Six

Raine woke slowly, warmth wrapped around him like a cocoon. Sunlight filtered through the half closed curtains, casting a soft golden glow across the rumpled sheets. For a moment, everything felt perfect. Safe. He stretched lazily, expecting the usual empty side of the bed, the familiar ache of another cold departure.

But the bed wasn’t empty. The sheets beside him still held the imprint of Daniel’s body, and the faint scent of his cologne lingered on the pillow. Raine’s eyes snapped open fully. Daniel had stayed. Again. Two nights in a row now. His heart did a stupid little flip before he could stop it.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips despite everything. Maybe last night had changed something. Maybe Daniel really meant that apology. He glanced around the room and found him sitting in the armchair by the window, fully dressed in last night’s clothes, staring out at the city skyline with a distant look in his eyes.

“Morning,” Raine said softly, voice still husky from sleep. He slid out of bed, not bothering with clothes, and padded over. The floor was cool under his bare feet. He stopped in front of Daniel, then climbed carefully into his lap, straddling his thighs like he had a hundred times before. “You stayed.”

Daniel’s hands settled on his waist automatically, but there was a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there last night. Raine leaned in, aiming for a slow, lazy kiss, the kind that usually led to morning rounds and tangled sheets.

Daniel turned his head at the last second. Raine’s lips brushed his cheek instead.

The rejection hit like a slap. Raine froze, confusion flooding through him. He pulled back slightly, searching Daniel’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Daniel didn’t answer right away. His grip on Raine’s waist tightened, thumbs pressing into bare skin, but he kept his gaze fixed somewhere over Raine’s shoulder. The silence stretched, heavy and wrong.

Raine’s stomach twisted. “Daniel?”

Finally, Daniel exhaled sharply and pulled him closer, wrapping strong arms around his back in a hug that felt more like goodbye than comfort. Raine melted into it for a second, pressing his face into the crook of Daniel’s neck, breathing him in. But something was off. Really off.

“We have to break the contract,” Daniel said quietly, the words dropping like stones into still water.

Raine jerked back so fast he nearly fell off Daniel’s lap. “What?” His voice cracked. He stared at Daniel, waiting for the punchline, the joke, anything but the serious set of his jaw. “No. What are you talking about?”

Daniel’s eyes finally met his. They looked tired. Haunted. “It’s over, Raine. The arrangement. All of it. We end it today.”

Tears sprang to Raine’s eyes instantly, hot and stinging. He shook his head, gripping the front of Daniel’s shirt like it could anchor him. “No. Please, Daniel. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. I won’t answer your phone, I won’t act like… like I’m more than what we agreed. I’ll be good. I swear. Just don’t end it.”

His voice broke on the last word, and then the dam shattered. Sobs tore out of him, ugly and raw. He buried his face in Daniel’s chest, shoulders shaking. “Please. I’ll do anything. Don’t leave me like this. I need you.”

Daniel’s arms stayed around him, one hand rubbing slow, soothing circles on his back even as his body stayed rigid. “Raine… stop. It’s not about that.”

“Then what is it about?” Raine cried, pulling back just enough to look at him. Tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto Daniel’s shirt. “You stayed last night. You held me. You were so gentle. Why are you doing this now?”

Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it again. His jaw clenched tight, the muscle jumping. He looked like he wanted to say more, something real but the words wouldn’t come. “I can’t explain it. Not the way you want. Things are… complicated right now. With my family. With everything. It’s better this way. Safer.”

“Safer for who?” Raine’s voice rose, thick with tears. He was trembling, fingers twisting harder into Daniel’s shirt. “For you? Because it sure as hell isn’t for me. You paid my debts. You got me this apartment. You changed everything. And now you’re just… throwing me away?”

“I’m not throwing you away.” Daniel’s voice was strained, rough around the edges. He cupped Raine’s face, thumbs wiping at the tears, but it only made Raine cry harder. “You’ll be taken care of. I’ll give you whatever you want. Name the amount, enough to finish school, buy a new place, whatever you need. Just… we can’t keep doing this.”

Raine shook his head violently, fresh sobs wracking his body. “I don’t want your money. I want "you". Please, Daniel. I’ll be whatever you need. Just sex. No feelings. No questions. I’ll wait for your calls like before. I won’t get jealous. I won’t....” His words dissolved into hiccupping cries. He looked so small, so broken, curled against Daniel’s chest like the world was ending.

Daniel’s heart twisted painfully. He held Raine tighter, rocking him gently like he could somehow fix the hurt he was causing. The guilt clawed at him, sharp and relentless. He could see it all, the late nights, the way Raine’s face lit up when he walked through the door, the quiet loneliness when he left. And now this. Forcing an end because his parents had a knife to both their throats.

But he couldn’t tell Raine the truth. Not about the threats, the marriage, the way his world was about to implode. Knowing would only make Raine a bigger target.

“I’m sorry,” Daniel whispered into his hair. His own eyes burned, but he blinked it back. “I never wanted to hurt you like this.”

Raine just cried harder, fists pounding weakly against Daniel’s chest. “Then don’t. Don’t do this. Stay. We can figure it out.”

Daniel let him cry for what felt like forever, holding him through the storm. Eventually the sobs quieted into shaky breaths and sniffles. Raine clung to him, exhausted, face buried in his neck.

“I have to go,” Daniel said finally, voice barely above a whisper.

“No—” Raine started, but Daniel was already gently disentangling them. He set Raine on the edge of the bed and stood, smoothing his wrinkled shirt. Every movement felt mechanical, like his body was moving while his mind screamed at him to stop.

Raine watched him with red, swollen eyes, fresh tears spilling over. “Daniel, please…”

Daniel paused at the bedroom door, back turned. He couldn’t look at him again. If he did, he might not leave. “I’ll have the money transferred today. Use it. Start over. You deserve better than this anyway.”

The door clicked shut behind him. In the hallway, Daniel leaned against the wall for a second, eyes closed, listening to the muffled sound of Raine breaking down again on the other side. The guilt was a living thing in his chest, heavy and suffocating. He pressed the heel of his hand against his sternum like it could ease the pressure.

He’d done what he had to. Protected Raine the only way he knew how.

But as he walked out of the apartment and into the bright morning light, it didn’t feel like protection. It felt like ripping out his own heart and leaving it bleeding on the floor.

---

Raine didn’t move from the bed for hours. The apartment felt too big, too empty. The sheets still smelled like them. He curled into a ball, hugging his knees, and let the tears come until there was nothing left but hollow exhaustion.

Daniel was gone. Really gone this time.

And Raine had no idea how he was supposed to survive it.