Page 11 of Catching Him

Oakley wanted to feel better. He really did, but he didn’t want this for Eric. Oakley hadn’t expected things to go downhill this rapidly.

At his silence, Eric’s smile slipped away. “Seriously, Oakley. I love you. You could’ve been really hurt. I’m surprised you didn’t hit your head on the way down. You’re all I have. So let me take care of you for my peace of mind.”

With his back teeth locked, Oakley gave him a sharp nod. Fuck. This was a mess. He was all Eric had. Why had Oakley been so stupid? He hadn’t thought this through. All Oakley had cared about was making his dream come true for a little while before he lost his chance. Now he had trapped Eric with him, because he knew damn well Eric wouldn’t leave him. He was a bastard. Eric deserved so much better than him.

It took everything Eric possessed not to demand Oakley be real with him. This was worse than he realized. His insides shook. He hadn’t been talking shit. Oakley could have been seriously hurt. If he had hit his head on the way down, he could have died. A huge bruise was already forming on his chest. Eric felt sick. If Oakley would just tell him the truth, they could create a care plan together. They could put some safety bars in the bathroom. Eric could start showering with him. This silence was stupid, but he couldn’t force Oakley. Well, he could, but Eric was scared as hell of Oakley’s reaction. Oakley had more pride than anyone he had ever met. It was maddening.

Eric peeled off his wet clothes and tossed them in the hamper before drying Oakley’s skin. Oakley let it happen, but he didn’t look happy about it. Eric had to fix this and somehow save Oakley’s pride. He wrapped the thick towel around Oakley, trapping his arms inside. Eric shuffled close and stole a kiss.

“I have you now, my little burrito.” He brushed his lips across Oakley’s again. “There’s no escape.” He moved toward the bedroom, herding Oakley toward the bed.

Oakley smiled at Eric’s ridiculousness. “Oh no. What will you do with me?”

A wicked smile tugged at Eric’s lips as he got Oakley settled on the bed and followed him down. “The same thing I do with every burrito I run across. Eat you.” He playfully gnawed at Oakley’s skin while keeping his weight off him. Oakley squirmed and laughed beneath him. Eric smiled against his skin.

“I love you so much.”

Eric’s eyes fell closed at Oakley’s confession. He savored the words. “I love you too and don’t you ever forget it.” He rolled to his side and tucked Oakley against him. Eric didn’t know how to coax him into being honest. He just wanted to talk this through. Eric needed Oakley to understand he could tell him anything and count on him. “I fell getting out of the shower at my aunt’s place not long before we got married. I hit my elbow on the counter and slid like two feet.” Eric chuckled. “Thought I’d taken my dick off and ended up with one hell of a knot on my arm. The older I get, the more it hurts to fall. In fact, I just stayed down for a few minutes to assess.” Eric couldn’t stop smiling because he felt stupid. Everyone did when they did something humiliating, even when no one saw.

Oakley chuckled. “Yeah. If you hadn’t come in and pulled me off the floor, I probably would have chosen to stay down for a minute. It looks like I’ll have some bruises to explain at my doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“You have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow? Would you like me to come with you?”

Oakley never stopped smiling after his laugh. “Nah. It’s just a six-month follow-up.”

Goddamn it. He didn’t know how much longer he could stay silent. “All right. Do you want to finish our movie, or are you ready to get some sleep?”

“I vote we make out.”

Eric laughed, but he let himself get pulled into a kiss. Despite the secrets, Eric was still happier than he could recall ever being. He would take Oakley’s half-truths over anything else in the world. When Eric fell, he always fell hard. In fact, some might say he was a little bit psycho. He had acted crazy as hell, trying to keep Jakk. Eric couldn’t imagine how far he would go for the man who had unabashedly married him as quickly as possible. He would do anything. Honestly, he was a little terrified of himself.

Chapter Eight

Now that Eric knewthe truth, it was a tad aggravating to realize how blind he had been. But Oakley was also damn good at casually doing things while keeping Eric distracted. As he watched Oakley down a handful of prescription pills, it occurred to him that he watched Oakley do this every day without thinking. Oakley would joke and talk while quickly getting what he needed. He would toss them back like nothing happened. Then he would turn the spinning rack in the kitchen cabinet, so it showed the spices rather than all his pill bottles. He was truly masterful in his act. Unfortunately, Eric knew the truth now and he couldn’t stop noticing every single way Oakley kept his condition hidden from him.

Oakley set his water glass in the sink. “I shouldn’t be gone more than two hours. When I get back, I was thinking of hitting the batting cages. Would you like to join me?”

“Of course.” Eric fought to keep his cool. He honestly hoped Oakley didn’t think he was an idiot. The guy certainly treated him like one. “I need to run down to that little corner market and stock up on some things. Our fridge is starting to look a little bare.”

“Bodega,” Oakley corrected.

Eric rolled his eyes. His smile turned genuine. “You New Yorkers and your goddamn bodegas.”

Oakley chuckled as he moved to where Eric sat at the kitchen table. He swiped a kiss across Eric’s lips. “I’ll hurry back.”

At the mention of hurrying, a lump formed in Eric’s throat. Oakley could fall again, and Eric wouldn’t be there. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want me to go?”

Oakley stole a deeper kiss. “Go do your shopping. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

That wasn’t true at all, but—as always—Eric couldn’t force anything. “Okay. I hope everything goes okay.”

Oakley flashed him a smile before heading for the door. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Eric wasn’t sure Oakley had even heard before he disappeared.

With defeat making his legs heavy, Eric grabbed the rolling cart and made his way to the store. He hadn’t been far behind Oakley, but he was nowhere to be seen. Eric prayed that meant he snagged a cab. As he walked inside, the tiny old lady who was always there called out her hellos. Eric hadn’t lived with Oakley long before Hana had dragged every ounce of details about his life with Oakley from him. It seemed she knew everyone’s business and Oakley had lived there a while. Eric was a new fact for her to add to his story.

The store was dead, so Hana did what she always did when they were slow, and he was there. She followed him around to talk. “How is that handsome husband? He should pay someone to do this for you.”

---