Mi Appartieni

Chapter Fifteen

"Y-You can't do that." Joshua chokes out, taking a step back in fear over what he was hearing, "You said I wasn't a prisoner here." "You're not." "You're not letting me leave, Mr. Lee. That's imprisoning me."

Seokmin sighs. He sees the way Joshua is looking at him. As if he was a monster. Seokmin was backed into a corner though. What else could he do?

However; he did not want Joshua to fear him. He needs to compromise with him.

"One month." Seokmin says, "Stay for just a month longer. You will realize your feelings in that time. If you still feel the same, still feel nothing toward me, then I will let you go."

Joshua shakes his head, "I-I can't. I want to go home tomorrow." Seokmin clenches his fists. "Then meet me in the middle Joshua. I can't let you walk away from me yet."

Joshua tries to steady his breathing. He's never seen Seokmin like this before. It scared him. He didn't want to be scared of Seokmin. Not anymore. Not after the kindness he's shown him, not after the security he's made him feel.

Joshua knows that he wasn't going to be leaving tomorrow. He knows once Seokmin decided something, there was no talking him off the ledge.

Joshua takes a deep breath, "One more week." "Three weeks." "Two." Seokmin clenches his fists. "Fine. You will stay for two more weeks. Please use that time to seriously think about how you feel toward me."

With that, Seokmin walks away. A part of him wants to let Joshua leave tomorrow because it's what he wanted. And Seokmin will always give Joshua what he wants. But the other part of him, the obsessive and possessive part, can't let him go yet. He can't see the man he becomes when the light that was Joshua leaves his side.

Joshua can't hold himself up any longer. He sinks to his knees, breathing heavily.

**

"What?!" Jeonghan yells intensely over the phone. Joshua flinches, holding the phone away from his ear for a second. He was sitting on the balcony off his bedroom some time later with his back up against the railing.

He needed fresh air and he needed to talk to his best friend. Although, this conversation wasn't going to be very comforting. Joshua has just broken the news to Jeonghan that he wasn't coming home tomorrow.

"Shua what the hell are you talking about?" "I-I'm not coming home tomorrow, Hannie. I'm going to stay in Italy for a little while longer."

Joshua wants to tell Jeonghan the whole truth. He wants to tell him everything. But he's scared. Scared that Jeonghan will be angry at him for lying, scared of the repercussions that will follow and scared of what Seokmin will say or do.

A small part of him also trusts Seokmin. He knows he shouldn't, but he trusts that Seokmin will let him go in two weeks when he asks to go home. He just has to hold out a little longer then he'll be able to leave... right?

"Shua, I can't - what do you - why-" Jeonghan fumbles with his words, unable to form any coherent sentence that is a good response to what he's just been told. "But - we never miss movie Monday." Joshua knows that was the only thing Jeonghan could think to say right now.

Joshua sighs, "I-I know. And I'm sorry. I'm just - I just can't leave yet." "But why?" Jeonghan's voice cracks, "I know it must be so hard to let go of your mom, but your home is here, Shua. I'm here. You need to come back." "I-I'm sorry, Hannie. I can't yet."

Joshua feels the tears forming in his eyes. He wants to go home, but he knows he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There's a deafening silence for a moment as the two hold back their tears. "Shua, what's going on? What are you not telling me?"