LOGINAnd somewhere deep in my chest, I realize that this room this family, this game of appearances and subtle victories feels dangerous. Thrilling. And terrifying.
Because Tyler’s watching me. And he already knows more than he should.
Dinner carries on without bloodshed, but not without excess. Voices crash into one another, laughter overlapping, conversations splintering and snapping back together like nothing ever broke. It’s loud. Indulgent. Intimate in a wa
“Mm ” I agree weakly, blinking as my vision briefly doubles before settling back on him.His hand moves.Up.Then down.Stars explode behind my eyes.He’s right.I’m hard.Harder than last night.Harder than I’ve ever been in my entire life.I start shifting helplessly in place, small desperate sounds slipping out of me every time his hand moves.His touch is cautious. Curious. Almost shy.And he keeps laughing softly.Little breathy laughs every time he touches me again.Not mocking.Never that.He’s laughing because he’s enjoying himself.Because he’s happy.“Wow,” he says.Then again a moment later.“Wow.”Every time he says it, my body reacts even more.He tugs my hair gently, pulling me forward into another kiss.This one isn’t gentle.It&rsqu
“But I’m learning,” he adds. “So… we go slow.”My brain turns into soup.“I guess you’ll have to be gentle with me.”I nod.Shake my head.Make a strange gurgling noise.He lifts my chin with one finger so I’m forced to meet his eyes.“Here’s the plan,” he says calmly. “I take some of your clothes off.”My lungs forget how to function.“You stay still.”My heart slams against my ribs.“And I… explore.”My shoulders start trembling uncontrollably.“O-okay.”His hands smooth down the front of my T-shirt.Slow.Warm.Heavy.I stare at them.“Uh-uh,” he murmurs, tapping two fingers under his own eyes. “Look at me.”I drag my gaze up.“Eyes here. The whole time.”I nod
Not even close.Nathan looks like heās living the greatest night of his life.Cole finally hangs up after receiving very strict instructions: he is absolutely not allowed to pick Nathan up before ten tomorrow morning.Why?Because apparently āGranny makes pancakes on Saturdays and Sundays.āCole lowers the phone slowly.āHmph.āI shrug. āWell⦠I guess heās not suffering too much.āāNo,ā Cole mutters. āGuess heās not.āāThatās good though, right?āāSo good.āWe stare at each other.Then we both burst out laughing.āI know Iām pathetic,ā Cole says, shaking his head. āWhatās your excuse?āāMy excuse?ā I spread my hands dramatically. āNathan is illegally adorable. That child could cure bad moods on contact. Itās not fair. Heās just⦠ridiculously great.āColeās shoulders lift slightly, pride flickering across his face.āThanks.āāYouāre doing an amazing job with him,ā I add quietly. āSeriously. Youāre a great dad.āHe says thank you again but this time his voice sounds rougher.Weāre stan
My brain is still floating somewhere above the porch. “Right… about what?” I mumble.He gives me a look so intense it feels like my bones might melt.“You’re a very good kisser.”The noise that escapes me is horrifying. Some unholy mix between a squeak and a choke.I would absolutely die of embarrassmentbut chaos suddenly erupts across the street.“What the…?” Cole turns, squinting toward Luca and Tyler’s house.I follow his gaze.Something’s wrong with the window. There are hands moving around behind the glass arms waving but no faces. No bodies.Just frantic movement.“That’s weird,” I say. “Did something fall? I swear I heard a crash earlier.”Cole studies it for a second. “Pretty sure there used to be blinds on that window.”I blink. “Wait… the blinds are gone?&r
He’s trying to hide the grin.Which shouldn’t be hot.It really shouldn’t.And yet somehow it’s unbearably hot.By the time I finally figure out how to swallow my coffee, the heat from it travels straight down my throat… down my chest… lower… lower… until it lands somewhere that absolutely does not need extra warmth right now.Fantastic.Perfect timing.I have no idea how long we’ve been sitting here in silence, but I’m pretty sure this exceeds the socially acceptable limit for two humans sharing a porch swing and not speaking.Usually I’d jump in and save us. I’d grab a random topic weather, sports, weird news headline and run with it like a marathon sprinter.Today?Not happening.Because Cole is here.And he hasn’t told me to fill the silence.He’s closer than he normally sits. Not by much. Just enough t
Absolutely not thinking about that.Definitely not thinking about how I may have just destroyed the best friendship I’ve ever had.By mid-morning I’m sitting at my pottery wheel, hands buried in clay. I’m shaping a small vessel for Nathan something I’ve been planning ever since he proudly announced that one of his teeth was loose.The idea struck me earlier while unpacking the ridiculous box I packed during my six-a.m. meltdown. If I want it finished in time, I need to start now. Clay has to dry. Then it needs firing. No room for procrastination.I’m building the piece by hand, but I’m working on the wheel because sitting here calms me down. Or at least… it usually does.The clay started out cold, slick under my fingers. Now it’s warmed to my touch, softer and easier to shape. Normally this is the moment where my mind quiets. Where everything fades and I sink into that peaceful rhythm of making somet
I’ve pushed him. Like an idiot.He’s less than a foot away now. I can feel the cold night clinging to him, sharp and biting, flooding my space until I don’t know if I’m burning up or freezing in place.“I, uh…” My voice falters, useless. I
My chest tightens. āJesus, Bennett.āI shove him away and spin him around, pinning him against the locker by the back of his neck. I donāt have a plan I just need distance. Time. Anything.I stare straight ahead, because if I look down, Iām done. It takes everything I have not to.Everything.My co
Tyler Bennett pov Iāve never been this wired to travel in my life. Not for the flight. Not for the landing. Not for the bus, the hotel, any of it. Every mile closer feels like a countdown.Ever since Moretti told me what happens to boys like me, the words have lived under my skin.I havenāt gone a
What the fuck are those?ā I blurt before I can stop myself.He doesnāt look at me, gaze fixed a few inches to my left. āTheyāre pajamas, Bennett. Sleepwear. To avoid making others uncomfortable.āāHate to break it to you, bud, but those arenāt pajamas. Theyāre jammies.āHe says nothing, but a tiny







