Chapter 2: No One will Know

Three years ago…

Footsteps echoed in the dark. Rowan thought of bringing his phone or a flashlight, but he was headed to Scott's home office. The LED lights that lined the exquisite aquarium should be enough light for the night. Not to mention that thunder kept on rumbling at a distance.

The electricity was cut from the lightning strike over the city. Multiple households were in the dark, and the building generators only focused on powering the heating system and keeping the water running. Communications and illumination were left in the hands of the tenants. That was why Rowan was left to walk in the dark.

It was just that when he located the dark home office, he could hear people whispering from inside. Rowan stopped just outside the door, hoping to listen to whatever they were talking about. A lot of occasions were coming up, and Rowan didn't know if they were speaking of a surprise.

"Scottie…" he murmured as he slowly pushed the door to not shock the people inside. Even if he was the one who got to be shocked, this was not the first time.

Tonight was not the first time he saw these two people in the dark.

Rowan stared at the radiant skin under the LED lights, along with that silhouette she had. This woman was nothing like him, at least in one's eye for beauty. Her hair was fair and long, while his dark hair was barely manageable past his chin. As for their bodies, he was fit… but she was godly. She was like a sculpted candle, curved and smoothened to perfection.

"Hey, Rowan, you're not supposed to be here…" she spoke in her smooth, borderline-flirtatious voice. She pulled down her shirt, not even bothering to wear her bra back as well.

"Hey, Connie…" That was all Rowan could say. After all, she was sitting on the office desk and combing her messy hair to tame the strands.

His eyes then moved to the man standing next to the full-sized window. It gave him a view of the dark city, the streets only illuminated by the spare generators of the city. He had a cigarette in his mouth, so its faint light created a mirror in front of him.

Rowan could barely decipher the look on Scott's face. The man didn't even bother to hide that he wasn't wearing his shirt as he stood there.

Swallowing all the bitterness and hurt, Rowan put up a smile. "Uhm, I was just hoping to find you, Scottie. It looks like the building manager wouldn't…"

"Go back to your room, Rowan. If there's no light, there's none. Don't bother me about this." Scott cut him off, only moving to squash his cigarette on the ashtray on his desk.

"…but…" Rowan wanted to cozy up with him since it was dark. However, he didn't expect Connie to still be around at this time. After all, at this hour, work for Scott should have stopped.

He could still remember when Scott would drop everything as soon as dinner time came. They would have meals together inside the house or out in good places. However, the man had changed for the last four years. It was not even when he first met Connie.

Scott brought his icy glare at Rowan's face. Their eyes met, but Rowan looked away to avoid the intensity of it. It was just that none of them moved from where they were. Not even Connie left her seat, even if she needed to wear more clothes.

With a subtle look at Connie, Scott only straightened his back and popped his neck. "Are you scared of the dark, Rowan?"

"…yes…" Rowan sheepishly answered.

He had always been scared of dark places. It was funny how Scott had forgotten when it was the reason almost everything in their house was covered in LED lights. They just didn't have some along the hallways because their apartment was not a strip club.

"All right. I'll put you to sleep." Scott grabbed his shirt from the floor and hung it over his shoulder. He gestured for Rowan to turn around and start walking back to his room.

"…dinner…" Rowan whispered, but he just let his voice be drowned by the rumbling thunder. He turned around and walked off, leading Scott to his room which was merely a few steps from Scott's own room.

They used to share a room, but Scott started moving around in the middle of the night. He then insisted on having his own, so he wouldn't bother Rowan. That was a sweet gesture at first… and then he started inviting Connie over when Rowan was sleeping.

Even when Rowan was fully awake and working, Connie was slithering around like she was just a rather seductive house pet.

"Tonight's going to be crazy…" Rowan hoped to have a small talk running between him and Scott. "They said the rains will be torrential, like the thunder just now, and—"

Rowan froze when the lightning drew clearly in front of their building. The flash was even strong enough to illuminate the entire hallway through just one window. It would only take a second before the ear-deafening thunder rolled. Rowan closed his eyes and buckled, but he felt hands cupping his ears.

Krakaboom! The thunderclap was not so loud, especially when Scott's big and warm hands were on Rowan's ears. At this, Rowan slightly turned to face Scott. The other man only looked at him disapprovingly as if he had made a mistake.

"You saw the lightning. Why didn't you cover your ears? That could have damaged them." Scott brought his hands down to Rowan's shoulders. He pushed Rowan lightly to make the other person start walking ahead again. "Just wait in your room for now. I'll find a place that would take orders even on a night like this. They should, considering how households couldn't cook in the dark."

"All right…" Rowan wore a small smile. He then entered his room, only relying on his poor vision to find his way around. LED lights that slowly changed colors filled his room, after all.

Seeing light again, he turned to face Scott, who locked the door behind him. Rowan then smiled at this man as if the scene from earlier didn't happen. He smiled as if he didn't catch Connie and Scott in the act. Well, they had already stopped when the lights all over the city went down.

Scott met his gaze head-on again. Rowan's smile grew deeper, and he stepped closer to hug the other person. Nothing was worth the gratitude these days, but he still said it. "Thanks…"

"…yeah…"

Rowan's eyes couldn't contain the emotions exploding from his heart. It felt like he couldn't breathe anymore. The scent of Scott's sweat was drowning him, but he kept himself awake with the pain. This body used to only belong to him, and this man was supposed to be part of his life. However, Scott had drifted so far that Rowan could only struggle to get him back.

As long as the pain was not physical, he wanted to continue fighting. As long as Scott was willing, Rowan would pass this years-long storm.

"Rowan…" Scott suddenly called out his name, and Rowan pulled back to smile at the other's face. Rowan was even hoping to look cuter than Connie for once.

It was just that Rowan felt how Scott grabbed his face and pushed him away.

Rowan lost balance and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Before Rowan could process what happened, he found Scott on top of him, pinning him against the floor. What made things worse was that Scott wrapped his big and warm hands around Rowan's neck.

Scott tightened his grip on that thin neck, a maniacal smile spreading on his lips. When the red LED lights shone on Scott's face, he looked so sinister that Rowan froze in fear.

"S—Sc—" Rowan used both hands to pry the fingers off his neck, but Scott knocked his head against the floor once… twice… thrice… Rowan even lost count. His energy quickly escaped his body as he stopped feeling air entering his throat. He would scratch at Scott, but how could he even do that?

"You're taking too much time…" Rowan heard Connie speak as she opened the door. She was holding a gun in her hand, but there was a handkerchief to keep her skin from pressing against it.

"I don't want to clean up his blood on me…" Scott stopped knocking Rowan's head against the floor, but the grip only knew how to tighten. "Don't use that thing. Everyone knows how it sounds."

Connie didn't care and aimed at Rowan's face. "Don't worry, no one will know."

White light flashed all over the room as the lightning struck close by again. Bang! The gun went off, but the thunderclap drowned it.

After that, everything went silent.

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