Chapter 221

Andre had already given up on sleeping in his room that night; he was sitting on a bench beside the reception door, resting his back on it with his eyes closed. 

Florence was long gone, but Cross remained sitting on the beach. He sat there until everyone went to sleep.

Andre started to feel the cold bite into his skin, goosebumps appeared all over his skin, and for what? Because he'd been appointed to chaperone some weird and silly kid.

He suddenly felt like someone was staring at him, and when he opened his eyes, Cross stood there, staring blankly at him.

He cleared his throat and stood up, fixing his shaky hands in his pocket. "Ready to sleep?" He asked Cross, his voice, tired.

Cross stared at him briefly and nodded, "Why are you monitoring my life?" He asked. 

Andre was too sleepy to stand, not to mention arguing with a kid.

"Follow," He said and walked into the building. 

Cross followed with a frown, he didn't like it when he was ignored or commanded.

They got in the elevator and Cross stared at Andre as he leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes. He looked tired and stressed.

He scoffed quietly, "You wouldn't be so tired if you didn't spend your time watching me," He said flatly.

Andre didn't even move. At that moment, every second was too precious to waste on meaningless banters.

Cross frowned, deciding to stay quiet.

They walked through the quiet hallway, and everywhere was pin-drop silent, and only their footsteps echoed throughout the hallway.

With a quick scan of a card, Andre pushed the door in and held it open for Cross.

"Please, get in," He said.

Cross reluctantly walked in, walking straight to the bed.

Andre shut the door and went over to his wardrobe. He only removed his shoes and socks before walking over to the bed, managing to unbutton his shirt before he fell onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. 

"What are you doing? Don't tell me you're sharing my bed," Cross frowned as he stared at Andre's figure lying on the other side.

Andre sighed and sat up. "You're going to be sharing this bed and this room with me for a year. But, you don't have to worry; one of my friends will be leaving soon, and I'll take his room when he does. Now, go to the wardrobe and take any of my shirts that fit, put them on, and come to bed, or the couch, whichever seems fitting for your mood. Do not disturb me." He stated and fell back on the bed.

Cross was vexed. Why did Sebastian have to pair him up with Andre? He was so unbearable, he didn't want to be in his presence. 

He wanted to refuse Andre's offer to wear his shirt, but he recalled that he had left his bag in Florence's car and could only get hold of it tomorrow morning. 

Murmuring some inaudible things, he went over to the wardrobe and grabbed the first black shirt he saw, changed into the oversized shirt, and climbed on his side of the bed.

He stared at the bright light above him, feeling calmed by the brightness. Soon, his eyelid dropped and he fell asleep.
***
Somehow, someone moved first, no one knew who, but all they knew was that they found themselves in each other's arms as they opened their eyes the next morning.

"Good morning?" Jeremiah smiled up at a frowning Jasper. 

Jasper slowly removed his arms from Jeremiah, putting some distance between them. 

He winced as he held his head to reduce his headache, "Did we?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes and pulled the sheets away to reveal their naked and slightly bruised bodies, "Did we?" He asked in return.

Jasper rubbed his eyes, "Shit... we did." He murmured, recalling every single detail about what they did last night.

"Yeah," Jeremiah yawned, stretching himself beside Jasper, "Damn, my muscles ache, and we only went at it once, I can't feel my legs." He tried to reach out for Jasper but his hand got pinned to the bed.

"You seduced. Why?" Jasper questioned, forcing his eyes to stay on Jeremiah's face.

Jeremiah pouted, "Seduced? That's a strong accusation, Jas. You wanted it, too. I just showed you reasons why you shouldn't miss such a golden opportunity." He spoke calmly.

Jasper stared seriously at him, wondering why he had let him into his room in the first place.

"Chill, bro. They shipped us so much, I just wanted to know how it would feel to be with you. Nothing deep," Jeremiah tapped Jasper's shoulder as he sensed his discomfort.

"You should leave," Jasper stated, he didn't want anyone seeing them together in this condition. 

"Can you just fucking chill? I'm not asking you to take responsibility for ripping my ass last night. I can't even get pregnant, and you used a fucking condom, too. I don't know why you're freaking out," Jeremiah pushed his hair out of his face and regarded Jasper with a raised brow.

"Who topped?" Jasper found himself asking.

Jeremiah scoffed, looking at Jasper as if he had gone mad.

Jasper sighed, rubbing his eyes, "I did. Sorry for asking." He muttered. 

"Annoying," Jeremiah said, sitting up, massaging his neck.

Jasper watched him, many thoughts running through his mind.

"You've never been topped," It was a statement.

Jeremiah scoffed, "I'm the top, you idiot. You disvirgined my ass... but I liked it," He reached over and traced Jasper's thigh.

"Stop," Jasper slapped his hand away and shifted away from him.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Jeremiah questioned, looking around the room to search for his clothes on the floor.

"It's just... no wonder you..." Jasper paused, realizing he was about to say something he shouldn't.

"What?" Jeremiah asked, staring at his face.

"Nothing..." He sighed and pulled the sheets to cover his body, he wasn't comfortable with the way Jeremiah kept eyeing his body. 

"You let me top you, why?" He asked Jeremiah. 

"Don't ask questions if you're not ready to hear the answer," Jeremiah replied and left the bed.

Jasper stared at Jeremiah as he collected his clothes from the floor and put them on.

Dressed, Jeremiah turned and faced Jasper,  "I'm glad you didn't pretend to forget last night; and, for the record, you called me Jerry... and you said I was perfect." He winked at Jasper and turned away.

"Bye, bro," Jeremiah said as he left the room.

"Fuck!" Jasper cursed and clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in frustration. 

