Zak's Pov:

For some reason, Sapnap's words stuck to me a bit. He gave out so many possible scenarios that- could have some chance at happening. Because, if I'm being honest, even though Darryl claims that he loves me... is it truly genuine? I've been so caught up in my own feelings lately to even consider that question. Because, as much as I want to believe that Darryl loves me like how I love him, at the end of the day, I don't even know why he loves me so much. He's claimed it so many times, but when I think about it, he's never given a proper reason why.

If he does love me, is that love really strong enough for him to choose me over The Demons? Because, believe it or not, there have been multiple agents before who have been known to literally betray or abandon their loved ones, whether it be friends, family, lovers, or even children, just because of their loyalty, determination, or even fear to their agencies and work life. Some agents are so determined to bring a change to the world, whether it be good or bad, that they're willing to sacrifice their loved ones for it. Who knows if Darryl may be one of those kinds of people.

So, he may genuinely love me but still be willing to hurt me for the sake of the agency. I don't know for certain, but it all comes back to the question of what he even sees in me. Because all I can see is a pathetic, depressing, worthless, useless piece of sh*t. I want to know all the details and the full extent of Darryl's love for me. Maybe then it may bring some peace to not only my mind but also my heart.

All of these thoughts are swirling my head as I'm sitting here on my couch with Darryl sitting right next to me as we watch a movie in silence. I keep spacing out. I don't even know what's going on in the movie at this point. Darryl seems to notice my lack of attention on the screen because he reaches out for the remote and pauses the movie, making me snap out of my thoughts instantly. I look at him and ask, "Why did you pause the movie?"

"Because you weren't even paying attention to it. Is there something on your mind, or do you just not find the movie interesting enough for you?"

We keep eye contact for a moment in silence, as I think. Should I ask? It's kind of a weird question to ask out of the blue, but there's no reason that I shouldn't ask, right? I mean- he should be okay with it. He is my boyfriend, after all. My gaze falls onto the floor. After a moment of consideration, I ask, "What do you like about me?"

Darryl seems stunned for a moment, unable to speak as it seems like the cogs are still turning in his head, trying to comprehend what I just asked. He then slowly says, "...Why are you asking that?"

I lift up my head a bit to glance at him and say, "What? Am I not allowed to be curious?"

"N-no! It's not that! It's just... I never expected you of all people to ask that."

"...What does that mean?"

"I guess I just don't understand why you feel the need to ask that. I mean- what is there not to like about you?"

Everything. I just dodge the question by saying, "Well- even so, I still have no idea what you think about me. I don't know what you like or dislike about me. I don't know how or why you even started to have a crush on me, much less fall for me. I know you love me, but I just don't understand why. Did you just start liking me because of how well our hookup went, or just because of how attractive I was? You were the first to lay eyes on me that night. What made me catch your attention that night? Just- so many different thoughts and questions run through my head because I literally have no clue why you even wanted to hang out with me or date me."

Darryl stays quiet for a moment of consideration before grabbing my hands and running his thumbs soothingly over my knuckles. He then says in a gentle, yet serious tone, "Zak, look at me."

I hesitate for a moment before lifting up my head to a slight surprise of a sincere look on Darryl's face. He then says, "Zak... I will admit that on that night, you caught my attention because I honestly thought that you were the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. I still believe that to be true. I didn't understand it at first myself, and even though I did feel chemistry between us on our hookup, I now know that I started being interested in you not because of your attractiveness or because of how good you were in bed- but because when I woke up after that night, I could already grasp on a good quality that you have. I found out quite quickly that you were a thoughtful person. Wanna know why? Even though it may not seem like a lot, when you left me that note, it touched my heart a bit. Because regularly, others just leave behind their hookup without another word the moment they wake up and basically abandon them like they were nothing. And even though you did leave, that note you left let me know that you weren't throwing me away like nothing, and I appreciate that. That somehow gave me enough reason to believe that you were a good person. And I was right."

The whole time, he is making direct eye contact with me. So, this all really started because I left a note? Darryl continues, "I quickly started to have a crush on you as I spent more time with you. At first, I didn't know what I was feeling. But you helped open my eyes that day at the lake when I saw your oh, so beautiful, wonderful smile. I could never forget it. The moment of pure joy on your face was unforgettable, and while I didn't know this back then, I now know that at that moment, you were displaying your true colors. Letting the real, wonderful, you slip out. It entranced me, and I understood everything perfectly at that moment. I might just have fallen right then and there with just that simple look because all I could think about was how I wanted to make you smile like that more often. And I have. I saw that same smile on you when you willingly kissed me on the day we started dating, and lately, I have seen that smile on other occasions. Perhaps not as big or noticeable as the first two as they have been quite small, but they were definitely just as bright. There seem to be hidden depths to you that I want to discover, and the more I learn about you and experience these different versions of yourself, the more I start to uncover them, really learning about you, and deeper I seem to fall."

Blush starts to rise on my face at his words. Darryl leans in closer to me with a look that can be described as 'having hearts in your eyes' along with a soft smile tugging his lips. He then finished off with, "What I'm trying to say is, even though I at first met the man I hooked up with at the club, and started liking and crushing on different versions of yourself that I got to know multiple times, in reality, I ended up falling in love with the one and only Zak Ahmed. The real, amazing you. I love absolutely everything about you, and I fall even deeper when I learn more things about the real, wonderful you because you are absolutely perfect just the way you are. So don't hide yourself from me, reveal your hidden depths, because I won't judge you. I swear on everything that I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart for being you."

My breath hitches at his words, and I just know that my face is red. A tear rolls down my face as I choke out a sob with the best, genuine smile I can muster and say, "Thank you... I- really appreciate that."

Darryl's smile grows wider as he swiped my tear away with his thumb and says, "Anything for you."

He then closes the gap between us as he places his lips fervently onto mine. I kiss back with just as much passion. He pulls me closer by wrapping his arms around my waist while I wrap mine around his neck. I notice how lovingly his hands feel on my back as his lips feel on mine. There's a sense of protectiveness and care in his hold on me. It's when it dawns on me just how much I may have underestimated this man's love for me. How could I have ever doubted that he truly loved me? With the amount of love that he has for me, it would be impossible for him to betray me. And I don't just think that, I know it's a fact.