“I don’t know,” Kyrone admitted. “You’re having more migraines now than when we first met.” He brushed straight strands of blond hair out of Jared’s eyes. “Let’s see if working fewer hours helps keep them at bay.”
Jared nodded. “Ky…” He lowered his gaze.
“Hmmm?”
“When I was growing up, my parents put money into a trust fund for me. It matured when I turned twenty-one, but I haven’t touched it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t feel like I deserved to have it. I know it sounds crazy, but I didn’t feel like I was really their son. They’d saved all that money for a boy who didn’t exist anymore, and when I decided to move out of their home and come here, I felt even less deserving.”
“Because you were running away from them?”
“Yes.”
It did make sense, in a slightly crazy sort of way. He wondered why Jared was telling him about it.
“You asked me to move in with you…”
“I did. I meant it too.”
Jared winced. “I can’t ask you to support me, even a little bit, when I have money I can access. I doubt it’s much, but it would help.” He swallowed. “I should call my parents and talk to them about it.” He glanced up into Kyrone’s eyes. “But I’ll have to explain why I want the moneynow. I’ll have to tell them that I’m not okay. That I’m not coping alone.” His chin trembled. “They’ll want me to go home.”
“You don’t have to,” Kyrone said. “They can’t make you, nor can they make that a condition of releasing the money to you. It’syourmoney.”
“I know. But I doubt it will stop them from asking, and it definitely won’t stop them from worrying. Would you…” He breathed in slowly. “Could you come see them with me? Maybe if they see I’m not alone, that I have you, they won’t worry so much.”
Kyrone kissed Jared’s nose. “I’d love to.” His heart swelled at the thought that Jared wanted him to meet his parents. He didn’t care what the circumstances were. It was further proof that they were committing to each other.
“Thank you. I’ll call them and arrange a visit.”
“Let me know if I need to take time off.” Getting the train to Surrey would probably take several hours and mean going into London and back out again, depending on where exactly Jared’s parents lived.
“I’m hoping you don’t need to. If we go on a Sunday and come back on the Monday afternoon.” Jared grimaced. “I’ll probably need to go and see my parents’ bank manager to sort the account out.”
“I will, just in case.”
Jared nodded and smiled.
“Are you sure you want the money?” Kyrone asked.
“No. Not at all. But I need it.”
Kyrone hated how miserable Jared looked. It was probably another defeat for him, another sign that he hadn’t been doing as well as he’d hoped he was. It broke Kyrone’s heart.
“Between the trust fund and my hours at Ink Envy, I should be able to pay my way,” Jared said. “Faye said I might be able to apply for some benefits too.”
Kyrone wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to worry about the money. He’d been paying for the flat himself anyway. His costs would go up a little with an extra person living there. They’d spend more on food and running extra hot water. He would no longer qualify for the single person’s council tax discount, but those were small cost increases, which Jared’s part-time wage at Ink Envy would cover with ease. But he knew it wasn’t really about who paid for what. Jared needed to feel as independent as possible.
“Does all this mean you want to move in with me?” he asked, shifting the conversation away from the financial aspect.
“If you still want me to?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” Kyrone crushed Jared to him and then kissed him long and hard. He knew Jared was too wiped out for sex, and that was fine. He just wanted to feel close to him and show him how much he loved him.
“I want to move in with you,” Jared said, slightly breathless from their passionate kissing. “I love you.”
“I willneverget tired of hearing you say that.”
