Page 19 of Edge
The last time Mickey had gotten sick, the flu had completely taken him down. It had turned to pneumonia and continued to morph until he damn near ended up hospitalized. He’d lost forty pounds he had only recently started to regain. Now, the thought of putting food in his mouth made him want to heave.
“I’ve missed spending time with you. There’s no reason for me to go back to bed. Plus, Beau isn’t here. Do you really want to spend the day with someone else?” Mickey tried hard to give him a playful yet pitiful face, as if begging Kylo not to hurt his feelings.
Kylo set his hand on Mickey’s arm. His light blue eyes saw too much. Kylo probably knew more than anyone else did simply because he was observant in ways no one else was.
“Did you know I lived with Rain for a while?”
Mickey rolled with the subject change. “I did not.”
Kylo nodded. “We were in a year-long production together, doing eight shows a week. I lived alone, but we were always together. It seems that made me a target, completely unbeknownst to me, of course. One night, I was attacked in the parking lot after a show and Rain took everyone out before I could even blink, much less be scared. Afterward, he was obviously forced to explain a lot of things to me, and I moved in with him to stay safe. They have a very odd household.” Kylo stared into space for a moment. “I miss them. Field always threw the best birthday Christmases. He gave me my first tea set.” He blinked and looked down. “As a matter of fact, it was this one.”
Mickey dropped his gaze to the table. He had always assumed Beau had bought the set. One thing Mickey had become an expert at since moving in with Beau was luxury. The tea set was worth a fortune.
They both looked up at the same time and their stares met. Mickey couldn’t look away. Kylo lowered his voice as if anyone would overhear in the privacy of Kylo’s playroom.
“He’s terrifying, you know. Everyone sees the jokester, but it’s not real. I think he scares himself.”
That didn’t surprise Mickey.
Kylo sat back, obviously moving on. “Anyhow, one thing I noticed there was Edge. He always fascinated me. No one treats him like a friend. It always made me a little sad. They follow him like he’s proven he’s stronger than them, but no one ever sat with him or seemed to fully include him. He lived on the outskirts of the group. Everyone else seemed to have someone who they were always paired with. Not Edge. He was always rigid and cold. But sometimes, I would catch the longing way he watched everyone else. I saw the way he fully recognized he was the outsider, but he didn’t know how to break past that. Something stood in the way. I don’t know what, though.”
Mickey knew. Edge stood in his own way. He had been tortured for loving Rain. Edge kind of hated him for it and everyone knew it, but no one said it. Mickey had seen it but hadn’t understood it until Field’s confessions. The entire crew would never split, but Edge feared connections in a way the rest didn’t. That didn’tmean he didn’t crave what he had lost. Edge just didn’t know how to love anymore. Mickey couldn’t be his punching bag while he figured it out.
Fabrice appeared in the doorway. “These came for you, Mickey.” He held a huge bouquet of red roses.
Mickey’s eyebrows shot to his hairline.
He accepted the flowers while Kylo squealed on his behalf. “Thank you.” With his heart in his throat, Mickey opened the tiny card attached.
I wanted to claim these were from Field, so maybe you’d accept them, but I can’t be that much of a coward. So, maybe still don’t throw them in the trash. You deserve them.
—Edge
Mickey put the card back and kept his mind on lockdown.
“They’re so pretty. Daddy got me flowers after the whole milk thing. They’ve been dead for a good while now, though. I just don’t have the heart to throw them away.”
“You can have these, if you want.” Mickey wasn’t sure if he meant it, but he still remembered exactly how Edge had looked at him as he kicked him from his life. He still felt every eye on him as he left that house. Every time he had put his pride on the line and let Edge use him in every way sat on his chest andkept him awake at night. He was more confused than he had ever been. Edge had made him feel things he never had. He couldn’t risk himself again like that.
“No. Thank you, though. I can’t take them. Red roses are very personal. They represent love. You can’t pass that to someone else.”
Mickey’s gaze locked on Kylo at the claim. Affection rose in his chest, choking him. He had been in his feelings for so long without anyone noticing. He couldn’t take it anymore. “I love you.”
Kylo melted in a way only he could. He was so innocent in a way that couldn’t be described. Kylo deserved the world and all the kindness.
“When you had that attack, I’ve never been that scared. I know I never say it, but you’re really all I have. It would’ve killed me if anything had happened to you.”
Kylo stood and circled the table. He wrapped his arms around Mickey and held on. “You saved my life that day. Only the fact that you knew exactly what was wrong and had the tools to fix it is what kept me alive. You have no idea how much I love you. You’re like the closest person to me next to Beau. Don’t tell Rain, okay?”
Mickey laughed. He hated how watery it sounded. He was dangerously close to tears.
Kylo moved back to his chair and wiped his eyes. “Eat your cookie.”
Mickey laughed again and picked up the cookie. He felt a little better. His gaze moved to the flowers. Red meant love. It seemed he had maybe heard that somewhere.
Fabrice reappeared. “Sorry to continue to interrupt your teatime. This just arrived as well.” He crossed the room and handed Mickey a wrapped box.
Mickey eyed the bright paper. “Thank you. You deserve a raise for the continuous stair climbing.”
