🌈The Scarlet Cube vol. 1💙💙

Chapter 19

***
Lenard didn't like noise. But after two and a half years spent at St. Isaac's Academy, he had grown accustomed to the constant swearing, shouting, loud laughter, and the sounds of blows landing.

Yet, for some reason, the commotion this evening irritated him more than usual.

Perhaps it was because he couldn't concentrate on his reading. Or maybe it was because Ethelstan had spoiled his mood.

Ethel had called Lenard earlier in the afternoon, promising to arrive within an hour. But dinner was fast approaching, and there was still no sign of him. Ethel wasn't answering his calls, and the messages Lenard had sent remained unread.

With a sigh of irritation, Lenard glanced at the clock, then cast a disinterested look at a freshman who had been knocked to the floor and was being hurriedly dragged aside. Lenard turned a page of his book and tried to continue reading.

The noise in the common room began to grow louder.

It seemed someone else had decided to step in on behalf of the novice.

Lenard's gaze once again swept over the fighters, noticing a flash of blond hair among the tall, broad-shouldered figures. He grimaced as the sound of breaking furniture and escalating shouts filled the room.

The onlookers, intrigued by the unexpected turn of events, dared to move closer, blocking Lenard's view.

Not that it mattered to him.

He returned his attention to the page, trying to focus on the text, but warm hands suddenly covered his eyes, finally breaking his concentration.

"Have you been waiting for me?"

Ethelstan's sultry voice softly penetrated Lenard's mind, enveloping his senses in a sensual haze. Playful lips brushed against his earlobe, making Lenard exhale sharply as he grabbed his lover's wrists.

"Stop it," Lenard requested, removing Ethelstan's hands from his eyes.

"Are you mad at me?"

Ethel glanced at the sulking Lenard, then wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing himself against Lenard's back and kissing his cheek.

"No," Lenard lied. "I just don't understand why you even have a phone if you never use it."

Ethelstan chuckled softly, brushing his lips against Lenard's cheek again, causing a pleasant shiver to run down his lover's skin.

"My phone died, and the car got stuck in traffic downtown," Ethelstan explained, his hand caressing Lenard's tense torso.

Lenard shrugged offhandedly and returned to his reading, ignoring Ethelstan.

"Don't be so cold," Ethel whined, noticing his aloofness, "or I'll start thinking you didn't miss me at all."

"As if you missed me," Lenard retorted with a smirk. "Missed me so much that you called me one and a half times during the entire trip. The boredom must have been so unbearable that you couldn't even pick up the phone."

Lenard stubbornly pressed his lips together and turned the page, though he hadn't read a single word of it.

"I'm sorry," Ethelstan said, deciding to change tactics and pulling away from his lover to avoid angering him further. "Mom was really shaken up by the accident, and I had to give her a lot of attention. We hardly left the hotel."

He straightened up, observing the tight circle of students who were watching some scuffle, and asked in surprise, "What are they fighting about this time?"

"No idea," Lenard replied.

He had no interest in the fight and hadn't bothered to figure out what was going on.