Sleeping With My Step Daddy
Chapter 35: "I Love Him"

Chapter 35: "I Love Him"

Ethan arrived at the college.

"Where are we going?" Kai asked.

Miles replied casually, "Ethan said he’s picking us up."

Kai frowned. "But why? College isn’t off."

"It’s okay to skip class today," Miles said, trying to keep his tone light. "Let’s go."

Ethan stood beside the car as Kai and Miles walked toward him. Suddenly, Rico appeared in front of them.

"Finally, I found you, my honey," Rico said with a smirk. He grabbed Kai’s wrist. "Let’s go."

Ethan’s expression turned cold with fury. He stepped forward, grabbed Kai’s other hand, and said through clenched teeth, "You again, Rico?"

"Hey Ethan, stay out of this," Rico sneered. "It’s none of your business."

Ethan tried to restrain himself. Kai pulled his hands free and stepped back.

"Let me go," Kai said softly. Then he walked a few steps away, trembling.

"Kai! What are you doing?" Rico called after him. "Let’s go."

He reached for Kai again, but Kai pushed him away. His eyes were filled with tears.

Kai took off the ring from his finger and held it out to Rico. His voice cracked, trembling and slow, "Let’s just end the deal. I can’t do this anymore... It hurts me."

Tears streamed down Kai’s face. "I can’t hurt Bast anymore. It hurts me too much..."

Rico stood frozen, heart racing, stunned by Kai’s words. Guilt surged in his chest. In his quest to take revenge on Bast, he had broken a boy who had nothing to do with their past.

Kai turned and walked away.

"Kai! Where are you going?" Miles called after him.

Kai didn’t respond. He stopped a cab, got in, and drove away.

Miles stood there, staring in shock. "Kai..."

Ethan stormed toward Rico, grabbed his collar, and punched him hard in the face. Rico stumbled back, blood trickling from his lip.

"I didn’t know you were this low," Ethan spat. "You manipulated a kid. You hurt him."

Rico stayed silent, his mind echoing with Kai’s words.

Miles ran up, trying to pull Ethan back. "Stop, Ethan! Stop!"

Ethan shoved Rico back one last time and said, "Don’t go near Kai again. If you do, I swear I’ll kill you."

He and Miles jumped into the car and drove off.

Rico stood frozen on the sidewalk. The pain in his face was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. Kai’s words played over and over in his mind.

For the first time... he truly felt guilt.

Ethan drove fast, his jaw clenched, the tension heavy in the air. As soon as they reached the company, he and Miles rushed into the building.

Inside the office, Bast was seated, calmly reviewing documents. But the moment he saw Ethan’s furious expression—and Miles right behind him—his face changed.

He stood up, alarmed. "Miles? Why are you here? And where’s Kai?"

Miles quickly explained everything—how Rico had manipulated Kai, made a fake relationship deal with him, and tried to take him forcefully from college. He ended with the most terrifying part.

"Kai ran off... and we don’t know where he went. We already checked the house. He’s not there."

Bast’s heart began to race.

Without wasting a second, he grabbed his phone and called security. "Track Kai’s phone location. Now!"

Kai sat alone in a small, cozy café tucked away from the busy streets. His eyes were closed, head resting on the table. The warmth of the afternoon sun spilled through the window, but all he could feel was the cold weight in his chest.

Memories flooded his mind—how he and Bast used to fight and tease each other, the playful bickering, the late-night talks. He remembered the first time Bast came to his grandmother’s home, how Jennifer introduced him. Kai had hated him at first, completely, with every ounce of stubbornness a child could have.

But time changed everything. Slowly, quietly, love bloomed in the spaces between arguments and silence. Kai whispered under his breath, "Why do I love him so much...?"

A single tear slid down his cheek.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. A familiar embrace. A warmth that made his heart skip. His breath hitched. He didn’t dare open his eyes.

It felt like a dream.

The scent—Bast’s scent.

Then a voice, low and trembling: "Why did you run from me, Kai? Do you know how much I love you...?"

Kai’s eyes widened. He couldn’t move. He didn’t even have the courage to turn around. But then Bast gently took his hand and helped him to his feet.

"Let’s go home, Kai."

Kai stood frozen, staring at him—his safe place, his comfort. Bast.

