Locked Away

—MY HUSBAND'S FRIEND—

It's Saturday and that meant one thing, both Saint and Gabriel weren't going to work and usually Saint would be happy to stay home but after seeing his husband with another man last night, he dreaded seeing him this morning.

He couldn't stay in his room forever so he went downstairs. Hair a little wet from his shower and he's just in brown slacks and a nude singlet.

Cute.

He doesn't see Gabriel in the dining room like always. He's always the first one to wake up and Saint smiles bitterly.

He's probably still asleep after whatever he did with Oliver—the man's name makes Saint click his tongue in irritation.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't tag Oliver as being lucky, waking up next to Gabriel and getting greeted in a sleepy groggy voice must feel really nice.

Saint really needs to stop thinking so much about it or he'll keep ripping the bandage off old wounds.

The head housekeeper, Caroline sees him approaching the kitchen and she smiles sadly at him.

She did hear Gabriel and his fling after all and now she's giving Saint that look, the one he hates more than anything. The look of pity.

Saint doesn't need pity, he doesn't—okay he does. Caroline has been with them for three years and she knows exactly how terrible Gabriel treats Saint.

She's in her thirties and she has two daughters who are in middle school and she doesn't have to worry about that since they're staying with their dad while she works at Gabriel's mansion.

"Toast or pancakes?" Caroline asked immediately, handing Saint a cup of coffee and he sent a small 'thank you' her way before sipping his coffee.

"I'm feeling hungry, so, both?".

Caroline smiles in understanding and got to work and just in time, Oliver starts walking downstairs and Saint's smile completely disappears.

Oliver was in Gabriel's shirt from last night.

They're really trying to make Saint miserable at this point.

He wants to wear Gabriel's shirt too and smell like him all day after spending the night together but he can only dream. Gabriel is only present in his subconscious mind.

Oliver was glowing, of course. He has a cheeky smile as he finally alighted from the last staircase before his eyes stopped on Saint and the bastard decided to abash Saint by sneering at him.

Saint ignored that little insult and greeted him. "Good morning, how was your—" No, don't ask that. At least Saint was smart enough to shut up before asking and then screaming in horror if the man actually starts giving him details.

"Good morning to you too. I'm so exhausted, what is available for breakfast?"

Saint snorts, eyeing the lad up and down.

"I have prettier legs." Saint mumbled in pure mockery to the other and Oliver blinked, he didn't quite catch what Saint said and that was Saint's goal. He didn't say it for him to hear.

"I asked a question though, what's available for breakfast?" Oliver asked again, this time, in a ruder tone, like he'd prefer being elsewhere than standing and looking at Saint.

"Why are you asking me, do I strike you as one of the house keepers or a cook?."

"You do look like one so I assumed."

Saint blinked at the subtle shade, Oliver is really starting to rile him up.

"I'll ignore that because you're not worth it, honestly, you really aren't worth it." Saint said to the man, making his way to the living room to throw himself on the couch.

He doesn't want to sound upset that Oliver got the chance to share a bed with his husband just like they've been doing for God knows how long. He wanted to seem chill and not petty and he can tell, Oliver won't drop it because the lad was standing a few feet away from the couch Saint was sitting on.

"Why do I feel like you're upset because well, Gabriel seems to prefer other men to his own husband."

Saint would rather continue sipping his coffee even though it's already finished. Seriously, his cup is empty but he needs to save himself from saying something he'll regret and end up getting scolded by his very sweet, loving and kind husband—it's pure sarcasm.

"When we broke up, I really thought he was done with me since I heard he was suddenly getting married but then, he never stopped calling me."

"Okay, what do I do with that information?." Saint inquired and Oliver shrugged.

"I just thought you'd like to know. Has he even touched you? Can I be honest with you?," When he doesn't get an answer from Oliver, the man continues his rubbish anyway. "You really look sex deprived. Gabriel hasn't laid a single hand on you that made you feel good right?"

Saint swallowed and dropped the cup, tired of pretending that he's actually drinking his coffee that finished four minutes ago.

"What's your point?"

"Don't get so defensive. I'm just asking, you—you really don't have that marriage glow."

