Chapter 49: Teach Me How to Love You

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Teach Me How to Love You

"That’s not enough. It’s not about money, Elisha. I already have more than enough. If you really want me to be your boyfriend, then make me feel special."

Elisha stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "Then tell me. What do I have to do?"

Henry let out an exasperated breath, his hands resting lightly on Elisha’s chest as he looked up at him. "Elisha, can you please stop asking me what you have to do? If I have to spell it out for you, how is it going to be special when you finally do it?"

Elisha frowned slightly. "But I don’t know what you want."

"Figure it out on your own," Henry said, shaking his head. "It’s not about buying things, Elisha. It’s about putting thought into doing something genuinely special."

Elisha’s eyes lit up as inspiration suddenly struck. "Right! Like planning an amazing date, right?"

Henry rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever. Let’s just eat our breakfast."

Elisha refused to let it go. "Wait, what if I buy you another luxury car? Or a new house?"

Henry rolled his eyes again and let out a tired sigh. "That’s not what I want at all."

"Then what do you want?" Elisha persisted.

"I want you to be quiet so I can eat my damn breakfast," Henry retorted, though the corners of his lips twitched with amusement.

"Alright, alright," Elisha chuckled, backing off slightly. "We can talk about it more after we finish eating."

Unbelievable, Henry thought with an internal groan. A simple romantic gesture, and his brain completely fails to come up with one on his own. If I have to spell everything out for him, how am I ever supposed to be surprised? At this rate, I might end up planning it myself, or we’ll grow old without making any real progress.

Henry let out a quiet, defeated sigh and sat down at the table, while Elisha took the seat beside him with a happy smile on his face.

What a fool, Henry thought, rolling his eyes.

Just then, the maid approached the table and served their warm breakfast dishes before quietly stepping away. The two of them settled in and began eating, enjoying the quiet comfort of the morning.

After they finished breakfast, Henry stood up from the table without a word and headed toward the staircase. Elisha immediately stood and followed him.

They walked up the stairs together. Elisha glanced at Henry, noticing that he had suddenly become quiet. He wondered what was on Henry’s mind but decided not to ask.

When they entered Henry’s bedroom, Henry went straight to the closet and picked out a fresh change of clothes.

"I’m going to take a shower," he said softly.

"Alright," Elisha murmured.

He watched Henry walked into the adjoining bathroom before the door clicked shut.

Left alone in the bedroom, Elisha frowned. He replayed their conversation from breakfast, the way Henry had refused to tell him exactly what he needed to do. He wasn’t going to sit around and risk getting it wrong again.

Elisha pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and opened a search browser. He quickly typed:

How to make someone feel special before asking them to be your boyfriend

He scrolled through the results, skimming past the generic advice until a few suggestions caught his attention: handwritten notes, recreating a meaningful memory, making a personalized playlist, or planning a simple, intimate moment centered around the person rather than expensive gifts.

Elisha bit his lower lip. He had always relied on money and grand gestures, but maybe that wasn’t what Henry wanted.

He cleared the search bar and typed another question:

Special ways to ask someone to be your boyfriend.

He read through a few blog posts and relationship guides, taking mental notes.

By the time the sound of running water stopped, Elisha had already come up with a few ideas. He locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

A moment later, the bathroom door clicked open, and Henry stepped into the bedroom with a towel draped loosely around his neck as he dried his damp hair. He glanced up and noticed Elisha still sitting on the edge of the bed.

Henry frowned, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "You’re still here? Don’t you have work to do at your office?"

Elisha caught the frustration in his voice, but instead of getting defensive, he remained calm and slowly stood. "I was waiting for you."

"For what?" Henry snapped, turning away as he pulled the towel from around his neck and tossed it aside.

"To have a word with you."

"Just leave, Elisha. I want to sleep," Henry said dismissively as he walked toward the bed.

Elisha stared at him for a moment, his patience finally wearing thin. He stepped forward, his voice firm but controlled.

"Don’t talk to me like that. Don’t treat me like I’m just your childhood best friend, Henry. Talk to me like your boyfriend—or at least your boyfriend-to-be."

Henry stopped and turned back, staring at him in surprise.

"I know you’re frustrated because I don’t instinctively know how to make you feel special," Elisha continued, his voice steady but vulnerable. "I admit it. I’m clueless when it comes to relationships. But you aren’t exactly making me feel special either. The moment something goes wrong, you snap at me, get angry, and try to chase me out of the room."

He gestured between them, his eyes searching Henry’s face. "If we want this to work, shouldn’t we stop acting like we’re still hiding behind our friendship? I’ve accepted that I don’t know much about relationships, but you’re truly special to me, and I want to do everything I can to make you happy. So why can’t you just give me a hint? Why turn it into a guessing game when I genuinely don’t know what to do?"

Henry opened his mouth to respond, but Elisha continued, his voice softening.

"If I do something wrong, talk to me about it. We can sit down and work through it like adults. Why shout at me? Why try to chase me away? Treating me like a nuisance doesn’t make me feel special, yet you expect me to somehow figure out how to spoil you."

He took a slow breath. "I know I was dense this morning, and I’m sorry. But I’m still learning how to navigate this. Why can’t you just tell me what you need so I can love you the way you want to be loved?"

Henry opened his mouth to respond, but Elisha continued before he could say anything.

"I was so happy downstairs. My mother finally gave me the chance to be honest with her, and she accepted me. For the first time, I felt like everything was going to be okay. So why can’t the person I love understand me too? Why can’t you just talk to me instead of telling me to figure everything out on my own?"

Henry took a step toward him.

Elisha took a slow breath, his eyes shining with emotion. "I would do anything in this world to show you that I truly care about you. I love you, Henry. So please... be gentle with me when you’re angry. You always say I cry easily, but I’m not as strong as you think, especially when I know I’m wrong and feel completely helpless about how to fix things."

Silence filled the room.

Henry stood still, Elisha’s words sinking in. The anger he had been holding onto slowly faded, replaced by guilt. He realized he had been unfair. He wanted Elisha to make him feel special, yet he had responded with impatience whenever Elisha struggled to understand what he needed.

Without saying a word, Henry crossed the remaining distance between them and wrapped his arms tightly around Elisha’s waist, burying his face against his chest.

"I’m sorry," Henry whispered, his voice cracking. "I was just frustrated, and somehow, I took it out on you. I’m really sorry for acting that way."

Elisha let out a shaky breath, the tension leaving his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around Henry and rested his chin gently on his head.

"It’s okay," Elisha murmured. "Just... talk to me next time."

"I will," Henry promised, pulling back...