Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 131: I Love You

The air in the Salazar mansion was usually thick with tension, but on this Saturday afternoon, it felt hollow. With Natasha and Dante leading their sons away for a rare excursion, the silence was almost deafening.

Most of the bodyguards had been siphoned off to Antonio’s estate, leaving the hallways vulnerable and vacant.

Jack sat in the main hall, nursing a headache, when the heavy front doors creaked open. He didn’t even look up at first, assuming it was a maid or a guard. But as the figure stepped into the light, Jack’s heart stopped.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He became a statue, his lungs freezing mid-breath. He didn’t move until a familiar hand reached out and patted his arm.

Huan!

"Don’t faint," Huan warned, his voice a low, grounding rasp.

Jack’s mouth hung open, his brain struggling to process the visual data. "You... you rose from the grave?"

Huan couldn’t suppress a small, dry chuckle. Even after everything, Jack was still Jack. "Yes, I came back to haunt you. You have no idea how dark it is inside the funeral vase."

"Seriously! You... you’re still alive?" Jack practically shouted, finally gasping for air. A wave of pure, unadulterated relief washed over him.

Without waiting for an explanation, he grabbed Huan’s hand to confirm he wasn’t touching a ghost, then hauled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Shit! I don’t believe I’m actually crying to see you again!"

Huan managed a strained smile. "You’re going to send me back to the grave if you keep hugging me this tight, Jack. I can’t breathe."

Jack let go instantly, frantically wiping away tears that hadn’t quite fallen yet. "Sorry! Damn! Huan... you’re alive!"

Huan patted his shoulder, his expression turning solemn. "I’m sure you are doing well."

"What well? I’m in hell!" Jack hissed. "Boss Alex hasn’t touched a single thing since you’ve been gone. The situation is a disaster. Sir Antonio is breathing down my neck, and the stress is killing me."

Huan went still. "How is Alex?"

"He hasn’t left his room," Jack admitted, glancing toward the grand staircase.

"What? Impossible." A man like Alexander couldn’t possibly lock himself away just because he lost his lover, and they weren’t even lovers anymore.

"Oh, you don’t believe me? See for yourself. Mrs. Natasha says he’s sick, but the truth is, he’s just... not functioning. No one dares go inside. I tried, but he didn’t let me in."

Huan didn’t wait for another word. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic, rhythmic drumming. He walked quickly up the stairs.

He greeted several servants who stared at him in surprise, but he didn’t have time to explain.

His mind was focused only on Alexander.

Alex...

The atmosphere changed the moment Huan reached Alexander’s room. He knocked on the door. There was no answer.

Finally, he dared to open the unlocked door and walk in. He was immediately greeted by the scent of fermented grapes and stale spirits.

He looked at the table, which resembled a graveyard of bottles. Who knew how long the servants had neglected to clean it? Surely they needed to send food to the man, right?

Huan walked in slowly, cautiously, because Alexander was very sensitive to intruders.

"Alex?" he called softly, making sure the man heard him and wouldn’t pull the trigger of his pistol.

Instead of finding Alexander on guard, he saw the man lying on the bed. This was very unusual.

Alexander in bed at this hour? He was sure the man was not well.

Huan walked closer, seeing Alexander’s very pale face.

"Alex?" Huan called out cautiously.

Alexander heard the voice; his eyes flickered open. He wasn’t holding his gun at all. He looked at Huan unfocused, then closed his eyes again.

Huan approached. Did the man not see him? He saw that Alexander’s face was so pale. His features looked haggard, and for the first time since he had served the man, he saw a weak Alexander.

Really weak.

"Alex..."

Alexander opened his eyes once more. He stared intently. But instead of reacting, he closed his eyes again.

Huan approached, sat on the edge of the bed, and smiled bitterly at the man’s condition. He didn’t know what he was feeling at that moment; too many emotions were mixed together.

Alexander looked at Huan again. Instead of leaping up, he let out a deep, broken chuckle. He was convinced this was a hallucination, a cruel trick of a dying mind. He covered his eyes with his arm.

For the first time, Huan saw tears track through the stubble on the man’s cheeks.

"Why do you keep showing up? Don’t you understand it’s torturing me?" Alexander said hoarsely through his tears, still covering his eyes.

Huan didn’t hesitate. He crossed the final distance, reaching out to hug him slowly.

"I’m here, Alex. I’m back," Huan whispered.

The contact was electric. Realizing the heat of the skin was real, Alexander lunged forward. He grabbed Huan with a desperation that was almost violent, his hands shaking as he gripped the back of Huan’s neck. His fingers trembled as they brushed Huan’s cheek, then his hair, then his shoulders.

"Huan?" Alexander’s voice was a wrecked whisper.

Huan didn’t answer with words. He leaned in, capturing Alexander’s lips in a kiss meant to prove he was flesh and blood.

Alexander was still shocked, but he responded with a ferocity that bordered on madness. He pushed Huan’s body closer, making sure the man was really Huan.

"How? You’re still alive?" Alexander asked, feeling his stomach tighten, his chest pounding. Disbelief and fear that it was all just a dream became one.

Huan smiled. "I can feel pain. You can pinch me as much as you like to prove I’m alive. Sir Antonio kept me in his mansion, but he released me now."

Alexander still stared in disbelief, rubbing Huan’s lips, his eyes, pinching his nose. He even kissed the man’s neck. And Huan’s skin was warm.

Huan was alive!

Once he was sure the man was alive, he couldn’t help but hug him. He hugged him very tightly.

"Damn! Huan..." He wanted to cry again because he was so happy, but he held back. "I never knew how much I love you. How crazy I am without you."

He hugged Huan tighter, his hands tangling in Huan’s sweater, as if he could pull the man directly into his soul.

Alexander pulled back for a fraction of a second, his breath hitching in his chest. He gently brushed Huan’s face.

"I don’t want to lose you. I really love you. I never said it because I thought it would make me weak, but I don’t care anymore. I am weak." Alexander spoke quickly, as if afraid he wouldn’t have another chance to say it.

Huan stared silently. Wasn’t that what he wanted? Alexander’s declaration that he loved him.

He could only smile.

Alexander pulled Huan’s body into his embrace again. "Please tell me you love me too," he said, this time more like a plea.

Huan felt Alexander’s body, it was hot. Very hot.

"I always love you, Alex. Now let me see you. What happened to you? Are you sick?"