I continue to rub his back. “It’ll be alright. Shh…”
“No, it won’t,” he whispers through sobs.
“It will. Listen to me.” I pull him off and hold his shoulders. My eyes burn, but they’re not nearly as moist and red as the pair in front of me. “Aisen still loves you. You can chat with him. He’ll always have fond memories of you raising him.”
Reed sniffs. “I know I wasn’t the best dad all the time, but I offered him stability. And now…”
“You’ve been an amazing guardian, Reed. And you’ll see him again, I promise.” I rub his arms and look around. “Why don’t we get you to bed? It’s been a long, emotional day for everyone.”
“Okay.” He nods, and I guide him out of the kid’s room. Two doors down, we come upon a bedroom with a massive bedspread. I sit Reed down, and his shivering slowly subsides.
“You’ll be alright, I swear,” I whisper as I run my hand up and down his arm.
He nods. “This house is already so quiet, so hollow without him.”
I frown in sympathy. There’s nothing I can do to fix this impossible situation. I want to kick Aisen’s parents, but right now, the important thing is to support my friend, however I can.
The room is so quiet as he catches his breath. “Do you want to, like, stay over?” My eyebrows jump, and he wipes his eyes. “Not, like, in a sexual way or whatever.”
Of course?Reed has told me time and again he doesn’t want me like that.
“I just don’t think I can handle being alone tonight.”
My heart aches even more, and I grasp his hand in mine. “Sure, man. Whatever you need.”
We spend the next five minutes getting washed up in his private bathroom. I try not to ogle the massive jacuzzi and pristine countertops. He gives me a spare toothbrush and some clean pajamas. Reed almost robotically goes through the motions; I know he needs a shoulder to cry on tonight. As much as it pains me to be so close yet so friend-zoned, I recognize that Reed needs a buddy in this difficult time.
Clad in a black shirt and plaid pants, he crawls into the massive bed. He doesn’t even look at me, and I awkwardly bounce on my toes in the dark room.
“I’ll just, um, take the couch,” I murmur.
“No!” he yelps. “Please, stay here.”
My mouth goes dry. “Where?”
“In my bed, there’s plenty of space.”
He’s really going to torture me, huh?“Um…”
“Unless you think that’s weird.” He buries his head in his palms. “Sorry. My brain is so fucked up right now. I just didn’t want…”
“You didn’t want to be alone. Of course.” I don’t even recognize my voice as I crawl into bed with him. “I promised to help you as a friend, so…”
“Thank you, Skyler,” he whispers. “I really appreciate you being here for me.” His voice is as broken as ever as I get closer to him under the sheets.
“You’re going through a lot, man.” I lie on the pillow and, even in the dark, I can make out his gorgeous face a foot away from mine. “And I like helping you.”
“You’ve been more than a help,” he whispers. “You’re the only one keeping me from spiraling right now. I could never thank you enough.”
I smile. “I get it.” The tension between us is thick. If I scooted over mere inches, I’d be cuddling him. “Get some sleep, Reed. Tomorrow is another day,” I whisper.
“Thanks, man.” He yawns and turns around. Then, in the wildest move yet, he backs up and slots his body in front of mine. “You’re kind of the best,” he murmurs. He takes my hand, pulling me closer.
We’re spooning. Holy monster god, we’re spooning.
As I take in his warmth and pristine scent, I try not to get hard. But before I can panic, his soft snores flood the room. Reed is already out cold. In contrast, I’m so conflicted and turned on that I might not fall asleep at all.
I’ve fantasized about what my first night in bed with Reed would be like; none of those daydreams came close to the emotional turmoil we both went through tonight.
