He nods and rolls over.
The hotel is surprisingly empty, so I order an old-fashioned and sit on one of the lounge chairs that has an ottoman. I stretch out, take a sip of my drink, and text Seth.
Me: Hey
I wait about ten minutes, but there’s no answer. Maybe he’s busy with his kids, or he’s out on another date. He’d told me his kids would be with his parents this weekend so that he could focus on work and Leo.
I try reaching him once more, but this time I FaceTime him.
The call rings a couple of times before he answers. It’s dark where he is, and it looks like he’s lying down in bed.
“Hey, Tiger? Did I wake you from a nap?”
“No.”
“Aw, you sick?”
“No.”
His voice sounds terrible.
“You sure? You sound sick?”
“I’m not.”
Alarm bells are abruptly clanging, especially when he buries his face into his pillow. It’s only after a muffled sound of pain that I sit up, my body tense.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a rough couple of days.”
“The world doesn’t stop when I’m having a rough day, Tiger. What happened?”
“Leo and I ended things.Iended things.”
My body relaxes when I realize it’s not something worse. Can’t say I’m disappointed, though. “I’m so sorry.”
“Cal?”
“Yeah?”
“He… hurt me.”
His voice goes from rough and hoarse to guttural, with all the pain in the world centered around his words.
‘He hurt me’ echoes in my mind over and over. Scenarios play out of how Leo hurt him exactly, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Is that prick a fucking abuser?
I sit up again, gripping my phone tight enough to snap it in half. I’m suddenly seeing red with a strange sense of rage and protectiveness. “He fucking hurt you?” I hiss.
“Yeah… it’s TMI, so… I just need to… calm down a bit.”
“TMI or not, I want to know exactly what happened. Ineedto know. What did that bastard fucking do to you?”
He faces the camera again, and his eyes are red and wet.
“I don’t think he meant to hurt me. He… somehow fucking thought it was a good idea to do breath play without my consent.”
My brows shoot straight up. You know Seth is hurting if he’s swearing. “Who in their right fucking mind would do that without first talkingabout it? Jesus. I don’t blame you for giving him the boot. The dude was already a walking and talking red flag.”
