Chapter 84: It’s the same day as your birthday
The next day was Christmas Eve. They would need to prepare.
After a good night’s sleep, Michael felt better but he stayed in bed, his eyes on the ceiling and his arm resting on his head.
The information he had discovered the previous night was bothering him. Because of it, he didn’t know if he would be able to look at Noah and smile the way he used to, knowing he was hiding him from his great legacy.
He was a young master of the country’s most influential family.
’Ah, I think I need a drink.’ Michael thought and then shut his eyes. He was feeling depressed.
Was it that mood swing affecting him?
"Michael," he heard Noah’s voice and he rolled his eyes to the door. "Are you feeling better?"
Michael rolled his eyes away from him, closed them, and then sighed. He sat up and finally faced Noah.
"Yeah," he smiled. "But I thought I’d stay in bed for a while. I feel a bit... Heavy."
"Hm," Noah sat on the bed and kissed his forehead. His temperature was normal and there was nothing wrong with the scent he was giving off.
If anything, he smelled more pleasing than usual.
’Is it a heat?’ Noah wondered.
He hadn’t heard of a lot of females experiencing heat since their Alphas made sure to mate with them at least once a month. But besides that, they did it a lot, so there was no reason for his body to miss his Alpha’s touch.
’But what he said yesterday bothered me a lot.’ Noah thought, brushing Michael’s hair back with his fingers. ’He missed me so much that he felt scared and ran home as fast as he could. Why would he miss me when he knows I’m at home? It’s as if he fears that I would suddenly disappear.’
That was the thought that played in Noah’s head. He couldn’t understand it so he hoped it was something that Sebastian could figure out after the clues he gave to him.
Today was Christmas Eve, and the next day was Christmas, the day they had been looking forward to. The day Michael had been looking forward to the most.
It was a special day.
"Michael," Noah called softly as he patted Michael’s back. "I know tomorrow’s your birthday." He said and Michael froze, his eyes widened.
He raised his head, looking at Noah in surprise.
"How...? How did you...?"
He looked at Noah as if he was not supposed to find out. Or was it that he simply couldn’t believe that Noah had guessed it?
"I always wondered why you were looking forward to spending the Christmas together. I thought you were simply the type with a big festive spirit." Noah said. "But it’s because you wanted to spend such a special day together. The day you were born 32 years ago. Am I right?"
Michael went silent, biting the inner walls of his mouth, fighting the tears that were welling up in his eyes.
"You must’ve been lonely on this day for so many years, Michael. I’m sorry," Noah said and kissed the top of his head. "But you don’t have to worry because this year... I’ll be with you. You won’t be alone." He said.
This was a promise he was ready and willing to keep. A promise that would ease Michael’s heart.
"How did you figure it out?" Michael asked, clutching Noah’s shirt. "Even if you had a hunch, you couldn’t have been sure, right?"
"There’s a calendar on your phone." Noah said. "The 25th of December is marked on it."
"Anyone can mark Christmas day." Michael said. It was as if he was trying to dismiss whatever Noah claimed.
He didn’t want to be convinced only to be disappointed.
"And why would anyone do that?" Noah asked, looking at him with an amused smile as he brushed his cheeks lightly with his thumb. "Everyone already knows that day is Christmas day, so why bother marking it?" He brushed Michael’s hair softly. "So do you. You know that day is Christmas day, so why mark it? It would be a different story if you wanted to remind yourself that on that festive day, there was another special reason to celebrate. A very special reason."
Michael didn’t think Noah would figure it out.
He didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want him to know the reason he was looking forward to that day but he managed to guess it.
He managed to find out.
Something no one had ever done.
"Michael, did you mark that day so that you wouldn’t forget your own birthday?" Noah asked and Michael clenched his teeth. It was true but how could he say it? "Since no one cared, and no one wished you, you needed some kind of reminder so you wouldn’t forget. Is that it? You were scared of forgetting your own birthday."
The truth hit Michael hard. It was so accurate, and though Noah said those words with a soft tone filled with affection, they still felt so hard and cruel that Michael couldn’t hold the reigns of his tears anymore.
Michael’s eyes that were welling up with tears finally let the tears fall, and he cried with his head pressed to Noah’s chest as he clutched his shirt.
He was sad and happy at the same time. Sad that he had been seen through and happy that the person who saw through him was Noah.
"It was lonely." Michael confessed, the tears rolling down in long and heavy strides with his face twisting in agony. "I was lonely. No one knew."
His parents didn’t care. They focused more on the Christmas preparations than his own birthday as if they had forgotten his existence, but he decided to take it that they were celebrating both events, even though it was clear that they didn’t give two fucks about him.
Even when he dated Zane, Zane never remembered his birthday, no matter how many times he reminded him, as if intentionally forgetting it.
He wanted to assume that all this was because it was on such a festive day and everyone would be more invested in the Christmas celebration than the commemoration of his birthday. He told himself this several times so that he would be able to comfort himself.
He did it so many times that he began to wonder if things might’ve been different if he had been born just a day after or a day before.
But it was no use. It wasn’t like wondering about it would change the day he was born.
On that day, he was always alone and no one wished him a happy birthday. Expect the apps that he registered with his birthday, sending their general wishes.
Maybe that was the only comfort he got from all that endurance but still, it was painful.
"I felt I would end up forgetting my own birthday if I didn’t mark the day. No one was happy for me on that day but I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be happy that I was born into the world on that day but gradually, with how deep into the hellish pit of despair my life fell, I began to forget that happiness. Instead, I spent those days and those nights with a single candle lit on a cupcake, sitting in the dark and crying, cursing the day I was born. I... I didn’t deserve any of it. But still, I hoped the day would come when I would find someone that would remember my birthday."
He clutched Noah even harder and cried loudly.
"The day someone would understand that mark. Noah," he kept crying.
Hearing Michael’s painful wail as he lamented his situation made Noah’s heart ache. He didn’t know. How would he know? But... He was glad he figured it out.
He was glad he was able to make Michael’s wish come true. He... Was happy and sad at the same time.
"I’ll prepare a cake." Noah said, resting his head on Michael’s. "I’ll get you the biggest cake with all 32 candles. For the days you had to spend alone on your birthday, I will make up for it."
He hugged Michael tightly.
"Remember this, I am incredibly happy that you were born, Michael. I thank you for persevering for this long and once again, I’m sorry." He kissed his lips.
He had so many things he felt he needed to apologize for. He had been too harsh on Michael from the start without understanding his surroundings clearly.
He had only thought of himself and how to regain his memories and return to his rightful place, return to his family and Pack, but now, none of that mattered.
He set Michael to be his priority. He would make sure to put a smile on those gentle lips yet crude lips, he would wipe away his tears and embrace him till he no longer felt lonely.
He would fill the space that had grown too large in Michael’s heart.
That was his only desire. Even if it seemed like an impossible desire for someone of his status, he would do whatever he could to fulfill it.
But things weren’t easy. As if fate wanted to disrupt his plans by all means, the truth came out and Michael stared at Noah with eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.
He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe what he had seen.
Out on that snowy night, a few minutes to midnight, a few minutes to Christmas, and a few minutes to his birthday, Michael stared at Noah, who had just come out of an expensive car with a big cake box in his hands and staring at Michael, equally shocked and confused.
Michael’s phone in his hand fell.
The video of Noah’s secret meeting with Sebastian and the details of their conversation was the only sound that played between them, breaking the cold and stiff silence as they stared at each other.
That and the sound of their raging hearts.
"Noah," Michael called with a trembling voice. "I want the truth. Did you... Kill my family?"
