The Drowned

" 9 "

Casper turned towards his bed and saw Arthur awake and staring at him, so he approached him, wearing different clothes than usual. This was the first time Arthur had seen Casper wearing clothes other than his formal clothes, regular pants and a shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. His prominent veins and fingers drive anyone who sees them crazy, but Arthur was thinking about something else, or (someone else specifically). Casper approached him, sat on the chair, and spoke.

( How are you now ? )

Arthur answered

( fine )

Casper got up and put his hand on Arthur's head to check his temperature. Then he got up and walked towards the door while talking to him. He opened the door and shouted.

(Good, eat your food, drink your medicine, and go back to sleep. Someone bring dinner over here.)

Casper sat and waited for a few moments, looking at Arthur. One of the servants knocked on the door, and Casper got up and brought the tray containing a plate of soup and French bread. Casper placed the food in front of Arthur on the bed and went back to sitting on the sofa, reading the book he had borrowed from the library. When Arthur saw the food, he grumbled

(Soup, again. I hate soup.)

Casper closed the book, looked at him, and said

(Don't judge my cooking before eating it)

Casper went back to opening his book and staring at it, then stopped when Arthur spoke quickly

(Is this your cooking?? I will never eat it. You must have poisoned it to get rid of me)

Casper lost his patience and had had enough, and Arthur went too far. Casper threw the book on the table, got up, walked towards him, stood staring at him calmly, and then spoke.

(It is true that I am not your William. And I kill people. Some people. But I do not poison anyone with my cooking. I love my cooking and I will not ruin it by adding poison. If I want to kill someone, I will draw my weapon and kill him.)

Arthur felt ashamed, lowered his head and spoke apologetically

( calm down , I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that.)

Casper returned to the couch and sat browsing through his book, ignoring Arthur and deciding not to see him after he recovered. He was looking at the book, but his mind was with William, who was now in his mind, and now it was something he had to search for and find out who he was. He got up quietly and walked out in front of Arthur, who stared at his plate and sighed.

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Nathan opened the door after leaving Aran in the middle of the room. He stood staring at Jonathan, who spoke as he handed him the envelope and said with fear that inside the envelope was a message from Casper's mother, saying that someone had attacked them and taken Casper prisoner, and that they wanted your presence. Nathan cursed and spoke, addressing the twins

(Damn it, you two get ready, we're leaving now...)

Aran interrupted Nathan's conversation

(Wait a minute, Jonathan, when did Casper call today?)

Jonathan replied

(At two in the afternoon, he asked about you, my brother)

Aran spoke

(His voice was normal, and there was the sound of rain, and he was also in a place crowded with passers-by, meaning he was not at home, and also why Casper's mother sent a message instead of calling)

Joshua spoke

(It's a hoax, let's call Casper and make sure he's okay)

Jonathan took out his phone and called Casper, who had just returned to his room and was standing near the sofa when his phone rang. He answered while staring at Arthur and placing his finger on his lip, meaning (don't make any sound).

(Yes Jonathan, is Nathan back?)

Casper heard sighs of relief from many people, so he furrowed his eyebrows and asked

(What is there? What happened?)

Nathan answered

(Dude, a message arrived from your mother stating that you were kidnapped from home)

Casper laughed and sat cross-legged

(Hahaha. Firstly, my mother is in Norway with my father, so you know that she never leaves his side. Secondly, how will the fortified security system allow them to enter my house.)

Nathan laughed and then spoke

(After making sure you are okay, I will go to sleep.)

Casper closed the call and looked at Arthur, who removed the cover, intending to get up, but Casper stopped him, saying

( To where ?)

Arthur answered

(I feel good and I want to wash my dishes)

Casper got up and accompanied him towards the kitchen. He was walking behind him and watching his slow steps until he reached the stairs and descended quietly with Casper walking behind him. In a short moment, Arthur felt dizzy, and if Casper had not caught him, Arthur would have fallen and his body would have been crushed. The dishes fell and shattered, so Arthur spoke

(I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break it)

Casper patted Arthur on the shoulder as he pulled him upright and held on tightly to him, then spoke

(No problem, they are just plates, so don't apologize for breaking them)

Arthur was distracted by Casper's conversation as he remembered William when he shouted at him because his coffee cup fell and shattered on the floor. He woke up from his distraction when Casper's voice asked him

(Are you okay, Arthur? What's wrong with you?)

