Page 51 of Breaking You Open

“But when you talk to him, maybe just start with the basics, okay? Like, explain to him that as soon as he feels like he doesn’t want something, he should say so. If he’s asleep, he can’t say yes or no. If he’s drunk or high, the grounds are murkier, but same thing goes.”

A chill slithers up my spine. Ravi said this subject isn’t his strong suit, but it’s hardly mine either, and this whole conversation hits a bit too close to home. It reminds me of how careless I’ve been in some situations. How selfish. Like with that green-eyed kid I knew wasn’t sober, but I didn’t give a fuck; I just did what I wanted, and what I wanted was him. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, but now…

I glance back into the living room, and Sparrow smiles at me. Fuck, he’s so sweet, and I’m…not. Scowling, I stare into the grill and bark at Ravi to bring the packet of hamburger buns.

There’s obviously some shit to unpack with Sparrow regarding consent, and obviously I’m not the best person for the job. In fact, I…I might be one of the worst.

“Can I have some of that?”

I turn around. Sparrow has nudged the door open, and now he’s pointing at Ravi’s joint.

Ravi exhales a cloud of smoke and reaches his hand out. “Sure thing, kid.”

“What?” I growl. “No. No way.” I rip the joint away from him and throw it to the ground.

“Hey!” Ravi protests and dives for the joint, carefully brushing it free of dirt. “The kid can decide what he wants.”

“Not under my roof.”

“Nothing wrong with a little weed,” Ravi mutters and relights the joint.

“Please,” Sparrow begs. “I want to try some. I’ve never had it.”

“I told you no!” I bellow, raising my voice far louder than I intended to.

“You’re not the boss of me,” Sparrow snaps.

“Yeah, you tell him, kid,” Ravi says.

I send them both a death glare. “As long as you live under my roof, you’re going by my rules, got it?”

Sparrow’s cheeks go a deep red, but he doesn’t say anything more.

I turn the burger patties over, swearing under my breath when they’ve gotten a little burned.

“If you hadn’t interfered, everything would be fine,” Sparrow points out.

“Yeah, Louis,” Ravi says, “you can’t keep protecting him from everything, you know.”

I ignore them, and a glance at the table tells me something is missing. “Didn’t I tell you to bring the buns?” I ask Ravi.

Ravi sends a sly glance Sparrow’s way. “Somebody else already brought them.”

Sparrow’s eyes widen in understanding, and he bursts out in laughter.

I send Ravi a glare. Howdarehe flirt with Sparrow? Maybe I’ll have to give him that black eye after all.

Motivated by my murderous stare, Ravi goes to fetch the buns as I asked him to do at least five minutes ago, and we can finally eat.

Ravi devours his burger like a savage beast as usual. “Incredible,” he moans with his mouth full. “What do you think, kid?” he adds, glancing at Sparrow.

“Oh yeah, it’s really good!” Sparrow takes such small bites of the burger that it’s going to take at least an hour for him to finish. “I suck at cooking, but Louis always makes me good food. I never ate like this at my foster home. Aaron made me mac and cheese sometimes, but—” He stops himself, glancing between the two of us.

Ravi clears his throat. “This Aaron guy…You think he’s still here in town?”

“Yes,” Sparrow says, voice cut off and high-pitched.

“How do you know?”

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