I can’t help but note that his tone sounds… sad?
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I love the conversation. I love the orgasms. I love his touch and his attention and the way he looks at me.”
“But?”
“I’ll give you a guess. Six measly letters.”
“Still ugly?”
“I’m not sure that ugliness has lifted since it started, but yeah. He’s at least moved on to ignoring me since the bar the other night. It might help that I haven’t been back to the bar since that night, either. I get the whole ‘don’t poke the bear’thing, but honestly, I love the bar. I love hanging out with you while you work.”
“What’s Onyx say about Ben when you’re sneaking around at night?”
“Nothing. We don’t talk about Ben.”
“I think maybe you should.”
“In the same way you and Dad’s bestie should talk about your father?”
“Yes, just like that, but I’m going to point out that my father isn’t bordering on combustion and threatening physical violence. I get that my situation is probably far worse than yours morally, but yours is a little… concerning for your safety.”
Cash sighs. “I know.”
“What about your parents?”
I can imagine him shaking his head. “I’ve come to the conclusion that they don’t know how incredibly volatile Ben is, so they’re singing the same ‘can’t you both just get along?’ tune. I feel like a loser tattling on him. ‘Ben is being mean, Dad. Make him stop.’”
“Fair point. What would they do, anyway?”
“Right. ‘Ben, leave your brother alone.’ Helpful, right?”
“I’m sorry. Want to spend the night here?”
“Yes. But also no.”
“Think about this—maybe if you spend the night here for a few nights, Onyx will do something about it.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, Cash, but you want him to do something, don’t you?”
He’s quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t really know. I kind of like that no one knows what we’re doing. There’s no pressure. No eyes on us. No expectations. No pressure. This is entirely between the two of us, no matter what comes of it, you know?”
I nod, tapping absently on my tablet screen. It’s long since gone to sleep. “Yeah, I know.”
“Yet you’re tired of hiding already, aren’t you?”
“No. It’s not that. I’m just… afraid of being caught. I’m afraid of that fallout. It feels like we’re walking on coals, and one wrong step is going to create an inferno and burn the whole thing down. We’re on borrowed time. What happens when that time runs out?”
“Kaboom.”
I snort. “Yep. An explosion that’s going to be felt all over the island. Then what?”
“I guess I haven’t thought about what happens after the explosion.”
“Because there’s nothing that comes after an ending. That’s why it’s an ending.”
