Chapter 60 Secrets
Nuhra's words weren't harsh, but they hinted at maintaining distance. Chris's lips trembled, and after opening and closing them several times, he couldn't speak. He could only squeeze out a few words with difficulty: "I... I really know I was wrong. Why do I have to live in the study?"
Chris's eyes were misty and his voice was trembling: "Can't I just live here? I did something wrong, you can just scold me or punish me... Why do you treat me like this?" He could no longer control himself, reached out to touch Nuhra's hand, and held his palm tightly.
Nuhra, after Lovi's words of comfort, had long since calmed down. He'd suggested moving to the study, not only to teach Chris a lesson but also to give himself some time to figure out how to resolve his issues and better manage their relationship.
Facing Kris, who was on the verge of a breakdown, Nuhra sighed, his attitude finally softening... He let Kris hold his hand tightly, and with his other hand, he gently brushed away the few tears that fell from Kris's face. His tone was much gentler, "This isn't entirely your fault. I just need some time to think it over..."
"Can't you think about it by my side?" Seeing that Nuhra was willing to communicate with him, Chris asked pitifully.
"No," Nuhra softened for a moment, then quickly refused firmly. "Let's all calm down for a while, okay?"
"I also want to apologize for scaring you tonight," Nuhra explained calmly to Corris. "I was... so angry at the moment that I didn't consider your feelings."
Nuhra had clearly made up her mind, so Corris could only grit his teeth and agree. He forced himself to suppress his sorrowful thoughts and wiped away the tears that were about to fall from his cheeks. "Okay... you should rest well. Do you need anything?"
"The study is equipped with a lounge, don't worry," Nuhra shook her head. "I'll ask the smart butler to bring my clothes over tomorrow."
Chris didn't have the energy to speak, and nodded randomly at Nuhra. He was about to turn around and go back to the room, but was hugged by Nuhra - not like the intimate hugs in the past, but more like a polite hug between friends.
"Good night." Nuhra whispered softly in Coris's ear, and the next moment she quickly pulled herself out of his embrace and turned to walk towards the study.
Chris seemed to have been drained of all his strength. He walked into the bedroom with unsteady steps. When he saw the hair dryer that had not been put away yet, he felt even more uncomfortable.
Chris took another sonic bath in a daze, and climbed onto the big bed that originally belonged to him and Nuhra in a daze, but he had no desire to sleep.
Now Coris's soul was torn into two parts. One part was frightened and worried about his relationship with Nuhra, although Nuhra's attitude was better than expected; the other part was trying to awaken his reason and let him focus on the unknown dangers.
Unfortunately, Chris had reached a state of stagnation. He closed his eyes and tried to comfort himself that they had only had some minor conflicts... Finally, Chris fell asleep unknowingly with regret and heartache.
In the early morning, Nuhra quietly returned to their bedroom. He tiptoed over to where Kris was sleeping in bed. Kris was curled up in a huddle, his brow furrowed, and faint traces of tears were visible on his face.
In the darkness, Nuhra's gaze lingered on Kris. He silently reached out his hand to wipe away Kris's tears, and did not forget to straighten the quilt that had been kicked off for him.
"You really gave me a difficult problem..." Nuhra squatted in front of Kris and murmured. Before standing up, he kissed Kris's eyebrows like a dragonfly touching the water.
As if sensing the movement of the others around him, Kris's eyelids twitched noticeably. Seeing this, Nuhra didn't dare stay any longer. She patted Kris's back like a child coaxing him to sleep, and after confirming that he was stable, she left the bedroom without leaving a trace.
The next morning, Chris woke from his sleep with a start. The moment he woke up, he completely forgot what he had dreamed the night before. He only remembered the last scene of the dream, which was Nuhra's back as she left... He swallowed the bitterness in his heart and shook his head, trying to get rid of this unpleasant image from his mind.
Chris reached out his hand to his side and found only cold temperature where another person should have been lying. The flat bed was exactly the same as it was before he went to bed last night... He could not hide his disappointment. After all, he had sensed a familiar breath beside him last night and hoped that it was Nuhra. But was all this just his delusion?
He sat on the bed for a while, neither getting out of bed nor taking out the terminal to look at it. His eyes were staring blankly at a certain place in the room, and he looked lifeless.
After the initial stage last night when he tried desperately to gain Nuhra's forgiveness, Chris now seemed to be avoiding everything related to Nuhra. He didn't know how to face Nuhra, nor did he understand how to restore the trust between them.
