wallet and handed it over teasingly.

“This is my personal card. Sometimes our missions require us to pay expenses upfront, and the special funding from headquarters hasn't come through yet. There's a little over A$900,000 in this account, so it should cover you for now. The password is still the same as before. Our birthdays, yours first, then mine.”

Back when they were together, they had set their bank card passwords using their birthdays in that order.

Jack had never changed his.

“Thanks, Jack! I haven't changed my bank card password either.”

Liam accepted the card like a child receiving a present and happily planted a kiss on it.

Jack thought for a moment before adding,

“Actually, I don't think you need to rent another place. School starts in about two weeks. After that, my apartment won't be covered by the company's security arrangements anymore, so you can move in with me then. Until that happens, just stay here.”

Liam pressed the card against his chin.

“But I've already paid the rent. I'll just rent the place for a month. If I don't renew the lease, I might be able to get a refund. Anyway, I'll definitely stay here for the next few days.”

Originally, he had planned to stay in a cheap motel for a while. After all, it had felt wrong to let an ex-boyfriend pay for a five-star hotel after their breakup.

But things were different now.

Since they were still together, he had no problem letting his boyfriend take care of him.

Besides, he was too broke to afford pride. Being spoiled by his boyfriend sounded pretty good.

Jack nodded.

“Fine. I'm going on a business trip tomorrow, so you'll have to manage on your own.”

Liam carefully held the bank card.

“Um… Jack… I might spend quite a lot of this money.”

“…”

Jack gave him a long, searching look.

“Nothing dodgy, right?”

As long as Liam wasn't planning anything illegal, spending money on things wasn't a problem.

Liam hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, no! Nothing dodgy, I promise, babe! And you'll get your money's worth. I'll explain everything when you get back.”

Tomorrow was August 16. Jack would probably return around the twenty-third or twenty-fourth. By then, Liam should have most of his preparations completed, and he could explain at least part of the situation.

According to the information gathered after the apocalypse in his previous life, the first people to awaken supernatural abilities had done so before the toxic rain arrived.

However, mainstream media hadn't reported it seriously at the time. Most stories had been dismissed as clickbait or bizarre internet rumours.

When Jack returned from his trip, Liam could use his nightmares and those old news reports to find a way to warn him.

Jack continued studying his expression. He knew Liam was behaving strangely, but he decided not to press him for answers.

Instead, he chose to trust him.

“Alright. If you need more money, just tell me.”

For ordinary expenses, A$900,000 was more than enough. However, if Liam intended to buy something particularly expensive, such as luxury goods, the money might not stretch as far.

Some people spent hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars supporting their lovers.

Jack was simply taking care of his boyfriend. It wasn't a big deal.

After two years apart, Liam had suffered enough. Jack considered this a small way of making it up to him.

Liam nodded enthusiastically.

“It should be enough… It should be enough. Thanks, honey!”

A$900,000 would be more than enough to buy supplies and equipment for his personal survival preparations.

Besides, anything beyond that might be too much for them to transport when the apocalypse arrived.

Unless I can convince Jack to work with me when the time comes. Then we might be able to plan something much bigger!

After chatting for a while, Liam seized the opportunity to ask another question.

“Brother Jack, is the apartment you're living in now the same place we used to rent together?”

Jack took his hand and answered honestly.

“Yeah. I wanted to buy it originally, but the landlord refused to sell.”

“Oh…”

Liam was feeling so pleased that he volunteered some information of his own.

“I went there looking for an apartment too. I even asked the building management about renting our old place, but they told me someone had already taken it.”

They exchanged knowing smiles, each understanding what the other meant without needing to say anything more.

Ah, the feeling of being in love was back.

Love really could be one of the most healing things in the world.

They sat quietly for a while before Jack pulled Liam into his arms. Together, they watched television, occasionally commenting on the news, just as they had done when they were dating.

However, Liam was becoming increasingly restless.

He glanced at the clock. It was almost eleven.

Biting his thumb, he tried to sound casual as he asked,

“Brother Jack, are you staying tonight? I've been having nightmares lately, and I really want you to stay with me.”

Was this what getting back together was supposed to feel like?

Everything seemed so calm.

Liam had always been relatively quiet and reserved, but after joining the military, Jack had become even more composed. Sometimes, Liam felt as though they belonged to completely different generations.

But the earlier rule about not sleeping together could go straight out the window.

There was no need to be subtle. Liam wanted to sleep with Jack, and he wanted it now.

After hesitating for a while, Jack shook his head.

“No. The mission is almost finished, but I can't properly relax until Kai leaves. Don't overthink it. If your nightmares get really bad, we could try something to help you sleep.”

Poor sleep could wear a person down mentally, and once someone became exhausted, recovering could be difficult.

“Alright, forget about the medication, then…”

Liam sighed softly.

Then, without warning, he turned around and sat on Jack's lap. Placing his hands on Jack's shoulders, he leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

“So, when are you leaving? If you're not in a hurry, why don't you help your restless boyfriend relax a little? Maybe I won't have nightmares tonight.”

Back when they were together, Liam had always been the shameless one.

He felt no embarrassment about it now.

With a boyfriend as handsome as Jack, only an idiot would refuse to make a move.