Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190: ’Almost There’

Heinz exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his gaze fixed ahead, though his eyes betrayed him, drifting downward to the figure sitting in front of him.

Florian was silent now, his usual sharp tongue momentarily subdued by the vastness of the sky around them. His hands were loosely gripping the saddle, his posture finally less rigid than before. But Heinz was not at ease.

’He still doesn’t remember.’

He had tested Florian in subtle ways—throwaway remarks, veiled provocations, even deliberately drawing too close at times. And yet, not once had there been a flicker of recollection in those green eyes. Florian had no idea. No memory of what had transpired between them.

But Heinz did.

He clenched his jaw, swallowing down the unwelcome heat that threatened to rise again. It was ridiculous—unthinkable, even—that he should be so affected by something that had meant nothing. Nothing.

And yet, it haunted him.

The feeling of soft, warm skin yielding beneath his hands. The sound of breathless, helpless noises. The way Florian had trembled—

Heinz shut his eyes for a brief moment, forcing himself to exhale slowly, deliberately. It was a passing memory, nothing more. An act of convenience, not indulgence. There had been no feeling behind it, no desire. He had only done what was necessary.

That should have been the end of it.

And yet—

His grip on the reins tightened. His body knew better than his mind, reacting against his will. The proof of it had been far too evident when Florian had—completely by accident—touched him earlier.

A mistake.

A brief moment, nothing more.

And yet, he had almost felt it. The slow unraveling of his control, the insidious heat curling at the edges of his restraint.

He despised it. Despised how his body reacted despite his will. Despised the faint, irrational disappointment that Florian had forgotten.

Why? Why should he care?

Heinz’s pride bristled at the mere thought. He was a king. A ruler of iron and fire. He had no time for these...these frivolous distractions.

But something had changed.

He had changed.

He had grown used to Florian’s presence, his sharp remarks, his unexpected wit. At times, he even enjoyed teasing him, watching him fumble and fluster under his words. He liked seeing him react. Liked watching him squirm, whether in frustration or embarrassment or—

He stopped himself there.

Enough.

He would not entertain such thoughts. Not about him.

Heinz exhaled sharply, forcing his mind back to the present, back to the feeling of the wind against his skin and the steady beat of Azure’s wings beneath them. He glanced down at Florian once more, willing himself to feel nothing, to push away the thoughts clawing at the edges of his mind.

"This is just a natural body reaction," he muttered to himself under his breath. "Florian has an attractive face despite being a man. It means nothing."

It had to mean nothing.

"Are we close?"

The sudden voice jolted him, snapping him from his downward spiral. He straightened, blinking, and found Florian glancing back at him, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

Heinz hesitated. The question had caught him off guard, not because it was unreasonable, but because Florian had asked it so...casually. As if nothing had changed.

He turned his gaze forward once more, but his mind remained clouded. He had gotten too close. Closer than he should have. It was only in hindsight that he realized how accustomed he had become to Florian’s presence, to the sound of his voice, to the unguarded moments when he wasn’t trying to be sharp-tongued or clever.

But the memories still lingered. The old Florian. Clinging to him, weeping, begging. Pathetic. Heinz had despised it.

He had despised him.

"I am your wife! I... am your wife! She is only your concubine, yet you spend most of your time with her!" A woman’s voice rang out, shrill and broken, thick with betrayal. Tears streaked her face, but her fury burned hotter than her grief.