[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: The Feelings We Never Said

Matteo smiled to himself and turned his attention back to the road, gently stroking Adrian’s back as they continued toward the hospital.

Meanwhile, Mark and Charles had already returned home. Both had showered and changed into their nightwear, ready to put the long day behind them. As Charles turned onto his side, pulling the blanket up to settle in for the night, Mark’s voice broke the quiet room.

"Honey."

Charles didn’t turn around, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Please, let’s talk in the morning. Right now, I’m already so tired."

"You’re tired because you know exactly what I’m about to ask you, right?" Mark countered, his tone laced with accusation.

Sighing heavily, Charles sat up and turned to face Mark in the dim light. "Yes, I know where Adrian was. And I did not tell you because he explicitly asked me not to."

"So you’re keeping secrets from me now?" Mark asked, scoffing. "You can’t even tell me a simple thing like that anymore?"

"You call that a simple thing? Tell me, Mark, do you report every conversation you have with your brother to me? Please, don’t even start. I’m dating you, but I’m not going to betray my friends or sacrifice my loyalty to them just because we’re together."

"Why are you raising your voice at me?" Mark asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at Charles.

"I just don’t understand how some of Adrian’s reasons make sense. Who gets upset because their boyfriend cares too much? Matteo is completely obsessed with him. He gives Adrian everything he could ever want. I understand the situation with Elena, I already called my brother out for that, but the rest of it? I honestly think Adrian is being too emotional."

That completely set Charles off. A flash of anger crossed his face as he sat up straighter. "What do you even know to say he’s just being emotional? Do you have any idea what it feels like to completely lose yourself in someone? To try and explain your pain to the people around you, only for them to completely dismiss you because your relationship looks flawless to the outside world?"

That completely set Charles off. A flash of anger crossed his face as he sat up straighter.

"What do you even know about saying he’s just being emotional?" Charles shot back. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to completely lose yourself in someone? To keep trying to explain your pain to the people around you, only to have them dismiss it because, from the outside, your relationship looks perfect?"

Mark shifted uncomfortably, but he still couldn’t see Adrian’s point of view.

"Maybe I don’t know every detail," he said. "But he still shouldn’t have run away. They lost two whole months because of something I still don’t understand."

"Please... enough," Charles whispered, shaking his head as exhaustion finally caught up with him. "You don’t have to understand it. I just... I’m really tired, Mark. Can we stop talking about this and go to bed?"

Mark stared at him for a long moment, his pride clearly wounded.

"Now you’re telling me to stop talking?" he asked.

Charles sighed and rubbed his temples.

"No," he replied quietly. "I’m just exhausted. I really need to sleep."

Mark held his gaze for another moment before finally letting out a slow breath.

"Alright," he said. "Get some rest. We’ll talk about it in the morning."

Charles began to lay back down, smoothing out the blanket, but his mind was spinning too fast to let him rest. There was a heavy truth weighing on his chest, and he knew he couldn’t close his eyes without giving voice to it. Slowly, he looked over at Mark again.

"You know... I am so incredibly happy for Adrian," Charles murmured into the quiet space.

Mark blinked in confusion. "Why?"

A bittersweet smile touched Charles’s lips.

"Because it takes an incredible amount of courage to stand up for yourself. It’s hard enough under normal circumstances, let alone standing up to someone as powerful as Matteo. Adrian found the courage to tell Matteo exactly how he was hurting him, even when everyone else thought their relationship was perfect."

He paused before continuing.

"He drew a line. And even after he walked away... Matteo still loved him enough to change and fight for him."

Charles lowered his gaze to his hands, his voice softening into a vulnerable whisper.

"Adrian is incredibly brave. Not everyone has that kind of courage. Some people just accept their fate. They convince themselves to adjust. They live with the pain because they’re terrified of what might happen if they speak up."

His fingers tightened around the blanket.

"They’re afraid that if they speak up, the person they love won’t understand them... so they stay silent and learn to live with the pain."

Mark frowned, sensing that Charles was no longer talking about Adrian alone.

"What are you trying to say?"

Charles looked up, his expression instantly smoothing into a calm mask.

"Nothing, love," he murmured. Leaning over, he pressed a soft kiss to Mark’s forehead. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, baby. I’m going to sleep too," Mark replied, the tension in his body finally easing.

