Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Covering my head with the sheet, I couldn’t control the body-wracking laughter that made me sound a little like a hyena.
As Connor joined in, not even bothering to hide how gleeful his brother’s misery made him, I peeked out to see Ricky stared. He stared and stared until finally, he snapped, “Fuck this shit. I’m moving out.”
He stormed out the room and found himself an apartment two days later.
I knew Connor and I were a bit much at times. I was sad to see him go. I mean, who would help me gang up on Connor now?
At my question, Connor scoffed and when he said what he said, I fumed. “They said they couldn’t accept his lifestyle choice and for as long as he insisted on dating men, they would have nothing to do with him.”
My heart began to race. I could feel the blood rushing through my ears and I spoke so low, it was a near whisper, “His lifestyle choice?” My plate clanked when my fork fell from my fingers. I leant in, across the table and asked a quiet but menacing, “They think being gay is a choice?”
Connor’s brows rose and his lips tightened. “According to their church group, it is.”
Slumping back in my chair, all I could say in response was, “Unbelievable.”
“Baby,” he recalled grudgingly, “when he was sixteen, they caught him in is room with a friend from school. They were making out.” My chest squeezed because I knew whatever was coming was bad. “They beat the shit out of him. Drove him to the church in the middle of the night, were talking all kinds of shit but when the pastor convinced them to put Ricky through conversion therapy, that was it.” The look on his face, the tone of his voice, it was childlike. “I couldn’t let them torture him.”
And, quite suddenly, Connor Clash was no longer an enigma wrapped in a riddle.
Things began to make sense.
My voice was small. “What did you do?”
“I snuck into his room in the middle of the night, helped him pack a bag, packed one of my own and we left.”
It was as though the final puzzle piece slipped into place but instead of ovation, a thick silence blanketed the room.
Yes. Things swiftly made sense and the realization of why Connor was the way he was… well… heartbreaking.
Let down and betrayed by the people he trusted to take care of him, it was no wonder that Connor chose to live alone for as long as he had, filling his life with meaningless flings, pushing forward a never-to-be-taken-seriously attitude. Perhaps it was easier to be alone when the only significant relationship you had memory of hurt so badly, the pain seared into your side.
Oh, my love. “Where did you go?”
Dinner forgotten, he pushed his plate aside and recollected, “Not far. When we turned up on our Aunt Kim’s doorstep, she took one look at Ricky’s bruised face and knew my mother had finally lost it. There was no hesitation. She let us in and that was that.” A slight warmth lit his features. “Aunt Kim never had children. She was single and only worked part-time but she always made sure we had what we needed. She pretty much used up all her money putting us through school and sports. We didn’t have the best of everything but she made it work.”
“And your parents?”
“Aunt Kim called mom and told her where we were. Know what my mom said to her?”
Oh no. The single word stuck in my throat. “What?”
“They’re your problem now.”
My gut sank. “Oh, sweetie.”
Connor attempted to hide his hurt, straightening in his seat and clearing his throat. “It could’ve been worse. We got Aunt Kim and she loved us like our parents should have. I mean, she taught me to play guitar. Taught Ricky how to cook. And you know what sucks the most, baby?”
“What’s that, honey?”
“We didn’t notice it as kids but when we grew up, we started to see it. And,” the words stuck in his throat, “I think she’s gay, too.”
Oh no. I couldn’t handle it.
I could not.
With a short and sharp whine, my chair was pushed back, I was rounding the table and then I was in Connor’s lap. His arms snaked around me. I hugged him hard and pressed soft kisses to the side of his neck.
What a cruel world we lived in.
“It’s okay. I’m okay. We’re good, baby,” he stroked my back softly. He breathed in the scent of my hair and hugged me tightly, “You’ll meet Aunt Kim someday and I know she’s gonna love you.”
My throat tight, I couldn’t speak.
No. I’m going to love her.
How could I not?
It was only five days later that I met Aunt Kim. I wished the circumstances had been different and her first impression of me didn’t include me calling for help while standing on the kitchen island wearing nothing but a towel.