Stand for Love Ch. 02

"Hey, calm down," Nicholas said, bring Adrian closer to his chest. "Please, don't cry. I didn't do anything."

"You bastard," Adrian yelled, feeling his heart get heavy. "This wouldn't have happened if not for you. You promised you'd never tell anyone that you kissed me. You have the guts to even tell them that I tried to seduce you."

Nicholas was surprised. Strength left him when he heard that. So Jake knew all this while and almost killed Adrian because of it. At that time he needed to clear the misunderstanding.

"What are you talking about?" Nicholas asked, feeling his grip get weaker.

"Oh, please," Adrian sobbed. "Don't act as if you don't know anything."

"I swear to you, I don't."

Adrian chuckled sadly. "Do you think I'm stupid? Jake and his family almost killed me all of because you told them that I tried to seduce you."

"What?" Nicholas said angrily. "I never said anything to anybody. I swear to you. I'd never do anything like that to you. I'd never put you in danger because I..."

"You love me right?" Adrian chuckled. He got Nicholas' hands off him and began walking slowly before he felt Nicholas' arms being wrapped around him sweetly.

He was held tightly by Nicholas and felt so sweet, so alive and so special. Feeling those arms around him was haven. Those were the only things he would have missed if he had died.

"I'm sorry," Nicholas said, tightening his grip on Adrian. "I never knew this happened because of me." Nicholas was hurt after finding out the truth. He was also angry at Jake. "Please, don't be mad at me. I'll do anything just to please you."

Adrian felt his heart get soft. He had just woken up but his heart was already speaking. It wanted Nicholas and it just wanted him. Adrian just wanted to turn around and kiss Nicholas but that would put him in grave danger. Feeling Nicholas' arms around him, wrapped tightly was really haven. He just wanted to be like that forever.

Maybe Nicholas loved him like he claimed. Either way, Adrian had to stay away from Nicholas. Nicholas was a flame ready to burn him and kill him instantly. He had to stay away but his heart was betraying him. It needed Nicholas unlike it had needed anyone before. It was on fire and Nicholas was the only one who could handle that fire.

What was Adrian going to do now?

"Please, Nicholas." Adrian muttered. "Don't make a scene in this hospital."

"I'm ready for anything." Nicholas sobbed, holding Adrian tighter. "I just wanna be with you right now. Nothing matters right now. Just two days and I'll be married. I just wanna spend some time with you. At least grant it to me as a wish for saving you."

"You...were the one who saved me?" Adrian mumbled. He suddenly melted in Nicholas' arms.

Finding out that Nicholas was the one who had saved him made things a lot more difficulty. His heart jumped with joy, his mind got excited and his legs just got weaker.

There at that very moment Adrian felt himself falling deeper in love with Nicholas. He even shed a tear to know that Nicholas had saved him but for what? So that he could suffer again?

****

Nicholas fed the last spoon to Adrian. He had just fed an entire plate of delicious breakfast to Adrian. He was really glad that Adrian had calmed down and let him feed him breakfast. Nicholas' happiness now lied with Adrian.

Nicholas got up from the bed. He had to call the nurse to come and take the dirty dishes.

"Why did you save me?" Adrian asked softly. His face was still glued to the sheets on the wonderful bed.

"Because...because I had to." Nicholas said softly. "I couldn't just watch you die and...well...I love you."

Adrian was quiet. He had no words to say but what he knew was that he loved Nicholas a lot and it hurt him a lot knowing that no matter how much he loved him, they would never end up together because Nicholas was gonna be someone's husband soon.

"Thank you," Adrian mumbled, playing with his nails. "But you shouldn't have saved me."

Nicholas couldn't believe what he was hearing from the boy whom he loved a lot.

"Don't say that." Nicholas said, quickly turning to hold Adrian's hands. He cupped Adrian's hands in his. It was so sweet the way he rubbed Adrian's hands. He was staring deep in his eyes, getting lost deeper in them.

"It's the truth," Adrian said as a tear ran down his face. "I've nothing to live for. At least if I had died I would have reunited with..."

"Shhhhh..." Nicholas covered Adrian's mouth with his index finger. "Please, don't say that. I saved you because I still need you here. I love you and I'll continue to do so. You've made me feel so much love in the weeks that I've know you and you've become a part of my life."

What Nicholas was saying was absolutely sweet to Adrian's ears. Adrian really loved everything but it still didn't change the fact that Nicholas was gonna be a married man.

