“I’d brag about you, too,” he says. “Thank you for being patient with me.”
“It’s worth it.”
“But I know I’m difficult,” he says.
“There’s nothing difficult about you at all. When you’re not near me I’mfrustratedby it, Weston.”
“Don’t you love being alone?”
“I do. And being with you is still better.”
He moves in and kisses me quickly, like if he doesn’t seize the moment, I’ll disappear.
But I’ll be as patient as Wes needs, because I’m not going anywhere when being with him feels like this.
I performa mini-Mission Impossible stealth act to get out of Onyx House without anyone seeing me.
Weston went down to the kitchen for his protein waffles a few minutes ago, and I put on my clothes quietly and start to walk lightly down the upstairs hallway. It would feel ridiculous if it wasn’t so fun, peering around corners to make sure nobody’s in view of the staircase as I make my way down.
And once I get to the reading room, which has a small door that leads to the side of the house, I know I’m going to make itout. I push the little arm chair to one side, get the door open, and step out onto Red Row.
It smells like rain.
The air is still humid, but the showers have stopped.
I breathe in deep, thinking of everything I need to make happen, feeling more sure than I have in a while.
Kieran is still a fire that needs to be put out.
And I’m still not comfortable with the fact that Cal Thorne thinks he can blackmail Weston, but that’s a situation I need to consider carefully, hopefully after a vat of coffee.
I loop around to the front of the house and as I’m walking down the sidewalk, someone catches my eye.
“Sev?” a voice calls out, and I turn to face the opposite direction on the sidewalk.
It’s Niko.
“Yo,” I tell him.
There’s no use trying to make up an excuse.
Niko’s already walking over to me with his eyebrows up, hiding a smile. “You’re leaving Onyx House?” he asks.
“What are you doing up and out of the house so early?”
He holds up the tiny bag he’s holding. “Ollie likes hot sauce on his eggs, and we ran out.”
“You’re really going for the Boyfriend of the Year award,” I tell him.
“And are you going for Hookup of the Year? You slept with Wes last night, didn’t you?”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Oh, bullshit. I saw Wes wearing that watch you used to wear. And come on, you used to tell me about every girl you hooked up with back in the day.”
“Well, maybe I’ve changed.”
“God, you are crazy for him, aren’t you?