Sentiment Check

Fields, groves, and small villages kept flashing outside the window. One could stare out the window endlessly and avoid personal conversations.

But in the end, Liam felt that if he didn't look at Cal at least once, he would die on the spot, and his soul would crack like dry earth without moisture.

Looking first out the window, then at the seat, he smoothly shifted his gaze to Cal. "Oh, I'm screwed!" Liam chided himself as he looked at the man, and looked away ashamed.

How many times Cal had surreptitiously looked at Liam, he would never know. He was good at the spy part, past, and present.

All the more reason for him to be at a disadvantage. For some time now he had not been able to think of Glinier calmly. Having once experienced the amazement of seeing Liam melt in his arms and let out indecent moans, he lost peace forever.

If he wouldn't make this man his own, then why even live?

Besides, Cal clearly remembered that Liam hadn't made a big deal out of it and hadn't threatened to kill him after what he'd done. Cal was clearly out of line and ready to be punished.

But why didn't Liam do anything?

By all accounts, it was clear that Liam, as usual, blamed himself alone for everything that had happened, and bore the burden of shame and responsibility alone.

Cal decided to keep Liam away from social events. The Count's action shocked him and awakened in him a strange, mixed feeling of possessiveness and a desire to patronize Glinier.

They did not see each other for nearly a week upon their arrival. Liam was absorbed in administrative work, and Cal had production issues to deal with. Studying the changes in the fabric market, he concluded that it was time to build a large weaving mill on the outskirts of town.

This was an inconvenience because the city had long been walled in with a high wall. This made the city safer, but it also limited its growth. Tearing down part of the wall and expanding the city was what Cal was thinking as he looked at the map.

Surprisingly, Liam took the suggestion of rebuilding calmly and then invited Cal for a walk. They took a very familiar route, past the Bread Market to the river. This was where Liam was meeting his fiancée.

Cal banished the unkind memories and focused on Liam. After stopping at the bank, they were quiet for a while, and then Liam pointed to the opposite bank.

"Look there," he said, pointing to a small forest on the opposite side, "it's only accessible by water. But if you build a bridge, there's plenty of building material, and there's plenty of lands there for your factory."

Cal said:

"The factory would still be under the protection of the city wall, and its distance from the residential area would reduce the discomfort of residents who complain about the noise of the machines."

Cal looked stunned. He looked at Liam in awe. "Boy, what a smart guy that is!" he thought, and held out his hand in agreement. After the handshake, both were satisfied with themselves and each other went off to lunch.

Liam took notes as they talked, intending to get on with the project as soon as possible. Cal offered to help with hiring construction workers and left town in the afternoon. When he returned by nightfall, he was perfectly satisfied and sent Liam a note.

The man was just calculating how many barracks spaces needed to be vacated when he learned from the letter that three dozen men would be arriving as early as next week.

Early in the morning, Liam busied himself preparing for accommodations. He had to move some of the factory workers into the back rooms of the castle, which they were glad of since they didn't have to make the long commute to work. In addition, Liam hired two more cooks and placed a large grocery order with a local farm.

As he moved about town and dealt with various matters, he ran into Cal. An unknown man was walking beside him. Liam bit his lip and stopped.

"Monsieur Glinier, may I introduce you to Monsieur Morel, the right hand of the famous French architect.

Liam immediately overcame his stupor.

"A pleasure, Liam Glinier."

After a warm greeting, the men went to Cal's apartment to discuss the bridge project. As luck would have it, Mr. Morel was traveling near *** town and Cal met him while hiring laborers to build the bridge. A common interest brought the new acquaintances together in the living room of the house.

"Bridge construction has been failing lately due to miscalculations and attempts to outrun the competition," the guest got right to the point.

Cal ordered tea and light refreshments to be served.

"In that case, give us advice on how to build a bridge that can be both transport and pedestrian," Liam was fascinated by the subject and didn't even touch his food.

"I can tell you that everyone is leaning toward building cable-stayed bridges right now, and if you're going to build a wide bridge, there are other working solutions besides a cable-stayed bridge. I'll show you the drawings later," Morel replied.

"I suggest that tomorrow morning we examine the river; perhaps, having seen the natural landscape, you will be able to give more extended recommendations," suggested Cal.

Far after midnight, the men went to bed having decided to study the river the next day and find the most suitable bottleneck for building. After surveying the area, Mr. Morel began the project. It was decided to build a wide capital bridge that would be divided into a freight side and a pedestrian side.

After that, each of the participants immersed themselves in their concerns. Cal went away to settle the matter with the architect for his factory and did not return for nearly two weeks. During this time the area on the other side of the river was almost completely cleared for the construction site.

On the day construction of the bridge began, almost the entire town came to the river. The weather was windy, and the beginning of spring was not very affectionate. The priest performed a ceremony and blessed the builders.

By evening Cal returned and came ashore at once. After assessing the work he had done, he went looking for Liam. He had brought him a gift from his trip" a new suit.

The man stared at the present in surprise.

"Frankly, I could use a workman's uniform more," he said, "All I do all day is get my clothes dirty.

Cal smiled indulgently. He secretly wished he could teach Liam to be more social, to take better care of himself.

"But you won't live like that forever, will you?

"Well, yes," Liam agreed uncertainly.

He finished drinking the tea Cal had made for him and closed his eyes. The fatigue of a long day made him doze off unnoticed. He hadn't touched the ground in the last few days" constantly working, pushing the others along. But that left him with no feeling in his legs and arms. Warmed in the warm room, he quickly fell asleep like a baby...

