Charles closed his eyes, the apology dying in his throat. He knew Frank meant it. He slowly lay down on his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling in the suffocating quiet.

The next morning, Adrian headed toward the guest room with a bright smile on his face, already excited to drag his friends downstairs and start the day together.

But the moment he pushed the door open and stepped inside, the cheerful mood instantly disappeared.

Frank and Charles were both already awake, sitting far away from each other in complete silence. The tension between them instantly made the room feel cold and uncomfortable.

"Good morning, my favorite people!" Adrian shouted, his voice echoing awkwardly.

Frank barely looked up. "Morning," he muttered flatly.

Then he stood up and started fixing his clothes without even glancing properly at either of them again.

Before Adrian could say anything else, Frank spoke again.

"Adrian, find out if there’s a driver who can take me back to my place once I finish getting dressed," he said coldly. "I can’t stay somewhere I clearly don’t belong."

Adrian’s smile vanished. "What? What happened?"

Frank didn’t answer him.

He simply adjusted his shirt before walking toward the door. But before leaving, he paused briefly and looked directly at Adrian.

"Once you figure out how I’m getting back home, let me know," he said quietly.

Then he glanced toward Charles. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Talk to your best friend over there. I’ll be downstairs."

Adrian watched in stunned silence as Frank walked out. He turned sharply to Charles. "What is wrong with him?"

Charles let out a long, heavy sigh and sat Adrian down. He explained the explosion from the night before, the weight of the lies, the broken trust, and the deep hurt Frank felt at being treated like a stranger in his own circle.

"I need to go talk to him," Adrian said, standing up.

"No," Charles stopped him. "Frank doesn’t get angry like this often. If he’s still like this after a night’s sleep, he’s truly hurt. The best thing is for us to just head back."

"But what about Mark?" Adrian asked. "You two haven’t even finished your talk."

Charles lowered his eyes briefly before answering.

"I’ll let it be for now," Charles said, his voice heavy. "I can’t stand him being this mad at me. I was wrong to lie to his face, Adrian. I have to make this right first."

Adrian still looked worried. "I can still talk to him," he insisted. "You don’t have to leave."

But Charles shook his head again.

"No," he murmured. "Maybe I really was wrong for lying to him. I’ll figure things out between Mark and me later."

Adrian stared at him for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright... if that’s what you want."

Not long after, Adrian and Charles headed downstairs together.

Downstairs, Frank was already sitting in the living room waiting quietly, his expression cold and unreadable.

Not long later, Selene informed them that breakfast was ready, and the three of them headed toward the dining room together in uncomfortable silence.

Adrian immediately pulled out his phone to call Matteo, but before he could even dial the number, Matteo was already walking downstairs.

The atmosphere around the dining table felt tense immediately.

Everyone greeted him politely, but unlike the previous night, the greetings sounded short and unusually formal.

Matteo noticed it instantly but said nothing as he took his seat beside Adrian.

A few moments later, Mark joined them too.

He greeted everyone normally before his attention briefly shifted toward Charles.

"Good morning, Charles."

Charles quietly greeted him back, but his eyes stayed lowered afterward, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Matteo’s sharp gaze slowly moved across the table.

He could easily sense the sudden shift between the three friends, but he chose not to say anything about it and simply continued drinking his coffee.

The entire breakfast passed quietly afterward.

Once they finished eating, Frank headed back upstairs first.

A few seconds later, Adrian received a text message from him asking him to find a way for him to head home.

Charles immediately followed him.

The moment Charles entered the room, he froze.

Frank was already packing his things.

Without saying anything, Charles started packing his own things too.

That instantly made Frank stop.

He turned toward him slowly.

"What are you doing?"

Charles didn’t stop folding his clothes. "We’re heading back together," he answered. "I’ll drive you home."

Frank stared at him in disbelief. "I’ll be fine on my own," he replied coldly. "Stay here and do what you actually came here for."

Charles immediately shook his head. "It’s fine," he murmured. "I’m done here too. If you’re leaving, then I’m leaving too."

Frank let out a bitter laugh. "Still lying? You told me last night you hadn’t finished talking to him. Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep lying to my face?"

At that moment the emotions Charles had been holding back finally broke. The shirt in his hand slipped from his fingers as he leaned against the dresser, his voice cracking painfully.

"I’m sorry," he murmured. "I’m really, really sorry."