"You'll be married soon," Adrian sighed. "Just go and..."

Before Adrian could finish his sentence, Nicholas locked his lips with him. He was sweetly brushing on his lips, rubbing his cheeks and sucking on his lower lip like a lollipop.

Adrian didn't have the strength to pull back, he really didn't. He felt himself being drawn into the kiss, slowly closing his eyes and responding to the kiss.

Nicholas was on cloud 9, again. Feeling Adrian's lips moving against his was beautifully sweet. The way Adrian's lips trembled was rhythmic and the way he shivered was absolutely incredible. It was really incredible. Nicholas sucked passionately on Adrian's lips, brushing them with his tongue and then nipping them.

Adrian felt a wave of lightning take over his body. He felt hot and cold at the same time and his body trembled a bit. His whole body felt the intensity of the kiss. Nicholas sucking, brushing and nipping on his lips was like something that he had never felt before. That kiss was sweeter than the last time.

Adrian felt like he owned the whole world. He was the ruler of it and Nicholas was his king. It was really a special kiss unlike no other. He felt Nicholas' tongue demanding entrance in his mouth and he didn't take time to allow him in.

When their tongues met, Adrian moaned loudly. It was sparkly and there was a connection which Adrian had never felt. Nicholas' hand gripped the back of his hair and brought him closer. They were so close Adrian thought they were Siamese twins. Nicholas' moans were music to his hears, his romantic rubs were fire and his skin contact was lightningly passionate.

They French kissed for some time, exploring each other's mouth carefully and specially. Nicholas had never enjoyed a kiss the way he enjoyed that one especially knowing that it was probably the last one.

He cupped Adrian's cheeks, squeezing them a bit as he kissed him passionately. It was a kiss he was never gonna forget. At least Adrian responded to the kiss.

After about two minutes of French kissing, they broke the kiss and were already gasping for air. Nicholas still had his hands on Adrian's cheeks, sweetly rubbing them. His eyes were locked with Adrian's. He saw the same desire that he had for Adrian in Adrian's eyes. Those eyes were glowing and they sparkled, calling to Nicholas' very soul. They urged him to respond to the call but he knew he couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry," Nicholas quickly moved away from the bed. Adrian held his hand and stopped him from leaving.

"Please," Adrian muttered. "You don't have to apologize."

Nicholas felt tears building in his eyes. He was so drawn to Adrian that he was getting hurt when he realized that he was gonna get married to Jake. The guy who had attempted to play a fast one on Adrian and probably pretend nothing had happened.

Nicholas didn't know what to do anymore. He was just a confused fool who couldn't do anything or decide what he really wanted.

On one hand was Jake, rude, cunning and had attempted to kill Adrian. On the other was Adrian, sweet, polite, loving and had probably suffered a lot in his life. He loved Adrian but he was marrying Jake. It didn't seem fair at all. Why was life full of hard decisions?

"Adrian, I really love you." Nicholas muttered, feeling a tear run down his cheeks which he quickly rubbed.

"I know that you probably love me."

Nicholas nodded. He just nodded.

"I just want you to do the right thing." Adrian said softly, confidently.

He was hurting but he couldn't take Jake's fiancé away no matter how bad Jake was. He couldn't do that because he believed in doing what was right.

"Can I at least be a friend?" Nicholas mumbled.

Adrian smiled brightly, hurting inside.

"Of course," Adrian smiled. "I'll be your friend but I don't know for how long."

Nicholas knew what Adrian meant and he understood him. He was probably scared because of Jake but Nicholas was gonna make sure that Adrian lived a comfortable life once he was out of the hospital. A life where Jake wouldn't be able to hurt him no matter what he did.

"I understand. I just want to be with you for as long as I can." Nicholas mumbled. "I hope its okay with you?"

"You saved my life," Adrian sighed. "I think it'll only be fair if I grant your wish."

Adrian tried to smile but he knew that though he was smiling that brightly he was not fooling his heart. What he hoped for was to find someone as good as Nicholas. His mother had told him he had to live for someone who really needed. It couldn't be Nicholas because the guy was gonna be married sooner than soon.

Adrian knew Mr. Right was gonna come for him one day and they were gonna live happily with...their children which was quite confusing as Adrian couldn't understand where those kids were gonna come from. Adoption maybe! But his mother told him their children which was quite confusing.

