Page 11 of Feral Heart
If one more person interrupted his time with Jamie, Cesar was gonna starve them.
“Put me down.” He tapped Jamie’s arm, afraid he might actually hurt himself. “If you’re that hellbent on lifting something heavy…” His lips twitched.
Jamie’s arms flew from around him so fast Cesar nearly stumbled. “I was only kidding around,” Jamie said. “About lifting you. Not about you hugging me any time you wanted. But it was hot pretending to boost you cause I got to grab your butt.” His eyebrows tried to crawl into his hairline. “Please tell me I didn’t just confess that to you.”
“You don’t need an excuse, guapo. You can squeeze my ass any time you want,” Cesar murmured in his ear.
Jamie patted his ass then gave Cesar’s left cheek a firm squeeze. “You can hug me if you want,” he said with a smirk.
“You’re not as innocent as you let on, are you?” All this time he’d assumed Jamie was some shy, but excitable twink. He’d never spoken to Cesar in the grocery store, except to tell him to have a nice day and wave. But there was a flirty little menace under that guileless mask.
He blinked at Cesar. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, cupcake.”
With a wolfish grin, Cesar watched Jamie head to the kitchen door, hips slightly swaying.
Motherfuck. If his colibrí didn’t watch out, he would be lying under Cesar before the night was over.
* * * *
Jamie found Noel sitting at the far end of the bar, nursing dark liquid in a tumbler. He glanced up when Jamie approached, no judgment in those blue eyes. Just curiosity.
“Hi.” Jamie slid onto the stool beside him then ran his fingers back and forth over the hem of his shirt. “I wanted to say I was sorry. You know. For just... walking out like that.”
Setting his drink aside, Noel turned to face him. “You don’t need to apologize. I obviously said something upsetting, though I’m not sure what it was.”
“Oh, no! You didn’t say anything wrong.” Jamie forced himself to slow down, to take a deep breath before he turned into a caffeinated squirrel. “It’s just...” Relax. Count if you have to. Once he was sure he wouldn’t vomit his words, he continued. “My brain was hurt. A lot.” He paused to blow out a breath, to keep talking slow and calm. “People treat me like…” He frowned. “Well, like I’m talking to you right now. But imagine everyone treating you that way, all the time. Like you didn’t know how to tie your own shoes and needed a buddy to constantly hold your hand.”
When Miguel walked over, Jamie ordered a Sprite. His mouth had gone bone-dry, his heart racing. Aside from doctors, and a note in his file at work, Jamie had never told anyone about what his life with Grant was like. There were some days he really wished he had a friend to hold his hand, especially when his brother turned into a monster.
“Thanks.” Jamie accepted the drink from Miguel and took a long sip then stared down into the bubbles. “So when you patted my knee and called me buddy, it felt like—”
“Like I was asking if you needed me to tie your shoes.” Noel tossed back the rest of his drink, a strange look appearing in his eyes. “The last thing I would ever want is for you to think I’m being condescending, Jamie. I’m really sorry I did that.”
The genuine regret and sadness in Noel’s tone made Jamie want to hug him. “You didn’t know. That’s why I feel bad about storming off. You were just being nice, and I made it all weird.”
“Trust me, you didn’t make it weird.” Noel’s laugh was soft but bitter. “I know what it’s like when people treat you like you’re broken. Maybe not the same way, but...” He slowly glanced around then leaned in. “My ex used to tell me I was too stupid to survive on my own. That I needed him to take care of me because I’d never make it by myself.”
“That’s awful.” And sounded like something Grant would say. Sadly, Jamie had learned the world had more bad guys than good. He just hated Noel had to meet one too.
“Brian was awful in a lot of ways.” Noel traced the condensation on his glass with his fingers. “Took me six months of running and hiding to finally get away from him. He was... very persistent.”
“Running and hiding?” Jamie’s eyes widened, imagining the heck Noel had to have gone through. “Like, he was chasing you?”
Noel nodded then seemed to consider something. After a moment, he lifted the hem of his shirt just enough to reveal a small, puckered scar on his side. “He shot me and my boyfriend a couple weeks ago. Bullet went through Tomas and lodged in me.”
“Oh my god!” Jamie’s hands flew to his mouth. “He tried to kill you?”
“Pretty much.” Noel let his shirt fall back down. “But I’m okay now. We both are. And he’s... well, he’s not gonna bother me again.”
Jamie stared at him, processing. This guy who looked so sweet had survived something so horrible. There’d been a handful of times Jamie was sure he was going to die after one of Grant’s more violent attacks. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure how he’d made it to the hospital. Jamie hadn’t been in any condition to call an ambulance.
“I’m really glad you’re okay.” Jamie patted Noel’s knee then yanked his hand away when he realized what he’d done.
“Thanks.” Noel smiled. “Can I ask what happened to you? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“My brother,” Jamie said softly. “He’s been knocking me around since we were kids. Usually it’s just his fists, but sometimes...” He touched his temple absently. “My boss thinks I’m mentally disabled because of it, but I’m not. I just process things a little differently now.”
“Your brother sounds like a real piece of shit.”
