Page 23 of Unwanted

Together.

“Shhh,” I say soothingly, rubbing his back and rocking us both. “It’s going to be okay.”

I hear the door creak open and I immediately stiffen. Lennox will not appreciate anyone seeing him this way.

Over the years he’s prided himself on just how put together he is.

College. Football.

Reaching his goals and achieving his dreams.

He thrives on rising above the system that held him down for so long. And now his whole world is crumbling around him, and whoever is in the room with me is getting a front row seat to all the destruction.

As his crying subsides, a large body breaches my peripheral vision and a clean and mildly refreshed looking Samuel comes into view.

“Is he okay?” he asks, concern etched in every line of his face.

Subtly I try to shake my head, but Lennox catches the movement and tilts his head so he’s now looking at Samuel.

Intently, I watch the way his eyes fill with gratitude at the familiarity his friend being here offers. I don’t know what they are, but whatever it is between them, I know they’re both important to one another. And I know without a shadow of a doubt Samuel cares deeply for Lennox.

Sexuality isn’t something we’ve ever discussed, whether it be a conversation between Lennox and me, or the five of us talking specifics. It’s always been an unspoken rule: you are who you are and you love who you love; you never need to explain that.

Slowly, Lennox peels himself off of me and lets his eyes dart between us. “I need to sleep,” he says, surprising us both. “Can one or both of you sit here with me while I do?”

We nod, but then he looks at me, and only me. As if all the time and distance between us never happened, I read him like an open book.

Because I know that look and I know what he’s asking of me.

Please don’t talk about me while I’m asleep.

Swallowing hard, I hold my hand out to him and he takes it. I squeeze his fingers tight, acknowledging this new insecurity of his and offer him my unspoken promise.

I won’t tell him anything without you.

8

ARLO

Ishould be heading to the gym, but it’s much more of a struggle to leave now that the situation I was avoiding at the hospital has already happened.

I had told Jenika I didn’t know what to expect when I saw Frankie, but even with that fear hanging over me, it wasn’t enough for me to keep my distance.

Even through the anger and the bitterness and the distance, on some level we still gravitated toward one another.

Needing one another.

Understanding one another.

It was obvious there were still so many feelings and emotions to be worked through, and there was no doubt there was still so much that had to be said.

But for now he needed me, and that sparked something new inside me, something I hadn’t felt for Frankie before.

Yes, we were all family. Yes, we were always there for each other, but between Frankie and me, I was always the needy one. I was always the one who was being taken care of.

I was the one he always watched over.

This. Today. It was different.

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