Chapter 231

Andre left the room too early; he didn't know how to look Cross in the eyes after what happened last night. 

He couldn't view him the same anymore. He would always imagine how he almost burst in his hand, and he felt so guilty... guilty of letting his mind imagine Cross's face as he jerked off in the bathroom last night.

Everything wasn't the same anymore. He couldn't speak for Cross, but on his end, nothing was the same anymore.

He knew Cross was drunk, horny, and half-asleep that night. He would probably not remember what he did. 

Andre hoped Cross didn't remember. It would be awkward and hard to communicate with him if he ever brought it up.

He headed to the gym, needing to release some steam.

As he punched the punching bag, Cross's face kept popping up in his mind. He cursed under his breath and punched harder, sweat trickling down his face and his muscles becoming sore, but he didn't stop.

'I can't want Cross. That's impossible,' He chanted in his head.

"Fuck!" He kicked the punching bag and turned away from it. 

Why was he imagining he and Cross doing unspeakable things?

Andre felt troubled. He tried. He really did try not to let those silver eyes get to him. He had been captivated by those eyes the first day he laid eyes on them. Fortunately, Cross was being an ass toward him, which made it easier to push that attraction to the side. But now what? 

What was he supposed to do? Cross was mafia for crying out loud Sebastian's cousin. 

He shouldn't want him. He won't want him. He'll just have to act normal around Cross; everything should be fine if he acts normal.

He turned back to hitting the punching bag.

"Hey, good morning," a voice spoke behind him.

Andre paused, huffing as he looked back to see Tony standing behind him with a smile. 

"Oh, hi, Tony," He grabbed his towel from the bench and wiped the sweat off his face. 

Tony stared at Andre like eye candy. "I never knew you boxed." He smiled. 

Andre slightly nodded, "I just didn't mention it last night. How was your night?" He asked.

Tony sighed, "Boring and alone. You never told me you had a boyfriend." He folded his arms.

Andre wanted to say something when a shadow caught his eye at the entrance. 

His heart pounded, his breathing turned shallow... Cross was here.

'Why was he here?' He frowned as he saw Cross looking all hungover and tired. He should have stayed in bed if he was tired.

"Andre?" Tony called softly, touching Andre's arm.

"Yeah? Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend. He was just drunk. Actually, he's my boss, his cousin owns the resort," Andre informed, clearing his throat. 

He made sure that Cross heard his reply just to be safe.

"Oh? I understand now. Actually, I think that's great, we could connect tonight... if you're still interested..." Tony moved closer, placing his hand on Andre's shoulder. 

Andre removed Tony's hand and held it in his, Cross was getting near, and all of a sudden, he didn't know what to say to Tony anymore. 

Cross wasn't in a hurry. He slowly walked over to Andre, making sure his eyes never left his. He heard every conversation between them, and he patiently waited for Andre to give Tony an answer.

"Good morning, Coach. Seems like you left the room in a hurry?" Cross greeted as he stood beside Andre, totally ignoring Tony's presence.

Subtly, Andre released Tony's hand and took a step back, "I needed to exercise." He replied.

Cross slowly nodded, "Oh, okay. I'll wait then..." He said and went over to sit on the bench, placing his head in his hands.

"Um, Andre? I was asking about tonight... are you free?" Tony asked again, staring at Andre.

Andre sighed, "How about I call you later? I don't know how my day is going to go yet, alright?" He smiled politely. 

Tony nodded, "Okay, handsome. I'll be waiting." He waved at Andre and turned to Cross. 

"Have a nice day, Cross," Tony said to Cross, but he got a middle finger as a reply, and Cross did it without even raising his head.

"I apologise. He's still a little bit hungover," Andre said, holding Tony and leading him away from there.

"It's alright, Andre. I'll go find something to eat," Tony hugged Andre and walked away.

Sighing, Andre turned and went back to the punching bag. 

He could feel Cross staring, making him uneasy, but he stayed focused, refusing to look at Cross.

"Ugh... my head hurts, can you stop? The sound is deafening," Cross held his head, wincing.

Andre stopped, finally looking at him.

"If your head hurts, go drink some water, eat, and sleep some more," He picked up his towel and started to walk away.

Cross frowned as he saw Andre walking away. He knew what Andre was doing, pretending... just like he did with the storm episode.

