Espresso in The Rain

The sun had barely risen over Bangkok when Noah opened his eyes.

He was warm—too warm.

It took him a moment to remember why.

Elias.

Noah blinked up at the ceiling, feeling the steady rise and fall of Elias' chest beneath his cheek. Sometime during the night, he had curled into Elias' arms, their legs tangled under the sheets, and neither of them had moved since.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

This was new.

This was his.

Elias stirred beneath him, his arms tightening slightly before his eyes fluttered open. His dark gaze softened when he saw Noah watching him.

"Morning," Elias murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

Noah hummed, tracing absent patterns on Elias' bare chest. "Morning."

For a moment, they simply lay there, breathing each other in, the quiet hum of the city filtering through the window.

Then, Elias spoke.

"Are you still afraid?"

Noah hesitated.

If he was honest, yes—a small part of him was still scared.

Scared of disappointing his mother. Scared of the unknown. Scared of just how much he felt for Elias.

But last night, he had made a choice.

And he wasn't going to run from it.

Noah propped himself up on one elbow, meeting Elias' gaze with newfound certainty.

"Not enough to let you go."

Elias studied him for a long moment before a slow, genuine smile spread across his lips.

"Good."

Noah barely had time to react before Elias flipped them over, pinning him beneath him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Because I have no intention of letting you go either."

Noah barely had time to laugh before Elias kissed him, slow and deep, stealing the breath from his lungs.

Maybe the future was uncertain. Maybe things wouldn't always be easy.

But here, in Elias' arms, Noah knew one thing for sure—

This was where he was meant to be.