Chapter 11
“Iwant to,” Darren insisted, perched on a stool in the kitchen, while Giovanni paced restlessly.
“I don't like it,” he complained, gaining a head nod from Lachlan, who was also against his idea. Not that he'd expected either of them to do anything else. Giovanni was taking it the hardest, though, and he didn't like that.
Still, he said, “I know.” Because he did and it wouldn't make an ounce of difference. Darren knew what he was doing and why; his boyfriend was just pissed because it meant he didn't get to punch someone and he figured Lachlan probably felt the same, though he was much harder to read.
Giovanni glared at him and folded his arms over his chest as he finally stopped pacing. “I don't want you to do it,” he argued, as if that mattered.
“Duly noted.” Darren added a smile to lessen the blow. “But you do realise I'm going to do it, regardless?”
Those beautiful full lips twitched and eventually became a half smile. “Obviously.” He shrugged, as though knowing that and accepting it were two different things. It was quite adorable, especially since Giovanni looked as if he'd begun to accept the complete lack of control he had over this situation.
“Good.” He climbed off his stool and approached his boyfriend with a smile. “Kiss me?” he asked, pressing both hands to his t-shirt, in an added incentive. Not that they could get up to anything frisky right now, but he really did love touching those hard pecs and feeling how strong his man was.
Already leaning in halfway, Giovanni muttered, “You're impossible.” Then he kissed him, soft and sweet.
“I love you,” Darren whispered, both in gratitude for backing down, but also in acceptance of how strong he was and the support he'd been offering by arguing with him. He stole another quick kiss, despite Lachlan having turned away in a fake act of taking a drink, in his attempt to give them privacy.
“I love you, too.” Giovanni pecked his nose, then backed up and caught his hands. He held them to his lips, kissing the knuckles of one hand then the other. “I promise, as soon as Levi gets back, you can talk.”
Darren nodded, but couldn't find the words to say how he felt. Grateful just didn't cut it. Giovanni was incredible; sensitive to his needs, protective of his heart and so very understanding. He sank forward into waiting arms and held on tight. The worst hadn't happened yet; Casen had stood up for him and confronted them all about his past, without spilling the actual truth.
It was still so hard to believe. He'd given Casen and Lachlan permission to tell the others, but hadn't felt up to doing it himself. But they hadn't done it and that confused him. He loved what Lachlan had told him just last night, in a whispered confession while the boys were busy with a card game. The way Casen had told everyone that they didn't deserve to know his past, that they hadn't earned the right to know that secret. It was kind of beautiful.
He felt so lucky to have these people as friends.
And it didn't take him long to realise that he might have overreacted to Levi's question. Being sensitive and on edge already, about the possibility his secret might come out, Darren could see that he'd read more into Levi's question than he'd probably meant. It wasn't fair to make everyone in the house argue with and hate him just because he'd been too naïve and too stupid to see the truth.
He was going to fix it. For his own sake. For Levi's. But also for everyone else. This was Konnor's week and he'd hijacked that so unfairly. He had to make it right.
