Page 130 of Three for a Girl

Chad shoved Romeo, laughing again.

“If that’s the case, you should give them to me more often then.”

The sky rumbled, the cymbals of thunder crashed in Chad’s chest.

“I was worried there.” Romeo whispered.

Chad rolled into him, pressing their foreheads together. “It was good, really good. Amazing.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

Chad tried to look at Romeo, but the rain pelted them, making it impossible to keep his eyes open, rather than fight it, or get annoyed, he accepted it, and kept his eyes shut, imagining Romeo was doing the same. They lay like that, listening to the rain and the rumble above, the occasional white-flash Chad could see through his eyelids. Never had he felt such a perfect moment, such a perfect calm, not after the storm, but during one.

“Why was Romeo so sad?”

Chad snorted, inwardly rolling his eyes at Romeo’s awful comic timing. “I don’t know, why was Romeo so sad?”

There was a long pause, and Chad reached for Romeo, sliding his hand over his wet shirt. He stilled at the beat of Romeo’s heart, hard and fast against his palm.

“A doctor spoke poison to his Juliet and he very nearly took it.”

His voice shook, and Chad’s heart squeezed. “I didn’t take it.”

“For a second you did.”

“Only for a second, then I spat it out.”

Chad pressed his lips to Romeo’s. The kiss tasted of rain, Romeo, and what Chad suspected was the saltiness of tears. Romeo tightened his arm around Chad until they were pressed together so tightly not even the rain could get between them.

“Yes, you spat that poison out.” Romeo breathed. “And I killed the doctor that dared speak it to you.”

Chad rubbed his nose against Romeo’s as he nodded. “You did, and Juliet thought it was beautiful.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Chad woke to the clang of metal.

He blinked as the room spun back into focus and realized he was in the bedroom, naked. He sorted through his sluggish mind and remembered Romeo had helped him into the house and they’d curled up together on the bed.

Romeo was gone, his side of the bed was cool to the touch and the clanging outside kept going.

Chad flung the sheets off his body and tripped on his way to the window. It was dark outside, and quiet except for the metallic ping and grunts of the man outside. A flashlight lay on the ground, illuminating a mound of earth.

Chad dressed in a hurry and rushed out of the house. His boots squelched in the mud and as he got closer to Romeo, he slowed his pace. A figure lay on the ground. The light wasn’t directly on him, but Chad could make out Carter’s outline.

They stood 200 yards away into the field. Darkness stretched out in front of them and the brightness of the house stayed behind.

“Hey.”

Chad looked at Romeo. “Hey.”

He stopped at the edge of the hole. It looked the right length for Carter, Chad stared at him, sizing him up.

“You should be resting.”

Chad dragged his gaze from Carter as Romeo lifted himself out of the hole.

“I only want to rest if you’re with me.”

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