The Secret Between Us

CHAPTER 4 : The Distance Between Us

THE SECRET BETWEEN US

Chapter 4 — The Distance Between Us

The car stopped in front of Adrian's apartment building.

For several seconds, neither Ethan nor Adrian moved.

The engine remained running.

The silence inside the car was heavier than before.

Adrian looked through the windshield.

Then he looked at Ethan.

"Thank you."

Ethan nodded.

"You're welcome."

Adrian reached for the door handle.

Before opening it, he stopped.

"Ethan."

"Yes?"

"About what you said earlier..."

Ethan's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Forget it."

Adrian looked surprised.

"You said you were afraid of losing me."

"I shouldn't have said it."

"Why?"

Ethan looked at him.

"Because I don't know what you feel."

Adrian lowered his eyes.

"Neither do I."

The answer surprised Ethan.

Adrian opened the door.

"Good night."

He stepped out.

Ethan watched him walk toward the building.

Adrian stopped before entering.

He turned around.

Their eyes met through the windshield.

Neither smiled.

But Adrian raised his hand.

Ethan did the same.

Then Adrian disappeared inside.

Ethan remained parked outside for several minutes.

He finally whispered to himself:

"This is dangerous."

He wasn't talking about the investigation.

He was talking about Adrian.

---

The next morning, Adrian woke up earlier than usual.

He couldn't stop thinking about Ethan.

His confession.

His expression.

The way he had held Adrian's hand while they escaped the hotel.

Adrian sat on the edge of his bed.

"What is happening to me?"

His phone vibrated.

A message from Ethan.

Did you sleep well?

Adrian stared at the message.

He smiled without realizing it.

He typed:

Not really.

A reply came almost immediately.

Why?

Adrian thought for a moment.

Too many questions.

Ethan replied:

Same.

Adrian laughed softly.

Then another message arrived.

Have breakfast.

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

Are you my boss or my mother?

There was a long pause.

Then:

Neither.

Adrian stared at the screen.

He waited.

Another message appeared.

I'm someone who cares.

Adrian's smile disappeared.

His heart began beating faster.

He didn't know what to reply.

So he sent only:

Okay.

Ethan responded:

Okay.

Adrian put the phone down.

Then immediately picked it up again.

He read the messages one more time.

---

At the office, things felt different.

Adrian walked into the lobby and immediately saw Ethan.

They looked at each other.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Ethan walked toward him.

"Good morning."

Adrian smiled.

"Good morning."

"You ate?"

"Yes."

Ethan nodded.

"Good."

Adrian laughed.

"You really are acting like my mother."

Ethan smiled.

"Maybe I should stop asking."

"No."

Ethan looked at him.

Adrian realized what he had said.

"I mean... you can ask."

Ethan's smile grew slightly.

"Okay."

From across the lobby, Lucas watched them.

He walked over.

"Morning."

Adrian turned.

"Morning."

Lucas looked between Adrian and Ethan.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Adrian said quickly.

Ethan remained silent.

Lucas smiled.

"Right."

He walked away.

Adrian looked embarrassed.

"He's going to misunderstand."

Ethan looked at him.

"Let him."

Adrian stared.

"What?"

Ethan calmly walked toward the elevator.

"Come."

Adrian followed.

---

The project became busier as the days passed.

Adrian and Ethan spent more time together.

They worked late.

They ate lunch together.

Sometimes they argued.

Sometimes they laughed.

And sometimes they simply sat together without speaking.

Their relationship had changed without either of them realizing it.

One evening, Adrian accidentally fell asleep at his desk.

Ethan entered the room and stopped.

Adrian's head was resting on his folded arms.

His laptop was still open.

Ethan quietly walked closer.

He looked at the screen.

The project was almost finished.

Ethan smiled.

Then he noticed Adrian shivering.

He removed his jacket and placed it over Adrian's shoulders.

Adrian moved slightly.

"Ethan?"

"Go back to sleep."

Adrian's eyes opened halfway.

"You came back."

"I never left."

Adrian smiled sleepily.

"Good."

Ethan stood there for a moment.

He wanted to say something.

But Adrian was already asleep again.

Ethan quietly whispered:

"Why do you make everything so difficult?"

---

The following day, Daniel returned.

He was waiting outside Ethan's office.

Ethan immediately became cold.

"What do you want?"

Daniel handed him a folder.

"More information."

Ethan opened it.

Inside were financial documents.

"Where did you get these?"

"From someone who wants the truth exposed."

Ethan scanned the pages.

His father's signature appeared on several documents.

"So my father knew."

"Yes."

"About the missing money?"

Daniel nodded.

"But he wasn't the one stealing it."

Ethan looked at him.

"Then who?"

Daniel pointed to one of the names.

Ethan's face changed.

Victor Hale.

The same man who had helped Adrian at the hotel.

Ethan's eyes widened.

"Victor."

Daniel nodded.

"He worked for your father."

"And for Roberto."

"Exactly."

Ethan closed the folder.

"Why would Victor help Adrian?"

