Chapter 1

I suddenly found myself able to hear the thoughts of Chase Ziegler, my aloof housemate. Oddly enough, it happened after my shower, while I was still shirtless.Since we were both men, I didn't bother hiding anything or shying away. All I did was wrap a towel around my waist. The water droplets that I hadn't wiped from my chest slowly trickled down my abs…Unexpectedly, I heard Chase's voice. "Damn, I want to touch those abs. Oh, and his buns are so perky."I froze and turned back to look at Chase. His lips didn't move at all, but I heard his voice again."I didn't get to see anything again! Why's that towel wrapped so tightly around him? I want to see what's underneath… Maybe I should pretend that I really need to use the toilet and barge into the bathroom when he's showering next time."What the hell? I considered him a friend, but he wanted to get down and dirty with me?To tell the truth, Chase was handsome. Even during our school days, he'd been the campus heartthrob and the

Chapter 2

I wanted to find out whether the voice was Chase's, so I decided to probe him.I got myself a glass of water and made him a coffee. Then, I headed to the living room. I sat beside him and handed him the coffee. "Here, have some coffee. You need to be focused when you're working.""Thanks." Chase took the coffee and sipped it. His eyes narrowed slightly beneath his silver-rimmed glasses.And then, the voice rang out again."My cutie pie is such a darling! He knows I'm tired from working overtime and made me coffee! He's adorable when making coffee, and he's adorable when he mutters to himself while washing his underwear. Another day of falling even more in love with him… Downing my cutie pie's coffee gives me all the energy I need to deal with brain-dead accountants!"It seemed I didn't need to see a neurologist anymore. The voice was indeed Chase's.Before we'd started renting together, we'd barely spoken. And even after becoming housemates, that was all we were. At most, we coul

Chapter 3

My first reaction upon hearing that was to run.No! I couldn't be with Chase!Unfortunately, the alcohol was getting to me. I couldn't run fast at all.Chase's voice grew louder as he caught up with me. "Did I scare my cutie pie? Forget it. I don't care anymore. Tonight's the night, Chase. You can do it! Tell him how you feel! Stop being such a coward!"He stopped beside me. We were outside the bar at this point.The cool early autumn breeze hit me, clearing my head considerably. I stared straight ahead as I said, "Chase, we're not right for each other."Instead of saying anything, he merely looked at me in confusion. But in his mind, he was thinking, "My cutie pie's turned me down before I even said anything. This proves how uncharming I am. Cutie pie, won't you give me a shot?"I have toned abs, and I'm rich. I've already bought the place we're renting. I'm gonna set up my own firm in the second half of the year. I'm rich and capable, and I'm not hideous. Most importantly, I l

Chapter 4

"Didn't you already buy this place?" I asked.Chase looked surprised. "You know about that?"I nodded.He smiled bitterly and shuffled to his bedroom."Ugh, I'm heartbroken. This hurts like hell. This place is where we first met—I only bought it because it's got sentimental value. Now, it's turned into a place of heartbreak. Cutie pie, why did you steal my heart and then reject me?"As he shut the door behind him, his thoughts faded.I returned to my room and sat on the bed, my mind filled with thoughts of how bitter Chase had looked. I couldn't deny that for a moment, I'd felt sorry for him.Just then, my phone rang. It was a call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it to hear a voice that was both familiar and strange to me. I'd loved hearing that voice when I was younger. Now, however, it grated on my nerves."Hi, Hugh. I saw you at the bar tonight. Was the guy with you your boyfriend?" Samuel Wright, the neighbor I'd had a crush on, asked."Yeah." I instinctively

Chapter 5

"My mom's the best. She's never given me a hard time about these things."As Chase left with those thoughts, I cleared the table, grabbed my bag, and left the house. Starting next week, I would be diving into a new case, so I needed to get all my shopping done now. I didn't want to have to make time for shopping trips while I was busy with work.I saw Samuel as soon as I arrived at the mall's supermarket. He had his arm around a curvy woman as he rode up an escalator. He didn't notice me."Man, the thought of it makes my skin crawl. I can't believe I have to have dinner with a couple of gays tonight! Who knows whether they're carrying any diseases?""Sam, why do you know gays?""One of them was my neighbor when we were younger. He even wrote me a love letter. He's never known about me giving the letter to my mom. Honestly, who does he think he is? Is he even worthy of liking me?"The woman agreed with him and asked, "Then why are you having dinner with him? Shouldn't you steer cl

Chapter 6

Chase picked whichever was expensive. Then, he handed the menu to Samuel. "Why don't you see whether you want to add anything else?"I silently did the math. The meal would cost a few thousand dollars, at the very least.Sure enough, Samuel could barely manage a smile after seeing what Chase had ordered. He glanced through the menu before handing it to the server.Once the server was gone, Samuel said, "Hugh, I heard you're in auditing. There's a tiny issue with my company's accounts, so I was wondering whether you could help me with an internal audit."Before I could speak, Chase said, "Mr. Wright, you may not know much about the rule in our line of work. We're forbidden from performing internal audits on companies belonging to friends and family. If you really need someone to help, I can introduce you to a senior of mine.""That'd be great! Thanks a lot!" Samuel cried.Chase nodded. "My senior charges a high fee, but since you and Hugh are old friends… Here's my suggestion—we w