Page 98 of Two Guys One Puck
I turn around to lean my ass on the counter, looking right at Ronan. This is his family. He gets to handle it.
He recovers from choking and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then searches my face with a silent question.
I can’t really say anything with my eyes. At least not that he’d understand, so I shrug, leaving it up to him. He knows her better. It’s up to him to decide if he wants to tell her.
Seaborn blows out a breath. “What do you mean?”
Emily crosses her arms. “Don’t bullshit me. Why else would you bring him home?”
“Because he was going to be alone?—”
Emily holds up a hand, cutting him. “Don’t feed me that bullshit. I didn’t believe it then, and I’m not now after seeing you two together!”
I fake a cough into my arm to cover my laugh.
“Don’t think you’re not feeding into this, Leontiy,” she snaps.
I hold up my hands. “This is between you two. As you say, my skin is not in the fight.”
Seaborn rolls his eyes. “Cop out.”
“They’re your family, baby doll.”
“See this! The pet names. The way you two look at each other. I’m not going to let you gaslight me like the rest of the family.” Emily narrows her eyes.
“To be fair, I called him pet names to piss him long before we were fuc—friends.”
“What were you going to say?” she points at me.
I turn back to my meal, stirring it in earnest. “Nothing. I get confused with language. Translation is hard.”
“I don’t think so.”
Now Seaborn is laughing.
“Someone is going to admit something to me,” Emily is not giving up.
He sobers and turns to look directly at her. “What do you want me to tell you? I’m not going to come out. Not to them and definitely not publicly.”
Emily is quiet for a long time. “Not even to your dad? He’s family.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to do that to him when he’s like this.”
She frowns. “Are you kidding me? He loves you. He’s going to love you no matter what.”
“And if he doesn’t? If he’s not speaking to me or fucking mad until he dies? I can’t take that chance. What if it makes him worse, Emily? The stress could kill him or something. I can’t have that on my shoulders.” He’s fighting tears, and since it’s out, I cross the room and pull him into a hug.
I press my lips to his temple and whisper, “?? ??? ??????o.”
He looks at me but doesn’t ask. I’m sure he will later.
“He’d want to know you, Ronan.” Emily frowns but she’s no longer pushing.
“He does. Most of me.” He leans into me taking the offered comfort and I’m surprised.
Both because I like it and I wasn’t sure he would in front of someone else. It gives me hope he might one day be comfortable out with me but maybe it’s wrong to hope for that.
“Doyou think I’m wrong for not telling him?”he asks when we’re alone later, wrapped up in one another.
