~ Switching Back Third POV~

The next morning, Matteo woke up first. He was sitting up in bed, working quietly on his laptop while Adrian slept peacefully beside him. The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by the buzzing of Adrian’s phone on the nightstand.

Matteo glanced over and saw the name "Granny" flashing across the screen. Looking back at his partner, who was still deeply asleep, Matteo decided not to disturb him. He let the phone ring out until the screen went dark.

A few seconds later, the phone began to ring again. Still, Matteo chose to let him rest.

When the phone rang for a third time, a different caller name appeared on the screen: "Mother-in-Law."

Matteo stared at the name, a subtle shift in his expression as he debated whether he should wake him this time. Before he could decide, the persistent ringing caused Adrian to stir. Half-asleep, Adrian reached out blindly and mumbled for Matteo to hand him the phone.

The moment Adrian blinked his eyes open and saw who was calling, all the sleep vanished from his face. He instantly sat up straight in bed and cleared his throat before sliding the screen to answer.

"Adrian, I have been trying to reach you and you aren’t picking up," a stern woman’s voice came through the speaker.

"I’m so sorry, ma," Adrian apologized quickly, rubbing his eyes. "I was just waking up."

"It’s fine," she replied, her tone softening slightly. "The reason I’m calling is to let you know that you need to come over this weekend. We’re holding a prayer service for Elena, and the whole family will be there. Elena’s father specifically said he wants you to attend."

She paused before continuing.

"To us, you’ll always be Elena’s husband, even though she’s gone."

Adrian’s expression turned somber. "I understand, Ma. I will be there."

"Alright. One more thing—call Grandma back," she instructed. "She keeps complaining that you never call or visit her anymore. Reach out and talk to her."

"I’ll do that immediately after we hang up," Adrian promised, trying to smooth things over. "Work has just been incredibly overwhelming lately, which is why I’ve been falling behind on my calls."

"Fine, just make sure you reach out to her and explain yourself," Elena’s mother said.

After a few more brief words, the call finally ended.

Adrian immediately checked his call log and saw the missed notifications from his late wife’s grandmother. Needing a bit of privacy to handle the emotional call, he quickly excused himself from the bed and stepped out of the bedroom.

The conversation took a while, leaving Matteo alone with his thoughts. When Adrian finally stepped back into the room, Matteo raised his head from his laptop, watching his partner’s subdued demeanor.

Before Matteo could even ask if everything was alright, Adrian crawled across the bed toward him.

Sensing that Adrian needed comfort, Matteo set his laptop aside on the nightstand.

The moment it was out of the way, Adrian climbed onto his lap, straddling his thighs.

A soft smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around Matteo’s neck.

"Good morning, baby."

Matteo’s arms wrapped around his waist automatically. "Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"

Adrian nodded and leaned forward to press a tender kiss to Matteo’s forehead before settling properly on his lap.

Knowing he needed to explain the phone calls, he didn’t wait for Matteo to ask.

"That was Elena’s mother and grandmother."

Matteo offered a quiet, respectful nod. "Okay."

"They’re calling because of Elena," Adrian explained softly, his gaze dropping to Matteo’s chest. "They’re holding a family memorial service for her, and they want me there to honor her memory."

He paused briefly. "So I’ll be traveling this Friday. I should be back by Sunday, or Monday at the latest."

Matteo’s body stiffened slightly. He stared at Adrian for a moment, as if waiting for him to realize what he had just said.

"Monday is my birthday, Adrian," he said slowly. "And Friday is the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, baby, you’re right. I know," Adrian said quickly, sensing the tension. "I’ll do my absolute best to be back by Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Trust me."

Matteo was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Can I come with you?" he asked quietly. "I can stay in a hotel nearby. You won’t even know I’m there. I just..." He sighed. "I don’t like being away from you."

"No, not right now," Adrian replied, his voice laced with anxiety. "Any of her family members could see us together, and I don’t want them finding out about us yet."

Trying to explain himself, Adrian searched for the right words, but they came out all wrong.

