Even if I were to check the face of Douglass's fiancée, nothing would change. I didn't have the courage to approach her and speak, nor did I have the right to stop their marriage at this point.No. Even if I made up my mind, could I really stop it? Douglass chose his fiancée over Mitch Forbes even before losing his memories. So from the beginning, I was never in a position to make choices or interfere.I was just curious about who Douglass would end up marrying.Mitch downed the remaining champagne in his glass. Despite the cool liquid flowing down his throat, a flush of heat kept rising from within.Something felt off. Was it because I'm too nervous? Or was I excited by the mention of Douglass's fiancée?When Mitch showed no signs of backing down, Marlon reluctantly looked around. Then he carefully pointed to a woman smiling brightly in the center of the hall.A woman in a form-fitting red mini dress with natural wavy hair. Anyone could see she was brimming with confidence. And she h
The silence that lasted only a few seconds felt unbearably long and heavy to Mitch."W-what should I do?"—Heat cycle?"Yeah. But what if other people notice? I think I bumped into an alpha on my way to the bathroom..."—I'm coming now. Get into a stall."Y-yes. Okay."Hearing Douglass's exceptionally calm voice, Mitch's excitement gradually subsided.—Do you remember which bathroom you're in?"I think it's the one you can see when you exit the hall... I'm not sure exactly."—Alright. Don't come out. Wait for me.But when the call ended, his briefly calmed mind became urgent again. He felt his temperature rising, and the burning thirst he had dismissed as the effects of alcohol now seemed entirely due to his heat cycle, making his mouth go dry.Being in this situation for the first time, he was belatedly overwhelmed with self-blame for acting too carelessly. He had no idea if the woman he had been talking to at the table noticed his condition, or how many others might have detected hi
"Mitch Forbes. Shouldn't you at least drink some water?"After Mitch had passed out during sex and showed no signs of waking up even hours later, Douglass's patience reached its limit.Come to think of it, he couldn't remember eating anything properly since leaving the gathering and coming to the apartment with Mitch. At this rate, dehydration symptoms would likely come first.Douglass looked disapprovingly at Mitch, whose body was sticky with semen, then got up from the bed. He felt Mitch's grip tightening on his arm, but when Douglass turned away abruptly, Mitch's hand fell limply onto the bed.He went to the living room and opened the refrigerator. Having rarely eaten at home while living alone, he hadn't realized how empty it was. There were only beverages, a container of adobo, and a few sauce bottles that looked like they had been purchased long ago.Douglass irritably took out bottled water and closed the refrigerator. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw Mitch lying face do
Sammy gladly accepted Mitch's proposal to supply desserts from his bakery. Mitch was especially grateful to Sammy since he had already been rejected by several other famous bakeries with similar requests."Mitch, have you thought about which desserts you want to focus on?""Yes. Actually, even though we're an espresso bar, our highest sales come from Americanos, and given our location, we get a lot of office workers.""That makes sense.""So I think it would be good to have one dessert that pairs well with espresso, and another that goes well with Americano as our main offerings.""Wouldn't it be better to increase the variety a bit more?""Then inventory and quality control would become difficult... If possible, I'd rather focus on quality over quantity. I've heard so many comments about our desserts being subpar. It's embarrassing, to be honest.""Haha.""I need to make up for it with this opportunity."Mitch wanted to select desserts that would best complement the café's signature
"It's not opening hours yet... And if you came in, you should have said something.""I was going to, but you looked busy."Mitch rolled his eyes, wondering why Douglass was here this morning. Had he returned from his trip already? After the text exchange from the other day, there had been no contact, so Mitch thought he was still in San Francisco.Douglass smiled as he watched Mitch covering his mouth and diligently chewing the remaining food."What?"Mitch asked belatedly after swallowing everything in his mouth."It's unusual to see you eating something.""Ah. I was in the process of selecting new desserts to sell."Mitch suddenly recalled that Douglass quite enjoyed sweet foods. After a moment's hesitation, he looked at Douglass standing across the counter."Are you busy?""Why?""If not, could you spare a moment?"He then opened the door to the kitchen, inviting him in. If he left Douglass standing outside, passersby might find it strange. Although it was early enough that most wer
That expression was so typical of Douglass Brady.That's why Mitch thought he might still be confused. Seeing Douglass like this made it seem like he hadn't changed at all, yet there were moments when he felt like a stranger, both feelings coexisting. It was difficult to know how to treat him.Would this wavering heart find balance with more time? Or would the confusion only end when he completely put aside his feelings for Douglass?"I need to open the café now. You should head upstairs too."Mitch deliberately spoke in a bright tone, trying to push away the awkward atmosphere.Douglass, whom Mitch had expected to say something in response, simply nodded obediently and went to the office.The evening rush had nearly passed, and the café was now quiet. Suddenly finding himself with nothing to do, Mitch checked his phone that he had kept in his apron pocket.[Come up to my office when you're done at the café]There was a text message from Douglass. It would be nice if he gave some hint
