Chapter 22 - Boundaries

Hearing Hiroshi's response Haruki raised his head to see the expression on the man's face. It felt like he could not conclude without seeing what expression the man wore when he spoke.

Their gaze met and he continued to stare into the brown eyes causing a side of his lips to raise slightly in a smirk to reveal the slight pleasure he found in noticing that the man did not look displeased with the fact that he prevented him from getting his shot with a pretty lady.

"She was really pretty, Are you sure you don't hate me for what I did," Without the adequate satisfaction he wanted, Haruki, continued to probe further.

"I guess I will have to get to her later. There is always a chance if we are meant to be together," Hiroshi replied moving his gaze away from Haruki.

Haruki did not like the bitter taste his response caused him to feel. It was sour too and he did not want to hear Hiroshi put himself in the same sentence with that lady. She was really pretty, though.

"I am almost done and I don't think you enjoy inhaling all these, Why don't you go sit down?"

Haruki's brow furrowed, was the man trying to push him away. Seeing the frown Haruki wore, Hiroshi continued and offered, "Do you want to help me? Help me slice these green onions."

Haruki was taken aback since he moved into his grandfather's house, he has never for once touched any cooking utensils, he never had to go into the kitchen frequently too but the man was offering him a post beside him to help.

Even if he wanted to refuse, seeing the warm smile the man wore made all he said and felt earlier disappear into thin air. He moved before he got the chance to think it through either to stop or move forward to act as the man's assistant.

He picked up the knife and with great ease, he began cutting the greens on the chopping board. Halfway through diligently doing an appointed task, Hiroshi walked closer to him, and from behind, he leaned forward to take a look at what Haruki was doing.

The scent of the man's body lotion and shampoo overshadowed the aroma of the food in the kitchen. His hands stopped moving despite how much he tried to act on affected.

He swallowed and with all the courage he could generate at the moment, he whispered which was the loudest he could go with the lump formed in his throat, "If you get any closer, we might have to complete what we began last night."

He could feel the doctor freeze behind him but in a couple of seconds, the man moved closer to him until their bodies touched. . . Hiroshi was not satisfied with that as he leaned even closer until their bodies were pressed together.

Haruki swallowed. When he felt the man's hand on his waist, he realized what he had said and what position in their intimacy that would imply. "I am famished and I don't want to wait for an eternity to eat," Haruki said clearly as the shock that came with the realization snapped him from all the thoughts. He could not believe he had done all that.

"I won't take too long after what happened last night," Hiroshi replied in a low hoarse whisper that was enough to tell Haruki of the close danger.

"Get off me. You seem to have forgotten, that I am holding a knife," Haruki did not hesitate to threaten the man since he felt a part of his body was threatened in the position they were. When Hiroshi pulled away in defeat, he added, "And in case you don't know, I always top."

Hiroshi remained silent as he walked back to what he was doing causing Haruki to turn to look at him. The man looked slightly confused. He seemed to have not understood what he meant by that and that surprised him.

"I don't have a problem being with both genders but are you sure you want to be with a man? I bet as the heir in your family, your father wants kids from you and just one night with me and I swear, you will forget what it means to be straight," Haruki warned the man followed by an instant regret.

Hiroshi turned to look at Haruki with a trace of realization in his eyes. When their gaze met, the man did not hold it but turned away and continued what he was doing at the stove.

Haruki felt a strong sense of loss weigh on his mind, he did not need anyone to tell him that the man still considered himself straight and it might be very hard for him to go in to cause a big change in the man's life just for a few months of pleasure especially when he needed the man's family line to continue as they were connected.

He dropped the knife and walked to the sink to rinse his hand when he was done and in the heaviness of their silence, he walked out of the kitchen. The man served him his breakfast quietly when he was done. Hiroshi did not even sit with him to eat creating a boundary between them.

Haruki smiled sadly in realization. He ate his meal and when he was done, he got ready to return home. He could stay a few days in the hotel if he wanted after all, the suite was set aside for him but he did not feel like staying there anymore with all that happened and the uncomfortable feeling he could not explain that looking at Hiroshi brought to him.

Before he was done, Hiroshi had finished faster and he met the man at the door. The doctor bowed to him before opening the door. From the gap, he could see a silhouette of a visitor causing him to approach the door.

Hiroshi bowed to the person at the door and when he left, he noticed it was his assistant who bowed to him as soon as their gaze met. "The family meeting takes place in an hour; do you want to go home first or leave for the meeting from here?"

"I will go home first," he replied with a heaviness he could not avoid in his voice.

He cleared his throat and walked out of the room leaving whatever might have transpired in it there. He was the leader of one of the largest and most powerful families in the country aside from the royal family and his weakness equaled death, there were many people who wanted to bring him down and he had to stay as alert as possible.

Seeing the usual coldness of his boss, Yoshida concluded that the heaviness he heard was an illusion and it was never there. With a sigh of relief, he followed after Haruki.