His measured breathing, serene appearance, and trustfulness caught Cal's attention. He took advantage of the moment to crouch down across the room and glance greedily over his face.

With the slight frown on his forehead and the sad line at his mouth, the shallow breathing, Cal froze, listening to his heartbeat. It was slowly filling with tenderness.

While Liam was awake, he would be stiff and nervous, and stubborn. It seemed impossible to tame him.

But watching him sleep on his couch, caught off guard by fatigue, trusting himself to someone else's will-all made Cal's curiosity grow and overwhelm him. He wanted to take Liam in his arms and hold him like that all night, adjusting the blanket or warding off disturbing dreams.

"Why do you wear yourself out like this, like everything is hanging on you alone? Isn't it better to entrust others with your affairs and just manage?" Cal asked the sleeping man. Throwing a light blanket over him, the man returned to his desk and continued working on the plan for the factory.

The bridge was finished in mid-fall. At the same time, construction of the factory began, and thanks to unlimited finances, the doors of the weaving shop opened early in the spring.

Mr. Liam Glinier and the textile mill director cut the red ribbon and announced a new era for the town ***.

A communal dinner was held in the square to celebrate the occasion. The first warmth of spring lured adults and children to the streets. Earlier cherry blossoms drowned the town in the fragrant scent. The festivities lasted until late into the night and ended with fireworks.

Surrounded by festively dressed guests and townspeople, Cal shone brightest of all. He was naturally gifted in appearance, aura, and nobility.

People clung to him wherever he went. For some time, therefore, he could not approach Mr. Glinier.

Taking advantage of the musicians' performance, Cal made his way through the crowd and stopped beside Liam. The young man was on the verge of dying of happiness.

Liam looked around at the festivities and the happy townspeople and was ready to cry. Cal tugged at his sleeve.

"What happened, Mr. Glinier?"

"It's... I'm just happy."

"Hmm?"

"The city has changed so much, the people are no longer starving, they're not in any danger..."

Cal closed his eyes and turned slightly away to hide a smile.

"Aren't you tired? Shall we go for a walk?" Cal asked, wanting to spend more time with Liam.

"Let's sneak out," Liam replied, "To be honest I'm a little tired of the noise."

The party was in the town square, and Cal and Liam went to the bridge.

Somebody had carefully lit the lamps, and the soft light fell on the gray stones. Liam leaned on the railing and bent over, gazing down at the rushing streams of water.

"Would you like to go to the factory?" Cal asked him, clearly as proud of his child as Liam was of his.

"Come," the man agreed and stepped away from the railing.

The factory hadn't started up yet. Cal had purchased the newest and most efficient machines. Among them was Cartwright's invention. This machine could easily replace the work of forty workers. In addition, Xavier, following the general trend, decided to use steam engines.

It so happened that coal mining was booming in the Liège area, and the fabricator took this chance to get away from the water engine. He now had about thirty steam engines operating in his factories.

He had an amazing instinct for change, and he automatically adjusted, capitalizing on the progress each time.

Liam never aspired to riches. He barely had enough money for one month of his life. He simply lived from day to day and was happy with the little he had. The scale Cal operated on delighted him to the point of awe.

Standing on the observation deck next to this handsome and powerful man, Liam felt deeply his weakness and limitation. He was fortunate that, despite this difference, Cal had included him in his social circle. Certainly, he was honored.

Liam held onto the handrail and gazed admiringly at the huge hall lined with cars. Cal put his palm next to his and slowly led his hand toward Liam. Almost touching it, he hesitated, but then he did.

His hand "inadvertently" touched Liam's. They both froze. Cal was testing Liam if now he would remove his hand or pull it away sharply...

"One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten..." Cal kept counting, feeling the heat in his fingers.

Liam was terrified. Even more so than when the burglars showed up in his room and more so than when his fiancée tried to kill him. His head went numb. He realized that Cal had touched him, but he didn't know what it meant. Did he accidentally put his hand like that and not notice? Then why wouldn't he take his hand away?

"And why don't you take your hand away, since you're so proper?"е he sneered to himself. "You're so pathetic," he repeated to himself and lowered his head. And looking at the two hands lying beside him.

His heart jumped up and down with a resounding thud, leaving a tugging pain inside. He stared at Cal's palm without ceasing, enchanted by the beautiful feeling that settled within him from one touch.

While Liam prayed that this moment would last forever, Cal grew tired of counting. He wanted to try something else, even if it wasn't an overt display of feeling, but...

Liam carefully concealed his annoyance as Cal stepped away from the rail. It seemed to Liam that his abandoned hand was orphaned and covered in frost.

Cal walked slowly toward him, and when he was almost past him suddenly reached out and, leaning on Liam's shoulder, pointed to a few sparse looms. As a result, he was right behind him. Taking a small step forward, he almost rested his chest against it.

Using his taller stature, he leaned against the railing again, trapping Liam in a vise. Liam took hold of the railing because he felt dizzy. "Why is he so promiscuous? He could be spending time with anyone, and he's wasting it on me..."

Cal fell silent and moved his hands closer together, warming Liam's back with his body, inhaling his scent lightly. Liam began to shiver finely, but he didn't run away or yelp...

He felt like this was the happiest day of his life. Meanwhile, Cal was melting in his crucible of feelings. Tilting his head, he rested it on Liam's shoulder and whispered:

"Tired today?"

"Nah, it's a happy day," Liam said without realizing he was speaking double-speak.

"Mmmm?" Cal turned his face to him in surprise and noticed a tiny mole on his earlobe.