Page 46 of Green Light

Mymusicwasstillplaying in my headphones as I let myself into my house after my run. Heading straight to my fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water and drained it in a few gulps.

Thirst slaked, I stared out the window. It overlooked my lavish garden. It was way too much for just me, but when I’d been looking at houses, Silas had fallen in love with it.

No, I didn’t live with Silas. Yes, I’d taken him with me to view every house before making a decision.

I’d never pretended we had a healthy relationship.

When we’d viewed this house, the garden had been nothing more than an overgrown tumble of weeds and abandoned blocks of rubble from the house renovation. I hadn’t been sure, but Silas had been the one to see its potential. He’d strolled through the stinging nettles, oblivious to the welts they left behind, raving about things likespace, south-facing,andpatio.

In truth, I hadn’t been able to even get a glimpse of what he was suggesting. He’d been so enthusiastic, so damnedbright, that I didn’t even try.

I just bought the house.

Fortunately, I hadn’t had to put Silas’s plans into action. He’d turned up the day I picked up the keys with his car loaded with tools.

With his guidance and my willingness to do anything he asked, we’d transformed the space from a weed-filled wasteland to an oasis. The luscious lawn was broken up by winding paths. Plants filled the borders with small water features hidden here and there. A massive patio stretched out from the back door, a space where Silas and I liked to entertain during the summer.

But my favourite spot was the hammocks. Hanging between the trees, it was where Silas and I had whiled away many an hour under the night’s sky.

Was it any wonder I couldn’t get over him? Silas’s thread was the constant colour through the tapestry of my life. We were woven so tightly together that there was no separating us.

Not unless the tapestry was burned. Was that something I really wanted to do?

I thought back to Silas’s odd behaviour yesterday. How closely he’d watched me with Tristan. The way he’d seemed to breathe me in when we hugged.

Fuck, it had almost killed me to act so cool with him. All I’d wanted to do was drag him somewhere private where we could hold each other without the curious eyes. I wanted to tell him about my travels before demanding every tiny detail about what he had been up to.

I wanted to fall to my knees to beg his forgiveness for my radio silence. Tell him how much it hurt me to put that distance between us. How I regretted it. How I wished I could take the last four months back.

But whenever I’d felt myself begin to crack, Tristan would be there. A cautioning look, a gentle touch, whatever he needed to do to remind me why I was doing this.

I was so glad he’d been there. Without him, I would’ve been right back where I’d started. What would have been the point of going through all this bullshit if nothing changed?

Movement flickered in the corner of my eye. The empty water bottle fell from my hand as I jumped. I ripped my headphones out as I glared at the intruder. “For fuck’s sake, Si. You scared the life out of me.”

“Sorry,” Silas chirped, looking anything but. “To be fair, I said hello. Not my fault you still had your headphones in.”

I grabbed the bottle from the floor before chucking it into the recycling. I used the time to adjust to Silas being in my house.

Mostly naked.

“Why are you in a towel?” I asked, keeping my back to him.

“Water pressure is better here,” he said, reaching past me to grab an apple from the bowl. I shivered as his bare arm brushed against mine. “Plus, you’ve always got the healthy shit stocked.”

My lips twitched despite myself as I turned to face him. “Healthy shit…you mean fruit?”

He crunched into the apple and shot me a wink, just like yesterday.

And, just like yesterday, my cock got excited and started to stiffen. Which was not a good thing, given I was wearing athletic shorts.

Oh, and also because I wasn’t supposed to be getting hard-ons over my best friend. A message my dick had yet to receive.

It didn’t help that water dripped down his hairless chest, circling one of his nipples like it wasbeggingme to taste it. I didn’t look further south.

That was a fucking lie. Of course I did. Not that it mattered. I’d seen Silas naked so many times that I had no trouble picturing how he looked under that towel.

Just another inadvertent way Silas had tortured me over the years. He’d never thought twice about stripping in front of me.

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