"Fuck, later."Douglass's excited voice flowed out quietly.—Director?The secretary didn't hear Douglass's words and knocked again. Then the door swung open, and a startled Mitch pushed Douglass away.Ah, shit. Douglass cursed. He wiped his wet lips with his thumb while fixing his sharp eyes on Mitch, who had fled in an instant."Don't come in yet.""Understood."Douglass looked disapprovingly at Mitch, who hadn't fully pulled down his top."Fix your clothes properly.""Mmm."Though the secretary was standing at the entrance not even looking in Mitch's direction, Mitch was mortified. After straightening his clothes, he gave Douglass a look asking if he needed to stay, and Douglass gestured with his chin that he could leave.As soon as he got permission, Mitch turned around quickly. The secretary he encountered at the door bowed without showing any surprise. Mitch bowed back briefly before quickly escaping from the meeting room."What's the matter?"Douglass glared at the secretary ir
Something feels strange.What are memories to people, really? Mitch felt both happy and somewhat sorrowful about the phenomenon where, even if impressions and experiences kept until now disappeared overnight, one would still end up making the same choices.If Douglass had made the same choice as in the past today, then the theater they were entering would likely have just the two of them, Douglass and Mitch. After all, Douglass would have rented out the entire opera house.Once the two of them settled in the VIP seats with the best view of the stage, the magnificent orchestral performance would resonate vividly throughout the theater.He recalled how his heart had raced faster as the tempo quickened and the actors' voices grew louder.Mitch remembered the moment when he first held hands with Douglass and kissed him in this very place.'Is this okay here? During the performance...''I reserved it for exactly this reason.'The time spent with Douglass then had been so thrilling and wond
"Mitch?""Let's talk somewhere else first.""Yes, anywhere is fine with me."Sammy smiled as if satisfied just by the fact that Mitch hadn't rejected him. Mitch, on the other hand, felt a chill run down his spine from tension.He briefly thought about politely turning Sammy away with the café as an excuse, but there was no guarantee that Sammy, who had come all this way, would leave quietly. It would also seem strange to refuse outright in front of the part-time worker.Besides, he was curious why Sammy kept requesting meetings along with the frequent contact. While he was still grateful for the advice given when he didn't know much about desserts, he didn't consider himself close enough to Sammy to need regular meetings.After hesitating briefly, Mitch went up to the building's rooftop with Sammy. Perhaps because it was morning, there were hardly any people around yet."Mr. Sammy Stuart. How did you end up coming all the way here?""You haven't been answering my calls since yesterday
Lately, Mitch found himself eating heavily in the evenings since he frequently missed lunch due to being busy with the café work.For some unknown reason, Mitch's appetite had increased to a bewildering degree. While Douglass had encouraged him to gain weight, so eating freely should have been fine, the problem was that eating so much made him terribly sleepy afterward.Recently, they had dinner together whenever Douglass wasn't busy, but the number of times they had sex could be counted on one hand. This was because Mitch would fall asleep almost immediately after eating, as if under hypnosis.He'd fall asleep in the car, in the bathtub, while waiting for Douglass to finish showering. This had already happened numerous times.Although Douglass hadn't complained, Mitch felt anxious that he might misunderstand and think Mitch was pretending to sleep to avoid intimacy.When Mitch fell asleep, Douglass deliberately avoided initiating anything. This naturally led to the night passing unev
In any case, Mitch, who had just settled into a chair in the back room to rest, stood up abruptly like a soldier receiving orders. As he went to the kitchen and filled a disposable cup with ice while pulling an espresso shot, his part-timer looked at him questioningly."Boss, did an order come in?"She seemed confused that Mitch was making a drink when there were no customers."It's for me. I'll be back in a moment.""Ah, okay!"[See you on the 27th floor]After sending a reply to Douglass, Mitch grabbed a muffin and a cookie from what they sold in the store and put them in his pocket. Then he took the iced Americano and got into the elevator.When Mitch got off at the 26th floor and climbed one flight of stairs, Douglass was already there waiting.He was sitting on the stairs leading up to the 28th floor, greeting Mitch with an expression that asked why he was so late."Your replies are getting slower and slower.""I was really busy today.""Then I guess you haven't eaten again.""I
