Dear readers,
Life has been unusually busy lately — wrapping up work, dealing with a few personal things, and simply not finding enough hours in the day for Kyle and Darren.
So I'm taking a short break from updates.
The good news: it won't be long. I'll be back with regular updates (twice a week) after July 1st, 2026.
Thank you for your patience, your support, and for staying with this story. It means more than you know.
And as a small thank-you for waiting, here's a little preview of what's coming next.
See you soon ♥
TheLynx
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Chapter 19 — In Motion
The car turned into the driveway and came to a stop in front of Kyle.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. The urge to turn around right now, retreat into the house, and not go anywhere at all washed over him.
Kyle pressed his lips together and opened his eyes again.
The passenger door swung open. Darren was leaning toward it from inside, holding it open. Then he slowly lifted his gaze to Kyle.
"Hey," he said.
Kyle swallowed quietly.
"Yeah. Hey."
But he didn't move. For some reason, he just stood there, foolishly frozen in place, as if he couldn't make himself take a single step.
Darren raised an eyebrow slightly and straightened back into his seat, lowering his hand.
A light breeze stirred. The door shifted and began slowly swinging shut. Darren's gaze drifted back to Kyle.
"You getting in?"
Kyle took a deep breath and nodded. He managed to catch the door before it closed completely.
Once he settled into the passenger seat, he immediately felt terribly uncomfortable. His whole body tensed. He was sitting too stiffly, like a taut string.
The car didn't move.
Kyle turned his head and found Darren looking directly at him. There was a faint trace of irritation in his expression — subtle enough to be hard to place.
Darren rested both hands on the steering wheel and tilted his head slightly.
"Forget something?"
"Uh..."
Panic immediately seized Kyle. He instinctively covered the pockets of his hoodie with both hands. His mind raced through a frantic checklist: phone, house keys, headphones...
He definitely hadn't forgotten anything.
Right?
Or...
The gears turning in his head were plainly visible in the crease forming between his brows.
Darren let out a quiet breath. The corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
Without warning, he leaned forward and reached toward Kyle — and Kyle tensed even more, practically turning into one raw nerve.
Darren's hand stopped beside his face.
Kyle held his breath. His chest felt squeezed tight — he simply couldn't inhale.
He opened his mouth:
"What are you do—?"
A rustle of the seatbelt — then a click.
Darren lightly adjusted the now-fastened belt across Kyle's chest and calmly leaned back into his seat.
Kyle stared at him.
"Safety first," Darren said, already looking ahead.
"Yeah..." Kyle mumbled uncertainly. Then, even more quietly: "Thanks."
A second seatbelt clicked into place. Then came the soft creak of the gearshift.
The car finally pulled away.
Before long, the gates were behind them, already closing. A few minutes later, the outline of the mansion disappeared from view.
Only then did Kyle turn his head and look straight ahead.