Lahat ng Kabanata ng Pucking Forbidden Claim: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

Rook POVThe game plays on the TV, lighting up the room in shades of blue and white, but Harlow couldn’t care less. She’s curled up in my arms, her tiny hands gripping my hoodie, sucking on her bottle like it’s the most important thing in the world.“You see that?” I murmur to her, tilting the bottle just right. “That’s a perfect zone entry. Clean, no wasted movement. Just like when you decide to impressively spit up all over me right after I change shirts. Perfect execution, great timing, just like Kade out there.”Harlow makes a small noise, uninterested in my expert hockey analysis, but I keep going anyway.“Now watch, he’s pulling coverage. He’s baiting them in, making them think he’s gonna take the shot. But nah, he’s smarter than that.” I pause, smirking as Kade cuts hard, dragging two defenders with him before flicking a perfect pass across the ice. Tyler catches it clean and fires it straight past the goalie. The lamp flashes red, the crowd goes nuts.“And boom, assist.” I gla

Rook POVI shift, adjusting my stance, keeping my voice even. “So what? You think moving in makes that harder?”Kade shakes his head, but he’s still frowning. “No. Just means I need to be sure. If this is where I’m staying, then it’s not just me anymore. It’s her, too.”I snort, nudging his side. “You act like that’s new information. Harlow’s already here. Has been since you decided to stick around.”Kade huffs out a short laugh, but there’s something else in his expression, something quieter.“Yeah, well,” he mutters, rubbing his jaw. “Guess I just hadn’t said it out loud before now.”I smirk, leaning against the counter. “And? Feel better getting it off your chest, Daddy Mercer?”He groans, shaking his head. “Never call me that again.”“Not making any promises,” I shoot back.Kade sighs, but there’s no real frustration behind it. He just looks at me, his expression steady now. “So… you’re really good with this? Me staying?”I roll my eyes. “Mercer, you’ve been here. At this point, I

Kade POVRook watches me, his expression unreadable for a moment before he finally asks, “What are you scared of, Mercer?”I open my mouth, then close it, my jaw clenching as I glance down at Harlow. She’s peaceful now, finally settled against me like she trusts me, and that only makes it worse.I exhale sharply. ”Everything. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, Rook. I’m lost, man. It’s only been a week, a week, and I’m already in over my head. What if I fuck this up? What if I can’t do this?”Rook is quiet for a second before he leans in, pressing his shoulder into mine again. “You’re not alone, Kade,” he says simply. “I’m here. My dad’s here. No one’s leaving you to figure this out by yourself.”I close my eyes for a second, exhaling through my nose. “It’s not a sure thing.”Rook tilts his head. “What isn’t?”“This. Any of this.” My voice drops slightly, rough around the edges. “Anything could happen. I could end up not here. We could end up breaking up, and then what? You think

Rook POVKade mutters under his breath, rubbing his jaw like he’s still recovering from the revelation. “Not everyone just knows for sure they’re gay without checking, Volkov.”That’s it. That’s all it takes for me to lose it. Laughter bursts out of me, loud and shameless, because this is gold. “Ohhh, I remember,” I say, grinning. “And from what I heard back then, you were really enjoying trying to figure that out.”Kade glares at me, but it only makes me laugh harder.“Women, men, women, women, women, men, men.” I tick them off on my fingers as I go, smirking at him. “Oh, and then back to women.”Kade groans, rubbing his face. “Jesus, Rook. Grow up.”Still laughing, I shake my head. “Nah, not when I finally get to drag you for this. You were so dedicated to the research. Really committed to the cause.”“You’re insufferable,” he grumbles.“And yet, here you are, moving into my house,” I shoot back.Kade just shakes his head, muttering something under his breath, but I catch the way hi

Kade POVMy apartment is nothing but boxes now. Some labeled rubbish, others storage. The storage boxes hold things I don’t need day to day, stuff I could probably live without but still can’t seem to let go of.I sit there, staring at them, wondering why the hell I’m holding onto so much.At first, I kept everything because it meant something. Proof that I’d made it, that I’d gone further than most people from where I came from. Back then, it felt like an achievement. Now? It just feels like a weight.People always told me well done, smiling as they said I did the right thing by getting out. Some even called me an inspiration for the kids who grew up in the same place I did. But now I can’t help but wonder, did they really mean it?Hell, even my own mother wasn’t happy for me. Not really.She spent years playing pretend, acting proud, telling me she wanted me to succeed. But deep down, she hated that I escaped, that I got out and left her behind.Sighing, I hold out my hand. “I need