Chapter 128: I plan on leaving you.
Charles slowly fluttered his eyelashes, waking to the dawn of a new morning.
The soft glow of sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room.
As he turned around, the sweet scent of Augustine’s hair shampoo filled the air, and his lips instantly curled into a smile.
Augustine lay beside Charles, his arms wrapped around Charles’s waist, his presence comforting and warm.
His hair, still slightly damp, hinted that he had been awake just moments before and have washed his hair.
Slowly, Charles extended his hand to Augustine’s face, his fingers grazing gently over Augustine’s cheek as he gave it a gentle caress before allowing his fingers to make their way over to the lips of Augustine.
Ever so slowly, Charles used his thumb to caress the lips of Augustine as he dived his thumbs inside Augustine’s mouth. "Yo... you are handsome." Charles purred.
Immediately those words left his mouth, he shut his eyes extremely open while shaking his head. "I... I didn’t mean it sexually." He stated, correcting his previous phrase.
Augustine scoffed. "I know." He purred, his eyes still closed.
He pulled Charles closer to his body as he let out a loud breath. "I thought you were sleeping?"
"No. I just washed my hair and I’m too tired to dry it," Augustine stated, his eyes still closed as he leaned in closer to Charles’s neck. "I had planned to drift back to sleep, but now you’ve woken me," he purred.
Charles chuckled softly, a playful glint in his eyes. "You said you weren’t sleeping," Charles whispered. "Come on, let me help you with your hair," he insisted, his voice laced with amusement.
Augustine shook his head slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I want to sleep," he mumbled, his voice low and thick with exhaustion, yet there was a hint of warmth in his tone.
"If you keep sleeping with wet hair, you’re going to catch a cold," Charles advice, trying to reason with Augustine.
But still, Augustine remained unmoved, not budging from his spot.
Charles sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
With a soft groan, he stood up from the bed and made his way toward the bathroom.
Charles freshened up for the day and, stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, he made his way toward the wardrobe.
He had already dried his body inside the bathroom.
Charles grabbed one of Augustine’s long white shirts from the wardrobe and slipped it on.
The previous day, he had managed to leave his restaurant job on time, and when he returned home, he made sure to do all the laundry.
Charles washed his own clothes as well as Augustine’s, ensuring that everything—dirty clothes, towels, bathrobes, and even underwear—was carefully cleaned and put back in its proper place.
Charles had also ironed the clothes that needed it, leaving everything neat and pressed.
Presently, after slipping into Augustine’s white shirt, he left the top two buttons undone, and paired the shirt with a black boxer brief.
’Pfft!’
Charles let out a soft sigh, turning around to glance at Augustine, still peacefully asleep.
He moved quietly over to the dressing table, opening the drawer to retrieve a hair dryer.
With practiced ease, Charles plugged the dryer into the bedside table’s socket and grabbed a pair of combs, preparing to help Augustine out with his hair.
Ever so slowly, Charles climbed onto the bed, resting his back against the edge of the bed frame.
He gently lifted Augustine’s head and placed it on his lap.
"What are you trying to do?" Augustine mumbled with a tired voice, his eyes barely open as he glanced up at Charles.
Charles gently threaded his fingers through Augustine’s hair, his touch soft yet purposeful. "I’m drying your hair because I don’t want you catching a cold, especially not today, of all days," Charles said, his voice filled with quiet care.
Augustine remained silent, his eyes closed, and Charles took it as a sign to proceed, his fingers working steadily to dry Augustine’s damp hair.
He turned on the hair dryer and began to dry Augustine’s hair while combing it ever so slowly.
Minutes later, Charles carefully turned off the hair dryer, setting it back on the bedside table.
"All done," he murmured, his voice tender, as he gently guided Augustine’s head back onto the pillow, making sure he was comfortable once more.
The warmth of pillow made Augustine stir, sitting up slowly, his gaze settling on Charles with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"I heard my mom paid you a visit some days back?" He asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to shake off the lingering drowsiness.
Charles swallows hard as he nods his head.
"What did she say?"
"Umm... Augustine, she just did the usual... which was to threaten me. She didn’t hurt me, so you don’t have to be concerned," Charles explained.
Augustine shook his head, the motion causing his hair to bounce lightly with the movement.
He slid off the bed, his tongue rolling inside his mouth in thought, a subtle expression of frustration crossing his face.
"Last night, when I arrived at the mansion, I found you sleeping on the couch. After I brought you to the bedroom, I went back to the sitting room to rest for a while," Augustine began, swallowing hard.
He took a deep breath to steady himself as he paced back and forth in the room. "That’s when I saw the cheque, Charles."
"Ohh," Charles whispered.
"It was a cheque from my mother, Charles, and I know she used it to try to persuade you," Augustine said, his voice tight with emotion.
He walked over to the bed, took a seat, and gently grasped Charles’s hands, his gaze locked into Charles’s eyes. "D-Did you agree to her persuasion? Do you want to finally leave me and disappear from my life—"
"Yes, Augustine. I plan on leaving you after today’s launching event." Charles seethed with clenched teeth.