Page 75 of Unfix Me

He tensed. “Why?”

“Because if he finds out another way, he’ll be hurt. Brooks knows, which will make him even more upset if I keep hiding it. He won’t say anything.”

“I know he won’t, it’s just… The more people who know, the harder it is to hide.”

“Yeah, but I think it’s important to be transparent with your friends, at the very least. It helps to have a small circle that you can trust and their support will help you get more comfortable when you do come out.”

He only nodded before he tucked his face into my neck.

It was silent for a long time, only his breaths filling the small space. I clung to each of them and paid attention to how they sounded. Eventually, they evened out and the tension eased from his body. I wrapped my other arm around him, clutching him to me with every intention of protecting him from all of the things he couldn’t tell me about.

What happened to you, Seneca?

*****

“Hey, dumbass,” I shouted extra loudly when I entered my bedroom. West didn’t notice when I threw a water bottle at him, so it hit him in the shoulder. He shot me a glare that could make a dragon cower in fear.

I sat on the bed and dropped a paper bag beside him. He immediately grabbed it and pulled out the sausage and egg croissant. If I ate that when I was hungover, I’d throw up, but West was a different breed. Pretty sure food could solve all of his problems.

After his first bite, he groaned and leaned back against the headboard. “You’re an angel, Kai.”

“So I’ve been told. The face helps.”

“Really? I think you’re kinda ugly.”

“I had to carry your fat ass out of a frat house last night. You should be on your knees thanking me.” He raised a brow and I rolled my eyes. “Not like that, you pervert.”

Chuckling, he grabbed the hash browns from the bag. “You’re too good to me.”

“I really am.” I shifted so that I was facing him. “West, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”

He paused momentarily, then continued eating. “I know I’ve been a little off lately.”

“It’s not that, but we will be talking about your bullshit behavior later. This is about me. I’ve been seeing someone for a few weeks.”

His eyebrows shot up before he broke into a grin. Even in his hungover state, it hurt like a bitch when he punched me in the arm.

“That’s why you’ve been weird,” he laughed. “Why’d you keep it to yourself for so long?”

“Because he doesn’t want anyone to know yet.”

“Is he ashamed of you?”

“No, asshole. People don’t know that he’s gay and I don’t think his family is safe for him. He hasn’t told me everything, but there’s trauma there.”

“That’s shitty. So, you’ve adopted a little baby gay to raise.”

My nose wrinkled. “Why are you like this?”

“Ask god. When do I get to meet Mr. Right?”

“It’s Sen.”

His jaw fell halfway to the floor. “Sen? As in, our Sen. The golden-haired, sharp-jawed ex quarterback who is literally the boy-next-door to you.”

“Yeah, that would be him.”

I couldn’t contain my smile and I could tell that West was studying me. “Did you turn him gay?”

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