"Ridiculous," Saint blurts with a snicker. He can't even believe what he's hearing so early in the morning. Marriage glow? What even is that?. "I get you're on cloud nine after sleeping with Gabriel and I'm happy for you, I guess? But I don't care and my personal relationship with my husband has nothing to do with you. I'm more surprised that you're not ashamed to be sleeping with a married man."

Saint's subconscious mind just had to say it, 'You should say the same to Mason'.

Saint ignored the voice, eyes fixated on the petite man standing a few feet away from him. Saint crossed one of his legs over the other, suddenly feeling confident when he had completely rendered Oliver speechless.

"That still doesn't change the fact that I'm getting some, and you're not."

Fucking child.

"Uh, congratulations? More grace to your elbows and what else do you want to hear? I wish I was in your place?"

You know you wish to be in his place, Saint.

He won't openly say that though, he's already embarrassed enough as it is.

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but his eyes fell on Gabriel walking downstairs with his hands in his pockets.

His hair messy, chest exposed because the man is shirtless and his pants hanging dangerously low on his waist, his black underwear peeking out and even Saint had to stop and stare.

It really irked him that Oliver got to touch and feel those defined pecs and he was busy crying and seeking comfort in Mason's voice.

Saint's mouth pooled with saliva. He'd start drooling soon if he doesn't get his shit together and stop looking at Gabriel. Imagine owning something that you're not allowed to touch, the horror.

Gabriel ran his hands through his soft black hair in a more relaxed way and not the frustrated way he did last night when Saint was slowly getting under his skin.

"Good morning, again." Oliver said in a high pitched tone and Saint wanted to throw up.

Gabriel let Oliver hold his waist, pecking his lips and Gabriel smiled.

Someone shoot Saint, please.

Gabriel turned to Saint and the younger looked away, getting up to return his cup to the kitchen while Gabriel took a seat on the couch with Oliver on his lap.

Caroline placed the last set of pancakes on a plate, her eyes snapping up to look at Saint then back at Gabriel who's caressing Oliver's back while they talk about something.

The living room can be seen from the kitchen even though it takes roughly few seconds to get to the kitchen but if you're stupidly lazy, s minute will do.

"Can we go shopping later? I need new clothes."

Saint heard Oliver say and his ears perked up in interest, waiting for the cold rejection from Gabriel but the rejection never came, instead, Gabriel agreed.

But Gabriel never takes Saint shopping. He always refuses to go with him but sends his driver to take him and if Saint's lucky, he assigns his two personal bodyguards to go along with Saint.

Can this morning get any worse?.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked because to her, it looked like Saint was trying his best not to break down in hot tears while squatting in the kitchen.

"Y-yes" Saint cleared his hoarse throat and said "yes", it sounded better, at least convincing but void of any emotions.

Caroline could see through him. She spent three years comforting Saint whenever Gabriel would yell at him for the tiniest things. Things that shouldn't warrant unnecessary screams directed at Saint.

Or, was it the night Saint slipped and fell on his ass while backing away from Gabriel who was throwing things around in the living room, thereby breaking Saint's favorite vase.

Saint got bruised on his upper arm that night and he thought crying in front of Gabriel would at least enable the man to show some decency and take care of him but Gabriel—the man walked away and left Saint to cater to his own wounds. At least, Caroline did help him.

Saint's friend, she's been away for a while and she hasn't been reachable so Saint has no one else to talk to, to vent to, except Caroline.

She understood him, she listened to his problems, she cuddled him to sleep whenever he cried longer than usual, she never judged Saint for acting so desperate for Gabriel's love and attention, she never belittled him whenever he continuously and shamelessly kept throwing himself at Gabriel like a bag of chips tossed and shared amongst friends.

She was his only alibi, that one person that genuinely cared about him.

His parents were more focused on rebuilding their food company and Saint didn't want to be a burden. He would hear the same thing, how he's a grownup and needs to fix his own problems by himself.

It wasn't a lie, he's not a child and nobody is going to come running to him to wipe his tears when he falls and scratches his knee on the marble floor.

No. He has to get up, wipe his knees clean, wipe his tears and stand strong because nobody would do any of that for him.

"Why don't you take a seat at the dining room?. I'll bring your breakfast dear, alongside theirs."

"You're serving him breakfast too? He should go eat at his place or is he homeless now?" Saint said bitterly, glancing at Oliver who's smiling like a fool at whatever Gabriel is telling him.