Cross realised that there was nothing like the storm effect. It was all Andre's way of trying to bury what happened, just like he's doing now.

Cross would have let Andre be if he hadn't tried to be there for him. But Andre was always there, defending him, caring for him, asking him to open up. Now, Cross was trying to open up... his legs, at least, but Andre was now the one going under the shell.

He wasn't letting Andre have an easy way out. He wanted friendship, right? He would give him more than friendship. 

"Ugh! Ouch!" Cross groaned and fell to the floor, holding his head and tummy.

In the blink of an eye, Andre rushed back to his side, squatting beside him and holding his face. 

"Hey, are you okay? Cross? Can you hear me?" Andre's worried voice asked, holding Cross's face in panic and already fishing out his phone to ask someone to get a car for him to drive Cross to the hospital. 

Cross held Andre's hand that was about to call someone, shaking his head at him. "Don't, I don't want anyone seeing me like this." He said in a strained voice.

"Then what is wrong with you? Or, I'm calling Ezra," Andre frowned. 

"No, he'll tell Sebastian I got drunk. It's just that my head and tummy hurt. Can this be between us? I don't want anyone hearing about this; they'll just have more reasons to say that I'm spoiled," He spoke in a calm tone this time. 

Gently, Andre put his hands under Cross's armpit and lifted him off the floor.

"I'm sweaty, but you need to lean on me," Andre said.

"It's okay," Cross replied and hooked his arm over Andre's shoulder, "Let's go." He said with a small smile.

Andre inhaled, placing a hand on Cross's lower back. As they walked out of the gym room, he glanced at Cross's face and noticed how tired he looked. 

"You should have stayed in bed," Andre muttered as he led Cross into the elevator. 

Cross shook his head, "Didn't feel like sleeping. Plus, I didn't see you, so I came to look for you. Are you avoiding me?" He stared at the side of Andre's face, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm beginning to think you're really spoiled. Do you think everything is about you? I just left to exercise. It has nothing to do with you," Andre scoffed. 

Cross was silent, following Andre out of the elevator. They entered their room, and Andre made Cross sit on the bed.

"What do you want to eat?" Andre questioned, putting a hand on his waist. 

'You,' Cross smiled to himself. 

"I don't know. Whatever you eat," Cross replied.

Andre sighed, "Okay." He wanted to go to the hall and eat with the guys, but he couldn't leave Cross alone.

He didn't want any complications. He wanted to stay here and make sure he was okay before he decided to leave.

He texted Cody to ask a staff member to bring up their food for them, and then he went to have a shower.

He came out of the bathroom and saw that the food was already delivered, but Cross hadn't touched it.

"What? Are your hands not working?" Andre asked as he walked over and sat beside Cross, digging in without sparing him a glance.

Cross frowned, "You're so mean." He muttered.

Andre nodded, "I learned that from you." He replied.

"Not true. Am I still a meanie to you?" Cross placed a hand on Andre's thigh.

Andre suddenly choked, coughing loudly as he reached for the water, gulping it down his throat and sniffing.

Cross didn't move his hand away. Rather, he placed his hand on Andre's back and gently rubbed it.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, thank you," Andre said, shifting away from Cross, "Just eat your food." He pointed to the food.

"Okay," Cross nodded and started eating.

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Cross spoke up again, "You're acting strange." He pointed out.

Andre raised a brow, "I'm not."

"You were all about trying to get me to open up to you and see you as my friend. Now, I'm trying to be nice, but you're the one withdrawing. Why?" Cross questioned. 

"You don't even look or smile at me anymore," Cross added.

Andre sighed, "I told you I know when to back down. After I got my face hit with an alarm clock, I abandoned that mission. I don't want my face disfigured." He told Cross.

Cross looked away, "Fine..." He shifted closer and placed his hand on Andre's face, making him look at him.

"Can you stop? I'm eating," Andre sounded calm, but he wasn't.

Cross shook his head, "I'm sorry for the alarm clock," He touched his finger on Andre's fading bruise, "I'm sorry for your lips..." He traced his hand down Andre's cheeks to his lip, touching the spot that was slightly discoloured, "And, I'm sorry for your suit back at Sebastian's wedding... I'm also sorry for being an ass to you... Just you, not the guys. They're mean as well." He apologised, holding Andre's surprised gaze.