He reached for Charles, pulling him securely against his chest. Wrapping both arms around his waist, he held him close from behind.

Charles closed his eyes, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of Mark’s breathing against the back of his neck.

But as sleep slowly began to claim him, one painful thought echoed quietly through his mind.

I wish I had the courage to tell you the ways you’re hurting me too. But I’m not Adrian... and I can’t risk losing you.

Tightening his grip on Mark’s arms, Charles silently held him closer, burying his face against him as he finally drifted off to sleep.

********

The car was wrapped in silence as it cut through the midnight fog, the dashboard clock glowing 2:36 a.m. Risa sat quietly in the back seat, resting her head against the cool side window.

The faint, lingering scent of Iris’s expensive perfume still clung to her coat. Over the past few weeks, what had started as mere proximity had gradually blossomed into a deep friendship.

Ever since Iris had stayed at Risa’s estate after the kidnapping, the two of them had grown unexpectedly close, and they had continued seeing each other often. Their growing bond had quietly changed the air between them.

In the front passenger seat, Annie kept her eyes fixed on the dark road ahead. She hadn’t uttered a single word throughout the drive, but the tense line of her jaw spoke volumes.

When the car finally purred to a halt in the sweeping driveway of Risa’s private residence, the silence followed them inside. They stepped into the grand, dimly lit foyer, the heavy oak doors closing behind them and shutting out the rest of the world.

Annie remained standing near the entrance, her posture straight and disciplined, every inch the perfect bodyguard. She desperately wanted to maintain her professional distance, but the question weighing on her heart had become too heavy to keep to herself.

"Ma’am," Annie began, her voice breaking the silence.

Risa stopped mid-step, slipping her coat from her shoulders. She let out a soft, weary sigh before slowly turning around.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" she asked gently. "Just call me Risa. Not ’Ma’am.’ Not ’Boss.’ Just Risa."

Annie lowered her head slightly, her formal composure slipping for the briefest moment.

"I’m sorry... Risa."

Risa turned, her sharp eyes scanning her bodyguard’s guarded expression.

"Speak."

Annie cleared her throat, choosing her words with great care.

"Lately... you’ve been spending a lot of time with Madam Iris. I’ve noticed the way you look at her... how easily you smile whenever she’s around, and how close the two of you have become."

She paused, taking a slow breath.

"I was just wondering... purely as your bodyguard... if there’s something, some change in your personal life or security, that I should know about."

A slow, amused smile curved Risa’s lips. She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head.

"Is there something wrong with me smiling around my friend, Annie?" she asked lightly. "Last time I checked, it wasn’t a crime to be happy. Do I need your permission before I’m allowed to smile?"

"No... of course not," Annie replied quickly, her usually composed demeanor slipping. She swallowed hard, lowering her eyes because she couldn’t bring herself to meet Risa’s gaze.

After a long pause, she finally asked in a quiet voice,

"Do you... Like her?"

The question lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating.

The faint smile on Risa’s lips disappeared, replaced by an unreadable expression.

Without a word, she rose from the sofa she had been about to sit on. The sharp click of her heels echoed softly across the marble floor as she walked toward Annie.

Instinctively, Annie took a step back.

Another.

Until her back met the solid front door.

Risa didn’t stop until she stood directly in front of her, close enough for Annie to feel the warmth radiating from her body.

Slowly, consciously, Risa lifted a hand.

Her cool fingers brushed gently along Annie’s jaw before tilting her chin upward, forcing Annie’s hesitant eyes to meet hers.

"My question," Risa murmured, her voice low and velvety, "is... do you like me?"

"H-Huh?" Annie breathed, completely caught off guard.

Years of discipline and professionalism threatened to crumble in an instant.

Her heartbeat quickened.

"W-What are you talking about?" she stammered, panic flashing across her face. "That’s not what I meant. I only care about your safety, Risa. That’s why I asked."

She instinctively tried to step away.

"I... I should go back to my post outside."

The moment Annie attempted to move, Risa caught hold of the front of her jacket, stopping her. Her other hand remained beneath Annie’s chin, refusing to let her look away.

"Answer my question, Annie," Risa said quietly.

There was no anger in her voice, only calm, unwavering determination.

Her eyes never left Annie’s.

"Do you like me?"

Trapped between the door and the woman she had sworn to protect, Annie’s defenses finally crumbled.

She looked into Risa’s eyes...