"Saint, be nice." Caroline said with a smile and the younger groaned but obeyed.

He loved and respected Caroline too much to disobey her words when he knew she meant no harm.

Saint settled down in the dining, his eyes never leaving his husband and Oliver even though he's trying his very best to ignore them, they're stupidly loud.

Caroline comes to the dining, dropping plates of freshly made coffee, three cups, plates of pancakes with blueberries on top and glazed with chocolate syrup then toast specifically for Saint.

Saint helps set the table but being the petty person that he is, he only makes his own side of the table look neat and he actually thought of spitting inside Oliver's drink.

He didn't though.

Caroline comes back again with a can of orange juice and three glass cups before making her way to the snuggled men on the couch in the living room and summoning them for breakfast.

Saint doesn't wait for them to settle around the table before he starts eating, digging his fork into the side of a pancake and popping into his mouth, his lower lip jutting out in a pout as usual.

"Gabriel, I have this new idea for my spring collection. Do you wanna hear it?" Oliver started in his soft voice and Saint couldn't help it, he rolled his eyes at the man.

Gabriel is going to say 'No' to him and then give a speech about how it isn't right to talk during breakfast.

He's done it to Saint before, he does it to him often and Gabriel doesn't care about his ideas for his cosmetics business. The man could care less.

"Sure, sweetheart."

Gabriel, really?.

He even called the guy 'sweetheart'?.

Saint frowns because the man is doing so much for this Oliver dude. Things he hasn't done for him and Gabriel detests talking during breakfast but he's willing to indulge in whatever Oliver has to say?

"Okay. So, I was thinking...."

Saint blanked out immediately he started hearing Oliver speak.

He can't take this anymore, it's too much.

There's so much that his fragile heart can take and unfortunately, his fragile heart has reached its limit for the day.

Saint picked up his plate of toast after he was done with his pancakes and then poured himself a cup of orange juice since he wasn't in the mood for caffeine in his system. He got up, causing the two men seated around the table to give him questionable looks.

"I'll finish my breakfast in my room. Caroline, thank you for the food." Saint said and his smile was only directed at Caroline who smiled back at him in return.

"Sit back down." Gabriel said in a stern tone and Saint knew better than to go against him and he sat back down, feeling painfully embarrassed when he heard Oliver snicker.

'I promise to strangle him when he's alone and I also want to cry. God, help me' Saint said to himself, more like in his mind and ate his toast sluggishly while his ears tried not to bleed from listening to Oliver talk so much.

"Let's take a trip down memory lane...." Saint snorts and Oliver turns to him, clearly offended for being interrupted and by a snort, from Saint.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It just sounded so stupid when you said, "let's take a trip down memory lane". I mean, who even uses that phrase anymore? It's the 21st century." Saint says to Oliver, sipping his orange juice while trying to contain his laughter.

"Ugh, for your information. Everyone uses it and it's heard often in teen comedy shows."

Saint snorts again, this time, louder. "So you're saying that you're improving your vocabulary by watching teenage comedy shows, okay, got it." Saint laughs a little, eating the last bit of his toast.

"You know I hate it when people talk during breakfast." Gabriel chimes in, earning a dirty look from Saint.

"Oh, I know that but Oliver has been talking non-stop for fifteen minutes or even more and you've been listening to him with a smile. You hate people talking then what is Oliver, a tree? Is he a non-living thing?"

"Saint, you're becoming such a brat."

"I've always been this way. You've just been too preoccupied with shoving your dick up someone else's ass to realize it sometimes. I'm going to my room and I'm taking my juice!" Saint finishes, and he really takes his juice with him and he stomps away.

Leaving Gabriel very dumbfounded and angry.

When Saint gets to his room, he shuts the door immediately and peeps through the door hole and he sees Gabriel approaching.

He runs into the bathroom to do what exactly, hide?.

Gabriel would still storm into the bathroom, if he was naked or not.

Saint steps out of the bathroom and stands in the middle of his room. The white painted walls look shinier than usual. He stares around the room, contemplating on hiding under the bed but Gabriel would drag him out.

He stares back at the door, then at his wardrobe. He could fit in there but Gabriel already saw him walk into his room, he can't hide from the man.

Gabriel might be a lot of things but he's not dumb.

Saint gives up and stares at the door, wondering what's taking him so long to badge into his room and then, the door flies open and Saint flinches at the sound of the door hitting the wall.

