Randomly

Chapter 6

"I was on a broomstick, trying to calm a dragon, when I felt the worst pain I've ever experienced. It was like my heart was torn in two. I had to land urgently and be evacuated from the field. At first, I thought something had happened to you, but the pain kept getting worse. It got so bad that I thought my heart was going to explode. That's when I had a flash, I saw you in the throes of pleasure."

Steve felt increasingly worse as Charlie spoke. He knew he was solely to blame, and he was ashamed. The redhead's stern face hurt more than punches, but he didn't attempt to reach out to him. He knew he'd be rebuffed.

Finally, when the wizard turned to face him and locked their eyes, it was as if he was being pierced by white-hot knives.

"I tried to convince myself I was wrong, but the pain subsided and then came back three times in total."

Steve lowered his gaze to the ground, searching for words, but nothing could excuse his mistake.

"I'm sorry, Charlie, so sorry," he murmured, raising his eyes to meet his lover's.

"Sorry for what?"

"For betraying you, for causing you physical pain on top of the emotional pain. I messed up, there's no other way to put it. I was less than nothing."

Charlie exhaled, his gaze had softened a little, although it was still wounded.

"Why did you do it?"

"We had a tough case. I had to ask a friend from university for help, and I offered to take her to dinner in return for a favor. Except, Mary's arrival had me all shaken up, and we laid things out while sharing a bottle or two."

"Please, Steve, don't tell me you cheated on me because you were drunk."

"Yes, I'm sorry. When Catherine arrived, I was already quite intoxicated. We drank more together, and she made advances. At first, I resisted, but we kept drinking, and I gave in. I don't even remember taking her to my room. The next morning, I was woken up by a work call, and that's when I saw her. I couldn't handle it. I realized what I had done to you, that I was risking losing you, and I knew I had to find a solution. I told her to find her way out and went to work."

"So you thought ignoring my messages was the best solution?"

"I wanted to talk to Catherine before talking to you."

"Why?"

"To prove to you that she was just a mistake."

Steve hoped that his confession would save his relationship, although he wasn't one to open up or talk about his feelings. But he knew that if he hadn't made this effort, being complete and transparent in his explanations, he would have lost Charlie for sure. Now, he hoped that Charlie would give him a chance to show that he had never considered replacing him with Catherine. The words Charlie had spoken to him ten years ago echoed in his mind, 'You're not stuck with me for life. Since you're not a magical being, you can choose to break this bond and live your life on your own.' No, he definitely didn't want to break their bond, and he prayed that Charlie would allow him to mend it.

"Call her."

Steve looked at the dragon caretaker for a moment, confused, before understanding and dialing Catherine's number. She picked up right away but suggested coming over to Steve's place when he asked if she had time to talk. Charlie nodded silently, indicating his agreement. The soldier confirmed the meeting and hung up. The two men got up, but before heading back to the house, Steve took Charlie's hand, stopping him.

"I love you, Charlie, and I'll do my best to make it up to you."

The redhead sighed and pulled him closer by his waist.