Andre blinked, slowly dragging air into his lungs, "Something must have been added to the drink you took last night." He smirked.

"You're apologising?" Andre gently removed Cross's hand from his face but didn't let it go, "Why?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Ugh... come on, don't make this harder for me. Fine, should I call you like your ugly Tony did before you accept my apology? Fine. I'm sorry, handsome," he winked at Andre.

Andre chuckled, "You don't have to call me that. I already accepted your apology, we're good." 

Cross shifted closer, "So, we're friends now?" He asked, holding Andre's hand again.

"Yeah," Andre nodded.

"Okay. Can I say something?" Cross asked, smiling mischievously. 

Andre hesitated, "Go ahead." He hoped he wouldn't regret it.

"If I were ugly Tony and I wanted your attention, I wouldn't call you handsome... It's lame," Cross stated.

Andre chuckled quietly, "I like it just fine. And, he's not ugly, Cross, he's quite fine -"

"Finer than me?" Cross interrupted.

Andre paused, staring at Cross's face. "What are you getting at? Just eat your food, I have somewhere to go -"

"To ugly Tony? Anyways, what I was saying is, I wouldn't call you handsome... I'd call you Papito," He winked at Andre again. 

Andre laughed, shaking his head at Cross, "Nah, that's you, bro. I'm not some kid or baby, that's all you, and only your sister calls you that." He told him.

Cross frowned, "Are you sure it's only my sister who calls me that?" He leaned his face closer and peered at Andre's.

Andre recalled letting the name slip through his lips when he was trying to get Cross to calm down during the storm.

"Yeah, she's the only one, and it sounds quite cute when she calls you that way, like a cute little baby," Andre smiled. 

"Really? Then let's try something else."

Cross's voice was calm, teasing. He locked eyes with Andre, gaze sharp and deliberate, before sliding his hand slowly—achingly slowly—into Andre's unbuttoned shirt—fingertips gliding over warm skin, pausing right above his pounding heart. His palm settled just above Andre's chest, fingers splayed like he was claiming territory.

He leaned in, his lips brushing Andre's ear, hot breath ghosting over skin.

"I want you, Papito… bend me. Ruin me." his voice dropped to a sinful whisper, "Fuck me like I'm yours, Papito."

Andre's breath caught in his throat; he was frozen in place, unable to move. He could feel Cross's finger sliding toward his nipple, and if he allowed it, there was no way he would continue with that breakfast, Cross might just become the breakfast.

He was still trying to think of a quick escape plan when he felt Cross's lips brush the skin just under his ear.

A moan slipped past his lips before he quickly placed his hand on Cross's shoulder and gently pushed him away, "What are you doing?" He asked, controlling his breathing. 

Cross smiled, "So? How was that? Does Papito sound like a cute and cuddly name? Or..." he smirked.

Andre sighed, "You have to stop messing with me, Cross." He said and gulped down his water to cool his overheating body down. 

"You lied last night. You do want me," Cross stated.

"What?" Andre snapped his head to Cross, horror written all over his features as he imagined what else Cross remembered from last night.

Cross nodded, "You moaned just now. You liked what I was saying and doing to you... I bet you Tony can't make you feel that way." Cross bit his lip, "What do you say? Yeah?" He asked.

Andre felt hot. How did he end up here again? He thought he had managed to avoid this.

Andre cleared his throat, "Are you saying you remember everything that happened last night?" He asked cautiously.

Cross nodded, "Yeah, you were angry because I made ugly Tony leave, I asked you to have fun with me, but you turned me down, you lied about not wanting me, and... I don't know, it might have been a dream, but I think you let me..." his eyes lowered to Andre's cock, "You let me touch it for a while. Was it real?" He asked. 

"Fuck this," Andre muttered and stood from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Cross asked, hurrying over to Andre and holding his hand. 

"Cross... you..." Andre sighed, short of words.

"Come on, don't go to that ugly Tony, stay with me, please?" He held Andre's hands, pulling him closer and hugging him.

Andre let him. He was just too shocked and embarrassed to speak. 

"Fine, I'm sorry for being too forward, but I'm not like other guys who hesitate on who they want. I want you, Andre... I thought I was being obvious enough on that," Cross confessed, his head still resting on Andre's chest.