Was he gonna fall in love with someone who already had children or what? It was so confusing but Adrian removed everything from his mind once he saw the doctor coming inside happily, smiling brightly. It was obvious his condition was really well.

"Hey Adrian," The doctor smiled. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Adrian was much better and his strength was back.

"I'm doing great." Adrian smiled.

He watched as Nicholas quietly stood at a distance and he wondered why he had done that.

The doctor checked him and he received some great news. He was gonna be out by next day afternoon. It was such great news. He couldn't shake off the feeling of nervousness though. He couldn't go back to his uncle's house and funny thing was, he didn't have any where to go. Neither did he have a job. He was not even qualified for any job.

He might have obtained the best results in high school but that didn't guarantee him a job. Maybe he was gonna end up in the streets somewhere where he would meet his prince, funny.

Once the doctor left, Adrian wanted to ask something important. He wanted to know something really important.

"Does anyone from my house know I'm here?"

"Yes," Nicholas said, clearing his throat.

What? Adrian was screwed. Maybe they had no idea he was with Nicholas. He had to leave the hospital before any of them found out that he was with Nicholas. Jake would kill him in that very hospital. Adrian couldn't risk his life like that. He had to move away from the hospital. Nicholas had been the reason why they wanted to kill him.

Adrian felt himself getting scared. He began breathing fast and his heart was racing.

"Um..."

"Don't worry," Nicholas said, touching Adrian's shoulder. "It is only the guard who helped me find you. If not for him, I don't...well just forget it. The good thing is that you are here and you are safe."

"Thank you," Adrian smiled. "I owe my life to you and one day when I get rich, I'll repay you." Adrian chuckled and punched Nicholas in a friendly manner.

Nicholas smiled, chuckled and then punched Adrian back. He was happy that Adrian had that energy and attitude towards him. That was the kind of boy he wanted to be around the remaining few...well a day.

Adrian wanted to talk to Nicholas about his plans once he was discharged. He would never forget the kind gesture. No one had been able to show him the kind of love and friendship Nicholas showed him. It didn't happen ever since he had lost his mother. It just felt good to know that people like Nicholas still existed.

Even if it was just for a little while, a day, Nicholas was gonna remember his last moments with Adrian. He knew once he got married, Jake would always be by his side like glue. He would make Adrian's life comfortable, another city or even another country and fill his account with a lot of money.

It was gonna hurt to let Adrian go but once he married Jake, he would focus on having a perfect family. Where was George when you needed him the most?

"Um...I..."

The phone rang before Adrian could say what he wanted to tell Nicolas.

Unknown number, Nicholas wondered. That number didn't have any information from his phone but he was gonna answer it anyway.

"Excuse me," Nicholas said, moving away from Adrian. "Hello!"

"Hello, monkey brain!"

Money brain? Only one person called him by that name. But he was not supposed to be in the country until next day.

"George!" Nicholas exclaimed. "Is that you?"

"Who else calls you by that name?" George laughed from the other end of the line. "Don't tell me you have replaced me in the last seven months we were apart?"

"No," Nicholas chuckled. "I'd never do that to you. It's just that I am surprised you've arrived in the country."

"That's the idea!" George laughed. "I wanted to surprise you. So tell me, are you surprised?"

"Very," Nicholas chirped. "You don't know how happy I am to know that you are here. Are you coming home?"

"No," George chirped. "I thought I'd stay at a..."

"Don't you dare say, hotel." Nicholas warned. He let out a loud chuckle. "Why would you want to stay in a hotel when I have a house that could accommodate the whole world?"

George was laughing out loud. Nicholas joined in, not minding that Adrian was still in the same room as him.

"Alright, I'll see you then." George chuckled. "I'll be home and..."

Nicholas heard a tiny voice from his phone. He knew who it was and why he was making a lot of noise.

"Well, looks like someone wants to talk to you."

"Put him on," Nicholas chirped. How could he have forgotten about him, his son?

"Hey sweetie," Nicholas smiled.

"Daddy," Gabriel said in his tiny little voice. Nicholas' felt warm and cozy after hearing his son's voice. They spoke almost every day but the idea of seeing his son was sweet.

"Hey, love, how are you?"

Gabriel had been away for seven months. Stupid George had taken him with him and refused to bring him back. Nicholas was glad his son was back.

"Hey sweetie, sorry I wasn't able to pick you up." Nicholas said softly. "But I'll buy you a lot of chocolates and ice cream."

