Page 66 of Wants and Needs
“I’ve been talking about you to any influential person I know?—”
“Which is a lot,” Sebas interrupts helpfully.
“And Sebas also happens to be a very good friend.” I thoroughly enjoy how my words hit him, and he’s not looking so good then.
Then the glass doors open.
“Oh, the grave robber,” CJ says, calm as a lake as he walks through the door. We’re all surprised to see him—I have no clue what he’s doing here since he’s supposed to be spending the day with Wolf and his aunt’s family—but I can’t think about it more because I have to enjoy the show.
More specifically, the way Dirk’s face reddens again.
“Will you stop calling me that?” he hisses, turning to look at each of us.
“You literally brought this on yourself,” Sebas says, no compassion in his words.
“What do you want?” CJ asks, and then doesn’t give him time to answer. “Is he here to buy something?” he asks, looking at Sebas.
I roll my eyes at them.
“No,” Sebas starts, but Dirk interrupts him.
“What do you care?” he snaps at CJ.
I can’t help how my eyebrows rise when CJ puts on his ruthless socialite mask. I recognize it well since I went to school with about a hundred boys who were raised with the same privilege as him—not as much money, but aristocrats like to believe they’re untouchable, and they are more than often not.
“I care very much when scum decides they have any right to talk to my best friend, especially when they’re not kind.”
Damn, I do wish I could use my voice as a lethal weapon to people’s pride.
“Especially when thescumdecides it’s also a good idea to be unnecessarily vicious and vindictive to the kindest man my boyfriend has ever known.”
Recognition hits Dirk’s eyes then; I see the second it happens. He realizes who he’s talking to now, and he can do nothing but stutter as CJ takes a slow step closer and leans down.
“You’ve shown us who you are, Dick, so there’s no changing your tune now. Run along, and you better pray you never meet me again.”
I love my friends.
Dirk leaves just a few seconds later, and then CJ brings uplast night’s conversation and my reprieve from feeling like an asshole is over.
For the rest of the day all I can think about is Liam’s silence and I barely get to process any of my feelings.
If I want to be able to have an honest and productive conversation with Liam in a few days, then I have to actuallyknowwhat I’m going to tell him. What I feel. What I want.
I know one thing I want, and that’s him in my life.
So whatever I decide regarding that kiss, I at least know I’m going to do everything in my power to be his friend.
That is . . . if he’ll have me.
16LIAM
Parker and Williammight be as socially awkward as me, but they know something is wrong when we meet to talk about the next steps for the code of the app.
I met them both in Boston, about eight months after I left Dirk. I was in a bad place, mentally, and my parents helped me find a... support group.
A place for people like me.
Or as close to “like me” as anyone can be. No two Autistic people are the same. The less severe the cases, the less overlap in characteristics, but when I first walked into CAMM, it felt like I was home.