Arthur replied

(Fine, fine. Take me back to the room, please.)

Casper helped him back to the room and let him sleep and went out, but Arthur couldn't sleep at all and was thinking about William and asked himself.

(Why can't William be like him? Why is Casper acting like this? Does he treat everyone the same way he treats me?)

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N

athan took the twins out of the room and closed the door, then Nathan pulled Aran by the hand towards the bed as he spoke

(I'm tired, I want to sleep really bad)

All Aran could think about was what Nathan looked like. He knew he had long, slightly curly hair, long eyelashes, and slightly full lips, but he wanted to imagine it, or he wanted to see it literally.

Aran was lying in Nathan's arms and hugging him. Aran began to wonder why Nathan was sleeping in his bed and next to him without a shirt, and he did not even know why he was forced to sleep next to him without a shirt. But what makes him feel comfortable is the rise and fall of Nathan's chest as a result of his breathing.

Aran withdrew from Nathan's embrace, got up, grabbed the shirt lying on the sofa, put it on, closed the buttons, then pulled Nathan's coat, who woke up watching him without speaking. Aran went out and Nathan followed him silently and saw him sitting in the garden. Then he raised his head and spoke

(Jonathan?!)

Jonathan came forward and sat next to Aran and spoke

(How did you recognize me?)

Aran answered

(Your footsteps)

Jonathan asked him

(Why are you sitting in the garden at this time? Does my brother know about this?)

Aran answered

(No, he is in a deep sleep. I just can't sleep so I went out for a while)

Jonathan asked him

(What's on your mind, Aran? What are you busy with?)

Aran remained silent for a long time, then spoke

(Jonathan, can you describe what Nathan looks like to me?)

Jonathan asked him

(Why do you want me to describe what my brother looks like?)

Aran answered while closing his eyes

(Because I don't see him, I want you to describe him to me so that I can imagine what him looks like in my imagination and keep the imagination inside my brain)

Nathan, standing at the door, felt pain in his heart, and Jonathan stifled a sigh and began to describe Nathan Laran

(He has long black hair, large green eyes, long eyelashes, cheeks that are not very puffy, semi-full lips, and..)

Aran interrupted him, speaking

(And broad shoulders, long arms, tall stature, and thin, beautiful fingers)

Jonathan was surprised by his words and asked him

( how did you know ?)

Aran answered

(I hugged him several times and I knew that he was taller than me and his shoulders were broad. I used to touch his hands, so I knew their feel)

Nathan spoke claiming he just got out

(Aran, what are you doing outside in this cold weather? Oh, Jonathan, you're here too)

Jonathan answered

(I couldn't sleep so I decided to go out for a while)

Jonathan got up and went in, leaving Nathan to sit next to Aran, who had his eyes closed and letting the breeze caress his face, then he spoke

(I'm sorry for leaving you and coming down, I wanted to sit alone for a little while)

Nathan replied as he arranged the coat hat on his head

(No problem. Tell me now what's wrong with you?)

Aran took a long time to think before speaking as he turned his whole body to face Nathan

(I...I want to see you, I don't want to see the world. I know that our relationship does not clarify whether we are a couple or lovers or anything, but I want to see you in any way, even if it is only imagination.)

There was a long silence, and Arran bowed his head and apologized, then raised his head while smiling and spoke as he got up

(I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Let's go back to sleep.)

Aran grabbed Nathan's hand to pull him, but Nathan pulled him, sat him on his lap, and hugged him. Aran's face was in Nathan's neck, and that fake smile disappeared and was replaced by silence as he listened to Nathan's conversation

(Everything has a cure, I will try to find a solution, believe me)

Aran smiled and pushed him away as he spoke and tried to reach his hand to Nathan's cheek, so Nathan grabbed Aran's hand and placed it on his cheek and stared into Aran's eyes, which were like two galaxies for their beauty.

(It won't work)

Nathan frowned and asked

( What do you mean ?)

Aran moved his hand and moved a little of his hair away from his temple, showing the location of the scar where they performed surgery on his eyes and it failed.