Chris was stunned for a long time before slowly sliding off the bed. Fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry to return to the academy today, otherwise he wouldn't know how to face his teammates. Their black market investigation plan would be stillborn before it even began.
He finally remembered the long-forgotten terminal and fished it out from the bedside table. There had been no messages so early in the morning, at least not from Nuhra... but Corris's friends were still concerned for his well-being. From their perspective, the lack of a response to the messages they sent last night made it hard not to suspect something was amiss.
Although Chris was not in high spirits, he still responded to his friends' concern:
[Chris: Sorry everyone, I had something urgent to do last night and didn't have time to reply... I'm doing fine now, please rest assured.]
After saying that, he didn't bother to see what his friend responded to. He washed up in a daze and confirmed the current time again. According to his usual experience, Nuhra would have gone to work at the military headquarters by now... He felt a little relieved, and before going out, he stealthily stuck his head out to take a look at the situation.
The corridor was very quiet, there was no one in the living room downstairs, and the lights in the dining room were not on, so there was no way to confirm what was going on inside... Chris thought optimistically, Nuhra didn't say she wanted to ask for leave, so she was probably not at home now.
Chris walked downstairs quickly, glanced left and right, then turned nimbly into the restaurant and met the eyes of the table full of breakfast and Nuhra who was sitting at the table.
"...Brother, good morning." Kris subconsciously wanted to step back, but then realized that this was not a good idea. He pretended to be calm and walked into the restaurant. "Aren't you going to the military headquarters today?"
Nuhra had almost finished the breakfast in front of him and responded, "Today, we'll prioritize Tim Jax's matter. He's been awake since the early hours of the morning, but he's not awake much. We need to find time to ask him about it."
"Oh, okay..." Chris responded simply, lowered his head and walked to the seat opposite Nuhra and sat down.
"How did you sleep last night?" Nuhra seemed to be unintentionally concerned about Chris's sleep quality.
Chris actually didn't sleep very well last night, but he didn't want to look like he was playing the victim, so he just said vaguely, "Not bad."
He couldn't find any topics to chat with Nuhra, and he was not in the mood to talk, so he just lowered his head and started eating breakfast. He answered Nuhra's questions and remained silent most of the time.
Across from him, Kris slowly finished his breakfast before Nuhra talked about today's schedule: "Let's go to the hospital together this afternoon. After the visit, I'll take you back to school."
Chris was a little at a loss for a moment. He had originally wanted to avoid Nuhra today, but he didn't expect that under the other party's arrangement, he had to stay with Nuhra for most of the day.
Nuhra hadn't failed to notice Kris's unusual behavior, but he had anticipated the current situation last night and understood that even if he really did move into the study, he couldn't completely stop interacting with Kris...
Given Chris's personality, if Nuhra didn't take the initiative in this situation, he would most likely have the idea of ​​retreating and avoiding the situation. Chris's various behaviors during breakfast time have confirmed Nuhra's thoughts.
However, Nuhra has always been very patient. He will find a suitable opportunity to have a sincere communication with Corris... but not now.
"Do I need to change clothes today?" Chris accepted the reality and turned to seriously think about preparing to go to the hospital.
"Just visit as a classmate and dress as usual." Nohra didn't care much about this. "You can bring some gifts to look more like a classmate."
"What if he doesn't want to see me?" Speaking of Tim, Chris still remembered the last time they parted on bad terms, and couldn't help but worry whether Tim would resist his active visit.
"After he woke up last night, he specifically asked for you." Nuhra looked at Corris meaningfully and told him a bombshell in a calm tone.
Corris's thoughts, which had been stagnant for a long time, finally became active, and his eyes became brighter. "It turns out to be like this..."
Seeing that Corris had finally regained some of his usual spirit, Nuhra finally felt relieved. He took the opportunity to bring up another important matter: "Can you tell me more about the black market plan you and your friends have planned?"
Chris and his chair suddenly stepped back with a sharp, piercing sound. His expression, which had been relatively normal, immediately turned into panic. He stumbled in his defense, "I told you everything. I didn't hide anything!"
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that if you really want to go, I can help you - but I have to go with you." Nuhra was surprised by Chris's unexpected behavior, but the next moment she felt distressed, because Chris had been hurt by his anger that he had not vented last night but could not ignore.
"Ah..." Chris thought he had misheard. He widened his eyes and looked at Nuhra in disbelief, repeating to himself, "You want to help us?"