Gabriel stomps in, still shirtless.

'At least put on a shirt before you yell at me so I don't find the whole thing aggressively sexy' Saint once again says in his head.

He does that often.

Gabriel is angry, of course he is. He's always angry at Saint.

The man steps closer to Saint, towering over Saint's smaller size. His chest being the same height as Saint's head and even though Saint is obviously supposed to get his act together and wait for the yelling to descend on him, his eyes are stuck on Gabriel's dark, brown nipples.

The buds are exquisite to look at. They're stiff, flushed and perky and God help Saint because he wants to reach out and touch—just touch, a little and maybe twist one of the buds around his finger and patiently wait for the sound Gabriel's going to make.

He knows just how attractive Gabriel is. That was also another reason why he immediately said 'yes' to marrying him without thinking twice. He also knows he can't and will never stop being attracted to Gabriel no matter how the older man treats him.

His eyes drag lower to Gabriel's well defined abs. They're so beautiful to look at, so gorgeous to ogle at and Saint knows the man achieved such a gorgeous body while spending a long time in the gym. At least he knows Gabriel didn't get those sexy abs from starving and yes, a lot of people get abs from starving.

Saint is shameless to be honest. Gabriel is saying something but he doesn't care, he wants to just touch him. Maybe a little bit more than just what he's thinking. He just wants to touch and feel. He doesn't want to look anymore, he wants to focus on what Gabriel is saying but his eyes betray him anyways because he's now staring at the tiny hairs that trail down from Tyler's stomach and disappearing underneath his pants.

Saint wants to see what's down there. He wants to know if his hands are gonna fit around Gabriel's member, hell, he wants to know if Gabriel can fit in his mouth—

"Saint!!"

Saint jolts backwards at the sound of his name. He looks up at Gabriel and wipes his mouth just in case he drooled.

Gabriel seems angrier now, nose flaring up as his eyes stare down at Saint.

"Have you been listening to me?"

No, he hasn't.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Gabriel's exasperated sigh makes Saint more self conscious and ready to take whatever Gabriel unleashes on him.

"Why the hell did you disrespect my guest and also disrespect me in front of him?"

A guest? you've got to be joking, Gabriel.

"A guest? A guest you're fucking?" Saint inquires and Gabriel's eyebrows crease and he steps closer to Saint who doesn't make any attempt to back away from his husband's intimidating steps.

"What did you say?"

'Are you deaf?'

Saint doesn't say that though but he does say it, again, in his head.

"How long will you continue to treat me this way?. I understand that we really aren't obligated to touch each other since it's a contract marriage but it also states that we could, if we wanted to and I want to. I've been wanting for three years, I've been throwing myself at you like a desperate whore and you've always ignored me and then—then you bring some other guy that I'm even prettier than home and you sleep with him. I also found out that he's your casual fling, how do you think all that makes me feel?"

"Like a self absorbed brat!" Saint blinks, hurt. "You read the contract, probably read it everyday and it did say that we can indulge each other intimately if we wanted to but I'm not interested in doing anything with you and to you. Now, the next time that I bring someone home and you behave this way again, I'll send you back to your parents and you know I don't fuck around when I'm serious."

Saint lets his words settle deep down his stomach, churning at the feeling of his parents finding him in front of their house and then he tells them Gabriel tossed him back to them. They'll make him feel useless, more than he already does.

"Gabriel, did I do something wrong?" Saint asks, eyes fluttering with tears as he maintains his gaze on Gabriel who's showing no other emotion than pure anger and maybe...disgust?. "Tell me and I'll do something about it. It hurts to see you that way with someone else when the only thing I want is to be that way with you. What did I do wrong? Is there something you don't like about me? I-I'll change, I promise." His tears fall and he doesn't bother wiping them off even though they were making his vision blurry.

Saint steps close to fist his hand on Gabriel's sweatpants, looking up at the man and waiting for him to say something.

"Gabriel?" Saint calls in a small vulnerable voice, he just wants to hear at least one reason, what he's doing wrong but Gabriel never gives him anything.

"Don't leave your room till I ask you to." That's all Gabriel says, shoving Saint to the side and walking out of his room. Saint stands there, heart breaking even more and he hears the door lock twisting.

Gabriel locked him inside.