Page 33 of Waiting on Life
“I’ve… I’ve been with a guy who turned around and told me he was straight. He might have reinforced his words with his fists. I can’t do that again.”
Someone hit Kyle? My blood boiled as I thought about someone who was given the gift of this beautiful man in front of me and threw it away over something so stupid as… oh, I had been ready to do the same thing. Except I would never hurt Kyle.
“I wouldn’t ever hurt you,” I assured him. “And anyone who was stupid enough to not hold you tight is someone who doesn’t deserve a person like you.”
He reached out to do some more cleaning, but I stilled his hands.
“Let me. You go find Waldo and give him some love, but whatever you do, don’t let him tell you he hasn’t been fed.”
“No, it’s fine. I can do this.”
He wouldn’t look at me, and for some reason, that hurt. “Kyle?”
Though his head was still down, I caught the tremble of his bottom lip.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
He clenched his fists. “I can’t do this,” he whispered.
“Do what? Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head.”
“You’re straight. I told myself that I shouldn’t hope for anything more from you.”
So he’d been hoping too? Somehow that made me incredibly happy. I reached out for him, but he pulled away.
“Listen to me, okay? I don’t know for sure what I am, but I know and accept that I’m not straight. I could be bi or something else, but I am most certainly not straight. How I feel about you has proven that to me.”
His head snapped up. “So what? Are you going to hold my hand when we go out? Are you going to kiss me in public? I won’t be a side piece for you when you get horny. I deserve better!”
Man, that asshole had done a real number on Kyle. I pushed up from the floor and crossed over to Kyle’s apartment. I knocked three times, ignoring Kyle’s demands to know what I was doing.
The door opened, and Pete stood there, nearly dressed. He frowned when he saw the plates on the floor. “Our good china?” he demanded.
“You have good china?” I asked.
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t good anymore is it?” Then he chuckled. “You okay, Ky?”
“He’s fine, but he’s questioning my intentions, so I figured I’d put his mind at ease.”
“Told him you like him, huh?”
I turned to Kyle and gestured in Pete’s direction. “See? Pete knows. I’m not ashamed of how I feel for you. Am I confused? Maybe a little, but not about you. Never that.”
I reached out and grabbed his arm, then pulled him to his feet.
“So let’s get that out of the way, okay?”
Once more I leaned in and kissed him, and damn if it wasn’t every bit as sweet as our first kiss. I didn’t have a lot of experience, but out of all the kisses I’d been a part of, Kyle’s were by far the best. He snaked his arms around my neck and squeezed as the kiss deepened.
“Yeah, fine. He likes you Ky, just like I said. Now I’m gonna go finish getting ready for work, because I haven’t been laid in far too long, and I’m afraid if I stand here much longer, the two of you will start going at it in the hallway, and then I’ll start jacking off. It would just be awkward.” He stepped back into the apartment and started to close the door when he stopped and said my name. I broke the kiss and gave him my attention. He narrowed his gaze at me. “Hurt him, and I’ll hurt you.”
With those words, Pete closed the door, leaving Kyle staring at me awkwardly.
“Sorry, he’s overprotective.”
I doubted that. Where Kyle was concerned, I doubted anyone could be protective enough.
“Let’s finish cleaning the mess. I… still have the burrito from last night, if you want to split it.”
