Page 50 of What I've Tasted of Desire

He had his clothes laid out on the bed and was delicately folding each piece with exquisite precision, careful to smooth out any wrinkles or creases before laying each article inside his backpack. He was so much fun to watch. My adorable, perverted, obsessive-compulsive little lover. God. I would move mountains for him.

Once he had finished, I slung his backpack over my shoulder, and he headed down to the car. I had just finished loading our stuff into the back when Alex’s phone rang.

“It’s R-rob,” he told me before answering. “Hey… I’m on my… What?”

I raised my eyebrow, looking over at Alex as his tone changed.

Don’t like that…

“Oh, Tom,” Alex said into the phone as every muscle in my body froze.

Why would Rob be talking about Tom?

“No, h-he’s f-fine. I’ll be there in ten.”

So, Tommy-Boy is waiting for us at Westing House…

As Alex pocketed his cell phone, I examined the bruises down his neck from my teeth and smiled.

This is going to be like going to Disney World!

“Everything okay?” I asked, my casual tone deliberate.

Alex grimaced. “Yeah.”

His first lie to me. Oh, it cut me like a serrated knife to the heart. I knew why he did it, but his dishonesty felt like a betrayal nonetheless. At the same time, my heart sank as I watched his entire demeanor change. Immediately, gone was the happy, lighthearted boy with the easy smile I’d been with for the last three days.

“My friend is at the house l-looking for me. Rob was concerned for obvious r-reasons.”

Robshouldbe concerned…

“Your friend, Tom?” I asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah. We were in the same foster home t-together. He looked out for me.”

I smiled at him, despite the gorge rising on the back of my throat. I put my hand on Alex’s shoulder and squeezed. “Good. I’ll have to thank him for that.”

That hurt.

I leaned over, kissed Alex’s lips, and closed the back hatch. “Ready?”

Oh, we’ve been ready for this for years.

I pulled past Westing House’s open gates and could immediately see Tom sitting on the bottom porch step. He may dress better and shower everyday now, but that didn’t change thefunkthat radiated off of him. He was like the side character in a horror film you hoped died early so you didn’t have to look at him anymore.

Oh, Tommy-Boy… so nice to see you again. NOT.

I put the car in park and Alex jumped out. As soon as Tom laid eyes on him, he stood up and started marching towards him, a scowl plastered across his face.

I scrambled out of the car, not bothering to even close my door and headed after Alex.

“What the fuck is going on, Alex?” Tom spat, his voice already well past disrespectful. “You haven’t responded to a text message or a phone call for a week. You know the rules, we check in every week.Period.”

We’ll check in on your grave every week once I put you into the ground, motherfucker! Alex doesn’t owe you shit!

“I’m s-sorry,” Alex mumbled. “I had to get a new phone.”

You don’t have to explain yourself to this wretch, baby boy.

---