SHADOWS OF DECEIT

Chapter 8

Knock.

Knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

The pounding on the door was relentless.

Joshua squinted through the early morning haze, groaning in frustration. Whoever was knocking had zero respect for his peace, especially at this ungodly hour. He rubbed a hand over his face, still groggy, as he dragged himself from bed. It wasn't even close to his shift at Black Swan, and this wasn't how he'd imagined his morning would start.

He stomped to the door, irritation building with each step. His hands were practically itching to give whoever was behind the door a piece of his mind. Maybe even more than that.

He yanked the door open, words of anger ready to spill, but they froze on his lips when he saw who it was.

"Samuel?" Joshua's frustration faltered, quickly replaced by confusion. He wasn't expecting Samuel, especially not now.

In the back of his mind, Joshua remembered the ice cream sitting in his fridge, bought as a peace offering after last night's disaster. He had said too much, let his desperation get the better of him, and he knew he'd hurt Samuel. He was planning to give the younger some space, maybe show up after his shift, apologize properly—anything to make up for how he'd messed up. But Samuel showing up at his door, this early in the morning, was not part of the plan.

"Great, you're finally awake," Samuel muttered, brushing past Joshua and heading straight for the couch. He dropped onto it, his body sinking into the cushions, a look of relief crossing his face—though Joshua wasn't sure why.

Joshua closed the door, turning to face him with a mix of curiosity and concern. "What happened?" he asked, his voice gentle but eager for answers.

Samuel let out a long, weary sigh, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "After we had that fight—"

Before he could finish, Joshua jumped in, his guilt bubbling to the surface. "About that, I'm really sorry, Samuel." He shifted awkwardly, his earlier frustration melting into regret.

Samuel immediately shook his head, cutting off the apology. "Don't be sorry, hyung. I get it. I know where you were coming from, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. Believe me, I'm trying." His voice was softer now, but there was something sincere in his tone that made Joshua pause.

"But that doesn't give me the right to talk to you like I did," Joshua added, his voice low. He couldn't shake the remorse gnawing at him, knowing he'd lashed out at Samuel when he hadn't deserved it.

Samuel gave him a sideways glance, his lips twitching into a smirk. "Well, now that I think about it, you were kind of a dick yesterday."

Joshua's eyes widened in shock. "Yah!" he shouted, half offended, half amused.

Samuel burst out laughing, the tension from earlier finally breaking. It was a contagious sound, and before Joshua could stop himself, he found the corners of his own mouth lifting, a small chuckle escaping him.

There was something comforting about Samuel's laughter, a reminder of how easy things could be between them despite the rough patches. As Samuel's laughter echoed around the room, Joshua felt a weight lift off his chest. This was how they always bounced back—by finding humor even in the mess.

"Okay, fine," Joshua admitted, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I might have been a bit of a dick."

"A bit?" Samuel teased, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Don't push it," Joshua warned, though there was no bite in his words. He took a seat beside Samuel, the tension between them now fully dissolved.

Samuel shook his head, still grinning. "You really don't have to apologize, hyung. I know how much you've been through, and I know this whole thing is eating at you. I'm not giving up on finding him, but it's going to take time. You know that, right?"