Page 31 of Unrecognizable Player

“Yeah, that’s where I’ve been staying since…”

When I turn around, he’s looking at the back of his hands on the table.

“Fuck that guy,” I say.

He smiles.

“Your parents know about him?”

“No.” He drops his head again, the smile fading. “They don’t know I’m gay.”

“Oh.”

“They religious or something?”

“Orthodox Catholic.”

“Mine too.”Shit.

I turn around, but he’s just nodding.

“Here.”

When I put the coffee down in front of him, he wraps his hands around it like he’s trying to get warm. The way me and Dasha would when our babushka made us cocoa in the winter when the heating in the building was out again.

“I don’t think my parents would disown me or anything like that, I know they love me and they’d accept it, it’s just… I think they’d be worried, maybe even… disappointed.”

I can’t look at him, this is way too close to the bone. I sip my coffee and just nod.

“I will tell them, I was just waiting until after I graduated. I don’t know why then, it just made sense to have a landmark, something to aim for.”

I know exactly what you mean.

“Makes sense.”

He shakes his head. “Anyway, I’m sorry. Here I am after waking you up, unloading all my problems onto you. It won’t be like this all the time, I promise.”

“Youdidn’t wake me up, I already told you, and don’t worry about it.”

I try to hold back the yawn, but it lets itself out.

“Do you have classes today?”

“Yeah, but I told you, don’t worry about it.”

“If he comes around here again, what are you gonna do?”

My blood boils at the audacity of it. “If he comes round here again, then he’s even stupider than he looks.”

“I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me.”

Fuck,the way he looks up with those big brown eyes. I can’t even look at him. And if this is the way he’s used to being treated by that asshole, then I feel even worse about the way I’ve been with him since we met. Just because I’m scared shitless of how he makes me feel, doesn’t mean he deserves this kind of treatment.

“I won’t do anything stupid. I’ll give him a wedgie or something. That’s not illegal right?”

He laughs.Fuck, it’s a nice sound.

“Thank you.”

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