The Mafia Boss has a dirty little secret. BxB

32 - You still ... like me?"

 
" Huh.. I feel like you already know most of it because of what my friend said." Tae said with a slight smile. I couldn't tell if he thought it was funny or sad. He had to have thought it was sad because his friend ruined his chance to open up when he was ready.

I decided to try cheering him up by leaving a quick kiss on his forehead, which earned a slight blush and a mumbled ' You're being affectionate, again.'

" My father and mother never got along. He felt trapped in his marriage because of my mother's ... undeniable will to make him stay." I raised an eyebrow at the choice of words and waited for him to explain, but he just rambled on and started avoiding eye contact with me.

" They never got a divorce but there was always this bitter air. My father was bipolar, one morning he was happy with her and the next he wanted to kill himself because of her. He refused to admit he was bipolar and in fear of getting caught he never went to the hospital." I held his hands even tighter, if his father was that way with his mother I could only imagine how he was with Tae. Tae gave a false reassuring smile.

" He even had this stage where he was obsessed with the Quran. He memorized every word in that book and threw us all in the religion with him. Which was perfect timing considering I was just coming to terms with who I was." He finally looked into my eyes and I caressed his face with my thumb. It was at that moment that I realized how truly distant he looked. He was opening up to me and yet I couldn't help but felt like he was getting more distant.

" How'd you know your gay?" I asked causing him to laugh. I forced a smile, I'd honestly wanted to ask about his father but if he wasn't ready to tell me about it, I'd wait.

" I always knew, I guess. All it took was one Madonna concert. Or maybe watching The Beach, where I had the privilege of seeing a shirtless Leonardo DiCaprio. "  I laughed along pretending to get the references, while I secretly wondered who the Fuck is Madonna.

" Where are your parents now?"

" Well, my father died three weeks ago..." My eyes widened, so I met him right after his mom died. Maybe that explained the look in his eyes and the scent he released when we first met. I had been a jerk to him when he needed someone the most. I felt my head pound and tightly my grip.

"My mother is bound to meet the same fate but I haven't been checking up on her." I just beginning to think he was talking in cryptic messages.  His mother was bound to die ?  Was there someone coming after her or was she slowly dying in the hospital?

" What do you mean your mother is about to die." He intently looked at me for a moment searching for something before he slowly let go of my hands. He pointed at the clock and slightly smiled.

" Liam is probably impatiently for us to come home... I'll go shower first." With that he left my side to look for the bathroom. He had just told me his past and yet it felt like he had told me nothing.  There was so much he was hiding from me. Something was wrong. I could tell from the way he avoided my eyes, the cryptic messages, and the sudden abrupt stop to his story. He was lying.

How was I supposed to protect the person I wanted to protect when he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. Maybe there was a reason that he didn't trust me. My heart began pounding in this painfully intoxicating way. I  squeezed my chest hoping the horrible feeling would go away.

I'd opened up about something so personal. Yet, he just straight up lied to my face.

----

Liam jumped into Tae's arms while my own hands awkwardly  stayed in my pockets. I leaned against the bedroom door as I studied Tae. He was smiling, but his smile seemed a little forced.

' Maybe he was right for not trusting me.'  I thought and my heart pinged. Knowing he didn't trust me made me feel nauseous. ' Am I that bad ?' I wondered. Liam smiled and made a grabby motion with his little hands. I couldn't help but chuckle at the adorableness as I took him from Tae's hands and our hands slightly brushed against each other's. I snuggling Liam close to my chest as he wrapped his hands around my neck. I placed a kiss on the top of his head as I caressed his soft hair.

" Both of you are acting quite affectionate today." Tae commented. His words would've usually earned a snarky response, but something in my chest made it hard to act carefree.

  Maybe it was because I'd opened up about something so personal and he just straight-up just lied to my face about his past. I didn't want to hold it against him but I couldn't. Why didn't he trust me enough to let me in?

Maybe I needed to start taking him on real dates so he'd know I wasn't actually ashamed of him. I would kiss him in public or hold his hands until he understood. I would do it if he'd trust me. I needed to know what was bothering him so I could help him. But I knew nothing.

" Ace?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Tae. He looked concerned as if he could sense something was wrong.

"It's nothing." I reassured him. Tae could tell I was lying but said nothing. I began to carry the yawning Liam towards the bed to avoid the silence. But a sudden tug on my shirt caused me to stop.  I slowly looked back at Tae and my heart banged.

He looked at the floor and his eyes had darkened in this depressing  way.

" Why are you acting so distant?" His voice was slow and vunerable,   I didn't know where he was planning to go with the conversation. But whatever he was planning, I wasn't about to open up to him just for him to lie, again.

" Why didn't you tell me your past?" I answered his question with a question. His grip on my shirt tightened and he kept his eyes on the floor.

" I did." He lied. I felt my eyes furrow as I gritted my teeth. He looked up to meet my angry face only to look back down at the floor.

" I'm talking about your real past, the parts you're hiding."  He stopping tugging on my shirt and his intoxicating scent turned into a depressed one.

I laid Liam down and situated myself next to him. Tae stayed  standing but I didn't acknowledge it. Liam noticed something was off but was too tired to say much.

" Don't fight." He whispered while giving me a cute disapproving frown. I smiled a little and he quickly fell asleep. Liam liked Tae, probably more than he liked me. I wouldn't ruin that for Liam. He was so precious and just for him I would try not to. I let out a quick sigh before looking at Tae.

" Tae come ... I didn't- I shouldn't have asked you that. If you don't want to tell me you don't have to. " Tae slowly got on his side of the bed in this depressed like state. I leaned closer and placed a kiss on his cheek to cheer him up. His eyes widened and he pulled back.

" You still ... like me?"  I raised a brow at the question and I slightly chuckled.

" What a stupid question? " I said and his face lit up, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. But the weird thing was his scent remained depressing, but I was too tired to bring it up. Tomorrow, I'd fix things. I'll take him out on a real date, kiss him whenever I want and hold his hands. So maybe, someday he'd grow to trust me.

___

It's about to go down on the next chapter, so buckle up. 

Feb ,5, 2023 . 10:43am