Page 41 of The Chemist

Not quite sure how much he wanted to disclose to the guy who sucked him off next to a dumpster, Diesel took another bite of his chicken to buy himself more time.

“It was nothing, really.”

Bullshit. It was a lot.

Zero shifted on the bed, watching him, not saying a word. There was no judgment in his eyes, just pure curiosity.

“Look, I know we haven’t known each other long, and for some reason, you refuse to see how irresistibly amazing I am.” Zero gave his shoulders a slight shrug. “But I know what it’s like to suffer in silence. Trust me, having someone to vent to or share things with can make things much easier to bear. And sometimes, it’s easier to talk to someone who you don’t really like.”

Diesel struggled not to smile. The guy was an idiot.

“What I’m saying is that I got your back if you ever want to chat.”

Who was this guy?He didn’t know how to deal with this nice version of Zero. Perhaps he should just punch him in the throat and get the old Zero back.

Stop being a dick. He’s just trying to be nice.

Fuck that annoying voice. Where was the other one that always told him what fun, wicked things to do?Hewould know how to handle this nice Zero pod sitting in front of him, offering him food and comfort.

Fine.He was going to throw the man a bone.

Placing his fork down on his plate, he shoved the food aside and took a deep breath.

“Not sure if the guys told you, but I’m seeing a shrink.” Zero shook his head and remained silent. “Well, today, she asked me something that really made me think. So when I got home, I was all up in my head and couldn’t deal with people, so I did what I always do and retreated into myself.”

Nodding his head slightly, Zero played with the edges of the blanket on his bed.

“I know how exhausting and painful therapy can be. I’ve had a few friends attend court-ordered sessions and seen them come out looking wrecked and shattered. But in most of those cases, the guys told me that in the end, the sessions really helped.” Zero placed his hand on Diesel’s leg again. “It sounds like you had a great session today. You should be proud of yourself.”

Standing, he began to walk to the door.

“Z?” Diesel called out, not really sure why or what he was going to say.

Zero stopped at the door and turned.

“Thanks for dinner… and for listening.”

“Anytime. You’re still a douche though,” he said with a smirk before walking out the door.

Diesel couldn’t help but smile.

16

DIESEL

The one problem with sleeping all day is that you end up staying awake all friggin’ night! Diesel tried everything. He played games on his cell phone, cleaned up all the empty glasses, and threw out all the half-eaten stale chips. He tried watching television, but what’s on at three a.m. other than infomercials and squiggly porn. He even tried reading a book he found that was currently being used to prop up a nightstand. That only lasted all of two minutes before he became bored and decided that reading still wasn’t for him.

He rummaged through the fridge, searching for something that might satisfy his itch, but nothing there seemed worthy of eating.

“Fuck this.” Ready to lose his mind, he decided to head back upstairs.

This is what happens when you go to therapy. You end up walking around the house alone in the middle of the night.

Now who needs a shrink?

The house was quiet, except for the gentle breathing coming from Zero’s room. Since they were staying in a pauper’s starter home, the place didn’t have any air-conditioning.

It didn’t take long for the place to heat up, given that there were four beefy men occupying the space as well as several computers and monitors all going at the same time.

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