Page 29 of Soren

They’d visited his mom for the second time together that morning. It was getting easier, walking in there. Knowing Soren would be there to keep him together if he started to fall apart was a comfort Gabe hadn’t known he’d needed.

The vampire kept his distance during the visits, probably not wanting to confuse Gabe’s mother with an unfamiliar face, but he stayed close with Gabe afterward, allowing him to let out whatever thoughts or memories or emotions had come up during the visit.

Gabe had no idea why Soren was suddenly so easy to talk to. Maybe it was just the fact that Gabe had never really tried before.

He’d been afraidfor so long. Not of Soren, really. Afraid of losing himself, maybe. Of manipulation. Of the unknown. Or maybe just Soren seeing right through him.

But now the fact that Soren had seen Gabe in his weakest moments and still wanted him—a fact Soren had made clear just that morning by swallowing Gabe’s cock down in the shower—made Gabe feel…some kind of way.

Gabe normally put so much effort into pretending. For someone to see through it and not run away?

He could get addicted to that feeling.

And for all his teasing, all his surface brattiness, the vampire was weirdly…kind. Understanding. And not afraid to call Gabe an idiot when he let himself get too tangled in his own thoughts. But was it really okay to rely so heavily on someone who could leave at any time? Who had no real roots here, no reason to stay?

Gabe found the object of his musings flopped on the living room couch, watching reality TV. Gabe plopped himself down next to him, hoping the vampire didn’t mind that he hadn’t showered after his run.

Soren never seemed to mind his smell though. Couldn’t seem to get enough of it, in fact. Gabe had never met anyone as okay with his postworkout sweatiness as Soren.

“What is this crap?” Gabe griped, relaxing back into the couch.

Soren waved a hand without looking at him. “Hush, human. You know not of which you speak.”

Gabe rolled his eyes, unable to help scooching closer to the vampire until he could rest his head easily on Soren’s shoulder. It was as though, after a year of trying to keep his distance, now that Gabe had allowed himself to touch Soren, healwayswanted to be touching him.

He’d opened the floodgates, apparently.

Something about it soothed him. Touching Soren had a way of settling the swirl of messy emotions that usually roiled in Gabe’s gut. He nuzzled his head on the vampire’s shoulder, groaning in pleasure went Soren started absently scratching a hand through Gabe’s curls. It was pure bliss.

They sat like that for a while, Gabe melting slowly but surely into the vampire’s touch. Soren’s petting was even better than a run.

“You’re kind of a homebody,” Gabe said after a few more minutes of quiet cuddling.

Soren paused his scratching. “What about it?”

Gabe shrugged, pushing his head back into Soren’s hand, encouraging it to start moving again. “Isn’t it, like, kind of boring? After everything you’ve done? Staying here?”

Soren hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t seem to mind it. Maybe I’m getting old.” He giggled wildly to himself, like that was the funniest thing in the world. “And what about you, Highness?” he asked after his laughter quieted.

Gabe shifted, turning his head so Soren could pet the other side. “What about me?”

“Shouldn’t you be going out with old high school buddies? Playing beer pong or whatever?”

Gabe grunted. “You do know I’m a doctor, not a frat boy, right?”

Soren’s answer was to tug Gabe’s curls in a way that forced him to look up and meet the vampire’s eyes. “Tell me the truth,” Soren teased. “You were in a frat in college, weren’t you?”

Gabe felt himself flushing. “It’s a good way to make connections.”

Soren giggled again. Gabe was realizing he liked that sound an awful lot.

“So why don’t you hit the town more?” Soren asked again, releasing his tight hold.

Gabe shrugged, resting his head down. “It’s not really that fun, I guess. It all feels…superficial. They all know this old version of me. Makes me feel like a faker. Like I’m pretending all the time.”

“So you justpretendto be an asshole?”

Gabe laughed. “No, Iaman asshole. I pretend to be a carefree one.”

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