"Yes, to be precise, I want to help you." Nuhra stood up and left his seat. Chris thought he was going to leave the restaurant, so he quickly stood up from his chair... But Nuhra wanted to change seats and sit next to Chris, pushing the restless Chris back to his seat.
Nuhra patiently explained to Corris: "Don't be nervous, I'm really not angry anymore, baby... I'm worried about you like this."
Like a rusty robot, Kris turned his head and looked at Nuhra, "Brother, I was wrong..." Kris stared at Nuhra eagerly and begged, "If you are not angry, can you hug me?"
Nuhra didn't know what Kris had experienced, why he would react so strongly when there was a conflict or a short separation, and even put himself in a very low position, just to make Nuhra willing to forgive him... Nuhra no longer wanted to keep a distance from Kris, he opened his arms and took the initiative to embrace Kris in his arms.
Corris's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed. After a long moment, he slid down Nuhra's waistline to his back, clutching his coat tightly, even wrinkling it.
Nuhra could feel the trembling body of Kris in his arms, as well as the slight drops of moisture on his clothes. He sighed and stroked Kris's bent back again and again.
"I'm sorry, maybe I put too much pressure on you and made it difficult for you..." Nuhra placed her other hand on the top of Corris's head and coaxed him softly, "I took it for granted. I thought I had done a lot for you and that you had to repay my absolute trust... So the request I made scared you, right?"
With his head still buried in Nuhra's arms, Coris desperately shook his head and retorted in a muffled voice, "I'm also wrong, brother... Even though I knew you didn't like others keeping secrets, I kept it a secret from you, and it was such a dangerous thing."
Nuhra said nothing, but twisted a lock of Kris's black hair between her fingers and entwined it with hers. Kris was oblivious to her, sobbing uncontrollably, wiping her tears on Nuhra's clothes.
"After we're done with these two days, let's talk it out, okay?" Chris was reluctant to speak, and Nuhra sympathetically offered him a way out.
Corris was flustered at this moment. He couldn't say what he really wanted to say. He respected his own heart: "I don't want to be separated from you... I don't want this!"
"Baby, I didn't say we wanted to break up. We just had a small problem that we need to solve together." Nuhra was shocked by Kris's extreme thoughts. She had never expected that what he considered a minor conflict would have such strong consequences...
Chris listened and calmed down, but he still stayed in Nuhra's arms without looking up. Nuhra felt guilty and was completely obedient to Chris, letting him do whatever he wanted, as long as it made Chris feel better.
"Brother... I'm sleepy and want to sleep." They maintained this awkward hugging position for a long time before Coris moved, lifted his head from Nuhra's chest, and leaned towards Nuhra's shoulder.
"Didn't you just wake up?" Nuhra didn't understand, but didn't mean to refuse.
"Actually, I didn't sleep well last night without you by my side." Chris stated the reason bluntly and decided to let Nuhra go back with him to take a nap. "Brother, it doesn't matter if you don't move back, but can you stay with me, just for a little while..." Chris said weakly in a low voice.
With Corris already like this, Nuhra couldn't find any reason to refuse and agreed without hesitation, "Okay, I'll accompany you... Do you want me to carry you back to the room?"
"No, I'll walk back by myself." Chris rejected Nuhra's kindness, stubbornly left Nuhra's arms, lowered his head, stood up and walked out, not wanting Nuhra to see his embarrassed appearance.
Nuhra considerately gave him enough face and did not look at Chris's tear-stained face. She just held his wrist lightly and followed closely behind him.
Finally returning to the bedroom, Corris rushed straight to their bed, half lying on it, and patted the place next to him as if inviting, "Brother, come up too."
Nuhra smiled and shook her head, pointing to the wet spots on her clothes. "You've left marks all over them... Let me change into a clean shirt first, honey."
When Chris came to his senses and saw his "results", he felt a little guilty and embarrassed. He turned his head and acquiesced to Nuhra's proposal.
Nuhra moved quickly and changed into a set of clean and comfortable home clothes in the cloakroom in no time. Without Chris reminding him again, he consciously returned to his usual sleeping place and lay down.
Chris turned around and hugged Nuhra tightly like a doll, and his restless heart finally settled down.
"Go to sleep." Nuhra asked the smart butler to bring a wet towel and carefully wiped Chris's face before kissing his red eyelids.