"Yea," Nicholas heard his son screaming from the phone. He felt so warm and smiled. "I love you daddy,"

Nicholas chuckled softly.

"Daddy loves you too, honey." Nicholas said, kissing the phone. "Daddy will see you home later."

Adrian's head automatically moved towards Nicholas as soon as he heard the word, "daddy," He Couldn't believe what his ears were listening to. His mind was immediately filled with a lot of crazy ideas.

Adrian wondered if at all his mother meant Nicholas to be the man who wanted him alive. But how was that possible because Nicholas was soon getting married. Some things made sense but a lot of them were useless to Adrian. First he had seen Nicholas immediately his mother had mentioned about a man. Secondly, there was no way Adrian was going to believe Nicholas was the man for him.

It was just as impossible as fire and water becoming friends. It was impossible and Adrian was not going to believe any of it.

"You have a son?" Adrian exclaimed soon as Nicholas got off the phone.

Nicholas was still smiling. He was enjoying the look on Adrian's face while he asked the question. He was sort of looking puzzled, surprised and lost. That face, Nicholas really enjoyed seeing.

"Yeah," Nicholas smiled, pushing the phone back in his pocket. "I have a five year old son."

"Did you adopt him or..." Adrian paused when he realized he was asking too many questions. "I'm sorry it's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked anything."

Nicholas chuckled as he sat on the bed with Adrian. He knew Adrian was feeling terrible for asking but he was gonna answer him.

"No," Nicholas chuckled. "He's my own flesh and blood. I had him when I was eighteen and in the early years of the university."

"Really," Adrian was surprised. Was Nicholas bisexual or something?

"I know you are probably wondering how." Nicholas chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll tell you."

"No...I don't think..."

"It's alright," Nicholas laughed. "When I was eighteen I had just come out of the closet. I had a friend. She was really beautiful. Her name was Marcy and we really were best of friends. Well, after George. It was during the vacation holiday. We were at a party and we were both drunk. The next thing I woke up in the morning with my d..." Nicholas trailed off when he thought he was giving too much detail.

"...well I was pretty much drunk and realized in the morning that we had sex without protection." Nicholas sighed deeply. "It was nothing to the both of us till she got pregnant. Though I didn't want to be a father I accepted it and...she didn't want to do anything with the pregnancy. She wanted an abortion.

It took a lot of begging before...she accepted and decided to keep the pregnancy for my sake. She knew that might have been the only chance I got to ever be a father. She demanded a lot of money and my parents were willing to pay since she was an orphan.

That was how Gabriel was born. After that, Marcy left and I never heard from her again until last year when I heard the news that she had died in a motor accident in Spain."

Adrian nodded his head. It was really a sad story but at least he got a son out of it.

"Sad," Adrian muttered.

"I'm sorry," Nicholas apologized. "I should have told you sooner."

Adrian wasn't mad or anything. He was really happy Nicholas had a son but the apology was nothing. He wasn't the one getting married to Nicholas anyway.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Adrian chuckled nervously. "I'm not the one you are marrying."

Nicholas got emotional to hear that. Yes, he was not the one he was marrying and he wished it was him. If only he had met Adrian first, things wouldn't have been as complicated and confusing as they were.

"Adrian..."

"No, really, I'm serious." Adrian chuckled. "Does Jake know?"

Nicholas nodded. "Yes, he does. In fact, he loves Gabriel a lot and Gabriel loves him too."

Nicholas felt like something was stuck in his throat and he kept on trying to remove it but it was still there. He couldn't do anything.

"That's good," Adrian said as he smiled. "It only shows that he'll be happy with him. You are making the right decision by marrying someone you love and someone who loves your son and vice-versa."

If it was the right thing to do, why was it feeling like the wrong thing to do? Nicholas wanted the boy who was seated on the bed next to him. That was who he wanted to marry not Jake who had attempted to end his life.

Adrian moved his face down trying to sound and look positive. He was the one who had insisted on staying away from Nicholas but it was feeling so wrong. He wanted Nicholas by his side though he had only known him for two weeks. Those two weeks were good enough to fall in love.

"My wedding is after tomorrow," Nicholas mumbled. His heart was hurting again.

Adrian quickly moved his face upwards. He found himself close to Nicholas' face, staring deep in his beautiful green eyes. He was hypnotized and couldn't move. His heart began racing and his body was on fire.