Sweeping Him Off His Feet Chapter 24: ‘I want to kiss you.’

"What the hell!" Charles brimd, the anger within him seed as if it was about to erupt. "I've got to go to bed," he added over his shoulder, his tone brisk and efficient. "I've got a busy day tomorrow, so cut the nonsense."

With that, he spun on his heels and continued his ascent up the stairs.

For a split second, Augustine remained still, his eyes never leaving the retreating figure of Charles.

As Charles disappeared around the corner, Augustine couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Why does this adorable little pookie always amuse ?' Augustine wondered within himself.

Sigh!

'He's attractive,' Augustine mused, admitting the attractive features of Charles.

Augustine let out a heavy sigh, settling back onto the couch.

He reached into his pocket and extracted his phone, mindlessly scrolling through the screen as he tried to distract himself from his own thoughts.

As the eyes of Augustine road around the phone, he noticed that he had received tons of ssage notifications from his cellphones and most of them ca from his mother.

Opening the ssage icon, Augustine instantly began to read the cold words of his mother who sent him a warning.

Augustine's heart sank as he read the first of his mother's ssages. 'Augustine! I don't care if you're gay. I don't care if you're into n or not. All I know is that you are getting married to Aubrey,' the ssage read, the words searing into his mind.

Augustine's thumb slid across the screen, his mind racing as he anticipated the next ssage from his mother. 'If you don't marry Aubrey, I will make your life a living hell,' the next text read, her words dripping with nace.

'You've embarrassed enough with your choices. This ti, you will do as I say.' The ssage was like a dagger to Augustine's heart, each word a cruel reminder of his mother's unrelenting control.

Augustine's stomach churned as he read the forth ssage. 'I've contacted the best doctor in the field of sexual crisis,' his mother wrote, her words seeming to ooze with a false sense of concern. 'He'll help you see the error of your ways and return you to the path of normalcy. Co ho tomorrow so I can make an appointnt.'

'Augustine, you're not gay,' his mother insisted in the next ssage, her denial bordering on desperation. 'You're just confused. That man you brought ho is twisting your mind. You should stay away from him. Co ho. We'll fix this.'

Augustine clenched his teeth, his anger boiling over. His mother's attempt to erase his identity, to deny who he was, was like a slap in the face.

There were many more text ssages that ca from his mother but he felt tired to read them all.

'During the car ride, I told her that I was bringing my partner over and yet she still allowed Aubrey to be at the mansion.' Augustine thought to himself as he hissed in annoyance.

His family are one of the wealthiest and most influential in the country. But their power and affluence ca at a cost—a constant, suffocating need to preserve their image of perfection.

For Augustine's mother, this ans suppressing any trace of individuality or nonconformity within her family.

And for Augustine, it ans living a life that was anything but his own.

'Sigh!'

Augustine sighed, clicking on the single SMS ssage that he had received from his father.

'Call when you need sothing to talk to.'

The ssage was simple but it carries a depth of care and warmth.

With a click of the side button, Augustine turned off his phone screen.

He dives his phone back inside his trouser pocket before letting out a deep breath.

With his mind slightly at ease, he stood up from his seated position before proceeding to make his way towards the stairs, heading straight to the bedroom.

Gently, as Augustine opened the door of the bedroom, the first thing that his eyes fell on was the peaceful figure of Charles Donald who had curled himself into a ball.

Augustine closed the distance between the both of them and as he stood beside the bed, he gazed down, observing the beautiful sleeping face of Charles.

Augustine's hand rose to Charles cheek, his fingertips gently brushing against his skin. "Why am I so drawn to you?" he whispered into the stillness of the room, the question a mix of confusion and longing.

Since Charles was already fast asleep, Augustine believed he could do and say anything in the presence of Charles without bothering if it was appropriate or not.

"Charles...I'm so scared," Augustine murmured, his voice barely audible in the silent room.

"And yet, despite my fear...I can't deny this longing that courses through ," Augustine continued, his voice barely above a whisper as his finger gently traced the contours of Charles's nose. "From the mont I first saw you, I felt this undeniable pull towards you...this inexplicable desire. I don't understand it, but it burns inside ."

And then, Augustine gave the nose of Charles a gentle pinched.

Softly, his fingers trailed down to the lips of Charles and carefully, he caressed it.

Augustine had the sudden urge to kiss Charles that he used his finger to part the lips of Charles to beco slightly open.

"I want to kiss you Charles," Augustine purred, taking in a deep breath. "I have the urge to do dirty things to you right now."

Following the words of Augustine, his finger slipped into Charles's mouth, but he was caught off guard by the sudden sharp pain that shot through his finger as Charles's teeth clamped down on it.

"Arrrrrghhhh!"