The Man He Chose

Chapter 25

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

When Santa saw the indecision in Cooheart's face, Santa knew that he had to act quickly.

He grabbed Cooheart's hand.

"Let's go up to our unit now, sweetheart," he said to Cooheart.

"Wait, let's hear what Kao has to say first," Cooheart said, already starting to open the car door on his side.

"If you decide to be with Kao, I'm moving on and this time I'll never look back," Santa warned Cooheart.

Suddenly Cooheart covered his face and started to sob into his hands.

Santa stepped out of the car and walked over to where Kao was standing.

Kao faced him, a hostile expression all over his face.

"Cooheart and I are in a committed relationship. Please leave us alone. Cooheart does not want to see you anymore," Santa said in a firm voice.

"I would like to hear those exact same words from Cooheart," Kao said just as firmly. "Give him a chance to talk to me."

Santa went back inside his car.

"Listen, Cooheart," Santa said, placing one arm around Cooheart's back. "I told Kao that we are in a committed relationship and to leave us alone and that you don't want to see him anymore."

"What did he say?" Cooheart asked, his face still buried in his hands.

"He wants you to confirm what I have just said to him," Santa replied.

Cooheart was silent for a long time.

Santa stared at him and waited.

Kao stood outside the car, staring at Cooheart and waiting for Cooheart to do something.

Then after what seemed an eternity, Cooheart lifted his face from his hands and said to Santa, "Let's go up to our unit, my love."

"You will have to go out from the car and face him and tell him what he's waiting to hear," Santa said, still unsure of what Cooheart's next move was going to be.

Cooheart nodded and opened the car door and stepped out.

The moment Cooheart stepped out of the car, Kao grabbed him and said, "Come home with me, sweetheart. We belong together. You know that very well."

Cooheart tried to pull his wrist away from Kao's hold.

"I have made a decision, Kao," Cooheart said firmly. "I ..."

Kao interrupted Cooheart.

"If you decide to go with that boy toy of yours, and he leaves you when you are old and gray while he is still in the prime of his youth, don't come running back to me," Kao warned Cooheart.

A look of indecision crept into Cooheart's face.

He turned to look at Santa who had now gotten out of the car as well and was standing on the other side watching and listening to Cooheart's and Kao's interaction.

Santa waited to hear Cooheart's response, his heart beating so fast that he actually started to feel a sharp pain on the left side of his chest.

Cooheart stared at Santa for just a few seconds before turning back to Kao.

"Don't you ever refer to my husband as a boy toy ever again!" Cooheart yelled at Kao. "Go back to Japan. A bright future might be waiting for you there."

Suddenly Kao grabbed Cooheart, pinning him into his chest.

"Don't do this to me, Coo," Kao pleaded. "I know that it's me whom you truly love. Admit it to me and to that boy toy of yours, once and for all."

Santa could not stay silent and inactive any more.

He rushed over to Kao and Cooheart and grabbed Kao's arm away from Cooheart.

Kao tried to lunge at Santa but Santa was quicker.

Santa landed a blow into Kao's stomach making Kao double over.

"That is for calling me a boy toy twice," Santa said, as he led Cooheart away.

Upstairs, as soon as Cooheart and Santa entered their unit, Santa turned to Cooheart and said, "You looked a bit undecided when Kao predicted that I would leave you when you're old and gray. Were you actually starting to believe that I would do such a thing to you?"

"For a second there, I did," Cooheart admitted.

"Thank you for being honest," Santa said. "But let me tell you right now, it is I who actually fear, that you might still eventually decide to leave me for Kao. But I am willing to live with that."

"I won't," Cooheart said firmly. "Never."

"I would like to believe that," Santa said. "But I'm just reminding you, a second separation will be a permanent one for me."

"I will remember that," Cooheart said, taking Santa's face between his hands and tiptoeing to plant a kiss on Santa.