ICE BETWEEN US: BREAK ME のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

Noa's voice remained calm, but the pain behind it was unmistakable."You don't owe me an explanation." "You think I'm here because I pity you?" Noa didn't answer. His silence was answer enough. Leon stared at him in disbelief. "So that's what you think?" "What else am I supposed to think?" "I'm talking to you because I care!"The words echoed through the empty restroom. Both of them froze. Leon hadn't meant to say that louder. Noa's heart skipped. For one impossible second, he wanted to believe those words. He wanted to grab him and wrapped his arms around him. Then Sebastian's smiling face flashed through his mind. The photo of them in the gossip page. The ride home. The pet name. The worse, the kiss. Instantly, his hope crumbled again. He slowly shook his head. "You're only trying to make yourself feel better." Leon blinked. "What? “You feel guilty." "Noa..." "So you're looking for forgiveness." Leon grabbed Noa's wrist before he c

He smiled through his tears."You called me...your babe." Noa nodded, tears streaming freely now. "I never stopped thinking of you that way." Leon stepped closer until only inches separated them. "I love you." Noa stroked his cheek for a brief second before pressing a kiss on his forehead. "I know babe." He rested his forehead against Leon's. "And I love you too." Leon slowly raised a trembling hand to his cheek."Can I...?" His eyes locked on Noa’s lips. Noa answered by giving the smallest nod. Leon leaned in cautiously, Noa waited for it. When their lips finally met, it wasn't desperate or hurried.It was soft, and gentle. Just like an apology, and a promise. Noa's fingers slid into Leon's hair as he returned the kiss with equal tenderness. For a few precious seconds, the hurt, the misunderstandings, and the fear faded away. When they finally parted, their foreheads remained together.Noa smiled through his tears."Don't make me doubt you again...ple

Leon glared at him. "Serves you right." Noa chuckled weakly. "There you are." "What?" "You smiled." Leon didn't smile back again. His expression remained serious as he cleaned the wound with incredible care. Noa watched him silently. His boyfriend's hands were gentle, almost reverent. It was as though afraid of causing him even the slightest pain. When Leon reached for Noa's sleeve to check another bruise peeking beneath it, Noa instinctively pulled his arm back. "Don't." Leon stopped. "Why?" "I'm okay." "Noa." "It's just a scratch." Leon didn't stop. He slowly rolled up the sleeve anyway. Then, he froze. Dark purple bruises covered Noa's forearm. Some fresh. Some are already turning yellow. There were finger-shaped marks near his wrist. A long scrape ran from his elbow almost to his hand. Leon's breathing caught."Noa…" His voice was barely audible."This..." He looked up, his eyes glistening. "This isn't from bumping into someone." No

A faint smile crossed his lips. "Yeah, well, my Dad never got the chance to pay the debts." The smile disappeared. "The debt didn't die with him. It came to me." Leon sat beside him in silence.Noa continued. "My mother was already gone. My sister, was raped and since then she had never been the same." His voice caught. He needed treatment, so there was only me." "So, I quit thinking about what I wanted. I stopped asking for help. I worked." He smiled bitterly. "Thank goodness for the scholarship. Morning...school and hockey. Evening…work, then home.The next day...I did it all again." Leon could barely breathe. "Why didn't you tell me?" Noa laughed quietly. "What would I have said? Hi, Leon.I like you. By the way, dangerous people are threatening my family because of a debt that isn't even mine.” He shook his head. "I didn't want you involved. I didn't want anyone involved. My sister already is.” His voice cracked. Leon grabbed his hand. "Y

He wondered if he already knew but couldn't arrive at a decision. He couldn't look at him as he tried to speak. "Noa...I" His voice cracked. The word reached the tip of his tongue but didn't come out. His eyes became moist. He could almost remember his promise to Leon of their meeting on the weekend before his brother’s injury. He wanted nothing more than to pull Noa into his arms and tell him everything. That he'd let anger blind him. That every act of kindness toward Noa hadn't been accidental.But another way of making up for his mess. The guilt, the regret, and the fear that Noa would hate him for cutting him off unfairly remained. What if Noa believed he wasn't still sincere with him? What if knowing the truth only reopened wounds that had barely healed? Leon's courage to open up vanished. His hopeful expression slowly crumbled. He looked away and said, "I never met anyone by that name." Those words felt like a knife through his own heart. "I don't know