Page 106 of Two for Joy

Romeo’s mind went back to the farmhouse. The last night they’d spent together. He told Chad in an ideal world he’d complete his countdown and keep Chad in the process.

Chad had turned in Romeo’s arms to face him, giving him a long hard look. He’d seen the torment his words had put in Chad’s eyes. Chad opened his mouth to speak, then closed it fast, clicking his teeth together. They both knew there was no such scenario.

He’d cupped Chad’s face, he’d tensed for the briefest of moments, then relaxed, pressing a soft kiss to Romeo’s palm.

The charged moment, and the post-haze of sex lifted. Romeo remembered where they were. Marc Wilson’s house.

“You’re hurt.” Romeo said.

“I can’t feel a thing.”

Romeo flipped Chad over, pressing him into the mattress. “That’s not good.”

Chad laughed, but didn’t open his eyes. “Don’t worry, I felt the sex. That … that felt good. Thank you for letting me … you know…”

“I’m not quite sure I do know, but you’re welcome.”

Romeo drew back and looked down at Chad on the bed. His torso a bloodied mess, his nose bruised, his face swelling. His breaths were slow, labored, and as Romeo watched him breathe, he noticed the hesitation, like his broken body barely remembered what it was supposed to do.

“You need to be in hospital.”

“No,” Chad said, shaking his head.

He looked as if he was trying to open his eyes, but his lids fluttered, then he gave up.

“I need you. That’s all I need. We can go, just let me catch my breath first.”

“Go?”

“Anywhere, I don’t care.”

“On the run?”

“Yeah. We’ll run, we’ll keep running, not stop, not let them catch us.”

“You’d do that. Go on the run with me.”

“Romeo. I—I shouldn’t have set fire to the barn.”

“Yes, you should’ve.”

“I shouldn’t have trapped you like that, got you locked away.”

“You did what you needed to do, what you had to do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. You don’t need to be sorry. You’re not thinking straight. You’re hurt, tired, emotionally drained.”

“And it’s my fault. If I’d have just let you get your number one. None of this would’ve happened. We could’ve left that farmhouse together, gone anywhere.”

“No, we couldn’t have. You wouldn’t have been able to live with that. It would’ve destroyed you.”

Romeo grabbed onto Chad’s hand, then slowly slid it upwards. He didn’t seem to notice Romeo had hold of him, didn’t react or open his eyes to see where Romeo was pushing his hand. Chad shook his head against the pillow, mumbling things Romeo couldn’t make out.

A click punctured his mumbles. Romeo released Chad’s hand and waited for the moment he realized what he’d done. Chad’s lashes fluttered when they opened, his eyes were unfocused, and he took a long time to find Romeo even though he was right there in front of him.

“Romeo?”

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