Luca nods sympathetically. “Still David?”
Annoyed, my big brother rolls his eyes. “I know it’s my own fault. I rejected him, not the other way around, but... Fuck, it just hurts. I miss him.”
I still don’t understand how things could’ve gone down so spectacularly between them—for the second time. Okay, admittedly, without Luca and me, there might not have been a second time, but damn it, they love each other. They have for ages.
“Have you heard from David?” Louis shakes his head. Luca and I look at each other and, as always, we understand each other without words. If David can’t figure out his priorities on his own, we’ll do it for him.
“We’ll leave you alone for now.” With a stern look toward the door, I signal Luca to follow me.
“We need a plan.” As soon as my door closes, I start talking. “I’m not willing to stand by and watch this anymore. Why do two people have to suffer just because he can’t get his head out of his ass?”
Luca grins. “I’m in, what are you thinking about?”
“We’re going to Karlsruhe. Tomorrow.”
As if in terrible pain, Luca grimaces. “I have soccer tomorrow. And do you even know where we have to go?”
Not yet, but I’ll find out. There are probably more people who are currently unhappy with the overall situation, not just the two of us.
I find David on Louis’s social media, then quickly try to find Finn, David’s roommate. There are three Finns, but only one of them is also friends with Louis, so I try my luck with a direct message. Three hours and two family photos later: jackpot. A new message with the address pops up, along with confirmation that David is miserable too.
“He doesn’t actually leave the house at the moment, not unless I force him to. We can definitely be home tomorrow. No kidding, in terms of the care he needs I have a toddler at home right now. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
That sounds desperate, so Luca and I are on the train to Karlsruhe at seven o’clock on Sunday morning and ringing the doorbell of the small house at half past eight. Finn opens the front door and leads us to a closed door. His knock is soft before he pokes his head into the dark room. He’s being very respectful, but neither Luca nor I are in the mood for pleasantries.
David looks terrible, and Luca can’t help but comment on it. To be honest, he’s right about everything he says, but I have to bite my tongue very hard to keep myself from laughing out loud. Less than thirty minutes later, we’re back outside. Efficiency is everything. If we achieve the desired effect, I should consider becoming a couples therapist.
Then I think of Danny, whom I love... right? And Dayyan, who gives me that warm tingling sensation in my stomach every time he smiles at me, who causes my heart to race every time I think about him. Maybe I’m not much of a couples therapist after all. I can’t even sort out my own emotional chaos.
Chapter 16
Dayyan
“Hey, listen, I found a cool song this morning.”
Jannis and I are lying on the lawn in the garden behind our house. My brothers are still at school, and my parents are at work. The sun is beating down and the spot under the old sour cherry tree is perfect.
“Put it on!” Jannis pops another cherry into his mouth and reaches deep down into my pants pocket without any hesitation.
The action is so surprising I don’t have time to react until his hand is already rummaging around in my pocket next to my dick. “Hey, what...?”
Triumphantly Jannis pulls out two small in-ear headphones. “Ha! Here they are!” He quickly puts one in his ear and holds the other out to me. “We don’t want to blast music for the whole neighborhood.”
That’s very thoughtful, and I smile in agreement, but my body and mind are still processing what just happened. I’m hard. I was hard the second he touched me. Why? How... but...? Fuck.
“Are you turning it on?” Oh, yes, damn it. Frantically and a little shakily, I grab my phone and search for the song.
“Ah, I know that one! My dad loves that song. ‘Atlas Falls’ by Shinedown. I didn’t know you’re listening to that kind of stuff.”
“Sometimes.” My taste in music is very versatile, I listen to pretty much everything from the 80s to present in the pop/rock genre. Sometimes harder stuff too, if it has a good melody. Like this one.
“If you like that, I’ve got something for you too. Wait a sec.” He pulls his own earbuds out of his pocket and presses one into my hand. The song must be on a playlist, he couldn’t have searched for it that quickly, given how fast the music is blaring in my ear.
“Oh, fuck, that’s loud. Wait.” The pain subsides and yes, Jannis is right, I like this song too.
We quickly fall into a musical interplay, playing each other songs we like or even ones we find terrible.
“Urgh, the cover is so bad. Look at that.” I wait for Jannis to hand me the phone, but nothing happens.
