Page 14 of Finding You

“Well, tell him you met me and that we’re best friends now,” Frey said. “That way, you’ll get all the special privileges.”

Kylen laughed as Frey pushed the rolling table closer to the bed. “I’ll keep that in mind. And, uh…thanks for not taking any of that personally. Just because you deal with it all the time doesn’t mean you should have to.”

Frey’s expression softened. “It is what it is. It’s easier to be sympathetic here, you know. They can’t really help it.”

Kylen grimaced. “Yeah, I meant my sister.”

Frey’s face darkened. “Ah. I feel like I should be saying sorry to you for having to put up with that bullshit.”

“It’s fine. She only shows up every so often. Most of the time, it’s just me ignoring her calls.” Kylen rubbed the back of his neck and fought off a yawn. He was beyond exhausted.

“Listen, I have to go finish my rounds,” Frey said. “Will you be here for a while?”

“Considering my other option right now is hanging with my sister, yeah. I think I’ll sit,” Kylen answered.

Frey smiled at him. “Cool. I’ll be by with coffee and cookies. The good kind. Push the button if you need me.” Then he was gone.

Kylen’s stomach swooped a little. He had no idea what to make of the interaction, but Frey had set him at ease and disarmed him entirely. It was exactly what he needed. He was still reeling from being called home from work. And, if he was being honest with himself, he was reeling from the almost he had on the plane with Dallas.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about the guy since he’d been called into the cockpit and had come out to find everyone gone. He’d looked for Dallas after that, but he stopped himself before heading down to baggage claim.

Kylen was crushing on him, and no good could be had from pursuing a straight man. None at all.

“Thank fuck, he’s gone.” He looked up at the sound of Grace’s voice. “What an asshole.”

“Actually, you were the asshole,” Kylen said. “All of you have been major assholes since I had Flora, and it’s only gotten worse since Gran got sick.”

Grace’s face went stony. “You can’t lay claim to being gay if you fuck women, Kylen.”

His jaw tensed. “I had drunken sex with a woman one time, and I didn’t even enjoy it!”

“You came! How is that not enjoying it?”

He did not want to be talking about this with his sister. “Is that really the hill you want to die on? I’m a closet hetero because my horny dick in an equally horny pussy made me climax? By that logic, every lesbian who gets off with a dildo is at least bi.”

“Well,” Grace started.

“Oh my fucking God, do not,” he said through clenched teeth. “How are you such a goddamn bigot?”

Her cheeks pinked. “I am not a bigot.”

“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”

“You know, I might believe you if you were actually with a man, but you haven’t had a relationship, like ever, Kylen. If that’s not telling, I don’t know what is.”

He wasn’t sure why, but that was the moment he snapped. Somewhere off in the voice, he heard Dallas’s voice speaking to him. You know, like a Canadian boyfriend?

“I am dating someone,” he blurted.

Grace snapped her jaw shut so hard he heard the click of her teeth. She cleared her throat. “Really? Who?”

“A guy. You don’t know him.” Fuck, he was so bad at this.

She lifted a brow. “Mhm. He lives where?”

“Here,” he said, because saying Canada would give him away. “His name is Dallas.”

Oh Jesus. Yeah, okay. He deserved to be publicly humiliated for that one.

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