He couldn’t fathom why he felt so strongly about Tally’s fantasy. But the very idea that someone would be so stupid and throw everything away like that was galling. He could imagine how it would feel to know that you had made the ultimate sacrifice to save your lover, and they had thrown it all away.
“Umm. It’s the point of the thing!” was all he could think of to say.
The sadness in Tally’s eyes was unbearable. But the young man still gave a gentle smile.
“So, you stopped the Romans?” Sam asked, hoping to distract Tally from his sadness by getting him to continue his story.
It seemed to work, as Tally grinned, his eyes flashing with pride. “An empire that had conquered everything in its path for ten thousand leagues, stopped in its tracks. Never took a step further and built a wall instead.”
Sam couldn’t help his chuckle at Tally’s pride and delight. “So, you’re the reason they built Hadrian’s wall?” he asked, for all the world like it was a perfectly normal question.
Tally nodded enthusiastically, his eyes shining brightly with glee.
“How come you remember and I don’t?” asked Sam and immediately regretted it. Tally’s face fell and his eyes dimmed.
“You were reincarnated. The dark magic forever changed my soul. I went to hell.”
A tense silence fell. The traffic noise from the road outside filled it. Normal people going to work, starting their days, having normal conversations.
“Okay, you’ve been in hell for nearly two thousand years and what, you’ve escaped?” Sam didn’t know why he asked. It wasn’t like the delusions of a traumatized person were going to make sense.
“Yes,” nodded Tally keenly. “Some idiots were trying to summon a demon, so I was able to take this body.”
Sam had run out of words, so he just stared helplessly.
“This body was Benji’s. I’m not him.” Tally clarified solemnly.
Sam just nodded. It was a terribly romantic idea. Lovers in a past life, sacrificing everything for each other. One lost to the wheel of reincarnation, one sent to hell only to escape after two thousand years to find his lover again.
Sam shook his head to clear it. He shouldn’t let himself be drawn in. Though, he was amused that the story made him gay in a past life. He liked that idea and wondered if that meant, according to Tally’s delusion, he had been gay in all his lives.
The thought made him smile. He pulled Tally back into a close embrace. Sam thought the part about idiots trying to summon a demon was probably true, judging by the strange symbols that had been carved into Tally or Benji’s flesh. There were plenty of nutters out there that believed in that sort of thing. The young man had likely escaped and at five o’clock in the morning, Sam had been the first person he had found.
It was just coincidence that they were both gay. If Tally even was. Sam knew not all young sex workers were the persuasion they sold to.
Sexuality aside, Tally had run into Sam, finally felt safe and protected and his delusions had woven from there. Sam had saved him, so Sam became his soul mate. It was the rational explanation. It had to be. Sam didn’t believe in past lives, demons or hell. It was all nonsense.
It seemed that looking after Tally was going to be more complicated than waiting for his physical wounds to heal. Strangely, though it may have just been the late hour or having Tally so warm in his arms, Sam wasn’t worried by the prospect. He even fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Chapter 4
Samgroggilyopenedhiseyes. He could tell by the light escaping from around the curtains that it was the afternoon. His bed was empty and cold. He sat up quickly, anxiety gnawing at him. Had Tally left? The thought filled him with a misery that was so intense it stole his breath away.
“Tally?” he called.
Silence answered. Sam sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Puzzled by his own reaction. If Tally had left, he shouldn’t feel so devastated. The young man didn’t know him, despite his delusion. He could have woken up and felt a whole lot better. Perhaps even a little embarrassed by everything he had said. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had wanted to slip away.
But Sam couldn’t shake off his stubborn hope that Tally was still in the apartment somewhere.
Tentatively, he made his way to the bathroom. He pushed the door open and was relieved beyond measure to see Tally curled by the toilet, his head resting on the rim.
“Are you okay?”
Tally groaned miserably. “No, I’m dying. This body is rejecting me.”
Sam quickly assessed Tally. A flash of ridiculous alarm spiking through him. The young man’s story was spun out of delusion, there was no truth to it. Tally wasn’t going anywhere unless he physically left. But he looked deathly pale. Sweat beaded on his brow. There were dark circles under his eyes.
The nurse’s words replayed in his mind. “He is addicted to drugs.”
