By Zephyria 
Grayson opened his mouth, looking intently at him.
“So, people I hurt after asking them out formed some kind of group.”
“A group?”
This guy, how has he even lived? Dane inwardly clicked his tongue. Just when he thought it was a miracle he was alive, Grayson suddenly said something he never expected.
“There’s a woman among them who slept with you.”
Cough, Ughhh.
Dane, who had reflexively coughed, immediately screamed. Grayson just watched him, clutching his sore spot and tensing his whole body. Haa, haa. Only after his ragged breathing subsided somewhat did Dane finally open his mouth with a pale face.
“Wh-what, what did you say?”
“There’s a woman who slept with both you and me.”
To the stuttered question, Grayson repeated the same words as if to confirm. But it didn’t end there.
“Three, even.”
“Wait a minute….”
Dane tried to say something, but Grayson was faster. He added coldly.
“And one of them even said she slept with you multiple times.”
An awkward silence flowed. Dane felt cold sweat trickle down his back and frantically racked his brain. Soon, he found a simple solution.
“Well, since she slept with you too, it’s fair. That’s fine then.”
He gave his usual sly smile, but Grayson didn’t smile back. Another awkward silence descended. Is he going to complain about the past? Dane suddenly realized. He had never been in a serious relationship before, so he wasn’t used to digging into the past and interrogating like this. How can I get out of this situation quickly? he was frantically rummaging through his mind when it happened.
“Are you really okay?”
Grayson suddenly asked. Dane looked at him, puzzled by the abrupt question. To his surprise, Grayson continued with a gloomy expression.
“Will I be okay with just you? If you… do that with someone else in front of me again….”
Hoo, Grayson took a breath and added.
“I don’t think I can bear it.”
A heavy silence fell. Dane looked at Grayson without a word. He averted his gaze from Dane, his eyes downcast. I clearly said I love you, so what is this reaction? Dane became bewildered.
“Do you think I’d cheat on you?”
To the quiet question, Grayson answered after a pause.
“I want to believe you wouldn’t.”
It was an ambiguous answer, neither here nor there. In the end, you’re saying I will, aren’t you, you bastard. Dane’s face contorted, but he realized it was his own fault. After all, it was his fault for not giving Grayson the trust he deserved. Because of that, Dane couldn’t say anything more and just sent him away.
Thinking back to that conversation made him feel suffocated. He thought that was part of the reason he was clinging to gifts like this. He wanted to reassure Grayson, after all. There were no more conversations like that, and Grayson didn’t show any particular signs of suspicion, but his heart, which had been glimpsed once, kept drawing Dane back.
Damn it, what am I supposed to do in times like these?
He didn’t like romance. He watched movies mostly B-grade zombie films or action movies, and the same went for novels. Even when reading thrillers, he’d skip over the parts where characters were dating. He was that uninterested in the genre, yet the worst possible situation had suddenly sprung up.
While waiting for the light, Dane tapped the steering wheel rapidly, tok tok tok, and forced his mind back to the beginning. I was thinking about Grayson’s gift, get a grip. If he let his guard down even a little, his thoughts would wander off elsewhere. Now was not the time. It was already too late. This time, he made up his mind and focused on one thought. Grayson’s gift, Grayson’s gift.
Soon, he recalled it with a frown.
…How do I convince Joshua?
“A gift?”
Joshua, who had suddenly received a call, repeated what he heard in confusion.
“Yeah.”
Dane continued dryly over the phone.
“I have someone to give a gift to, but I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know much. You know a lot about it, since you’ve dated so much.Joshua didn’t let the word ‘too’ slide.
“I had human interactions too, you didn’t. I had human interactions too, you didn’t.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Dane, as always, casually brushed off his words. Joshua didn’t particularly like his attitude, but since he was that kind of person, it wasn’t worth thinking too deeply about. He’s not a bad guy, though, he thought, and asked again.
“Who are you giving it to? You need to know the recipient first.”
As expected, the same question came back as the firefighters had asked. Can’t I just give anything? Dane thought, but he knew it was true. It was just embarrassing to say it himself again.
However, there was one thing that bothered him. He had casually mentioned, ‘since you’ve dated so much,’ yet this question came back. Is this guy less perceptive than I thought?
There was no choice but for Dane to be honest.
“I have someone I’m dating.”
For a moment, there was no sound from the other end. Dane pulled the phone away from his ear and then brought it back.
“Hello? Hey, are you there?”
“I’m here.”
Only then did Dane lean back against the sofa’s backrest and ask.
“You heard me, right? Why aren’t you answering?”
“I heard you.”
Joshua answered briefly again. Sensing an unusual atmosphere, Dane waited quietly, and then Joshua spoke.
“Don’t tell me… it’s him?”
He wanted to feign ignorance about who ‘him’ was, but it would only be a waste of time. Joshua had gone with him to save Grayson that day, and he had personally witnessed Grayson going mad and trying to save Dane after the bomb exploded. In this situation, if Dane said he had someone he was dating, the logical conclusion was Grayson Miller.
“Well….”
Dane couldn’t answer easily and trailed off.
“It turned out that way.”
He could only say things like that. It was his first relationship, so everything felt embarrassing and awkward. As soon as he uttered the confession he had just made, he felt his face heat up. Damn it, he cursed inwardly, when Joshua’s voice came from the other end.
“What in the….”
A cold anger was mixed into his calm voice. Whether he was dumbfounded, or perhaps both, Dane preempted him before he could unleash his words.
“Let me tell you in advance, you caused this.”
“What kind of bullshit is that, you crazy bastard?”
Joshua’s curse erupted. Dane offered his own explanation.
“You commissioned me, which is how I got involved with that guy. Nothing happened before that.”
“I told you to kidnap him, not to roll around with him? I shouldn’t have trusted you, you promiscuous dog. And you have the audacity to ask me about a gift for him? You?”
Joshua was practically fuming. Dane understood why, so he readily apologized.
“Rolling around was my fault, yes.”
After all, Chase had been harmed by Grayson, and it was certain that Joshua’s emotions were not good because of it. Hearing this, he would naturally be angry. Dane wasn’t a naive child who believed in being completely honest, so in this case too, he had to come up with a quick solution.