Eternal Replay: A Love Rekindled

Chapter Two

The corridor leading to the restrooms was deserted as Corey made his way through the dimly lit restaurant, bathed in a warm, orangey glow.

All the cubicle doors in the men's restroom were wide open. Corey entered, took care of his business, and as he was zipping up and washing his hands, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Then came the sound of the restroom door opening and closing; someone had walked in.

Corey kept his head down, rubbing his hands under the running water, his mind occupied with how to invite Joyce to his room later without seeming too abrupt.

By the time he realized something was amiss, the footsteps had halted right behind him. The toes of the person's shoes were almost touching the back of his heels.

Without even looking up, Corey could see from the mirror out of the corner of his eye that the figure behind him was tall, a full half - head taller than him.

Startled, Corey jerked his head up to look at the figure behind him in the mirror. At the same time, he tried to sidestep and escape the cramped and oppressive space between the sink and the person behind him. But he was suddenly grabbed by the man behind and pulled back, and in an instant, they were face - to - face.

However, it was precisely because of this that Corey recognized the person.

"Nicholas, what the hell are you doing?! You scared the s**t out of me."

Even though it had been seven years since they last saw each other, and even though Nicholas no longer looked the slightly green-eyed youth he remembered, Corey would never forget his face. After all, Nicholas was the first and only man Corey had ever slept with.

Memory flashed back. Corey's last encounter with Nicholas was when he was a junior in college, and Nicholas was only seventeen. Back then, Nicholas was so obedient, always calling him "Brother Corey" and sticking to him like a shadow. He seemed so harmless. But the grown - up man standing before him now, with his well-developed physique and cold expression, looked nothing like that little kid.

Despite his inner thoughts, Corey was greatly relieved to realize that the person standing behind him wasn't some dangerous criminal and that his life wasn't in danger. Even though the fact that they had slept together once and then never seen each other again was quite awkward when he thought about it, Corey still summoned the courage to ask, "What a coincidence. Are you here skiing too?"

The small European country Corey had come to wasn't really a well - known skiing destination. It was truly strange to run into Nicholas here.

Nicholas was three years younger than Corey. He moved in across the street from Corey when Corey was fifteen. Probably going through his rebellious phase, Nicholas was a bit of a moody single - parent kid at first. But as they got to know each other over time, their relationship became quite good. However, Nicholas suddenly moved away when Corey started college. When Corey saw Nicholas again during his sophomore winter break, Nicholas had already shed his childish appearance and seemed much more mature.

Perhaps deceived by his appearance, Corey had been so infatuated that he had slept with Nicholas, who was only seventeen at the time. Corey blushed every time he thought about it.

The Nicholas in front of him now was a far cry from the boy in his memory.

Except for the small black mole beside his left eyebrow, which was still there as before, Corey might have thought he was dreaming.

His face was full of heroic charm, with sharp lines. His expression was icy cold, yet there was a burning light in his eyes, entangled with deep emotions. His broad shoulders and embrace held Corey tightly, making it impossible for him to move.

Nicholas didn't respond to Corey's lame attempt to break the silence, and he also seemed in no hurry to change their close - proximity position.

The tense situation between them at the moment was beyond what words like "awkward" or "tense" could simply describe.

To Corey, although it seemed that he was just being held around the waist and having his wrists grasped, in this struggle between two grown men, perhaps a little struggle would set him free. But Corey inexplicably had a sense of being in the deep sea, surrounded by ice, and when he was at a loss, turning around to find a deep - sea monster staring at him for a long time, as if contemplating when to swallow the tiny prey whole, a feeling of powerless resistance.

Just Nicholas's gaze made Corey feel bewildered, and he couldn't help but be at a loss whether to advance or retreat. The initiative in their encounter was completely in Nicholas's hands, and the situation was very unfavorable.

In fact, Corey's wild thoughts were right. Nicholas really wanted to "devour" Corey.

Holding Corey in his arms again after all these years, his eyes roamed from Corey's lips, to his eyes, then down to his neck and the collarbone that was only partially revealed from under the collar. Every inch of Corey's body kindled the deepest desires in his bones.

To kiss him, embrace him, completely possess him. If he were to kill him, eat his flesh, and drink his blood, would that make Corey completely a part of him, so he could never escape again?

Terrible thoughts that would probably make Corey tremble if spoken out popped up uncontrollably one after another in Nicholas's mind.

He still didn't say a word, but his breathing grew deeper. Kill him, eat him! Where Corey couldn't see, Nicholas's hands clenched into tight fists, the veins bulging.

Corey grew more and more nervous. He couldn't control his accelerating heartbeat, and his whole body stiffened like a block of iron. Corey tried to pull his hand back, but Nicholas's grip was unyielding. Instantly, Nicholas pressed Corey harder against the mirror, making it even more impossible for Corey to move.

They were so close that Corey could clearly feel Nicholas's sudden physical reaction. Corey was so frightened that he didn't dare to move, for fear that Nicholas would go crazy.

Fuck, f**k! In an atmosphere where it seems like a murder is about to happen any second, how could this situation turn into a "hard mode"?

Just as they were in a stand-off, voices suddenly came from outside, as if someone was about to enter the restroom. Corey's heart filled with hope. He whispered urgently to Nicholas, "Someone's coming. Let's go first. We can talk things out. We don't want to make a fool of ourselves in front of foreigners, right?"

He owed Nicholas no money and had done him no wrong. Being stared at by Nicholas as if he were about to be eaten, Corey was both scared and confused. But for now, he could only try to soothe him with words.

Unfortunately, the voices outside soon faded away. It was unknown what excuse had been used to send them away, and Corey felt even more desperate.

"What's your relationship with that person?" Nicholas finally spoke. His voice was deep, and there seemed to be a hint of lust in it. Honestly, it was very sexy, and it made Corey lose his focus for a moment.

There was no doubt that Nicholas was very different from the child in his memory. The man pressing him now was a grown - up, power - filled man.

This undeniable fact made Corey feel inexplicably guilty. Then, after thinking it over, he became annoyed. "What does my relationship with him have to do with you?"

There was a huge disparity in strength between them. In this struggle, Corey had no advantage at all. If it weren't for Nicholas's strong hold around his waist, Corey's upper body would undoubtedly have slumped onto the sink.

Nicholas clearly didn't take him seriously. In the face of Corey's bravado, he even let out a soft laugh and raised his hand to slowly brush his thumb across Corey's soft lips.

Just as soft as he remembered.

"Nicholas!" Corey couldn't hold it in any longer and called out his name. His eyes, ablaze with anger, were more vivid than usual. This little spark of anger in Corey ignited the last of Nicholas's patience, and in an instant, his desires broke free.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and turned to kiss Corey's lips. His hand holding Corey's chin exerted a little more pressure, forcing Corey to open his mouth. Nicholas's tongue then plunged in, and as it swept across Corey's tongue, he could taste the lingering flavor of wine.

Nicholas's kiss was fierce and greedy. In an instant, Corey was overwhelmed by a numb and confused feeling that swept through his entire brain. He was forced to keep his mouth open and endure all of Nicholas's passion.

The unturned - off faucet was still gushing water. The ambiguous sound of their kiss and the equally rapid thumping of their hearts formed the entire background noise at that moment.