The door suddenly opened, and Mark and Sam stepped inside.

For a second, both of them froze at the sight before them. Viki and Azaan were lying awkwardly on the bed after their accidental fall.

Azaan's cheeks instantly turned red, while Viki quickly stood up and cleared his throat.

"It's not what you think," Viki explained.

Mark and Sam exchanged mischievous smiles.

"Relax, we're just joking," Sam laughed.

The awkward atmosphere soon disappeared, and everyone moved to the common hall. The evening was filled with laughter, stories, and endless conversations.

As the night grew darker, everyone prepared to leave.

However, Viki was too drunk to return home safely.

"You should stay here tonight, Sir," Azaan said softly.

Viki nodded without arguing.

Azaan's heart secretly rejoiced.

Having Viki under the same roof made him happier than he wanted to admit. Yet another part of him was nervous.

Being close to Viki always made his emotions difficult to control.

Despite the pain in his injured leg, Azaan carefully helped Viki towards his bedroom.

Every step hurt, but he ignored it.

Right now, all he cared about was making sure Viki was comfortable.

After helping him onto the bed, Azaan gently covered him with a blanket.

Viki looked peaceful as he slept.

Azaan stood there for a moment, unable to take his eyes off him.

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Good night, Sir," he whispered.

Afraid of losing control over his feelings, Azaan chose to sleep on the couch instead.

But sleep refused to come.

The cold night air surrounded him, yet the only thing occupying his mind was Viki.

After a while, he quietly walked back to the bedroom.

Moonlight filtered through the curtains, falling softly across Viki's sleeping face.

For a moment, Azaan simply stood there, admiring him.

His heart beat faster.

Slowly, he moved closer.

Unable to stop himself, he gently brushed Viki's hair away from his forehead and placed a soft kiss there.

It lasted only a second.

But to Azaan, it felt like an eternity.

Then he quietly left the room before his feelings could betray him any further.

The next morning, Viki slowly opened his eyes.

A dull headache immediately greeted him.

He frowned and looked around the unfamiliar room.

For a few seconds, he couldn't remember where he was. Then fragments of last night's memories slowly returned.

"Right... Azaan's house," he murmured.

Carefully getting out of bed, he walked towards the living room.

Warm sunlight streamed through the windows.

In the kitchen, Azaan was quietly preparing breakfast.

The golden morning light fell across his face, making him look almost unreal.

For a brief moment, Viki simply stood there watching him.

A strange warmth settled in his chest.

Noticing his presence, Azaan turned around and smiled.

"Oh, you're awake, Sir."

His smile was gentle enough to make Viki forget his headache.

"I prepared breakfast and some soup for your hangover."

Viki blinked in surprise.

"You did all this?"

Azaan nodded.

"It wasn't much."

A small smile appeared on Viki's lips.

"Whoever ends up with you in the future will be very lucky."

Azaan's heart skipped a beat.

For a second, he wanted to say, I only want that person to be you.

But the words remained trapped inside him.

Instead, he simply smiled.

"Let's eat before it gets cold, Sir."

As they sat together at the dining table, the atmosphere felt surprisingly comfortable.

Neither of them noticed how naturally they had started caring for each other.

After breakfast, Viki stood up and began washing the dishes.

Azaan immediately walked over.

"Sir, leave it. I'll do it."

Viki shook his head.

"You've already done enough for me."

Their hands accidentally touched while reaching for the same plate.

Both of them froze.

Azaan quickly looked away, his ears turning slightly red.

Viki felt his heart beat a little faster for reasons he couldn't explain.

Neither of them said anything.

But for the first time, the silence between them felt different.

Softer.

Warmer.

And perhaps... a little dangerous.

Then suddenly azaan asked "Sir... have you ever loved someone before?"

The question caught Viki off guard.

For a moment, he remained silent.

Azaan immediately became nervous.

"Sorry, Sir. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Viki slowly shook his head.

"No... it's okay."

His eyes drifted toward the window.

As if he was looking at something far away.

"Yes."

Azaan's heart tightened.

"There was someone."

The smile on Viki's face faded slightly.

Azaan quietly listened.

"He was someone very important to me."

The room suddenly felt much quieter.

Viki let out a small laugh.

Not a happy one.

More like a laugh filled with memories.

"I thought he would stay in my life forever."

Azaan lowered his gaze.

For some reason, hearing those words hurt more than he expected.

"What happened, Sir?"

Viki was silent for a few seconds.

Then he answered softly.

"Life happened."

Azaan looked up.

"He had dreams."

"And I had responsibilities."

Viki smiled bitterly.

"Eventually, our paths became different."

The sadness in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Azaan felt his chest ache.

Not because he was jealous.

But because he hated seeing Viki look hurt.

"You still love him?"

The question escaped before Azaan could stop himself.

Viki froze.

A complicated expression appeared on his face.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"I don't know."

Azaan's heart began beating faster.

"Maybe I loved the memories more than the person."

The answer surprised even Viki himself.

Azaan stared at him.

Then, slowly, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"I think..."

Viki looked at him.

"You deserve to be happy, Sir."

For a moment, Viki couldn't say anything.

No one had ever said those words to him so sincerely before.

And somehow...

Hearing them from Azaan felt different.

Very different.

Their eyes met.

Neither of them looked away.

The room became silent once again.

But this time...

The silence felt warmer than before.

And neither of them noticed that the distance between their hearts was slowly disappearing.

The words lingered in the air.

For a moment, Viki didn't know how to respond.

No one had ever looked at him the way Azaan did.

No one had ever spoken to him with such sincerity.

A faint smile appeared on Viki's face.

"Thank you, Azaan."

Azaan smiled back.

Seeing Viki smile made his heart feel lighter.

But at the same time, it hurt.

Because he knew that smile wasn't meant for him.

Not yet.

Perhaps not ever.

Sensing the sadness hidden behind Azaan's eyes, Viki frowned.

"Azaan?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

Azaan quickly shook his head.

"Nothing, Sir."

Viki didn't look convinced.

Without saying anything else, he stepped closer and gently pulled Azaan into a hug.

Azaan froze.

His entire body went still.

For a second, he thought he was imagining it.

Viki's embrace was warm.

Comforting.

Safe.

"It's okay," Viki said softly.

"You don't always have to pretend you're fine."

Those words nearly broke the walls Azaan had built around his heart.

Slowly, he relaxed.

For the first time in days, he allowed himself to simply enjoy the moment.

Not as someone who was in love.

Not as someone waiting for an answer.

Just as Azaan.

And somehow, that made the hug feel even more precious.

After a few moments, Viki gently pulled away.

"You should rest."

Azaan laughed softly.

"There you go again."

"What?"

"Always worrying about me."

Viki shook his head with a smile.

"Someone has to."

Azaan's heart skipped a beat.

And once again, he found himself wishing that this simple moment could last a little longer.