Page 81 of Refraction

Oh, I know you.

He wasn’t wasting a second of this. “Your soul is beautiful, Tucker. I know, because I’m looking at it. No one, nothing, is perfect. I don’t even want perfect. I want you. You will always be beautiful to me. Trust me.”

“I—” Tucker held on to him. “Shit, honey. I’ll crack right down the middle like a dropped plate if I lose you again. I hope you’re right.”

“I’m right.” He said it like he believed it, and he did, mostly. He had to. “Tucker, whatever’s going on in your work, your mind, whatever it’s ever been, you have always taken care of me. You won’t hurt me, ever. I believe that. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.” Tucker wrapped one hand around his hip, thumb drawing little circles. “Just let me hold you two shakes and I’ll show you the barn.”

“Don’t rush. We can just breathe a little.” He put his arms around Tucker’s shoulders and kissed him.

“It’s easy to forget that part. I feel like it’s been weeks.”

“You took my breath with you when you left New York. I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I couldn’t see past being angry.”

“Yeah. I sorta lost my shit a little bit, after.”

“Marge told me you smashed everything.”

Tucker nodded but dropped his gaze and flushed. “They were garbage.”

He knew Tucker didn’t mean for him to take it the way he did, but those words left him breathless. He felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest. “No. They weren’t. That’s my fault, Tucker. I made you feel that way.”

“Bullshit.” Tucker rolled his eyes and swatted his butt. “I got a temper, and I know it. It suited me to hurt myself and wreck them. I’m not proud of it, but I know me. It won’t be the last time.”

Good to know.

He wasn’t going to argue which one of them had been more of an idiot that night because the answer was obviously both of them. And it got worse from there—Tucker with those pretty but meaningless pictures and him not answering a single one even to ask what the fuck was up.

“So neither of us does pissed off well. Fine. I’ll make you a promise, though. If we lose our shit, I’m not walking to the airport.” He grinned, tried to play a little. They’d been mired in this long enough.

“Honey, I’m not sure you can even find the maze room, much less walk to the airport.”

Oh, little tease.

“Well, if the walls weren’t all white and had some art hanging on them, I might have a landmark or two to go by. You better get busy.” He hopped up. “I think I’ll live dangerously and risk a sunburn on the way out there.”

“Turkey.” Tucker’s laugh rang out, echoing through the house. “I’ll just show you where things are, and you can hang what you want. Then I’ll be lost.”

“Ha! Don’t dare me, tiger. I’ll do it.” He would too. It would keep him busy when Tucker disappeared into his work. He knew it would happen, just as he knew there were ways he could coax Tucker away when he needed to so they could eat, sleep, fuck, swim… all their good stuff too.

“Come on, I’ll show you around. I’ll even put on pants.”

“If you must.” He scooped his T-shirt off the floor, intending to drop it in the bedroom while Tucker changed. He had a month off at least, right? He could totally get a tan.

“Maybe just something soft and comfy. Come on, honey. Wander with me.”

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