Page 56 of Small Sacrifices

"I mean, generally you know you're straight if you're only attracted to people of the opposite gender." Everett's eyes are huge on his face. He looks like a deer in headlights, very alert and completely still.

Reid considers that. He's pretty sure he's attracted to Everett. He can't say it out loud, but that's one point against heterosexuality. Has he ever felt this way about a woman? He's never kissed anyone before. His fantasies have always been vague, faces and bodies blurred out, more about the feeling than the person.

He doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing. Despite that, Everett's eyebrows wander impressively far up his forehead. Maybe he doesn't need to say anything at all.

"Right, well," Everett says, "you don't need to know. But still. I wasn't flirting with you."

Every single person Reid has talked to about this so far seems to have disagreed. At least that's what Reid assumes now that he's acquired the missing piece in all those interactions. The hesitant way Everett looks at him makes him bite his lip, however. This seems to be important to him.

"I believe you." It's difficult to say. But it makes Everett relax, so it's worth it. There's a bright smile aimed his way. Reid breathes through the nerves that it makes bubble up within him. Everett isn't interested. Right?

"Thanks," Everett says, and then laughs when a grumble from Reid's stomach disturbs the tense atmosphere. "Hungry?"

"It's almost seven!" Reid defends himself. "Normally, I would be eating breakfast right now!"

Breakfast is served buffet-style in a big room downstairs. When Reid mentions this, Everett gets nervous again.

"I'm gonna have to head back to my room before anyone sees me," he says and immediately is up and in front of the mirror, arranging his hair into something resembling order. Reid has to agree. Never mind how they interact in front of other people—if someone sees Everett sneak out of his room... That would be bad. He'd quite like to avoid bad for now. Yesterday was bad enough.

Everett freezes with his hands in his hair, turns around to look at him. "You good?"

It takes a bit of an effort to put a smile on his face. "Yes. I just remembered Ms. Greene. And I still have to talk to Mr. Wright."

At the mention of Mr. Wright, Everett pulls a face. "Yeah, I can imagine that would be stressful. Do you have anything else on the agenda for today?"

Reid sighs. "Well, the town hall was supposed to be today. But I don't know if..."

A hiss. "Right. Well, I'll text you. They have nothing planned for me today, so maybe I can show you around a bit? Help you see the sights?"

Reid very much doubts that 'the sights' are worth mentioning in a place like this. But the offer makes him feel quite warm inside. And he wants to spend more time with Everett. What better opportunity than now, when there aren't so many eyes on them? So he agrees.

Chapter 19: A day off

After Everett has snuck out, Reid takes a brief shower and then goes down for breakfast. When he steps up to the buffet, Mr. Swayne is already standing there, piling bacon on his plate with comically small tongs. He looks up, and the sympathetic expression on his face is enough to make tears sting behind Reid's eyes.

"Hey. I heard you had a tough day yesterday. Wanna talk about it?"

He very much does not, especially not before he's talked it through with Mr. Wright. Who apparently has been telling people about it already. Reid appreciates that.So much.

It's nice, though, to sit there in companionable silence as he crunches on his vegetables and Mr. Swayne crunches on his bacon. Between that and a gigantic mug of chamomile tea,he almost doesn't freak out when he receives a text from Mr. Wright."Briefing room, eight sharp."

Mr. Swayne seems to notice and knows just the right thing to say to calm Reid down. The words carry him over the threshold of the briefing room and keep him calm until Mr. Wright lays eyes on him. Only then does his stomach twist into knots again.

"Sit," Mr. Wright says, so Reid sits. And then he does his very best to remain outwardly calm while maintaining eye contact. He hates every second of it.

"She's tweeting already," Mr. Wright continues when Reid remains silent. "So I'll need you to tell me exactly what happened yesterday, from your perspective. We need to write a statement."

A statement. Damn it. That's not good. Good things don't require statements. But Reid slept surprisingly well and ate a nutritious breakfast. That allows him to remain halfway calm while he recounts the events from the evening before.

"You're sure she touched you first?" Mr. Wright asks.

Reid doesnotlike that implication. "I never touched her. She just shoved me."

"Good. That's very good. She claims you tried to keep her from leaving."

Oh. "But that's not true! I was between her and the hospital at all times! I wasn't—"

"I know you weren't," Mr. Wright interrupts. "But that's just how these things happen. She's scheduled a press conference at the same time as our town hall today, so I guess we'll see if she's doing this out of grief or for the money. But I don't want you involved. You have social media?"

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