Chapter 5: To the Capital

Arin's footsteps echoed softly against the pavement as he made his way through the city streets, the weight of his decision heavy on his shoulders. He had made up his mind to tell Jace's wife the truth, to come clean about the evening they had spent together and the gift he had received. It was the right thing to do, he knew, but that didn't make it any easier.

As he reached the familiar corner where Jace's apartment building stood, Arin paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. With a sense of resolve, he climbed the steps to the entrance and pressed the buzzer, his heart pounding in his chest.

It was Jace who answered the door, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Arin standing on the doorstep.

"Arin, what are you doing here?" Jace asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

Arin hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to begin. "I need to talk to you, Jace. It's important."

Jace's brow furrowed in concern, but he stepped aside to let Arin inside. As they settled into the comfort of Jace's living room, Arin struggled to find the right words to explain himself.

"Jace, I need to tell you something," Arin began, his voice trembling with emotion. "Yesterday, when we were at the bookstore, your wife came looking for you. She seemed really worried, and I... I didn't tell her the truth."

Jace's expression softened as he listened, a mixture of understanding and sadness flickering in his eyes. "Arin, it's not your fault. I should have been honest with her from the start."

Arin shook his head, his guilt weighing heavily on him. "No, Jace, you don't understand. She asked me if I had seen you, and I lied to her. I told her I hadn't seen anyone matching your description, but... but that wasn't true."

Jace's gaze held Arin's for a long moment, his eyes searching for something that Arin couldn't quite name. Then, with a sigh, he reached out and took Arin's hand in his own, a gentle warmth spreading between them.

"Arin, I appreciate your honesty, but there's something you need to know," Jace said, his voice quiet but firm. "My marriage... it's complicated. I love my wife, I do, but... there are things about me that she doesn't know. Things that I haven't been able to tell her."

Arin's heart sank at Jace's words, a sense of understanding dawning within him. "You're saying... you're saying that you have feelings for me?"

Jace nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yes, Arin. I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. And I know it's not fair to you or to my wife, but... I can't deny what's in my heart."

Arin felt a rush of conflicting emotions wash over him—confusion, guilt, but also a strange sense of relief. For weeks, he had been struggling to make sense of his feelings for Jace, unsure of where they stood or what they meant. But now, with Jace's confession hanging in the air between them, everything suddenly seemed so clear.

"I have feelings for you too, Jace," Arin admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I tried to deny them, to push them away, but... but I can't. Not anymore."

As their eyes met in silent understanding, Arin felt a sense of peace settle over him, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For the first time in weeks, he allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for them yet.

With a shared smile, they leaned in closer, their lips meeting in a soft, tentative kiss. And as they melted into each other's embrace, Arin knew that no matter what the future held, he would face it with courage and determination, knowing that he had found something worth fighting for.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the city lights began to twinkle in the darkness, Arin and Jace clung to each other, their hearts beating as one. And as they set off into the unknown together, hand in hand, Arin couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for the journey that lay ahead.