Page 120 of In Plain Sight

“Hey,” I greeted, giving him a quick once-over. He’d showered and changed into a pair of loose jeans and a hoodie, but something was off. He looked a bit shell-shocked, for lack of a better term.

He walked straight into my arms, gripped me around the waist, and buried his face in my neck.

“Baby?” I held him close, one hand on his lower back and the other cradling the back of his head. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Was he having another attack? Had something happened and I wasn’t there for him?

“I’m okay. Just kind of in shock.” He let out a bewildered laugh. “I told Dean about us.”

My heart squeezed, and a weird feeling hit my stomach, like a little burst of adrenaline similar to the feeling of being startled, only without any sort of fear, only awareness. “You did?”

“Yeah.” He turned his face so he could talk easier and held me tighter. “It was just too much. The secrets, the lies. All of it. I just couldn’t keep it in anymore, and I told him.”

“How did he take it?”

He pulled his face from my neck. “He apologized for all the shit he’s said. The jokes, the slurs, everything. And I didn’t even have to tell him he was an asshole. He realized it on his own.”

“Wow. That’s huge.”

“Yeah.”

“So you think things will be okay with him?”

He nodded, his eyes shining with relief.

“That’s great.” I ran my fingers through his soft hair. “I know how much that was weighing you down. I’m glad it all worked out.”

“Yeah, me too.” He pressed into my touch, still looking a bit shocked. “I’m not delusional enough to think it’ll be like that every time, but I told him, and the world didn’t end. I’m taking the W.”

Something twisted in my gut. I knew exactly what Luka was talking about when he said it was getting to be too much. The lies, the secrets, constantly having to be on high alert to make sure I didn’t give anything away by accident. It was exhausting.

I just didn’t have his courage. Not yet at least.

“I have a request,” Luka said, his expression going shy.

“What is it?” There wasn’t much he could ask for that I wouldn’t give him.

“Do you think we could go to my apartment tonight?” he asked softly. “I’m just…”

“Overwhelmed?” I gently cradled his cheeks in my hands and tipped his face up to look at me.

“Yeah.” He smiled weakly. “It’s been a really weird day.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d asked if we could go to his apartment to hang out. He sometimes needed the familiarity ofbeing in his own space when he had a lot going on. It helped soothe him and made him feel safe.

We had more privacy at my house, but I enjoyed the time we spent in his apartment. I liked being in his home, and there was something profoundly satisfying about taking him in his room, in his bed.

“Let me grab my keys and wallet.” I pecked a kiss against his lips.

He was still waiting by the door when I returned a moment later, looking adorably shy and happy.

“I’m so glad it’s Saturday,” he said as I locked the door behind us. “I need a break.”

“Yeah, it was a long week.”

“So long,” he agreed, falling into step with me as we walked down the path together.

“It’s so weird,” he said as we stepped off the path and into the parking lot behind his building.

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