Nuhra lay flat on his back, letting Chris lean on his chest. Chris closed his eyes and listened to the regular heartbeat coming from Nuhra's chest. He emptied his mind and his body and mind were no longer tense.
"Nuhra, you're so outstanding... I always rely on you," Kris said, choosing his words carefully and revealing his true feelings to Nuhra. "I want to prove myself to you, to prove that I'm capable of handling complex situations and sharing your worries."
"But I took it for granted. Sometimes, things aren't that simple." The more Chris continued, the more relieved he felt. "The reason you're so outstanding isn't just because you're better than me in every way, but also because of the objective age difference..."
"I've always believed in your abilities, Kris," Nuhra said, her tone convincing enough to be calm. "I'm sure that when you and I reach the same age, you'll have gone further than I have."
Coris was overwhelmed by Nuhra's undisguised affirmation. He opened his eyes, and most of their former brilliance was restored.
"I'm walking ahead of you because I want to pave a smooth and stable path for you," Nuhra lowered her eyes and looked at Corris. "If you want to borrow my influence, I'm willing to do so..."
"Brother..." Corris couldn't bear it any longer. He turned over and pressed Nuhra half underneath him. He held his handsome and deep face with both hands, trying to read all the emotions hidden in his eyes.
"I understand that people your age always want to make a career on their own," Nuhra said, appreciating Kris's touch, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But sometimes, relying on those around you is the only way to go far... You are not only my lover, but also my partner and comrade."
"We're in this for the long haul, Kris."
"Sometimes I am too impatient and self-righteous and want you to follow my own way, but I also ignore your real needs. I'm sorry." Nuhra raised her hand and rubbed the frown on Kris's face.
Chris had never realized that he had so many tears. After hearing what Nuhra said, he was moved and sad... In this situation, words could no longer express his thoughts. He simply closed his eyes and kissed Nuhra deeply on the lips.
There was no scent of lust in this kiss, it was just two close people sensing each other's presence... For the first time, Coris understood that beneath Nuhra's tough and effortless exterior, she also had her own fragility and selfishness - and these were privileges that belonged only to him.
"I understand, brother..." Kris finally managed to create a gap between him and Nuhra, but it was better than nothing. With a devout gesture he had never had before, he kissed the woman's eyes, nose, and mouth. "I love you, Nuhra, I love you."
This was the first time that Chris said such a profound word as "love" to Nuhra, and it was also the first time that Nuhra finally received "love" in her life so far.
"I love you too... I will love you more than you can imagine." Nuhra's expression was hard to tell whether he was happy or sad. His heart and eyes were full of Corris in front of him. Before he could finish his words, he rubbed them between his lips and teeth with his own hands.
The room was silent. They kissed until they were out of breath and then reluctantly separated. "Let's get some sleep... We have some important things to do this afternoon."
"Yeah." They finally made clear many things that they had ignored before. For the first time, Chris stepped aside his so-called self-esteem and looked at everything that Nuhra had given him.
Since Nuhra was willing to give it, why should he refuse? Chris figured it out. What he needed to do was not to reject Nuhra's kindness, but to work with Nuhra to achieve their common goal... and move towards a brighter future together.
Silence returned to the bedroom, and this time, both Nuhra and Kris could get a good night's sleep...
In the afternoon, Nuhra and Kris arrived at the Capital Star First Military Hospital on time. Samantha was discussing Tim's condition with the doctor in front of them. Seeing Nuhra and Kris appear at the elevator together, she briefly explained a few things and quickly ended the conversation.
"Oh, you made up so quickly?" The captain of the Royal Guard, who had a keen eye for observation, looked at the two of them with a scrutinizing gaze.
Nuhra smiled but said nothing. Chris, with his red and swollen eyes still lingering, felt very embarrassed. Luckily, Samantha wasn't in the mood for jokes today. She pointed to the ward door and gestured to Chris, "He's been awake for a while now. Go ahead."
Nuhra gently pushed Corris on the back and said, "I'm here, don't worry."
Chris nodded seriously, suppressed all irrelevant emotions, and walked into the empty white ward. Tim Jax, with a pale face, was surrounded by various running medical equipment and lay weakly on the hospital bed.
"You're here." His voice was as dry as that of a dying old man. It was hard to imagine that this was the voice of a young man in his early twenties.
Corris carefully placed the condolence gift on the distant table and replied calmly, "I'm here. What do you want to say?"
"I want to turn myself in." Tim closed his eyes and squeezed the words out of his throat painfully.
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