(My uncle had my eyes operated on by one of the doctors, but it was not successful. When my grandmother took me to another doctor, he said that my eyes were no longer good and that I had to replace them with two eyes, that is, an alternative eye transplant, but I refused because I love my blue eyes. My grandmother said that my eyes resemble my mother's eyes, and that is why I love them so much. )

A long silence fell over Nathan as he accepted the effects of the surgery and thought, then he picked him up and got up, and Aran clung to him in fear because of his sudden rise. He gently placed him on the bed, took the coat away from him, and sat on the bed, opening the buttons of his own shirt and then Aran's shirt.

He lay down and left a distance between them while thinking. Then he woke up from his distraction because of Aran's hand pulling his arms away. Then Aran hid in his embrace and hugged him. Nathan pulled him closer to his embrace while kissing his head and smelling his hair.

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In the morning, at nine o'clock. Casper was standing at the car and waiting for Arthur to arrive. He was tying the strings of his shoes, then he got up and walked while staring at the garden. He did not reveal his family or whose son he was. He kept the matter to himself because when he left his family's home, he swore not to return to his past and his family's ugly past, but seeing Casper's house reminded him of his family's home.

He got into the car and sat in the passenger seat next to Casper, who started driving towards Arthur's apartment. All the way, Arthur was memorizing the way. In case he needed help, he would turn to Casper. Taking the road, he opened Arthur's box of memories with William and sighed.

Casper's car arrived in front of the building, and Arthur saw William's motorcycle in front of the building. Arthur thanked Casper and hurried in. From the paleness of Arthur's face, Casper knew that this bike belonged to William, so he sighed and drove a distance. He waited, but a long time passed, and Arthur did not get off, not even William.

Casper left for Nathan's house, but all his mind was on Arthur. On the other hand, Arthur entered his apartment and saw William sitting on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, staring at him with his left eyebrow raised, and before Arthur could say anything, William asked him.

(Where have you been? And the guards are for those who work and they have not been here since yesterday, Arthur (he stressed the pronunciation of Arthur's name between his teeth))

Arthur mumbled, trying to justify and say that Casper was his friend and that the guards who were here were his friend's men, but his voice betrayed him because of fear. He received a punch from William that caused a wound to the side of his mouth, a wound to his lip, and left a mark on his cheek, and the ring that he wears on his index finger injured his eyebrow. Arthur. William dragged him by his hair, screaming at him

(It's only been two months since we've been together, Arthur, and you're cheating on me.)

Arthur's words finally came out of his lips and he said

(I swear to you that he is my friend and I did not betray you. He visited the library asking about me, and when he learned that I was sick, he insisted on taking me to his house and taking care of me. Because you were busy, I did not want to disturb you, so I agreed and the guards were for his family.)

He let down his hair and spoke as he left

(If I stay here, I will kill you, Arthur, I swear.)

Arthur closed his eyes tightly due to the sound of the door slamming, and his tears flowed and he began to cry loudly while he was still lying on the ground. He turned and hugged his knees quietly as he remembered Casper's appearance as he placed food for him and how he asked what was wrong with him.

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Nathan shouted loudly to help wake Casper from his distraction, so he looked at them. Since Casper arrived and was standing with Nathan, his father, and the chief guard, Skye, while he was absent-minded, he received several messages on his phone, so he had to open it and found that the messages were coming from the guard who assigned him to search for William. He read things that he did not like, and he became worried about Arthur, so he spoke before leaving the house quickly.

(Nathan, please schedule the mission and send it to me in a message. I will be there before the appointment. I have something to do now.)

He hurried out and passed the Waran twins, the twins behind him shouted

(What's wrong with you, P'Casper?)

He stopped and answered them

(I have to go quickly)

Aran engaged him

(Take care, P'Casper. And be careful.)

He stood up and turned around as he spoke

(You in particular, Aran, will hear good news from me)

Aran smiled. Casper got into his car and left towards the building containing Arthur's apartment. He went down and quickly entered the building and headed towards the apartment. He knocked on the door many times, but there was no response. He became very worried, so he knocked hard and decided to break the door down if Arthur did not come out. On the third knock, he prepared to break down the door, but the woman who lives in the adjacent apartment told him

(Arthur is not here, son. He left the key to his apartment with me and said he was going to his family's house.)

He heard movement behind the door of Arthur's apartment, but he claimed that he did not hear and asked her

(Excuse me, ma'am, don't you know where his family's house is?)

