Fallon quickly shook his head. “No. No, I—I just don’t know what to say. This is kind of weird. I mean, you were so unexpected.”
Gage seemed so uncertain, and Fallon wished he could be better with his words.
“Please don’t look like that,” Fallon said softly. “I didn’t mean…I just…it’s a lot and?—”
“Hey, no.” Gage walked all the way in, swinging the door shut behind him, and he didn’t stop until he’d crowded into Fallon’s space. Normally, he hated that kind of thing, but with Gage, it was grounding. It was soft. Careful. Possessive, even when he probably didn’t mean to be. Gage tilted his head low and kept his voice quiet. “This isn’t on you, okay? I didn’t expect to see you again. Or, I mean, not for a good long while. I figured it was inevitable since Frankie and Lucas are a thing, but I also thought maybe you were avoiding me. Last night was unexpected for me too.”
Fallon took a deep breath, then reached up and gently grazed Gage’s swollen eye. “Hurts a lot?”
“Nah.”
“I don’t like knowing I hurt you.”
Gage’s lips softened into a smile, and Fallon couldn’t stop staring at them. “You were defending yourself and your home. You were really brave.”
Fallon felt himself shudder. God, why did Gage have to talk like that? Why did Fallon have to react so much to it? He felt all warm and wanting and needy. Was it hormones? Or was it just Gage?
He was thinking the second one, considering the way he’d reacted the night he and Gage were in his apartment.
“Um…” He’d lost his train of thought. “I…okay.”
Gage laughed softly and reached down, taking Fallon’s hand. “Want to come to my place? Or do you have work?”
Work.Work? Oh.
“Yes. But no,” he said, shaking his head and trying to clear some fog. “I have a shoot tonight—a sunset shoot. I have time.”
“Amazing. I have snacks and TV and a really comfy quilt.” Gage didn’t let his hand go.
He tugged Fallon out of the bed, through the door, and over the handful of steps down the hall to the other apartment. The door opened and shut before Fallon even processed that he’d moved spaces, and he was taking off his shoes and walking to the couch when his brain finally caught up with him.
“Here,” Gage said, holding the quilt up. “Get comfy.”
Were there…yeah. There were more pillows than last time. They were soft too. Fallon buried himself in them, pulling them around his body to make a tiny nest, and he gave a happy sigh when Gage threw the quilt on top and he sank down into the cushions.
“Were these here before?”
Gage snorted. “No. Everyone had the same idea when they were bringing me housewarming gifts. I guess they were worried I wasn’t comfortable enough. Or that…I don’t know…I needed something soft after everything.”
“Everything?” Fallon asked.
Gage’s eyes widened, and then he let out a sharp breath. “You don’t know. Right.”
Fallon’s brows dipped. “Um…”
Pulling the corner of the quilt back, Gage slipped under the covers and kind of folded into himself. He was tall and kind of gangly, but he made it work. Resting his cheek against the tops of his knees, he let out a soft sigh.
“I’ll tell you. I don’t mind. But it’s kind of heavy and deals with some…some shit. Bad shit, so if it’s too much for you to hear, just tell me, okay?”
Fallon blinked at him. “What bad shit?”
Gage rolled his gaze up to the ceiling. “Assault. Um…sexual assault.” His voice tripped over the words a bit, like he wasn’t used to saying them. Like he viscerally didn’t want to.
“Someone did that to you?” Fallon asked. His stomach felt all hot suddenly. And it started to twist. He wasangry.
Gage nodded. “I’ve been in therapy for a while to deal with it. It’s been a while, so I’m not, like, actively upset. But yeah, so…short story, I met this guy, and he and his girlfriend drugged my drink and then had sex with me after I passed out.”
Fallon’s throat went tight. He had no idea what to say.
