Page 26 of Faithful

“I’ll pay for it if that’s the case,” I offer solemnly.

There’s a pause.

Kai continues to smoke.

“I don’t understand why you never told me.” Leigh huffs. There's a bit of hurt in her voice.

“Opportunity never presented itself,” I say, knowing all too well that this is the lamest excuse ever, but I can’t bring myself to spill everything to her the way I spill all my secrets and worries to Kai.

He taps his cigarette against the rim of the cup he grabbed from the kitchen to use as an ashtray and studies us with a guarded expression.

“Did you really think I would stop being your friend if I knew you liked guys?” Leigh asks.

Having this conversation right now with Kai listening is uncomfortable.

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly, looking at him from across the balcony where I’m propping up the wall.

He lifts his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Do your own explaining… Watson.”

That gets Leigh’s attention. “Care to tell me how it happened, pretty boy?”

“It just did,” Kai responds in his cryptic manner.

“You’re quite the talker, huh?”

“When the situation calls for it.”

“So, me finding you in my living room naked doesn’t call for it then?”

“I don’t see why it would.” His cigarette has been reduced to a tiny filter and he takes a moment to put it out, then sets the cup on the floor and sips some of his (my!) beer.

Leigh continues to grill us. “So, is this some kind of S and M arrangement where he”–she points at me while looking at Kai–“beats the living shit out of you and you get off on it?”

At that, Kai chuckles. “What gave you that idea?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You’re the talk of the town. I better not find out you drink his fucking blood or something.”

“Okay.” I fling my arms in the air because the absurdity of this conversation is killing me. “Can we back it up, please? No one is drinking anyone’s blood.”

“That’s not what the internet says.” Leigh makes a funny face.

“Are you serious right now?” I cry out.

From the corner of my eye, I see Kai biting his lips to suppress a smile.

* * *

He leaves a couple of hours later after the three of us finish up all the takeout sushi and move the furniture back.

Miraculously, there’s no cum on the sofa.

Not sure how it happened, but praise Jesus or whatever. You get my drift.

Leigh and I are in the living room. She’s lounging in the chair and there’s a collection of empty beer cans on the coffee table.

“You should have told me, Dylan,” she says grudgingly, her voice soft and slurred from all the drinking.

“Which part?” I'm sitting on the floor cross-legged. My head is fuzzy, and my heart is happy. Somehow, I didn’t expect Kai to stick around, but he and Leigh seemed to hit it off.

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