She shook her head desperately and went in. He sighed and hit the door hard with his fist, then left. Arthur was in the apartment, but he did not want to involve Casper in his problems. He was sitting with his back against the apartment door and crying silently.

The next morning, Nathan talked to his father and took Aran and the twins with him to the horse farm. Along the way, Aran asked Nathan where they were going, but Nathan was ignoring his questions until they arrived. The maid greeted them, staring at the new boy who was covering his head with the hat of Nathan’s coat and standing behind him Her master.

Nathan spoke and ordered her to prepare the equestrian clothes and assign Jonathan’s clothes to the new guest while they rested. He turned around and took the hat off Aran’s head and took his hand and presented him in front of the servants where they were working on the horse farm.

(David and Lola, this is Aran. You treat him like you treat twins and you treat me. More precisely, if you misbehave to him as if you misbehave to me)

David and Lola stared at each other and shook their heads, then stood aside, watching their master as he took Aran's hands and led him towards his room, then they stared at the twins as he entered their room. Lola hurried to the kitchen to prepare herbal tea, and David hurried to the equestrian clothing room and took her out.

Aran sat on the bed asking Nathan about the place. Nathan told him that they were at his horse farm. He did not tell him about the horses or the place. He waited until they left to tell him everything. Nathan was kneeling on one knee and taking the coat away from Aran's shoulder when he knocked on the door, so he allowed the knocker to enter. Lola, who was knocking on the door, brought herbal tea for them, but when they entered, she froze in place when she saw his lady, kneeling on one knee and unbuttoning Aran's shirt.

David entered the twins' room after knocking on the door, put the clothes on the bed and turned to leave, but Joshua's voice stopped him. David turned and stood in front of them. Joshua spoke

(Do not enter Nathan's room until he lets you in.)

David furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, meaning yes. Then he went out, took the clothes, and headed towards Nathan's room. He knocked on the door, then stood listening to Nathan's voice addressing him.

(Wait a minute... come in)

David entered and was surprised to see Nathan sitting next to Aran, who was completely covered by the bed cover, and Nathan held him tightly.

He put the clothes on the table and turned to leave, and when he saw Aran's clothes on the floor, he knew that Nathan did not want anyone to see Aran naked without clothes.

After Lola left, Nathan removed Aran's shirt and threw it on the ground next to the coat, then looked at Aran, who curled up around himself, with his left arm covering his chest and holding his right shoulder.

Nathan approached him and kissed his hand and arm, then moved it away and came closer, kissing his shoulder to the middle of his chest. Then he moved away from him and stared at his face and how his lips were trembling and his eyes were closed.

Nathan smiled at Aran, raised himself slightly, and kissed Aran on the lips. Quickly, Aran's right hand grabbed Nathan's shoulder and began tightening his grip on Nathan's clothes, as he began to suck Aran's lips more. The lower lip, then the upper lip, moving between them carefully.

He panicked and moved away from Aran at the sound of knocking on the door. He screamed as he pulled the cover and covered Aran completely. He was holding the cover tightly as he stared at David when he entered and until he left, as if he was afraid that David would notice a part of Aran's exposed body.

He had no problem seeing Aran's swollen lips, as this made him feel... Anyone who sees Aran's lips swollen knows that Aran belongs to him. David went out and closed the door behind him, and Nathan stared at the door for a long time until Aran spoke

(Mmmmm...Nathan)

Nathan noticed that he was still covering Aran and holding him inside the bed sheet. Take the cover off Aran and apologize

( I'm sorry )

Nathan started helping Aran put on his equestrian clothes. The last thing he did was tie the shoe strings tightly and that was it. He grabbed his hand and pulled him and they went out together. He was walking and saw Aran counting his steps. On the side of the stairs, David and Lola stood near the kitchen door, staring at Nathan, and David spoke

(Don't try, Lola. Don't wear any makeup or do your hair when Mr. Nathan comes over again. Because the boy standing next to Mr. Nathan is his boyfriend.)

She shouted at him after her master left Arran

(What nonsense, David? How can Mr. Nathan love a man when he is a man?)

David pulled her by the hand and stood at the door and said to her

(Look well)

Then he left her and went to his master and asked him

(Which horse can I bring you, sir?)

