Page 24 of Reclaim Me

“Sure. I’d be happy to give you your bag just as soon as you tell me where exactly you’re going to go.”

Taurin shuffles his feet, kicking at the asphalt with the toe of one of his shoes. “Home.”

Nate and I exchange a look. Neither of us believes Taurin’s assertion, but as his sponsor, it’s my job to call bullshit on it.

“You just got caught washing in a public restroom, kid. Let’s try that again.” Nothing but silence greets me, and while I can feel frustration digging its claws into my chest, I don’t allow it to win. Instead, I square my shoulders and come back with a gentler approach that’s still rooted in reality. “How long have you been living on the street, T?”

Tears pool in the corner of his eyes, but he’s too stubborn to wipe them away. He’s also too stubborn to meet my gaze, but he does answer me. Eventually.

“Since the day we met.”

The moment the pain evident on his face causes his voice to fracture, my heart shatters along with it, and when he turns towards me, I open my arms on instinct, allowing him to find solace in the comfort of my embrace. It won’t do a damn thing to heal the pain of being abandoned, of being pushed away and discarded by the people who are bound by blood to see you through your hardest moments, but it’s better than nothing.

“My mom said I can’t come back home,” he whimpers. “The last time I used, I OD’d, and my little brother found me. I promised her I wouldn’t do it anymore, but she doesn’t believe me. She won’t let me come home. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

The offer comes out quickly, as natural as taking my next breath, as familiar on my tongue as it was the last time I extended it to a friend in need.

“You’re going to come home with me.”

10

RAE

Then

“So, you’re finally going to tell him how you feel?” Dee asks, flinging herself onto the bed that’s only recently become mine.

“Maybe.”

I stand in front of the full length mirror and twist this way and that to determine whether I like the way the strapless romper fits. The shorts are short, the hem hitting the tops of my thigh and leaving everything else on display, while the tie-front and deep V of the neckline draw attention to the way the princess-seamed bodice turn my usually underwhelming cleavage into something to marvel at.

“Maybe? Rae, you’ve been crushing on Hunter for years. I think it’s time to do something about it.”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Considering that Hunter has never so much as suggested that he thought of me as anything more than a friend, I think it’s a fair question, but Dee’s ‘be fucking for real’ expression tells me she disagrees. She hops off the bed, coming up behind me and placing her hands on my hips, forcing me to face myself head-on in the mirror.

“Look at you! He’s going to be falling all over himself for a chance with you.”

“You think so?” My voice is small, filled with the need for validation.

“I know so.” To emphasize her point, she slaps my ass hard enough to make me yelp in pain and then darts out the door before I have the chance to react in any other way.

“I’m gonna get you back,” I call out, letting the threat follow her out of the door because I have no interest in getting into a scuffle with her before the most important night of my life begins.

The sun is just starting to go down, so there are rays of golden light coming through the window of my bedroom, bathing the bed and boxes of clothes and other items Will brought with him to Hunter’s when a mold in our walls made it necessary for him to leave our place two weeks ago. I was in the middle of finals when he called to tell me that things were going to look a little different when I came back from New York, where I’ve been doing a conservatory for the last semester, and while some people would be bummed about having to move in with their brother’s sponsee turned friend for the summer, I was ecstatic because I love Hunter.

Not in that way.

Okay, maybe in that way, but also in the way that you love someone when they’ve become a constant in your life. When they’ve become someone you can call at any time, day or night, and they’ll always pick up, always listen without judgment, and reassure you that everything is going to be alright. And after they’ve done all of that, they’ll do everything in their power to make it alright. That’s what Hunter is to me, what he’s been since our worlds collided on the worst day of his life, and we realized everything got better when we had each other.

Initially, Will was pissed that I answered his phone that night and all around enraged to find out that I not only met up with someone in the middle of a relapse but also spent the night with them at a Waffle House, waiting for the sun to come up so I could take him to a meeting. Once he got past that, though, things got better. Hunter got clean again, and we built this bond that doesn’t make sense to anyone but us. I encouraged him to start the gym to honor Legacy’s memory, and he forced me to apply to New Haven University for their Bachelor in Fine Arts, and when I got in, he bought me waffles, and we toasted to our next chapters with cups of stale coffee.

That was four years ago, and I can’t imagine my life without him in it. Being away for the last three months and not getting to see or talk to him everyday has made me realize that my need to have him around isn’t just because I love him, it’s because I’m in love with him.

And I’m determined to find out if he’s in love with me, too.

A knock on my door pulls me out of my head and into the present. I turn and find Will standing just inside the threshold with a sour expression on his face.

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