SHADOWS OF DECEIT

Chapter 28

Joshua froze in his tracks, his breath hitching the moment his eyes landed on the man standing behind him.

The drive way seemed to shrink, the air thickening around him as if the world itself was mocking his resolve. Seokmin—or Dokyeom, as he now went by.

It was a face Joshua had both dreaded and yearned to see, one he'd been relieved to avoid for the past three days since stepping into the Shadows' world. And yet, here it was. Here he was.

Seokmin's lips curled into a grin that made Joshua's blood run both hot and cold. "Seems like you need a ride home, pretty face."

Joshua didn't respond. Couldn't. His mind was a battlefield, torn between the fury of betrayal and the ache of longing that had never quite left him. He tried to gather himself, to shove the emotions clawing at his chest back into the cage where they belonged. But Seokmin wouldn't allow him that luxury.

The other man's dark eyes swept over him, reading him like an open book. He snapped his fingers, the sharp sound pulling Joshua from his spiraling thoughts. "Missed me that much, pretty face?" Seokmin teased, his voice low and mocking, with just enough warmth to twist the knife deeper.

Joshua blinked, quickly shoving his turmoil behind a carefully constructed mask of indifference. He cleared his throat, forcing his lips into a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "Not enough to be glad to see you," he retorted, his tone sharp, deliberate.

Seokmin chuckled, a dark, guttural sound that made Joshua's stomach churn. "You're always the same, pretty face," he said, stepping closer. "Fighting, defending, denying. It's like you're trying to convince yourself more than me."

Joshua let out a bitter laugh, the sound laced with years of anger and heartbreak. "And you're the same, Seokmin. Or should I say Dokyeom-shi?" The venom in his words was palpable. "A fucking coward."

The smirk on Seokmin's face faltered for just a second before it hardened, morphing into something darker, more dangerous. His jaw clenched, but the smirk persisted, like a mask he refused to let slip entirely. "I've already fucking told you too many times, pretty face," he growled, his voice dropping an octave. "I'm doing nothing but trying to stop you from getting burned. And you call that cowardice?"

Joshua took a step forward, the space between them electric with tension. "There's your answer, then," he shot back, his voice steady but his heart pounding against his ribs. "You're fucking terrified that the reason I'd burn... is you."

The words hung between them like a challenge, the weight of them undeniable. Seokmin stared at him, his chest rising and falling with barely contained emotion. His fists clenched at his sides as if he were resisting the urge to reach out, to shatter whatever fragile boundary still existed between them.

The first clap of thunder rumbled in the distance, and then the rain began. It came down hard and fast, soaking them both in seconds. But neither of them moved. Neither of them cared. They stood there, locked in a silent battle, the rain carving paths down their faces like tears they refused to shed.

Joshua let out a hollow laugh, his head tilting back slightly as the rain streamed over his face. When he looked back at Seokmin, his lips curled into the saddest smile Seokmin had ever seen—a smile so devastating it felt like a blade to the chest. "The sky's crying for me," Joshua murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Because I've been trying so fucking hard not to."

Seokmin's heart twisted painfully in his chest, but he couldn't find the words to respond. Joshua stepped closer, his eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and sorrow. "But even when I shamelessly laid myself bare to you," he said, his voice trembling, yet unwavering. "When I gave you everything I had, ready to burn myself in your fucked-up flames—willingly—all you could say was, 'I can't let you in.'"