Chapter 6: The Confession

The East River stretched out before them like a black mirror, reflecting the scattered lights of Manhattan's skyline in fractured patterns that seemed to shift with every ripple of water. Leo had been walking for over an hour before he'd ended up here, at the small waterfront park tucked between the towering glass monuments of the Financial District. It was past ten on a Thursday night, and the space was nearly deserted except for the occasional jogger and the distant hum of traffic.

He'd chosen this spot deliberately when he'd finally texted James an hour ago. Away from Murphy's and its associations, away from the office and its watchful eyes, away from anywhere Vanessa might think to look for them. The message had been simple: East River Park, Pier 15. We need to finish this.

Leo heard footsteps on the wooden planks behind him but didn't turn around. He knew James's walk, had memorized the rhythm of it during countless trips to client meetings and coffee runs. But tonight, there was something different in his gait—a hesitancy that spoke of fear and uncertainty.

"You came," Leo said, still facing the water.

"You said we needed to finish this." James's voice was rough, like he'd been shouting or maybe just holding back words that wanted to escape. "I wasn't sure what that meant."

Leo finally turned around. James looked terrible—his hair disheveled, his shirt wrinkled, dark circles under his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights. There was something wild in his expression, something that reminded Leo of a cornered animal looking for an escape route.

"It means I'm tired of running," Leo said simply. "Tired of hiding. Tired of letting Vanessa Chen dictate our lives."

James moved closer, close enough that Leo could smell his cologne mixed with whiskey and desperation. "Leo, you don't understand what you're up against. Vanessa isn't just vindictive—she's connected. She has the ear of every partner in the firm. One word from her, and—"

"And what? I get fired?" Leo laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I've been thinking about that all week. About what I have to lose versus what I've already lost."

"What are you talking about?"

Leo gestured toward the glittering skyline. "You see all that? The job, the career, the careful life I've built? Three weeks ago, I thought it mattered. I thought it was enough. But then you kissed me, and suddenly I realized I'd been sleepwalking through my entire existence."

James's face went pale in the moonlight. "Leo—"

"Let me finish." The words came out sharper than Leo had intended, but he was past caring about tone. "I've spent three years being your wingman, watching you charm your way through life, telling myself I was content being invisible. But I wasn't content—I was just afraid. Afraid to want more, afraid to risk what little I had."

The silence stretched between them, broken only by the gentle lapping of water against the pier and the distant sound of a police siren somewhere in the maze of streets behind them. James was staring at him with something that looked like wonder mixed with terror.

"You changed that," Leo continued, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "You made me realize I'd rather fight for something real than settle for something safe. Even if it means losing everything."

"You could lose your job, your reputation—"

"I could lose you." The admission hung between them like a physical presence. "And that terrifies me more than anything Vanessa can threaten."

James took a step back, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're saying. The scandal, the whispers—they'll follow you everywhere. Other firms won't touch you. Your family—"

"My family will deal with it or they won't. Other firms..." Leo shrugged. "Maybe it's time I stopped playing it safe anyway. Maybe it's time I figured out who I am when I'm not trying to be invisible."

The words seemed to hit James like physical blows. He turned away, gripping the pier railing with white knuckles, staring out at the dark water as if it held answers.

"This is insane," he muttered. "We're talking about throwing away everything we've worked for."

"No," Leo said, moving to stand beside him. "You're talking about throwing away everything you've worked for. I'm talking about finally fighting for something that matters."

"And if we lose?"

Leo was quiet for a long moment, considering the question seriously. When he spoke, his voice was steady, certain in a way that surprised them both.

"Then we lose together. But at least we'll know we tried."

James's laugh was bitter, edged with something that sounded like hysteria. "You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple. Not easy, but simple." Leo turned to face him fully. "I love you, James."

The words hit the night air like a gunshot, sudden and irreversible. James went rigid, his breathing shallow, his knuckles white against the dark metal of the railing.

"Don't," he whispered.

"Don't what? Don't love you? Too late for that." Leo's heart was hammering against his ribs, but his voice remained steady. "Don't say it out loud? Why? Because it makes it real?"

"Because it makes it impossible to walk away."

Leo reached out, covering James's hand with his own. James flinched but didn't pull away, and Leo felt the fine tremor running through his fingers.

"Then don't walk away."

James finally turned to look at him, and Leo was shocked by the raw vulnerability in his expression. This wasn't the confident, charismatic James who commanded every room he entered. This was someone stripped bare, all his carefully constructed armor dissolved.

"I'm scared," James admitted, his voice breaking on the words. "I'm fucking terrified, Leo. I've never felt like this about anyone—man or woman. And the timing couldn't be worse."

"When would be a good time to fall in love?" Leo asked gently. "When there's nothing to lose? When it doesn't matter?"

James's breath caught. "Is that what this is? Love?"

Leo studied his face in the moonlight, memorizing every line, every shadow. "For me? Yeah. It is. I love your ambition and your kindness and the way you pretend not to care what people think when you actually care too much. I love that you remembered I take my coffee black and that you cleaned your apartment before our second night together. I love the way you look at me like I'm not invisible."

Tears were sliding down James's cheeks now, catching the light from the distant streetlamps. "Leo, I—"

"You don't have to say it back," Leo interrupted. "But I need you to know that I'm done hiding. I'm done pretending this doesn't matter. Tomorrow, I'm going to HR to file a complaint about Vanessa's harassment."

James's eyes went wide. "Leo, no. You can't—"

"I can and I will. She's been stalking us, threatening our careers based on nothing but suspicion and spite. That's not corporate politics—that's harassment."

"She has photos—"

"Of two adults having coffee and walking down a street. If that's grounds for termination, then Meridian has bigger problems than office gossip."

James was shaking his head frantically. "You're underestimating her. She'll destroy us both."

"Maybe. Or maybe she's been getting away with this shit for so long that nobody's ever called her on it." Leo stepped closer, close enough to see the gold flecks in James's blue eyes. "I can't make this choice for you, James. But I'm making it for me. I'd rather go down fighting than live in fear."

The silence stretched between them, heavy with possibility and terror. In the distance, a tugboat's horn echoed across the water, mournful and haunting.

"I could lose everything," James whispered.

"You could," Leo agreed. "Or you could gain something you never knew you wanted."

James closed his eyes, his breathing ragged. When he opened them again, something had shifted in his expression—a decision made, a line crossed.

"If I do this—if we do this—there's no going back."

Leo's heart leaped, but he kept his voice steady. "No going back."

"And if it all falls apart? If we lose our jobs, our reputations, everything?"

Leo smiled, the first genuine smile he'd felt in days. "Then we'll figure out what comes next. Together."

James stared at him for a long moment, as if memorizing his face. Then, slowly, deliberately, he leaned forward and kissed him.

It was different from their previous kisses—not desperate or hidden, but open, honest, a declaration made under the vast night sky with the city as their witness. When they broke apart, James's eyes were bright with unshed tears and something that looked like hope.

"I love you too," he whispered against Leo's lips. "God help me, I love you too."

Leo felt something tight in his chest finally unravel, like a knot he'd been carrying for years suddenly coming loose. "So what happens now?"

James straightened, and Leo could see the confident man he knew reasserting himself, but with a new purpose, a new determination.

"Now we stop running," James said. "And we find out just how dirty Vanessa's willing to fight."

As they walked back toward the street together, no longer hiding their connection, Leo felt a strange sense of peace settle over him. Tomorrow would bring challenges, confrontations, possibly the end of everything they'd built professionally. But tonight, standing by the dark river with James's hand warm in his, Leo finally understood what it meant to fight for love.

The city never slept, and neither would their determination to protect what they'd found together.