Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 41 - Skeleton in the Closet

Sage gripped his chest as Taro locked the bedroom door, unlaced Sage's shoes, peeled off his blazer, and sat with him on the end of the bed. He felt Taro rubbing his back, but what Sage really wanted was a hug. "It's all gone so shit," he sobbed and leaned into him. Taro pulled Sage's head onto his shoulder.

Taro's silence was a sign of his awkwardness. He gripped Sage tightly, and rubbed a soothing hand on Sage's arm, but that was all. Sage tried hard to calm down. He didn't want to make Taro uncomfortable. Crying on a stranger was highly out of character. He's far from a stranger now. But I'm a Prince, I can do this by myself. I was raised for this. He stood abruptly and walked to the large window. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds. The outside world was a bleak black emptiness. He wiped his tears away, but all he could think about was Liniana's tears, and how her eyes had looked so sad.

"I broke her heart," he said woefully and heard movement behind him, and then felt a hand on his shoulder. Sage stepped away. "Don't, people could see us."

Taro sighed. "You've not broken her heart just because I'm here, you would've done it eventually."

"Or maybe I would've just stayed silent and married her anyway."

"Well thank god for me then." Taro peered from the window too. If anyone saw them, they'd just see a Prince and his guard sharing the moons glow. "You can't keep making others happy if it means you're miserable. Yes, her heart is broken, but you're upset too. She might not know the real reason for the rejection now, but one day she will, and I'm sure she will understand."

"One day," Sage scoffed. "I could've made tonight easier by telling her that I'm..." He flopped into his desk chair. "But I just couldn't say anything. I'm just a coward. I deserved everything that happened to me tonight."

Taro's once playful eyes and smirked mouth were now both hard and stern. He shut the curtains and crossed his arms. "You don't deserve any of this, and I don't want to hear you say that again." His harsh tone was unnatural. "You're born with a status that makes it so hard for you to be yourself. I might've thought you were cowardly in the beginning, when I barely knew you, but I see now how hard it is. You breathe and the tabloids hate you. You tell a woman you're not interested and suddenly it's all your fault. I bet they'll blame you for Oxley drinking too much, or for there being no appetisers, or for the party going wrong. But this is none of your fault, and it makes me so angry that people feel like they can tear you down for a story that'll sell." Taro leaned over him and gripped the sides of his desk chair. "You're not responsible for keeping the whole world happy, you're only responsible for keeping yourself happy, and you're not doing a very good job."

Sage still wasn't used to someone outside of his family speaking with such honestly. Taro was always truthful, and Sage had no choice but to admire it. "I thought I was progressing after what we did today, but then everything just went wrong." He struggled to look up. "It always does."

Taro held the chair as firmly as he stared. "Say it."

"What?"

"Say what we did today."

Sage frowned. "Why do I have to say it?"

"Because you're still afraid."

Taro's green eyes were always changing, freezing and melting in the same minute. How can he be so expressive, and I can't even say it aloud? Sage cleared his throat and said quietly, "We kissed."

"Who did you kiss?"

"You," Sage replied sheepishly, but Taro raised a brow with dissatisfaction. "Fine, I kissed another man today." Sage's stomach flopped. Nobody could hear them, but he still felt so exposed.