"You know the kind of person you are..."

Matteo’s expression changed instantly. The warmth drained from his face, and his dark eyes narrowed.

"What kind of person am I?"

Adrian froze, his confidence faltering under the weight of Matteo’s gaze. "I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want—"

Matteo scoffed and shook his head, a cold wall rising between them. "It’s fine," he cut in flatly. He looked away for a moment before adding, "I’ll wait until you’re back. Let’s get cleaned up and go have breakfast."

Adrian desperately tried to rephrase his words, searching for a way to explain himself without damaging Matteo’s pride or hurting his feelings.

But Matteo wasn’t interested in hearing it.

He knew his own temper, and if they continued discussing the reasons why Adrian didn’t want to be seen with him, he was going to lose his patience.

"Stand up," Matteo said quietly, gesturing for Adrian to get off his lap.

Adrian refused to budge. He could feel that Matteo had entirely misunderstood his intent, and the thought of leaving a rift between them made him ache. "I’m sorry," Adrian whispered genuinely, burying his face in Matteo’s neck. "I don’t know the best way to explain it to you, but I’m so sorry if I said anything to hurt your feelings."

Hearing the raw sincerity in Adrian’s apology, Matteo’s rigid shoulders relaxed slightly. He decided to let the matter go rather than allow it to ruin their morning.

"It’s fine, baby," Matteo murmured, giving Adrian’s waist a reassuring squeeze. "We both have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get some breakfast so we can get ready for the office."

Adrian managed a small, relieved smile. "Alright, babe."

With the tension successfully defused, they both finally got out of bed to start their day.

Meanwhile, back to Mark and Charles’ side.

Mark woke up very early, propping himself up on one elbow as he quietly watched Charles sleep. After a while, Charles stirred awake.

The moment he blinked his eyes open and saw Mark staring down at him with so much warmth, a soft smile tugged at his lips. He rolled closer, tucking himself comfortably under Mark’s arm. "Good morning, honey."

Mark leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to his lips. "Good morning, pretty. Did you sleep well?"

Charles nodded against his chest. "Yes, baby. What about you?"

"I did," Mark murmured, pulling him a little tighter. "Because my angel is right next to me."

Charles beamed, looking up at him. Mark stretched his legs out, fully wrapping his arms around Charles as he spoke. "Baby, next week Monday is my birthday."

"I know," Charles replied, resting a hand on Mark’s chest. "What gift do you want from me?"

Mark smiled. "You, you, you, and you. Over and over again."

Charles chuckled, nudging him gently. "Honey, seriously, tell me what you want."

"I don’t want anything other than you," Mark said, his voice turning earnest. "I’m serious."

Charles looked into his eyes, his expression softening completely. "Then you can have me all you want."

Mark’s smile widened. He reached out and playfully tapped the tip of Charles’ nose before leaning in to steal another kiss. But just before their lips could meet, the sudden buzz of Charles’ phone shattered the quiet moment.

Charles instantly wanted to ignore it. He didn’t want this rare, peaceful morning between them to end so abruptly.

Seeing the reluctance, Mark brushed a thumb over his cheek. "Sweetheart, check your phone. It might be from work."

"Okay, baby," Charles sighed. He turned toward the nightstand and picked up the device. The moment his eyes hit the screen, his heart dropped.

Daniel.

Charles froze.

He knew the peaceful morning was officially ruined. If Mark found out who was on the other end of the line, it would cause a massive problem. Staring down at the flashing name, Charles was paralyzed with indecision.

He didn’t know whether to answer or not; if he ignored it, Mark would definitely ask questions, but if he picked up, the consequences could be even worse.

Before he could make a decision, the call timed out.

A second later, the phone started ringing again, the vibration rattling loudly against the wooden nightstand.

Mark noticed the hesitation immediately. His brows furrowed as he glanced at the phone, but the screen was out of view. He looked back at his partner.

"Who is that calling?" he asked.

A sudden wave of panic washed over Charles, his grip tightening on the phone as he looked back at Mark...