Page 54 of Mutual Desire

And not from himself.

SEVENTEEN

The Command

The doorbell rang persistently, pulling Damien out of the heavy fog of sleep. He blinked at his phone—four missed calls from Dimitri. Damien groaned, rubbing his face as the doorbell buzzed again.When he finally opened the door, Dimitri stood there, looking both amused and impatient.

“Are you on crutches or something? Took you foreverto open the door,” Dimitri teased, flashing a grin.

Beside him stood Samuel, always the quieter one. He held a white box decorated with pictures of donuts in one hand and a tray of coffee cups in the other. Dimitri carried anEd’s Breakfastbag, the enticing aroma escaping from it immediately softening Damien’s irritation at the abrupt wake-up call.

“Hey guys.” Damien’s voice cracked with exhaustion as he stepped back, allowing them inside.He eyed the coffee greedily, plucked a cup from the tray, and shuffled toward the bathroom without another word.

“I think he just woke up,” he heard Samuel say to Dimitri, amusement lacing his voice.

While Damien took care of his morning routine, Dimitri and Samuel settled at the kitchen table, chatting softly. Samuel's voice had that easy warmth, and Damien could hear Dimitri responding with playful sarcasm, but there was always something under the surface when Dimitri spoke to Samuel—a certain softness, a flicker of unspoken feelings he kept hidden just below the bravado.

When Damien returned, still groggy but feeling more human, he found them seated across from each other, already digging into their food. Damien dropped into the chair next to Samuel, setting his phone and coffee on the table.

“So, what’s up?” he asked, rummaging through Dimitri’s breakfast bag and pulling out two sandwiches.

Dimitri gave him a look of exaggerated offense. “What’s up? We should be the ones asking you that. We haven’t seen you in forever.”

“It’s been, like, a week,” Damien replied through a yawn, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Dimitri huffed. “A week is too long. You’ve been avoiding me. Admit it.”

“I saw Sam yesterday,” Damien said defensively, pointing at their mutual friend. “Besides, where were you during bowling night? You ditched us.”

Dimitri smirked, sipping his coffee. “Couple’s night,” he said, lifting his hand dramatically. “And as far as I know, I’m still single and free like the wind.”

“That’s never stopped you from bringing one of your random hookups,” Samuel chimed in with a rare but knowing smile.

The comment caught Dimitri off guard. He gave Samuel a playful glare, though his smile gave him away. “I don’t remember asking for your input, Sammy.”

There it was—that flicker again. A teasing mask barely concealing the affection simmering beneath.

Damien shook his head with a grin, exchanging a knowing glance with Samuel.

“So, why have you been avoiding us, pretty boy?” Dimitri pressed, leaning forward.

Damien rolled his eyes. “I’m not avoiding anyone. I’m sitting right here, aren’t I?”

Before Dimitri could fire back, Damien’s phone buzzed against the table. Craig’s name flashed on the screen. The familiar rush of guilt surged through Damien as memories of the night before resurfaced. Nabokov’s kiss—kisses—the tension, the betrayal.The phone vibrated again, and Damien, without thinking, flipped it over, hiding the screen.

“You’re not answering?” Dimitri asked, mouth half-full of sandwich.

“No,” Damien replied casually, pretending to search for another sandwich in the bag, though he hadn’t touched the second one yet. “I’ll call him later.”

Dimitri narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You sure everything’s good with Craig?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Damien muttered, avoiding eye contact. But Dimitri’s gaze lingered longer than necessary, as if he sensed something just beneath the surface.

When the phone buzzed again, Dimitri smirked. “Looks like trouble in paradise,” he teased.

Samuel gave Damien a look—not judgmental, just concerned—and it nearly broke Damien. Of all people, Samuel was the least likely to understand. The guy was engaged, happily in love, living the dream Damien was supposed to be living with Craig. How could he confess to Samuel that he had let another man kiss him and that, worst of all, he hadn’t hated it?Damien forced a grin. “No, no fight. Just...busy.”

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but let it go—for now. Samuel, ever the diplomat, changed the subject to something lighter, and Damien sighed in relief. But Dimitri's lingering glances toward Samuel didn’t escape Damien’s notice. That look—subtle but there—told Damien that Dimitri’s feelings ran deeper than friendship, even if Dimitri would never admit it out loud.

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