Page 76 of Crying in the Rain

“Only a little,” Kris quickly qualified. “I’ve known George and Shaunna for nearly thirty years, and there’s things I’ve never told them, yet I’ve only known you three weeks—” Kris stopped there, since the rest would’ve taken him into talking about ‘the ex’ territory, and it was a no-fly zone.

“Go on,” Ade said.

“That’s all.”

“No. It’s not.”

Without thinking, Kris rubbed his eyes, covering his face in oil, which didn’t contain menthol or lemon or anything else that would’ve stung, but it wasn’t pleasant. For a few seconds, Ade made not a sound, then a snort escaped next to Kris’s ear and Ade burst into full-on laughter. He circled his arms around Kris and kissed his cheek, over-acting a ‘slip’ from there to his lips. That raised a laugh from Kris too.

“That’s better,” Ade said. Climbing off the bed, he plucked a handful of tissues from the box on the chest of drawers and knelt in front of Kris to wipe the oil from his face, dabbing at a spot here and there. “Talk to me.”

“You don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ah, it’s aboutthe ex.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to silence you.”

“It’s OK.”

“It’s not. Tell me.”

Kris was still reluctant to say more, but maybe it was better out in the open. It certainly couldn’t be any worse than churning his fears around in his head. “Thinking about what he did to you…I don’t know how to deal with it. It hurts too much, and you need someone strong who’s going to support you. I’m not strong, Ade. I want to be, for you, but I’m also terrified that he’ll ask you to give him another chance, because I’d lose you, and—”

“OK,” Ade interrupted. “Can I jump in for a moment?”

Kris stared at the floor, embarrassed he’d let his mouth run riot again. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, but I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

Kris nodded, but Ade was waiting for a proper answer from him. He looked up and said, “Yes.”

“No doubt, you’re going to dismiss this as me telling you what you want to hear, but I promise you, there isno way on EarthI would give Fergus another chance. Do you want to know why? Because I don’t want to lose you either.”

Kris didn’t respond. He believed Ade, but the words hung like lights beyond a curtain he couldn’t push aside. What use was he to Ade when he couldn’t even handle his own issues?

“Hey.” Ade shook Kris’s hands. “You’re all tense again.”

“Am I?”

“You are. Do you want a hug?”

Kris gave a swift nod and once again let Ade take charge as he lay down and pulled Kris to him, locking him in a firm yet gentle hold. “You know, a lot of this pain you’re feeling is empathetic. You’re too good at putting yourself in my shoes.” Ade kissed him on the forehead. “That’s probably why you picked up on it from the beginning, the same way I picked up on it with you…even before Shaunna told me about your uncle.”

“Did she?” Kris’s voice barely sounded, but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to repeat himself.

“Yes, but only to stop my paranoia. I got caught on the idea of you being a cheat, and she told me so I’d understand how Jack made a move on you when you were vulnerable. She didn’t go into any details.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“But it’s still fresh in your head?”

Kris nodded against Ade’s chest.

“That doesn’t mean you’re not strong.” Ade lifted Kris’s face so that they were nose-to-nose. “And anyway, I don’t want a protector. I want someone who respects me and cares how I feel. Is that you?”

Kris attempted a smile. “I think so.”

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