I nod.
He doesn’t say come over. He stands, trusting I’ll follow.
I do.
We walk without touching. Like our bodies are afraid of remembering too fast.
By the time we get to his building, I don’t know if I want to kiss him or punch him.
Maybe both.
He opens the door, steps aside to let me in.
I cross the threshold and feel it. The weight of the years. Breath catching before something breaks.
I turn toward him.
Neither of us speaks.
It’s not awkward.
It’s inevitable.
one
Liam
Twelve Years Prior (Age 19)
Ididn’texpecthimto fall asleep here.
Waking up next to a warm body beside me in my childhood bedroom wasn’t on my bingo card.
Panic hits fast.
What’s the guy’s name? Curtis? Maybe Callum. Fuck. I wasn’t paying attention.
Tall, lean, naked. Close to my age. When I saw him at the party, his eyes pinned me as though he’d already decided how the night would end. My cock agreed. I brought him home, not because it made sense.
Probably because it didn’t.
My life is complicated. I’ve got three wee brothers in their early teens, Padraig, my twin who knows me toowell, and Connor, our older brother who stepped in when Da spiraled into pain-killer and alcohol addiction after a car accident. Ma’s busy taking care of him, so all of the family activities we used to enjoy have fallen by the wayside.
Truth be told, Connor’s held the whole family together for the past couple years. He gave up his own college dreams to make sure all of us finished school. He’s financing me and Padraig’s college education. Yet, somehow, it always feels like we’re on the edge of disaster.
Fuck. I don’t know what I was thinking bringing my sex life into this house. I’m smarter than this. I’ve gotta get this bloke outta here before Da wakes up. It’s tough to know how he’ll react if he realizes I enjoy cock on occasion.
Nah, it’d blow his addicted mind.
Anyway, sure enough, my phone buzzes with a new text from Padraig. He’s downstairs making breakfast for Seamus, Cillian, and Brennan. Fuck.
“You gotta go.” I pull on a pair of sweats. “The family’s awake.”
I scrub a hand over my face and type fast to my twin.
Me: WTF? Can you cover for me?
Padraig replies before I can blink.
