Page 67 of King of My Heart

I rang the doorbell, and the door swung open shortly after. Julian stood in the entryway, his eyes never meeting Caspian’s as he took me in. There was a hint of relief on his face, but uncertainty was the emotion that took over most of his expression.

“Hey, Jule,” I said with a small smile.

“Hey.”

I glanced up at Caspian, then at Julian again, wanting for him to acknowledge his father. I raised a brow with expectancy, but it was Caspian who took the first step.

“Hey, Julian. It’s good to finally see you.” His words were filled with so much love and pain. I couldn’t imagine how he was feeling. He hadn’t seen his son in years.

Julian looked up at him, swallowing hard with a clenched jaw. “Hello,Dad.”

Well, at least he didn’t fully disown him.

Julian stepped aside then, gesturing for us to go inside. “Come in.”

I went ahead, walking straight toward the living room. Julian motioned toward the couches, and we sat down after taking off our jackets while he went to grab us something to drink.

How considerate.

I didn’t think he would be.

I glanced at Caspian, smiling gently to reassure him that everything will be okay. He gave a nod, then moved his eyes to Julian when he reappeared and sat down on the other couch opposite of us.

“How have you been, Jule?” I asked, trying to ease the tension.

“Fine. Work has been stressful. I’ve been alone for a couple of months now. Toby moved out.”

“Oh. How so?”

That came as a surprise. Toby and Julian were such good friends, and I always thought that they’d keep living together forever.

“Believe it or not…” he started, letting out a harsh laugh. “He got a girlfriend and moved in with her.”

I did, in fact, not believe it. “Really?”

He nodded. “Couldn’t believe it either. But he’s totally whipped.”

I smiled tightly. “That’s…sweet. Toby’s a good guy.” Even if he was a walking cannabis plant.

“Yeah. But since he left, I’ve been gaming way less, and reading a lot more. I finally finished the book you got me for my birthday.”

I smiled at him. “That’s nice. Did you like it?”

He hesitated, then glanced at Caspian briefly before answering. “Yeah, it was good.”

Caspian gave a small, polite nod but said nothing. He was letting him set the tone, letting him ease into the conversation. I appreciated that, but I also knew we couldn’t dance around the real reason we were here forever.

Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken words. I didn’t want to push him or urge him to come clean, but I couldn’t wait any longer, either. I wanted them to clear thethings that kept them apart for years. The reason for Caspian’s pain that he just couldn’t shake.

I cleared my throat as the silence became unbearable. “Julian, you know why we came.”

His face tensed, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hands. “I know. Although…this is still fucking strange. You went looking for him.”

I couldn’t deny that.

I did go looking for him, and, personally, it paid off.

“Yes, to do you a favor,” I told him. “Can we talk about it?”

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