But this wasn’t his Chad.
Romeo hesitated, rocking from his heels to his toes before giving in and allowing himself a moment.He sat down in the armchair, gaze fixed to Chad.
His eyes stung, and thewhy, why, whysounded in his head, but this time he didn’t say it out loud.They would find out why, eventually, then Romeo would kill him, but at least then he’d know why his love hadn’t been good enough, why Chad had tried to leave him.
Romeo stayed watching Chad until his expression twitched, and his fingers spasmed like he was starting to wake, then he left, retreating to the spare bedroom and shutting the door.
****
Romeo frowned at themetallic pinging outside the window the next morning.Rhythmic, there was a few seconds’ pause between pings and an accompanying grunt.Over and over.He pulled himself up, then got out of bed, following the clanging.
It sounded like a shovel being stuck into the ground, and he burst from the front door expecting to see Chad in the field, digging around for bodies.
Chad wasn’t in the field, but by the double doors of the outhouse.He didn’t use a shovel, but a garden fork, forcing it into the ground as far as it would go before turning it to break up the mud.
There was no concrete in front of the doors, but a section of flattened earth that led to the concrete of the driveway which in turn led to the gravel then the dirt track.
Chad stopped to wipe his brow.
Romeo didn’t need to ask what Chad was doing.
He knew.
He’d warned Chad about the tire marks, and Chad cracked and unsettled the earth so Josh wouldn’t see, he wouldn’t suspect.
Chad couldn’t do anything about the soil in the tread pattern, but he could destroy the fingerprints from the tires themselves.
Romeo leaned against the wall, content to watch Chad work, but a hard wince from Chad and a thud from him dropping the fork had him pushing off from the bricks at his back.
Chad clutched his head, face scrunched in pain, and he dropped down to one knee, swaying in a way that made Romeo’s gut clench.
Romeo couldn’t help himself.
He went to Chad, helping him back to his feet.
“It’ll pass,” Chad growled through his teeth, pressing his cheek into Romeo’s chest as Romeo held him.
He was warm, and solid, andalive.
Chad panted, his shoulders lifting each harsh breath.Romeo couldn’t see his face, but he imagined Chad’s eyes were clenched shut.
“Have you taken your painkillers this morning?”
“Yes.”
“Chad...”
“I promise.”
Those two words stung.Romeo released Chad and backed away.Chad swayed from the lack of Romeo to support him.He rolled his fingers against his temple as he squinted.
Romeo turned away.Once upon a time he would’ve batted Chad’s hand away and taken over the head massage.
“You got rid of the fingerprints.”
Chad lowered his hand, but his expression remained pinched.“Yeah.I remembered what you said.”
Romeo nodded, glancing away from Chad again.It hurt to look at him.His cracked heart stung as he retreated to the safety of his anger.He let it build again.