"I don’t need your ’sorry,’" Frank said, his voice rising. "I want to know what happened to the Charles who always told me everything. We’ve been a team since we were kids, and now you treat me like someone who can’t be trusted."

He looked directly at him. "You know very well that even if I complain or tease you... I would still support you in the end."

"I have no excuse," Charles choked out, "I should have told you the truth every time you asked. I lied to your face because I was a coward. I’m sorry."

"You probably think I’m overreacting," Frank said, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. "But you wouldn’t like it if I did this to you. You made me feel like a fool. You knew I’d believe anything you said, and you used that trust to play me. Right now, Charles... I hate you."

"I know," Charles whispered. "Please, let’s leave. We can talk properly once we’re home."

Frank stared at him, seeing the genuine devastation in Charles’s eyes. He let out a long, weary breath. "If you see this as your chance with Mark, I won’t be the one to ruin it. But don’t think I’m not still furious."

Charles walked closer, standing right in front of him. "I know how you feel. And you have every right to be angry. We’ve been friends since childhood, long before we met Adrian at university. I shouldn’t have—"

"It’s not about who you met first," Frank corrected him. "It’s about the fact that you used my loyalty against me to keep a secret."

"I’m sorry, my friend. Really, really sorry."

The room fell quiet afterward.

Then finally, Frank sighed.

"Fine," he muttered. "I’ll forgive you."

Charles immediately looked up.

"But only if you promise you’ll never keep something this important from me again."

Charles nodded quickly.

"I promise, it won’t happen again."

Frank stared at him for a few long seconds before finally softening. "And stop lying to my face so confidently," he added.

That finally made Charles laugh through his emotions. "Okay."

Then he added quietly, "Please forgive me."

Frank rolled his eyes dramatically afterward. "Fine. I forgive you."

The relief on Charles’s face appeared instantly.

Without hesitation, he immediately hugged Frank tightly. "You’ll always be my favorite crazy friend," he murmured.

Frank smiled a little too.

"I’m crazy because I truly love both you and Adrian," he muttered.

That instantly made Charles smile again.

Eventually, they finally pulled apart.

Then Frank grabbed Charles’s wrist and pulled him back toward the bed. "Alright," he muttered. "Come sit down."

The two of them sat beside each other again.

Then Frank looked directly at him. "Now tell me everything that has happened between you and Mark so far. And don’t you dare leave anything out."

Charles laughed. Then slowly...

He started telling Frank everything.

Frank stayed quiet while listening carefully the entire time.

And at some point, while watching Charles talk about Mark, a small smile slowly appeared on Frank’s face.

"Charles."

Charles blinked. "Yes?"

Frank stared at him for a moment before speaking. "You look genuinely happy talking about him. You don’t just like him," he murmured. "You’re in love with him."

Charles looked away shyly. "Maybe."

"Not maybe. It’s the truth," Frank teased. Then his face turned serious. "But does Mark feel the same? He’s always dated women... do you know for sure what he wants?"

Charles sighed. "That’s why I’m here. He says he likes me and wants me to love him... but his actions are still confusing."

Frank stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking again, this time more seriously.

"Charles... Mark has spent his whole life dating women," he said. "So you need to understand that this situation might be confusing for him."

Charles listened quietly.

"I’m not saying he doesn’t like you," Frank said. "Because from everything you’ve told me, it’s obvious he does. But you can’t keep chasing him for reassurance every second either. Don’t look too desperate in front of him."

Charles stayed quiet.

"If you already know your feelings for him are real, then calm down and let things happen naturally," Frank advised honestly. "Give him space to fully understand what he feels too."

Then he looked directly at Charles. "And if Mark truly wants you the way you want him... trust me, he’ll come to you himself."

"We aren’t leaving," Frank decided, patting Charles’s hand. "We’re going to stay."

That immediately made Charles smile.

That immediately made Charles smile...before pulling Frank into another hug.

"Thank you, Frank," he murmured.

They had just pulled apart when a knock sounded at the door. Charles stood up, smoothing his shirt before crossing the room to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Mark standing in the hallway.

"Charles," Mark murmured "I’m heading out for a while. If you aren’t busy, would you mind coming with me?"

Charles hesitated, instinctively looking back at Frank inside the room. He didn’t want to leave his friend alone after everything that had happened.

Frank noticed the look and waved his hand. "Go for it," he said with a smirk. "I’ll be fine."

Charles looked back...