Nathan smiled and whistled, and his mare came out of the stable without a bridle or a saddle, and she rushed towards him and stood in front of Nathan, hitting the ground with her foot. Nathan let go of Aran's hand and approached her, stroking her hair while whispering to him

( Shhhh Alcaina, we have a visitor today. Be a good girl)

She neighed and stood up straight, so David put the saddle and bridle on her, and at the same time, Nathan took Aran’s hand and placed it on Alkina’s forehead as he spoke.

(This is Alkina, a purebred mare. She is white in color, has black hair, and has beautiful blue eyes.)

Aran approached her closer and put his other hand on her cheek and rested his forehead on hers, then he heard Nathan whisper

(Do you want to ride it?)

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At eight o'clock, Arthur left the house, covering half his face with a mask, putting a hat on his head, and walking quickly without noticing that Casper was standing in front of the building, but in a new car. Casper is smart and does not want to attract attention. He drove his car and parked it a short distance away. He sat and watched Arthur and how he worked, but he quickly got out.

He went forward and mingled with the people. He entered and stood at the back of the line. He wanted to be alone with Arthur because he noticed the wounds on his face and it seemed that he did not treat them. He moved towards the library director standing in the middle and asked for permission to take Arthur and leave and told him that he would pay him whatever he wanted.

The library director quickly agreed and went to talk to the young men to change the location with Arthur and told him that the director wanted him. Arthur took off his apron, put on his mask and hat, and approached the manager. The manager told him that there was someone waiting for him outside. He hurried out thinking it was William who came to apologize to him, but he froze in place when he saw Casper. He quickly turned around, intending to return, but Casper caught him while placing the barrel of the weapon on his side and ordered him to walk towards the car, speaking.

(Move towards the car or I will kill you here)

Arthur complied and got into the car and sat quietly. Casper pulled a belt and tied the hands of Arthur, who was staring at him. Casper turned around after closing the door, sat in the driver's seat, looked at Arthur for a moment, then drove his car away from the place crowded with people.

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Aran shook his head, so Nathan helped him climb Alkina, so he held on tightly to her neck. Nathan smiled and went behind him, grabbed him and pulled him towards his chest while holding the reins and ordering her without moving anything and without hitting her.

(Come on, my beautiful, move.)

Alekena moved quietly, then Nathan ordered her to run. Aran hid his face in Nathan's chest when the mare quickly ran. For a few moments, he moved his face away from Nathan's chest and let the air caress his face. Aran heard the sound of Jonathan's horse and Joshua's horse behind him and smiled.

The twins returned and left the lovers in the valley alone. Nathan's horse stopped in the middle of the valley, where flowers spread their scent everywhere. Aran turned his head towards Nathan, wanting to express his feelings, but the sound of gunfire that frightened the horse and the bullet that scratched Aran's cheek made him lower his head in pain.

Nathan became nervous and lost all his calm, in addition to the mare's agitation. He quickly calmed her down and turned quickly towards the farm. The twins met him with several guards. He ignored them and quickly went down and pulled Aran to see his injured cheek, without even knowing who had fired the shots, but he ordered his guards to search the entire valley.

At the same time, Casper was sitting and treating Arthur's wounds, who was silent, then he spoke and asked Casper not to involve himself in his problems. Casper answered him with a question before revealing everything he knew so that Arthur might believe it

(Why do you love William so much even though he treats you badly? Look at your face, how it is distorted because of him.)

Arthur wanted to make excuses, so Casper rebuked him

(Don't lie, Arthur. Since yesterday, I've been in my car watching your apartment. Now tell me, does William deserve all this love?)

Arthur shouted at him

(He's my first love, how can he not deserve it)

Casper shouted again

(He is cheating on you, do you understand? You do not know where his house is and he does not allow you to come. He sees you at your home or at the university, and your meeting takes place on separate days, two days or one day a week, and your relationship is superficial to say the least. Why can’t your eyes see the truth?)

Arthur spoke

(Open my chain and you have nothing to do with me. I know what is good for myself and what is bad)

Casper looked at him for a long time, then removed the seat belt from his hands and let him leave quietly, staring in front of him. One of them cut ties with the other completely. On the other hand, another person is struggling with his fear and worry that his lover has been hurt because of what happened in the valley.

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I hope you like this chapter, see you next week, bye bye.