Something feels strange.What are memories to people, really? Mitch felt both happy and somewhat sorrowful about the phenomenon where, even if impressions and experiences kept until now disappeared overnight, one would still end up making the same choices.If Douglass had made the same choice as in the past today, then the theater they were entering would likely have just the two of them, Douglass and Mitch. After all, Douglass would have rented out the entire opera house.Once the two of them settled in the VIP seats with the best view of the stage, the magnificent orchestral performance would resonate vividly throughout the theater.He recalled how his heart had raced faster as the tempo quickened and the actors' voices grew louder.Mitch remembered the moment when he first held hands with Douglass and kissed him in this very place.'Is this okay here? During the performance...''I reserved it for exactly this reason.'The time spent with Douglass then had been so thrilling and wond
"Fuck, later."Douglass's excited voice flowed out quietly.—Director?The secretary didn't hear Douglass's words and knocked again. Then the door swung open, and a startled Mitch pushed Douglass away.Ah, shit. Douglass cursed. He wiped his wet lips with his thumb while fixing his sharp eyes on Mitch, who had fled in an instant."Don't come in yet.""Understood."Douglass looked disapprovingly at Mitch, who hadn't fully pulled down his top."Fix your clothes properly.""Mmm."Though the secretary was standing at the entrance not even looking in Mitch's direction, Mitch was mortified. After straightening his clothes, he gave Douglass a look asking if he needed to stay, and Douglass gestured with his chin that he could leave.As soon as he got permission, Mitch turned around quickly. The secretary he encountered at the door bowed without showing any surprise. Mitch bowed back briefly before quickly escaping from the meeting room."What's the matter?"Douglass glared at the secretary ir
That expression was so typical of Douglass Brady.That's why Mitch thought he might still be confused. Seeing Douglass like this made it seem like he hadn't changed at all, yet there were moments when he felt like a stranger, both feelings coexisting. It was difficult to know how to treat him.Would this wavering heart find balance with more time? Or would the confusion only end when he completely put aside his feelings for Douglass?"I need to open the café now. You should head upstairs too."Mitch deliberately spoke in a bright tone, trying to push away the awkward atmosphere.Douglass, whom Mitch had expected to say something in response, simply nodded obediently and went to the office.The evening rush had nearly passed, and the café was now quiet. Suddenly finding himself with nothing to do, Mitch checked his phone that he had kept in his apron pocket.[Come up to my office when you're done at the café]There was a text message from Douglass. It would be nice if he gave some hint
"It's not opening hours yet... And if you came in, you should have said something.""I was going to, but you looked busy."Mitch rolled his eyes, wondering why Douglass was here this morning. Had he returned from his trip already? After the text exchange from the other day, there had been no contact, so Mitch thought he was still in San Francisco.Douglass smiled as he watched Mitch covering his mouth and diligently chewing the remaining food."What?"Mitch asked belatedly after swallowing everything in his mouth."It's unusual to see you eating something.""Ah. I was in the process of selecting new desserts to sell."Mitch suddenly recalled that Douglass quite enjoyed sweet foods. After a moment's hesitation, he looked at Douglass standing across the counter."Are you busy?""Why?""If not, could you spare a moment?"He then opened the door to the kitchen, inviting him in. If he left Douglass standing outside, passersby might find it strange. Although it was early enough that most wer
Sammy gladly accepted Mitch's proposal to supply desserts from his bakery. Mitch was especially grateful to Sammy since he had already been rejected by several other famous bakeries with similar requests."Mitch, have you thought about which desserts you want to focus on?""Yes. Actually, even though we're an espresso bar, our highest sales come from Americanos, and given our location, we get a lot of office workers.""That makes sense.""So I think it would be good to have one dessert that pairs well with espresso, and another that goes well with Americano as our main offerings.""Wouldn't it be better to increase the variety a bit more?""Then inventory and quality control would become difficult... If possible, I'd rather focus on quality over quantity. I've heard so many comments about our desserts being subpar. It's embarrassing, to be honest.""Haha.""I need to make up for it with this opportunity."Mitch wanted to select desserts that would best complement the café's signature
"Mitch Forbes. Shouldn't you at least drink some water?"After Mitch had passed out during sex and showed no signs of waking up even hours later, Douglass's patience reached its limit.Come to think of it, he couldn't remember eating anything properly since leaving the gathering and coming to the apartment with Mitch. At this rate, dehydration symptoms would likely come first.Douglass looked disapprovingly at Mitch, whose body was sticky with semen, then got up from the bed. He felt Mitch's grip tightening on his arm, but when Douglass turned away abruptly, Mitch's hand fell limply onto the bed.He went to the living room and opened the refrigerator. Having rarely eaten at home while living alone, he hadn't realized how empty it was. There were only beverages, a container of adobo, and a few sauce bottles that looked like they had been purchased long ago.Douglass irritably took out bottled water and closed the refrigerator. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw Mitch lying face do