Chapter 111: Whispers At The Company.

Bryce emerged from the room dressed in a loose, long-sleeved black graphic T-shirt, gray jeans, and white sneakers.

His blond hair fell softly around his face, brushing against his forehead and accentuating the delicate symmetry of his features.

His fair, smooth complexion and slender face gave him a strikingly beautiful, almost androgynous appearance, while the small silver hoop in his ear and the cross necklace resting against his chest lent him an effortless charm that required no particular effort on his part.

He had not dressed formally, as he would have if he were heading to work. He was not going to the company to carry out responsibilities, after all. He was going to see his man, or so he believed.

When Dave’s eyes settled on him, they lingered longer than necessary.

He had seen Bryce in countless forms and appearances: beautiful and delicate, slightly masculine, and occasionally carrying a youthful softness that made him appear almost boyish.

He had known the same face through different stages of their relationship, had memorized its expressions and become familiar with its every variation.

Even so, the sight of Bryce standing before him now still managed to capture his attention with an unexpected intensity.

It was strange, in a way, that a face he had seen so many times could still affect him like this. .

Whatever the reason, Dave found himself looking at Bryce as though he were seeing him anew.

"You look beautiful," he said.

For a brief moment, the uneasiness and tension Bryce had left him with earlier seemed to disappear.

Dave’s expression softened into something amused and fascinated, his attention fixed on Bryce with unmistakable appreciation.

"Thanks," Bryce replied.

He accepted the compliment, though he honestly did not think he looked particularly remarkable at that moment.

Dave’s words made him sound far more impressive than he felt, and he did not seem to know how to respond beyond the simple acknowledgment.

"I’m gonna go," he said, moving farther into the living room while their eyes remained locked.

The words drew Dave’s attention back to the reason Bryce was leaving. He straightened slightly.

"Who’s driving you there?" he asked. "You won’t get a cab for a long distance, not until you’re out of the woods. Do you want me to..."

"It’s okay. I’ll manage."

Bryce interrupted before Dave could finish his suggestion.

He already knew how he intended to travel.

There was no need for a cab or for whatever Dave wanted to suggest when he could use his supernatural speed and teleporting ability to reach the company.

He was certain that one moment he could be standing inside the house, and the next, he would be at the company.

With that thought, he stepped forward and pressed a brief kiss to Dave’s lips.

"See ya," he said.

He had barely begun to pull away when Dave reached for him and drew him back. Almost as though he had acted on impulse, he returned the kiss, holding Bryce close for another moment before finally releasing him.

"Bye," he murmured.

The kiss had been simple, something they had shared countless times before, so familiar that it had once become almost instinctive.

Even so, it stirred something inside Bryce, igniting a faint but unmistakable flicker of feeling.

The things they used to do were beginning to produce entirely different sensations.

Perhaps it was because the time they had spent apart had changed the weight of their encounters, or because the relationship they were rebuilding no longer resembled the one they had once shared

As he reached the door, Dave’s voice stopped him.

"Can you try and find out if he knows something about... you know... the thing messing with my head?"

Bryce looked back at him. Dave’s hesitation was apparent in the way he avoided naming the matter directly, as though giving it a clearer definition might make it more real.

"Okay,"

Dave’s admission that something about Vincent was beginning to affect him romantically forced Bryce to consider something he had not thought about.

Did he intend to build a relationship in which he remained the center of everything, with Dave and Vincent directing their love and attention solely toward him without developing feelings for each other?

Or did he want a relationship in which Dave and Vincent could fall in love with each other as well, allowing what they shared to belong to all three of them and evolve through their mutual connection?

He claimed to himself not to know the answer. But somewhere within him, he already knew which direction he was leaning.

He wanted the second possibility.

He wanted the three of them to become one, not merely connected through their shared love for him, but capable of forming something between all three of them.

He wanted Dave and Vincent to be able to look at each other and find something beyond his presence.

The thought was unfamiliar, complicated, and potentially difficult, but it was also the one that seemed to align most closely with what he had begun wanting.

