Page 51 of His Untoward Hate

The world around them seemed to fall silent. Sky watched as Jude’s tears refused to stop, falling one after another. Slowly, Jude lifted his gaze to him. His eyes shimmered with sorrow as heavy tears continued to trail down his pale cheeks.

“I have known you for over five years, Sky, and yet, I have never asked anything from you. This time, for once, I have one favor to ask…” Jude continued, his tone sincere. “Can you end my life now, please?”

Jude pleaded.

Sky stared at him in silence before pulling him close, holding him as though he might fall apart. Jude had always been his only weakness. One plea from him was enough to make Sky surrender without a fight. But this time, no matter how much it shattered him, he could not give Jude what he wanted.

“Shut the fuck up.” he tightened his arms around his small figure. “Don’t ever say that again. Don’t ever think like that ever again. Don’t ever try to get yourself killed. This is an order, Jude, and I don’t need your permission for you to follow my command. If you ever think of killing yourself again, you will be dealing with me…you understand me?” Sky threatened, his voice almost cracked, lips brushing against Jude’s ear.

Jude did not answer his question. Sky expected him to pull away from the hug, but instead, he completely broke down, unable to process Sky’s words.

Jude cried endlessly, his tears soaking through Sky’s clothes. He looked so vulnerable, so fragile, that something deep inside Sky broke at the sight of him. He already knew Jude must have overheard something in the house, which was why he suddenly ran away in tears.

Without saying another word, Sky held him tighter, letting him release all the frustration, pain, hatred, and every heavy emotion he had been carrying while trembling in his arms.

It took him a while to finally calm down, though soft sobs still escaped his lips now and then. Jude slowly pulled away from Sky’s embrace, revealing puffy eyes and flushed red cheeks that only made him look more vulnerable.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered apologetically, quickly wiping away his tears in embarrassment.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Sky’s look was penetrating, telling Jude how serious he was. “Don’t ever try to get hurt and think of killing yourself again. You understand me?”

Jude only looked at Sky, tongue-tied.

“You understand me, Jude Finn?” Sky sincerely repeated authoritatively.

Jude only nodded in agreement.

Sky felt a sense of relief at Jude’s answer. He knew Jude would never do it again. He knew him better than anyone.

“Can we go to a bar, Sky?” he asked with those beautiful, pleading grey eyes that you could not resist but get mesmerized by. “I wanna get drunk and forget this day. Please?” he begged again, but this time, it was the opposite of earlier—he would easily give in.

22

“Stay the fuck away from me,” Sky warned furiously when a whore tried to touch him.

Startled by the deadly tone in his voice, she quickly backed away and disappeared into the crowd.

Resting his elbow on the counter, Sky’s gaze landed on the boy he could never seem to ignore. Watching him lose himself in the music, dancing freely as if no one else existed, Sky bit the inside of his cheek and downed his glass of liquor in one chug, trying to suppress the jealousy twisting in his chest.

“One more,” Sky ordered sharply to the bartender, his patience running out as he struggled to keep his temper in check and resist the urge to lash out.

The bartender had no idea who Sky was. After all, this bar was far from their town. Despite the many decent clubs back home, Sky had deliberately brought Jude here so no one familiar would ever see them together. It was an old, rundown club with nothing fancy about it, and he already regretted coming.

Sky glanced back at Jude, his brows knitting tightly as he watched him sway his head to some random upbeat track, completely unaware of the crowd around him. It felt like hungry wolves surrounded him, all eager to claim his attention. If Jude had not been hurt and begging to come, Sky would never have allowed him anywhere near a place like this. He drew attention too easily, and Sky hated every bit of it.

The place was a long drive away. Sky did not care about the expensive taxi fare for the nearly two-hour ride. All that mattered was getting to the club where he could spend time with Jude, far away from the toxicity and chaos of their own town. He thought it was worth it until he saw the attention Jude was unknowingly drawing, and a quiet regret started to settle in. Sky tried to convince himself it was because of the bruises and wounds on Jude’s face that people were staring. But deep down, he knew it was not just that. It was the way Jude carried himself despite everything, something effortlessly magnetic even in his battered state.

And even then, Jude’s features were still undeniably striking. Sky had not realized before how well he could dance, either. There was something almost unfair about the way he moved: fluid, confident, and unintentionally alluring. His slim waist alone was enough to catch anyone’s attention, easily dethroning the body of a famous soda.

Sky had actually felt a gentle sense of tranquility on the ride earlier, even if Jude had been asleep the entire way. He was not the type to think of himself as easily drawn to that kind of thing, but he could not stop himself from watching Jude as he leaned against the window, looking oddly peaceful, perfectly beautiful in his sleep. God knew how many times he had considered shifting him closer onto his shoulder, only to stop himself each time. Thinking back on everything only made Sky’s frustration worse.

When they arrived at Smirnoff’s, Jude was as quiet as usual, but something still felt off. The biggest difference was how unbothered he seemed by the crowd. It was as if he no longer cared at all. His expression remained stoic, cold, unreadable, and distant.

Jude looked completely lost in his own thoughts, and Sky found himself watching him the entire time, guzzling drinks he had already lost count of. He knew Jude was dealing with something serious, something heavy enough to consume him from the inside. And somehow, all Sky wanted to do was stay by his side. He did not understand why he suddenly felt this overwhelming responsibility to be there for him.

Today’s events had exhausted Sky too, but he knew Jude was carrying a far heavier weight than he was. Still, for some reason, being around Jude made him regain his strength so easily.

Sky had always considered himself tougher than steel, yet when it came to Jude, he found himself softening in ways he hated to admit. Maybe that was why he agreed so quickly when Jude asked him to come here with him.