Chapter 69: Two promises
Chapter 68
Ciel
"So, since that day in the kitchen, you haven’t kissed since?" I ask casually, leaning against the doorframe as I watch Nolan busy at work.
He’s bent over the changing table, focused as always, hands moving with practiced ease as he changes Lanny’s diaper. The scent of baby powder lingers in the air, mixing with the salty tang drifting in from the open balcony.
Nolan doesn’t look up. "No."
"Hmmmn." I hum, dragging it out just enough to make him twitch.
"What?" He glances up sharply, suspicion etched into every line of his face.
"Nothing, nothing," I reply, the corner of my mouth tugging upward.
He narrows his eyes. "Just say it."
I hold out for a beat longer, just to torture him, then sigh dramatically. "Okay, fine."
His hands are fastening the new diaper into place, neat and secure. He finally lifts Lanny into his arms, cradling him against his shoulder, before turning to face me. "Well?"
"I’m happy to see you like this," I say honestly.
His brows furrow. "What?"
"I mean it." I tilt my head, watching him bounce Lanny gently, almost absentmindedly. "I haven’t seen you this... light in ages."
His jaw works as if he wants to argue, but I can see the faint crack in his mask.
"What? He just gets on my nerves—that asshole!" Nolan says quickly, marching across the room to settle Lanny into the carrier.
"Really?" I ask, amusement dripping from my voice.
"Yes," he snaps. "It’s like he makes it his life’s mission to grate on my nerves."
I raise an eyebrow. "That’s it?"
"That’s it," he insists, tugging the carrier straps a little too tight before adjusting them again.
But he doesn’t notice the tiny smile tugging at his lips as he talks about Jack.
I watch him fuss with Lanny, strapping him into the carrier with a kind of practiced precision that screams Nolan. Always steady. Always reliable. Always mine—well, not mine in the way Jack is, but mine in the way of life and soul.
"Uh huh," I hum, arms folding, eyes narrowing with faux seriousness. "That explains why you talk about him so much. If he’s that irritating, you could’ve just stayed quiet."
He snaps his head up, glaring at me. "I don’t talk about him that much."
I arch an eyebrow.
He scowls deeper. "I don’t."
"You do." I can’t help but grin. "Every time his name comes up, you start with that tone—like you’re mad, but your ears are practically wagging."
Nolan freezes, and then—just like that—he looks away, lips pressed tight, but his ears are pink. My Nollie, caught red-handed.
I step closer, brushing a bit of hair from my eyes as I study him. "I’m not teasing to be cruel. I’m just... glad. You’re lighter, even when you’re trying to act pissed off. It’s like you finally remembered what it’s like to laugh at something again."
He sighs, shoulders sinking, and for a moment he’s just Nolan—the boy who’s carried too much, who’s lived in shadows far too long.
"You’re imagining things," he mutters.
I smile softly, reaching over to poke his cheek. "Am I?"
He groans, batting my hand away, but not very hard. "Okay, maybe you’re not," he admits, giving in like he always does with me.
"We just haven’t had anything to laugh about in a really long time," he adds after a beat, voice quieter now.
And I understand him. That heaviness that’s been sitting on his shoulders for years—it’s always been there. For both of us.
I pat the space next to me on the lounge chair. "Come here."
He sighs, but he comes, lowering himself onto the seat beside me. Together we stare out at the ocean, the water glinting silver under the late sun. The waves crash against the shore in that familiar, soothing rhythm.
"Do you remember," I murmur, leaning back, "when you came to ask me to marry you, with all your piggy bank?"
Nolan chokes out a laugh, his head tipping back. "Ha."
His voice is warmer now, less guarded. "I still stand on what I said."
I grin. "This is all my money, I swear I’ll protect you and love you for the rest of our lives," I say in a mocking little sing-song.
And at the same time, he repeats the exact same words, dead serious.
We freeze for a second before bursting into laughter, the sound spilling into the air, carried off by the sea breeze.
"Ten years later and I’m still keeping that promise," Nolan says, smirking with that rare, cocky confidence he only ever shows me.
"It was one hell of a first impression," I say, still chuckling.
"But no lies were told," he adds smoothly, nudging my shoulder with his.
I lean forward and kiss his cheek. He smiles—bright, unguarded—for once, before turning and chomping down on my cheek.
A literal bite.
"Let me go!" I laugh, wriggling, trying to shove him off.
He pulls back just slightly, eyes glinting with mischief.
"You’re so cute, I want to eat you up," he says.
And then—chomp. Again.
"Oh, please, it’s not supposed to be literal," I laugh louder, swatting at him, but my cheeks hurt from smiling.
For a fleeting second, it feels like we’re teenagers again. Just us, before the world taught us how sharp it could be.
***
Jack
From where I stand in the doorway, camera in hand, I can’t help myself.
Click.
The shutter snaps, freezing the moment in crisp detail—the way Ciel’s hair whips in the wind, the sun catching the edge of Nolan’s grin, both of them laughing like the world hasn’t done its best to break them.
Click.
Another photo. I don’t even try to stop myself.
They’re so damn cute it hurts.
Ciel is able to pull something out of Nolan—this spark, this warmth—that nothing else ever could. I’m sure Ciel trusts me, maybe even loves me, but the truth is plain: Nolan is his comfort. His history. His home. The way Ciel leans into him without thinking, the way Nolan softens just for him... it’s not something could ever be replicated.
I lower the camera slowly, fingers tight around it.
Looking at this picture, at them, I make myself a promise.
No matter what chaos is coming, no matter how tangled our lives get—
I’ll protect them.
Both of them.
Forever.