Bryce stepped outside and allowed the door to close behind him. Once he was clear of the house, he focused on his abilities, gathering his concentration as he willed his speed and power to carry him to the company.

He closed his eyes briefly.

The sensation came almost at once.

His body seemed to surge forward with extraordinary speed, the movement so swift that it resembled flight, even though he knew he was not actually flying.

The world passed beyond his immediate awareness, and before he had time to register the distance he had crossed, the movement came to an end.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing outside the company’s main entrance.

He did not hesitate. He walked through the main gates, where security personnel subjected him to the standard inspection.

A security wand moved along both sides of his body, scanning him before the guards allowed him to proceed.

He continued toward the entrance of the building, aware of the men’s eyes following him.

Whispers drifted through the area.

He blocked them out, refusing to listen.

At the building’s entrance, he recognized the same men who had stopped him the first time he had arrived there, accusing him of forging a signature and an invitation letter for his interview, and their faces reflected the recognition that passed between them now.

One of the guards straightened and addressed him.

"Your work ID," he demanded, his voice low and uncertain, as though he himself was not entirely sure whether he should be questioning Bryce in that manner.

Bryce searched his memory briefly. He had no idea where he had thrown the thing, nor did he feel inclined to waste time trying to remember.

"I don’t have it," he answered simply.

His lack of concern appeared to leave the guards uncertain. They exchanged hesitant glances, caught between enforcing the requirements and deciding whether Bryce was someone they could no longer treat like an ordinary employee.

Their hesitation stretched on, neither of them immediately demanding further identification nor explicitly allowing him to enter.

Bryce looked between them.

"How long are we going to stand here like this?" he asked.

The guard stationed directly in his path finally moved aside. After a moment’s hesitation, he gestured for Bryce to enter.

Bryce walked through without another word.

The instant he had passed, one of the guards lowered his voice, though not enough to prevent the others from hearing him.

"Are you insane? You know no one is supposed to pass without the requirements, except boss."

"No, actually, we should be asking you if you’re insane instead," another replied. "That boy that just passed here could be your boss now."

"Just because of the rumors, you want to risk the rules of our work?"

"Rumors? Where do you actually live? After everything, you still want to believe it’s all just a rumor? Apart from the kiss in the video that practically confirms it, they were seen together at the hotel a day ago. Haven’t you seen those pictures?"

"By the way," another man interjected, his voice dropping with renewed interest, "who was the third guy in the pictures that were posted later? There seemed to be a lot of chemistry around that table. Do you think they’re not just two, but..."

"Shut up and stop talking nonsense," another guard whispered sharply. "The walls have ears."

"Dave Sinclair," someone murmured, as though the name alone explained everything. "Who doesn’t know him? Bryce and him studied at the campus together. There have been news reports about them too, saying they were dating."

"Wait. Sinclair? You mean the Sinclair family that owns almost the whole city?"

"I don’t know. People say he lived a simple life, so I don’t think so."

"This is getting more interesting. If Bryce was dating Dave Sinclair, then how come they were sitting at the same table with Mr. Walker, who is clearly interested in Bryce and obviously has something going on with him?"

"Dude, did you seriously just drop the boss’s name so casually while gossiping?" another man asked, his voice suddenly more cautious. "Man, I suggest we stop talking about this altogether before it turns into something we didn’t intended. I’m not willing to land myself in that kind of mess."

"Bryce is fine as hell. I’d literally go for him even if I were straight. Beautiful enough to pass for a girl, honestly. What’s even the difference? I can see why boss seems so obsessed with him. That kiss in the video? The man was fucking losing it."

"Man, shut up. Do you even know whose man you’re talking about like that? Here’s a piece of advice, though... Look into your sexuality again."

"I’m straight, nothing to look into about that." The man replied defensively.

"Who cares." The other cut in almost immediately.

Bryce scoffed at the guards’ conversation as he continued toward the elevator, paying no attention to the curious glances directed his way.

He stepped inside, pressed the button, and allowed the doors to close.