Andre placed a hand on Cross's arm, "You can't want me, Cross. Do you even realise what you're saying? Just pretend like everything is cool between us. You'll forget this in a couple of days." He advised, hoping Cross would let it slip.

Cross stepped back, "You're so mean, fuck you. I take back my friendship. So, who do you want? Leon? Ugly Tony? You have quite a bad taste in men. It's disgusting." He spoke angrily.

Andre nodded, "I prefer this Cross to whatever that was, please keep being mean. Bye, I might not be back tonight." He smiled and walked out of the room. 

"Fuck you, Andre. It's not every day I tell people I want them. You think I'm done? Keep dreaming, you're mine big boy," He smirked and went back to eating his food.
***
Jasper was idly sitting on his balcony, staring at the people running around the beach that afternoon. He hadn't left his room since morning, and he wasn't planning to.

He didn't want to see Jeremiah and be reminded that he had gone home with another man last night.

"Was I really boring? I thought he liked it..." he murmured, shaking his head.

This is what he gets for letting his guard down: a heartbreak.

He should have kept being the cold, unfriendly Jasper. None of this would have happened.

A knock sounded on his door. He knew that pattern. It was Jeremiah. 

He remained seated, waiting for him to go away. 

Was he here to rub it in his face about how exciting his night was?

He couldn't believe that Jeremiah thought he was boring all those times, so why did he even bother calling him babe? Mocking him, perhaps?

The knocking didn't cease. Jeremiah was persistent with his knocks.

Sighing, Jasper stood and walked to the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

Jeremiah stood there, his eyes looking puffy, either from crying too much or sleeping too much. Whatever it was, Jasper no longer cared.

"What's up, man?" He asked as he saw that Jeremiah just kept staring at him and not saying a word.

"Hi, can I come in?" Jeremiah asked quietly. 

Jasper almost scoffed, "I'm sorry, I'm kind of busy. Is it something urgent? You can reference it to Ida or Andre to help you sort it out. Bye." He said and pushed his door forward, but Jeremiah held it, stopping him.

"Yes, it's urgent. No, Ida nor Andre can't fix it... only you can," Jeremiah said, looking into Jasper's eyes.

"What do you want, Jeremiah?" Jasper asked with a sigh.

Jeremiah swiftly slid through the door and pushed it closed, resting his back on it.

"I want to apologise, Jasper," He said.

Jasper frowned, "About what?" 

"About last night..." Jeremiah spoke lowly.

Jasper scratched the side of his head, "I don't remember. Sorry, I must have been too drunk." He lied.

"No, you weren't. Stop pretending. I was drunk... and stupid. I said a lot of hurtful things to you," Jeremiah looked away, feeling guilty.

He had waited to see Jasper throughout the day, but he never did, so he decided to come meet him here, in his room.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's always important we say how we feel. You made me remember why I didn't want to let anyone in in the first place. I mean nothing to you, and you mean nothing to me, too," Jasper stated calmly.

"I -"

"You see? This is why you should keep people away. Look at you, you're here apologising because you think you wronged me. You didn't. You have to stand by your word, Jeremiah. You don't owe anyone any apology, and no one owes you forgiveness. Look at the brighter side... You had an interesting sex last night, and you can have more like that in the future. Just don't settle for less," Jasper said and moved toward Jeremiah. 

"Move, you need to leave," Jasper said.

Jeremiah folded his arms, "I'm sorry," He whispered. 

Jasper chuckled, "You need to leave." He wasn't looking at Jeremiah's eyes which were starting to tear up.

Jeremiah took a step forward, holding Jasper's shirt, "I'm sorry, baby... I was being an idiot. Look at me, please." He placed a hand on Jasper's face, staring into his eyes.

Jasper felt his wall crumbling as he stared into those amber eyes, but he couldn't be fooled twice. 

Leave me alone, Jeremiah. I -"

"I love you," Jeremiah cut him off, pressing his body against Jasper's, his arms going around Jasper's neck.

Jasper froze, staring blankly at Jeremiah's face, "You..." he took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't love you, Jeremiah. You need to leave," He stepped away from Jeremiah and opened the door. 

"Get out, Jeremiah. Don't come to me anymore," Jasper coldly ordered.

Heartbroken, Jeremiah slowly left the room, feeling like he'd lost the best thing he'd ever had.