Chapter two
Nath twisted and turned in his bed before his eyes shot open, he scrambled to get out of the sheets and sit up.
His body shivered slightly and it wasn't because of the cold room, he winced. It was happening again— It always did. The heart-stopping terrifying nightmares that had clouded his memories ever since his parents died, the fear of being alone, the fear of losing Mason.
Mason, His brother meant everything to him. The thought forced fresh tears to roll down his place cheeks. He had no clue how to face the man. He refused to accept that he had returned to his home worse than he had left.
"Crap crap crap!" The brown-haired boy shrieked and bolted off the bed. His light brown sweatpants were a dark shade of chocolate and the sticky feeling between his legs registered in his brain.
This one was a huge problem.
He shoved the pants off him and closed the distance
to the bathroom, once he was alone and the doors were locked, he heard the sound of his first sob, and more followed while he fumbled with the controls of the shower.
"Um, Nath? Are you okay in there —"
"Yes! What are you doing here?" Nath responded sharply. The last thing he wanted was for Mason to see him the way he was — like the big baby he was not. His brother did not have to deal with his stupid nightmares and wet sheets.
"Ah, nothing," The older man said and stopped in front of the bathroom. "Isn't it a bit too early to be bathing?"
"I have to go to the gym in a few hours," He forced his voice not to crack.
"Since when did you go to the gym?" Mason raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Since now." He exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his face and another inches away from his hair.
"Sorry," Mason apologized and took a step back, He knew that Nath loathed any invasion of privacy.
"Yeah yeah," Nath bit back another sob. On one hand, he was aching to get a hug from his brother, and on the other hand, that would just ruin everything he had worked for so far. Maybe hot cocoa made with his strong hands or a long cuddle could make him feel alive again, but the dark circles under Mason's eyes made him think twice.
"I'll go back to sleep now—"
"Why is the bed so—"
"I poured water, just this morning." He stumbled over his words.
Mason was not stupid. His brother might have been away for a few years, but he knew he told tales for lying. And the brown-haired boy knew not to lie or he would be very sorry.
The older man was about to speak when a worker rushed into the room and Nath's cheeks flushed.
"Sir, the driver is here."
"Driver?"
"Ah yes, I have to be at the company today, so I am going in a bit early. Have to finish up some work, I also wanted to give you a tour once you are back from your Gym?" This was another thing that made practically no sense to Mason, for someone who worked out, his little brother was pale and thought with little to no muscles that one would easily mistake him for a teen growing into their twenties and not someone who was almost in his mid-twenties.
"Sure, sure," He whispered.
"Calum will drive you. I'm out." Mason finished and exited the room.
"I'll wait outside," Calum spoke with a strain in his voice and Nath winced. He already knew he would not like this man.
Practically half the people living in the mansion loathed him for some reason if the glares that had come his way as his brother introduced him were anything to go about. They stared at him with frustration and it almost felt like they were belittling him. He wasn't sure which it was.
Once he dressed, he debated whether or not to slip back into his bed, but decided against it since it was already five a.m. He stripped the sheets and shoved them under the bed. He had enough eyes on him in the house to be careless.
"The maid has served the breakfast. Come along." Calum spoke in a firm tone and grabbed Nath by his bicep. He almost flinched. Almost.
The older man directed him to the dining room like he was some petulant child and the one reason he did not flare up was because his mind was clouded with a million and one reason why he should not do so.
The breakfast was porridge.
Nath groaned internally.
"Um," Now, how was he going to say this without sounding like an actual brat? "Can the maid make something different for me?" Nath swallowed thickly as Calum eyed him down.
"Different? Why? Isn't the porridge good enough for you?"
"No, no. It's just that porridge in the morning doesn't go well with my stomach and –"
"Have your dish, Mr. Jones, we are already running late and Mr. Jones needs us to arrive at a specific time."
"After my gym —"
"After we go shopping—"
"Why are we going shopping?"
"Mr Jones had suggested it, it was why he had come to see you," The man sounded convincing,
"But, I —"
"Come on, eat." Nath swallowed and forced the porridge down his throat, Now he was certain he did not like Calum and he didn't have to follow his orders.
He was twenty three after all and could make his own decisions.
A force pulled him up from his seat and he blinked before he realized that it was Calum. "Um, I—"
"It's time to leave." He spat and offered Nath a bottle of water. "Chug it down, we had a long way to go today." Nath nodded and drank the water in front of him before he followed him to the car.
Calum buckled him in, literally. If he wasn't so terrified of being alone with the well-built man, he would have given a long rant by now. A tingle in his bladder made him realize his need for the bathroom and he voiced out immediately.
"Oops, I've got to do something in—" Nathan hadn't even finished the sentence before he was pulled back by his shirt, and the doors of the car were locked. His eyes widened and he became painfully aware of the fact that his bladder was not holding up to the task.
"You had enough time inside." The man seemed irritated for no reason, "Now just sit there and keep quiet before I have to make you."