Daniel looked serious.

"Because he knows where the money went."

"And why would he reveal himself now?"

"Because someone is trying to kill him."

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Who?"

Daniel looked at the office door.

"I don't know."

A moment later, Ethan's phone rang.

It was Adrian.

Ethan answered.

"Hello?"

"Ethan?"

Adrian's voice sounded nervous.

"What's wrong?"

"I found something."

"What?"

"Come to the archive room."

Ethan immediately left.

---

Adrian was standing beside a filing cabinet.

He held an old company document.

When Ethan entered, Adrian handed it to him.

"I found this in the old project records."

Ethan read it.

His expression changed.

The document was dated twenty years earlier.

It contained the names of several executives.

Among them were Ethan's father and Roberto Santos.

At the bottom was a handwritten note.

"Meeting postponed due to incident at Riverside Hotel."

Adrian looked at Ethan.

"Why does everything lead back to that hotel?"

"I don't know."

"You do know something."

Ethan looked at him.

"Not enough."

Adrian stepped closer.

"Then tell me what you know."

Ethan hesitated.

"My father and yours were investigating financial corruption."

Adrian's eyes widened.

"My father wasn't guilty?"

"No."

"Then why did he disappear?"

Ethan looked down.

"I don't know."

Adrian's voice became emotional.

"He died believing everyone thought he was a criminal."

Ethan reached toward him.

Adrian didn't move.

"I'm sorry."

Adrian looked at him.

"Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

"But I should have known."

"Why?"

"Because I should have protected you from this."

Adrian's eyes softened.

"You can't protect me from everything."

"I know."

"But you keep trying."

Ethan didn't answer.

Adrian took a breath.

"Why?"

Ethan looked into his eyes.

"Because I care about you."

This time, Adrian didn't look away.

The distance between them became smaller.

Ethan slowly raised his hand.

He touched Adrian's cheek.

Adrian's breath caught.

Neither spoke.

Ethan leaned closer.

Adrian closed his eyes.

Their lips were only inches apart.

Then the lights suddenly went out.

Both men froze.

A loud crash came from the hallway.

Ethan immediately pulled Adrian behind him.

"Stay here."

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

Ethan reached for his phone.

The emergency lights came on.

A shadow moved outside the archive room.

Ethan stepped toward the doorway.

"Who's there?"

No answer.

He opened the door.

The hallway was empty.

But on the floor was an envelope.

Ethan picked it up.

Inside was a single photograph.

Ethan and Adrian as children.

Standing together.

And written across the photograph were four words:

"YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED APART."

Adrian stared at the message.

His face became pale.

"Ethan..."

Ethan looked at him.

"Someone is watching us."

---

That evening, Ethan insisted on taking Adrian home.

Adrian sat silently in the passenger seat.

After several minutes, he asked:

"Do you think someone is trying to scare us?"

"Yes."

"Because of our families?"

"Probably."

Adrian looked out the window.

"What if they don't want us together?"

Ethan looked at him briefly.

"Then they'll have to deal with me."

Adrian smiled.

"You sound confident."

"I am."

"You're scared too."

Ethan paused.

"Yes."

Adrian looked at him.

"You admitted it."

"I don't lie to you."

Those words made Adrian smile.

---

They arrived outside Adrian's apartment.

This time, Adrian didn't immediately leave.

He looked at Ethan.

"Stay."

Ethan turned toward him.

"What?"

"Just for a little while."

Ethan nodded.

They sat together in silence.

Rain began falling against the windshield.

Adrian whispered:

"Do you remember the photograph?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember me?"

Ethan looked at him.

"I remember a little boy who wanted to be my friend."

Adrian smiled.

"And you?"

"I didn't want to."

Adrian laughed.

"Why?"

"Because you stole my toy car."

"I did not."

"You did."

"I probably borrowed it."

"You never gave it back."

Adrian laughed again.

The sound filled the car.

Ethan smiled.

For a moment, everything felt normal.

No secrets.

No enemies.

No family history.

Just the two of them.

Adrian slowly reached for Ethan's hand.

Ethan looked down.

Their fingers intertwined.

Neither spoke.

Adrian whispered:

"Maybe we don't have to understand everything tonight."

Ethan looked at him.

"Maybe."

Adrian leaned his head against Ethan's shoulder.

Ethan froze.

Then slowly relaxed.

He rested his head gently against Adrian's.

Neither knew how long they stayed like that.

But for the first time, Ethan felt peaceful.

And Adrian felt safe.

Unfortunately, neither of them saw the black car parked across the street.

Inside it, someone was watching.

A phone camera captured the moment Ethan and Adrian held hands.

The photograph was immediately sent to an unknown number.

A message followed:

"They're getting closer."

The reply came seconds later.

"Then it's time to separate them."

The black car drove away.

Inside Ethan's car, Adrian remained beside him.

Neither knew that their relationship had just become the target of someone who had been waiting for years.

And whatever secret connected their families was about to destroy the fragile trust they had only begun to build.

TO BE CONTINUED...