F̶o̶r̶b̶i̶d̶d̶e̶n̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶

10.

Gemini

As I drove to work, my mind churned endlessly over the events with Fourth. I couldn't shake the images and feelings, even as I walked past my employees who greeted me with polite nods and smiles. My expression remained dark, my eyebrows knitted together in frustration, as always.

Inside my office, a mountain of paperwork awaited me. Normally, Fourth would handle much of this, but today I was alone. I tried to focus, flipping through documents and tapping on my keyboard, but my thoughts kept drifting back to him. I stared blankly at the wall, lost in thought, until a knock at the door snapped me out of my reverie. I didn't respond, but the door opened anyway.

"H-hello, sir, I'm here to talk about the quarterly financial reports and some discrepancies we found that need addressing."

No response came from me as the employee continued to stare blankly.

"And so, I was wondering—"

Finally waking up, my confusion switched quickly to anger.

"Did I tell you to enter? Why are you here without permission?"
My voice grew louder as I spoke, clearly agitated. The employee, sensing my mood, became increasingly nervous.

"Why are you here, actually?"

"It's about Lek..." the employee said.

"... What does he want now?"

The employee, stammering, "S-sir, he is still inviting you to that event. Why don't—"

Cutting him off sharply, "Is that all? You are free to leave."

"But—"

"Didn't you hear?" I asked sternly.

"S-sir, he threatened you saying if you won't accept, he will call your mother."

The mention of my mother made me pause. My face showed a flicker of annoyance mixed with resignation. Although I wasn't scared of my mother, our interactions were always charged and exhausting. I knew that dealing with her directly would be more trouble than it was worth.

"Fine. Tell Lek I'll think about it. Anything else?"

"No, sir. That's all."

"Then you can go. And close the door behind you." I said, dismissing him.

As the employee hurried out, I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. The last thing I wanted was another pointless fight with my mother over something as trivial as an event. But with everything else on my mind, particularly thoughts of Fourth, even small annoyances felt magnified.

To calm a bit, I stood by the large windows of my office, gazing out at the cityscape but not really seeing it. My mind was elsewhere, lost in memories of the night before. With a distant smile touching my lips, I absentmindedly brushed my fingertips against them, recalling the softness of Fourth's kiss.

"Those eyes," I whispered, envisioning Fourth's big, brown eyes, so expressive and filled with an unspoken plea. "That look in your eyes right before you—"

I paused, letting out a slow breath as I recalled every detail—the flutter of Fourth's long eyelashes, the vulnerable glisten of tears that seemed on the brink of spilling over. His hands, as if of their own accord, reached up to touch his own neck, tracing the spots where I left marks on his milky skin.

"And those lips," I continued, my voice dropping lower, "Begging, so soft and—"
"Who would've thought," running a hand through my hair, "that I'd be so drawn to you, Fourth? After everything..."

My eyes then drifted to a darkened corner of the room, "And yet, here I am, thinking about how your hair felt between my fingers, the heat of your skin, that mole that I—"

I stopped, abruptly sitting down as if the weight of my own thoughts proved too much. Resting my elbows on my desk, I buried my face in my hands. After a moment, I looked up, my expression tormented as I spoke to the empty room.

"What are you doing to me?"

I unlocked my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen as I debated whether to reach out to Fourth.

Fourth
today 9:40am

Fourth, you drive me crazy. You always have. I can't stop thinking about you, not then, not now. I shouldn't be feeling like this... nor for you, not after everything...|

But just as quickly as I typed, I deleted the message in one swift motion, my resolve crumbling. I clenched the phone tightly in my hand, the weight of my decision heavy on my mind.

———

As Fourth stood outside Gemini's apartment, his heart weighed down by a jumble of conflicting emotions, he dialed Satang's number. With a heavy sigh, he recounted the events of the previous night, careful not to mention the intimate encounter with his boss.

After the call ended, Fourth glanced out the window to see Satang waiting for him. With a deep breath, he made a decision. Before leaving Gemini's apartment, he knew he had to express the feelings swirling inside him, even though he knew it was wrong.

Gemini
today 10:22

I don't know how to say this, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something between us, something more than just anger and frustration. Maybe I'm reading into things, but I can't help but wonder if there's a connection we're both too afraid to acknowledge. I don't know what I want from you, Fourth, but I can't seem to get you out of my mind.

Hey, I know things got heated last night, and I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Let's forget about it and move on, okay?

''Did we... press send at the same time?'' Fourth whispered to himself while staring at his phone.