Page 52 of Bloom
Jaime wasn’t used to seeing people look frightened of him as if they expected him to grow violent. He wasn’t like that even if he had a mouth at times. He’d jumped up in shock, but Aleric didn’t think he hit him, right?
“Why are you still here?” demanded Aleric.
“Because…I don’t want to leave.” That sounded stupid.
“I thought it was fucked up to bring you here-”
“Well, it is! I’m basically a guard for your sitting room, and you didn’t tell me there’s actual danger to watch out for. Youplunked me here to act as a deterrent while keeping me stupid, and even though I’ve helped you through heat fever and saved your life, you act like you’ve got a stick up your ass. And getting an answer out of you is like pulling teeth.” Jaime was too tired for this bullshit twenty seconds after being startled awake from a nightmare.
“Then go.”
Jaime eyed Aleric who’d bathed and brushed his hair. He was dressed, and it was odd because he was still pale with dark shadows lurking under his eyes. Clearly, he wasn’t fully recovered even if he wasn’t actually sick. It was more like watching a man pretend to be a higher-up.
“Why do you look like you’re about to go out?”
Aleric rolled his eyes. “I’m going to breakfast. I didn’t expect to come out and find you here.”
“You can have breakfast in your bedroom and relax.”
“No, I can’t,” Aleric stated as if that was a simple fact anyone should know.
“Because your food might be poisoned.” Jaime rubbed his face as it made sense quite suddenly despite his rough start to the morning. He lowered his hand to peer at Aleric who didn’t seem to know what to do. It must have been quite frustrating that after his demands to leave, Jaime was still sitting on the couch with the blanket askew. “Is it Alexandre and Zacharie?”
Aleric tilted his head. “Excuse you?”
“I’m asking if your brother and his lover are trying to kill you. It’s a simple question, and I’d like a straight answer. Last night, I was thinking-”
“Alexandre?” snapped Aleric. “You’re on first-name terms?”
“Uh…I’ve been thinking of him with the title a lot, but he said I could-”
“Is it going to be Alex next week?” Aleric spat.
“We talked once, and he said I could use his first name because others do.”
“And just when did you talk to him?”
“Erm, after-my first afternoon.” Jaime wasn’t about to say it was after they’d fucked. Since he hadn’t gone to sleep the previous night until late, he’d had time to think of other horrible possibilities involving Aleric’s life and why he might not want to tell Jaime the basic facts. “He told me why he’s here, and…he said he’d been to court once. The Regent’s cour-”
“How lovely. Your first full day here, and you were making friends. How about if-”
“If it’s him, just say so.” Jaime smacked the couch cushion by him. “He’s not my friend. He was extending a courtesy and explaining something to me in case I heard and wondered. Tell me what the fuck is going on instead of avoiding it and talking to me like a piece of shit. Also-” He pointed at Aleric. “If I was friends with Lord Gautier, and it’s him trying to kill you, I wouldn’t have helped you. Did you think of that?”
Aleric stared at him for a long moment before he turned on his heel to leave. Jaime clenched the blanket in one hand, and the door closed a second later. While he’d been awake the previous night, he’d wondered if the man had raped Aleric.
Jaime had believed Gautier at first. False accusations happened, and they were done to get revenge or to exact some form of power over another: accuse them of a horrible crime, ensure they lose important things, and become forever marred in the eyes of others or at least many. Since Lord Monet’s court seemed to trust Lord Gautier, it made sense. If they thought he was a rapist, they wouldn’t let him in.
At the same time, it was quite possible the accusation hadn’t been a lie, and perhaps Lord Monet couldn’t help but believe his friend. A best friend he’d known for years would never hurt anybody, right? He’d even apologized to Jaime, showinghe wasn’t the sort to keep suspicions in his mind and likely wanted to see the best in others based on what he could see and thought he knew. Jaime was an outsider, but he’d proved himself enough.
If Lord Gautier was a rapist, perhaps he’d done the same to Aleric. That’s why he’d said Jaime wouldn’t believe him and refused to say anything. Nobody else would believe the nice, past lord was abusive or that a young higher-up could suffer abuse in his own home.
With or without trying to kill him, Aleric might be unable to admit the truth because he was too ashamed and thought Jaime wouldn’t believe him. He was afraid of being called a liaragain.
Gautier was with Zacharie too, who had no problem with him, so that helped his image. Rapists didn’t abuse every single person they came in contact with.
The court might think Aleric was jealous and trying to smear his little brother.
The door jiggled, and Zacharie poked his head in without knocking. “He doesn’t lock the doors with you here?”
