Chapter 459: Stay Away from Me, Before I Become Him Again
Micah chased after Darcy, the sand sticking to his flip-flops. "Wait a minute! Why are you acting like this? Is it all because I didn’t want to talk about your feelings..."
"Shut the fuck up," Darcy snapped, spinning around. His voice cracked with raw emotion. "Feeling? What feelings? Who the hell do you think you are?" His chest rose and fell rapidly, fury and something darker twisting in his voice. "You think everyone falls for you? Wake up! I’m not like them!"
Darcy’s hands trembled slightly, fists half-formed. His throat burned. He couldn’t believe Micah was bringing up the matters of feelings with him. It was a sour spot for him. Why did Micah think he was entitled to do anything he wanted, and people left and right would fall for him and give away anything he demanded?
Micah stilled. "What are you talking about? Who’s them?" he asked, incredulous. His voice was filled with hurt and confusion.
Darcy exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his dark, damp hair. He had lost his composure completely. For a moment, he mistook this Micah from his last life. What was he doing getting worked up over something that only he remembered? This Micah had no idea what he had done to him.
"Nothing. I was just..." he muttered. "Forget it." He took a step back, shoulders tense. "I don’t need your apology. And I don’t need your debt. Just..." He hesitated, his eyes flickering with something unreadable. He had noticed that he couldn’t think straight around Micah. The memories filled his mind: the betrayal, the pain, the humiliation, and the abandonment, all twisted into something poisonous.
He could feel those old demons hunting him, whispering for him to take revenge, to snap, to hurt Micah. Wouldn’t it just be like his past life? What would be the difference? He didn’t want to end up like himself in that life. He bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood; the bitter taste of iron filled his mouth, calming him down.
"Just pretend I do not exist. Stay out of my life." Darcy said, turning and walking away. The fading sun cast a long shadow behind him.
He wouldn’t become that man again. He thought of that moment underwater, how he had hesitated, how for a single cruel second, he had considered letting Micah disappear.
He hated that part of himself. He should draw a line between himself and Micah. He wasn’t confident he could control his resentment.
****
After that warning to stay away from him, Darcy noticed the change almost immediately. Micah had become wary of him.
He no longer sought him out in conversation or tried to catch his gaze across a room. He avoided sitting beside him, avoided brushing shoulders when they passed by, and even avoided standing too close. Micah had taken his words to heart, truly keeping his distance.
So why did his heart ache when that silly boy had listened to his words and behaved obediently?
He should have been glad, relieved even. Yet here he was, sitting with a sharp ache in his chest.
Darcy exhaled slowly and pursed his lips. Right. He could almost laugh at his own foolishness. This wasn’t his heart’s reaction. It must have been the fault of the Darcy from this world, the one who had, for whatever ridiculous reason, fallen for this foolish silver-haired boy. Of course, he would feel this stuffiness, this agitation. Seeing your crush suddenly ignore you would bruise anyone’s pride.
But he was not that Darcy. At least, he told himself that.
They finally arrived at Isatis City. Darcy’s mood lightened. Finally, he was here. Finally, he could see his mum and sister again. He hadn’t dared to call them. Not once.
Partly because he didn’t trust his voice to stay steady if he heard them alive and well. And partly because he didn’t want to risk saying something out of character, something that didn’t match the Darcy of this timeline. He feared he couldn’t stay any longer at that villa if he heard their voices. He couldn’t afford to act too differently from the Darcy that belonged to this timeline.
He needed to see them with his own eyes before he could believe they were truly safe.
The moment the glass door opened, and he saw the Ramsy family waiting near the arrival gates, his head began to throb.
He had neither the desire nor the patience to deal with them.
Yet when he caught sight of Micah’s nervous glance, the boy’s hand fidgeting at his side, the faint sheen of sweat along his temple, Darcy felt his jaw tighten. Against his better judgment, he forced himself to walk over, to say a few words with them.
It was illogical, but with every passing second, that dull ache in his chest deepened. His yearning for that foolish man only grew. He was starting to realise just how much of this world’s Darcy was magnified in him. The influence of Darcy in this life was becoming more prominent than before. The least he could do for himself in this timeline was not to cruelly crush Micah.
Yet, when he watched how the Ramsy family circled Micah again, he knew they were not different from his past life. The only exception was Micah. His eyes darted toward him constantly, even though his family was fussing and cooing over him.
And then, the way he introduced them... Darcy felt it was kind of a lost cause... Micah was really hopeless. He halted mid-thought. What was he doing?
No. Better to leave quickly. He didn’t like where his mind was going, didn’t like how easily he started to justify Micah’s every move, every behaviour.
He muttered a brief goodbye and strode out of the terminal, leaving behind the Ramsy family.
But before he could get far, a voice called after him. "Darcy! Wait."
Micah chased after him. He turned sharply, irritated. He had to end this nonsense once and for all. So he dragged him to the restroom.
"Speak," Darcy said sharply. "What is the meaning of this? Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my life?"
Micah rubbed his wrist, wincing. "No. You told me, but I’ve never agreed."
Darcy’s gaze flicked down. The faint red imprint of his fingers stood out stark against Micah’s pale skin. For a moment, something twisted inside him. His hand hung loosely at his side, heavy and tainted.