Bast reached up and wiped the tears from Kai’s face. He pulled him into a gentle hug, patting his head like he always did.

"I’m sorry," Bast murmured. "I couldn’t protect you..."

Without another word, he took Kai’s hand and led him to the car. Together, they headed home.

Bast gently guided Kai into his room. The air was quiet, heavy with unsaid words.

"Take a shower first," Bast said softly, placing a hand on Kai’s shoulder.

But before he could turn away, Kai grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a tight hug. Bast froze for a second, then slowly wrapped his arms around him, gently rubbing Kai’s back.

They sat down together on the edge of the bed. Bast kept one arm around Kai and looked at him with a sorrowful gaze.

"I’m sorry, Kai," he said quietly. "I should’ve told you everything a long time ago... but I was scared. Scared that I’d lose you completely."

He took Kai’s hands in his, holding them gently, rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles.

"Your mom... she was my best friend. My senior in high school. She always looked after me, comforted me, treated me like her little brother."

Kai’s brows furrowed, silently listening.

"After high school, we lost contact. She returned to Japan to be with her parents. Years later... I saw her again. And she was in trouble. She had a child—" Bast looked into Kai’s eyes, voice softening, "—you."

Kai’s breath caught in his throat.

"I didn’t know anything about your father. But I married her to help. To get her out of that situation and bring her here, to America. She knew... she always knew I liked boys. She even knew about my past relationship with Rico."

Bast’s eyes shimmered with pain as he continued.

"But one day... I lost her. My best friend. My sister." His voice broke slightly. "Before she died, she made me promise... promise that I’d always protect you."

He reached up, cupping Kai’s cheek gently. "And I meant that, Kai. I meant it with all my heart."

Kai’s eyes widened, his voice soft and trembling.

"Where... where is my father?"

Bast looked down, sorrow flashing across his face.

"I don’t know," he admitted quietly. "When I met Jennifer, she only asked me to marry her and take both of you to America. I didn’t question her much... I just wanted to help."

Kai listened silently, stunned.

"Once or twice, I did ask her," Bast continued, his voice tight. "But she never told me. She only said it didn’t matter anymore."

Bast’s eyes shimmered with tears. The silence between them stretched as Kai tried to make sense of everything—his mother’s pain, her sudden decision to leave Japan, and the absence of a father he had never even seen.

"She came here to start over," Kai murmured to himself, almost like a realization.

Bast reached out, cupping Kai’s face gently.

"I am not your real father, Kai... but having you with me—it’s enough. I never cheated on your mother. She was my best friend, my family. And you... you’ve always been the most precious part of her that stayed with me."

Kai stared at Bast, tears brimming in his eyes. Emotions surged within him—grief, confusion, longing, and love. He didn’t know what overcame him, but in that moment, words weren’t enough.

He leaned forward and kissed Bast—soft at first, full of emotions he had kept locked away. Bast froze for a moment, then slowly responded, his hand finding Kai’s waist and pulling him closer, deepening the kiss with trembling restraint.

Everything was unspoken between their lips—the pain, the years, the love they both tried to suppress.

Bast kissed Kai deeply, his hands roaming gently across Kai’s back, pulling him closer. The warmth of their bodies pressed together, igniting the tension they had buried for so long. Kai’s lips moved to Bast’s neck, leaving soft kisses, trailing down to his collarbone. Bast let out a low breath, eyes fluttering shut as his shirt was slowly unbuttoned and slipped off.

Under the soft light, Bast’s strong figure glowed with heat, his chest rising and falling. Kai leaned forward, placing a kiss on his chest, then trailing his tongue along his collarbone. He licked Bast’s sensitive skin before gently teasing his nipples, earning a soft gasp from Bast.

"Don’t leave me again like that," Bast whispered, voice low and full of emotion.

Kai lifted his face, their eyes meeting.

"I won’t," he said softly. "I’ll never leave you again... I love you."

Bast’s eyes widened, stunned by the words he had waited so long to hear. His voice trembled as he cupped Kai’s face.

"You... you said it..." he breathed. "I love you too, so much."

He slid Kai’s shirt off and kissed his chest and neck with tender urgency.

"Say it again, Kai," Bast whispered against his skin. "Tell me you love me... I want to hear it all night."

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