Kaj had no idea what his endgame was. He didn’t know why, so many years after Jesper had turned his life into a living hell, he was still lurking in the shadows. Why he was so obsessed with him. Why he was targeting Noah now. Because they were together? Even if they weren’t, even if their paths hadn’t crossed again, Kaj would never belong to Jesper, no matter what he said or what manipulative, twisted schemes he played.
This is all my fault.
“I want you to move in with me,” Kaj blurted, eyes pinned on Trinity, who was curled up in some sort of hammock stuck to the window.
“What?” Noah asked as he padded across the open space.
“I want you to move in with me.”
“Please elaborate,” Noah said as he sat beside him.
“You’re not safe here.”
There was a tic in Noah’s jaw, but his voice as he spoke was perfectly modulated. “Are you talking about the stalker?” He glanced at Kaj out of the corner of his eye as he poured water into one glass, then the other, condensation from the jug dripping onto the coffee table. “You know who it is,” he all but stated.
“Yeah.”
Bending a leg on the couch, Noah turned toward Kaj and handed him a glass. “I don’t want to pressure you to talk about something that’s obviously so distressing for you, but if you know who they are…”
Kaj averted his eyes and took a sip of water. His mouth suddenly dried as his heart rate spiked.
For a few moments, Noah said nothing, but Kaj could see the tension working up his body and the wheels turning in his head. He was seemingly relaxed with his elbows resting on his knees, but it was all a facade. The way he was squeezing a fist inside the other spoke loud and clear.
Kaj released a heavy sigh. “It’s not a pretty story. You’ll probably hate most of it, if not all… and me.”
Noah raised his head and scrutinized Kaj’s face. Was that worry in his eyes? Determination? Anger? Fear? Confusion? A bit of everything?
“There’s nothing you could ever do that would make me hate you.”
“Not even acting like a cunt?” Kaj flashed him a smirk, tired and devoid of snarkiness.
“Can you be honest for once?” Noah clipped.
“I will. If you stop making those kinds of statements before listening to what I have to say.”
“Right, sorry. Go ahead.” Noah tipped his head slightly.
“Let me preface it by saying this: your stalker? It’s my stepbrother.”
“That’s…” Noah blinked fast several times, then frowned. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“Me neither, and I should have. Not that much of a plot twist, honestly.”
Noah gave him a stern look.
“Okay, fine…”
Kaj looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a niggling sensation pinching him. He hadn’t shared this with anyone since he opened up to Dr. Mortensen a year ago, and before her, Mads was the only person who had heard this horror story. It was hard to gather his thoughts and put them into words without being overly sarcastic or morbid.
“I don’t know why or exactly when it started, but with my therapist’s help, I see now that his behavior was kind of predatory from the beginning.”
“Kaj…” Noah’s eyes gleamed with concern.
“Don’t interrupt me, please.” Kaj glanced at him for a moment. “Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll be able to tell you the whole truth.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
Kaj took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, vacantly staring at the ceiling as he rested his head on the back of the couch. “You know I didn’t like him much at first. Dad and I had been alone for years, so he and Katja were intruders in my life. But every time he came home, he’d bring a new video game or a comic or something and let me play with him—even those super gory, R-rated zombie ones. He always took my side when Dad and Katja told me I couldn’t do something because I was too young or when Dad scolded me because I had missed curfew. He sometimes let us hang out with him and his friends, drove us to concerts, covered for me when I’d sneak out at night to see you.