He shouldn't have trusted Jeremiah and let him in last night. He should have known the guy was a bit too mischievous and spontaneous to be trusted. Now, look what happened. 

He didn't want it, he didn't want this feeling he was getting, he wished he could reverse time and slam the door on Jeremiah's face the moment he saw him outside his room.

So... was he regretting it? Jeremiah made it clear that it was nothing deep; then, why was he beating himself up?
***
Andre woke up and almost hit the person he saw on the other side of his bed only stopping when he saw the face of his bedmate.

He sighed and got out of bed, heading into the bathroom. After his shower, he walked out to find Cross still sleeping.

"Spoiled indeed," He murmured as he dressed up for the day.

Quietly, he left the room, leaving the Orion Prince to his slumber.

Andre walked into the main resort dining hall.

The polished marble floors gleamed beneath his boots, reflecting the morning sun that spilled generously across the buffet counters and warm wood finishes. The scent of roasted coffee, fresh fruit, and warm pastries mingled in the air.

Near the terrace, where the sea breeze slipped through open arches, Pole was already seated among a few of the guys, one leg casually crossed, espresso cup in hand. His sunglasses were pushed up like a crown in his tousled blond hair, and that ever-present smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth the moment he spotted Andre.

The space was elegant — a luxurious, open-air sanctuary reserved for VIP guests. High ceilings arched overhead, soft instrumental music floated in the background, and each table was dressed with crisp linen, gleaming cutlery, and delicate china. Beyond the terrace railings, the ocean stretched into the horizon, calm and brilliant under the early sun.

"Oh, alone? Where's your ward?" Pole grinned as Andre approached their table; he scooped another bite of scrambled eggs, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Don't tell me Cross finally managed to escape your military-grade babysitting." Pole teased.

Andre deadpaned, drawing out a seat across Pole.

"But, for real, man, where's your ward? The boss specifically handed him to you; you shouldn't be appearing without him," Thomas added, sipping his pineapple juice that he'd come to love since his arrival at the resort.

Andre sighed, "He's sleeping, or showering, I don'treally know what he's doing now."

Pole gasped, "Showering? I thought you'd have him on a timer with monitored water use and location tracking." He tapped the table with his fingers 

Andre ignored him and poured himself some coffee.

Pole leaned in, stage-whispering, "You sure he didn't slip out the window?" He asked.

"Leave him alone, Pole," Thomas said.

Pole sighed and turned away from Andre, searching for his next target, "Hey, Thomas, what's up with your brother? He's been quiet... everyone's just acting weird. Am I the only one who has nothing weird going on in his life?" He asked.

Thomas stared at Jeremiah, who was quietly eating his food, "Make that the two of us. I don't know what's come over everyone. But, hey, the food here is delicious, right?" He pushed a plate of some unknown cuisine to Pole.

Pole immediately delved in with his fork, "Mm! Tastes like chicken," He nodded.

"It's chicken," Ida pointed out.

"Ah, he speaks!" Pole announced in excitement. 

"Who let this guy join the job?" Andre asked, shaking his head.

"What do you mean? I can take you down in a second," Pole said, flexing his muscles.

Andre ignored him and focused on eating.

"Hey, Ida, why do you want to leave? I know, I know, it's not my business, but I'm just too curious, I mean, everyone here loves you, right, Cody?" He asked.

Cody, who has been stealing glances at Ida finally had an opportunity to look at his face openly, "Yeah, we do. Why are you leaving?" He finally asked the question that had bothered him all night. 

"The nerve," Ida murmured and pinned Cody with his gaze, "It's personal." He replied. 

This was the first time they ever spoke to each other after their discussion in the fitting room. It ignited that feeling they've tried so hard to bury.

This was harder than they thought it would be, they were suddenly filled with uncertainty and regret as they recalled what they used to share between them.

"Okay, it's personal, I'll keep my mouth shut," Pole whispered.

"Yo, look over there," Thomas pointed behind Andre.

Everyone looked.

Cross led Ezra and Nicholas into the hall, he looked like someone had already annoyed him early that morning. 

"Guess your quiet and peaceful moments are over," Pole gently tapped Andre's lap.

"Good morning, young boss, sleep well?" Pole asked Cross, smiling brightly at him.

Cross ignored him and lowered himself onto the table next to him.

"Good morning, guys, ready to check in?" Ezra questioned.

Ida stood from the table, "Hi, Nick," He shook hands with Ezra and Nicholas, "Thought the little guy was the one taking charge of us?" Ida questioned, pointing at Cross.

"Ida! Watch out!" Cody panicked at he saw Cross suddenly stand from his chair, drawing a thick mug from the table.

Ida turned just in time to see Cross aiming the mug at his head. With easy steps, he knocked the mug to the floor and pinned Cross's hands behind his back.

"Damn, nice safe, bro," Pole commented, shocked.

Everyone was shocked, especially Andre. He knew Cross was a wide card, but he never knew he was that spontaneous. 

"What is wrong with you?" Jasper asked, frowning as he stared at Cross.

"Let go of me!" Cross struggled against Ida's hold but to no avail.

Andre sighed and stood, taking note of the confused look on Ezra and Nicholas's faces.

He stood in front of Cross and placed a hand on his shoulder, staring into his silver orbs, "Everyone's not me who tolerates you. Don't be too spontaneous. I've got him." He said to Ida and gently pulled Cross to himself. 

Holding Cross's wrist firmly, he turned to Ezra, "How does this sectioning work?" He asked.

Nicholas cleared his throat and clapped his hands, "Everyone, please, follow us down to the reception. Florence will assign each of you to your new roles." he smiled and hooked his arm around Ezra's. 

"Let's go, babe," He said to Ezra and pulled him away, giving Andre a piteous look as he passed him.