Page 65 of Show Me How to Heal
“Luki?” Moritz asked, making my fear spike even higher. Was something wrong with Mama and Papa? No. They were still young, not even sixty yet, and perfectly healthy. But his voice held so much concern, my whole body tensed.
“What happened?” I managed to get out between clenched teeth.
“Shit hit the fan,” he stated.
“What… what do you mean?” The gears in my head started turning, a sinking feeling in my stomach. “They found me?” Dread crashed into me like a wave, followed by an even bigger tidal wave of panic.
Zayne!
I hadn’t told Zayne yet.
I’d wanted to. Time and time again, but… after his celebratory dinner, things had become tense and stressful. I hadn’t wanted to add to that, thinking I’d have enough time to tell him after his grand opening.
“Oh, they found you. Theysofound you… not the press, mind you. From what I’ve been reading the past couple of hours, it was one of Zayne’s followers who snapped a couple of pics of the two of you… making out in his store.”
Fuck.
For a second, the earth stopped spinning. Everything came to a screeching halt.
This was bad.
Worse than I’d expected. Worse than I’d ever imagined.
They didn’t just know where I was. They knew I was gay. And, worst of all, I’d just dragged Zayne into it.
“Scheiße!” I swore. “Verfickte Drecksscheiße!”
“Yeah… Well, but, uhm… your boyfriend is super cute,” Moritz said unhelpfully.
“My boyfriend has no idea who I am,” I mumbled.
“Wait… you still haven’t told him?Ach, Luki.”
Yeah… I knew. I’d fucked up. Big time.
Had Zayne already seen the pictures? Where were they? How much did the media know? I needed to get a grasp of this.
“I’m sorry. I need to go. Damage control.”
Did they know exactly where I was?
Sure they did.
The address of the shop was public knowledge.
Were the first paparazzi here already? The first journalists? Fans? People wanting to snap a candid shot, earning big bucks by selling it to news outlets?
“Sure. I understand. Do you want me to come over?”
“Here? Don’t you have to work?”
“Today was the last day before the fall break. I’ve got two weeks off.”
“Maybe,” I said, not sure if having my brother here would help or would put even more pressure on me.
“Okay. But, Luki, you can call, you know? If you need help or… just someone there. We’re family.”
“Thanks,” I said before ending the call.
