Page 38 of Switch
Oh, I don’t fucking think so.
In a blink, we end up with my arm against Wes’s throat and his back against the wall next to where I jerked Fallon off last night.When the haze clears, his face is red, and his fingers claw at my arm.I take a step back, but I don’t let go.
“You don’t know shit about me, Wes.”
“I know you resorted to violence the second I suggested?—”
“Except you didn’t suggest, did you?You accused.And I won’t lie to you, Wes, I’ve done some things that would make your nut hair curl tighter.You didn’t grow up the way I did, so you wouldn’t understand what it takes to survive that shit.You also don’t seem to understand that your brother’s pretty special to me.”
He gurgles, and I give him a grin that probably looks fucking unhinged.He can still breathe, though, I know he can because he’s still making noise.He’s fine.
“Let’s get something crystal fucking clear, Wes.I’ve gotten attached to Fallon, and I’ll mess up anyone who hurts him, even if that person is you.So I suggest you stay out of our shit.”
The way my hands are shaking makes me step back and let my arm drop.Wes is gasping like a fish on land, the drama queen.The buzzing of my phone reminds me about brunch, and now I’m going to have questions to answer about why I’m late from a bunch of nosy-ass whores.
Fuck.I clench and release my hands, trying to discharge some of the rage still looking for an outlet.
“By the way, you didn’t tell Fallon the truth about our ‘blind date.’”I lean heavily on the air quotes as I reach the door.“He deserves the truth.So either you tell him, or I will.”
“Don’t.”Wes’s voice is a raspy whisper.“Please don’t.It’ll hurt him.I don’t think he can take that right now.”
“I think what you mean is he’ll be pissed at you for lying.Fallon’s not fragile.He sure as fuck doesn’t need to be treated like a child who can’t make his own decisions.And guess what else, Wes?The world is small, especially when you don’t want it to be.All it takes is him running into someone else who’s been on a date with me for the whole house of cards to fall down.”I enjoy the play of emotions on his face while that thought sinks in.“You’d better tell him, because if that day comes, I won’t hesitate to throw you under the bus.”
With that, I walk out, taking my battered Toyota downtown to our group’s favorite brunch place.Honestly, my shoulders drop away from my ears as soon as I walk into Gil’s.The smells of coffee and sizzling onions and potatoes, the voices of my fellow escorts chattering from the back room, and the distinct lack of Fallon’s asshole brother are the closest things I have right now to normal.
The closest I’ve had since I was a kid.Although when Evans and I were roommates, talking about our juvenile hopes and dreams together, I was almost there.
“Look who the cat fucking dragged in,” yells Simon from our usual table.Which is funny.He hates it when people say that to him.
I give him the finger, which he returns to me with both hands.Cool.
Everyone else has already ordered.Fuck you very much, Wes.A quick look around the table tells me I’m the last to arrive.
To my left is Simon, who sort of used to be our head bitch.For sure, he has the liveliest personality.Now, though, he brings his brother and the guy he’s living with to our brunches, which is a little weird.Especially since I think his partner, Sebastian, used to be a client?The story’s unclear.
Simon leans over and pokes me in the ribs.“Where ya been, slacker?”
I’m choosing to assume he’s joking around.He’d better be.Nothing raises my hackles like being called lazy.
Still trying to shake off my anger from Fallon’s fucking no-boundaries brother, I shrug and hope it looks casual.“You know, the usual,” I say mildly as I try to flag down a server.“Work’s been busy since the semester’s about to start up.Basic stuff.Cleaning and restocking the dining halls for when all the students pour in.”
My brain flashes back to the night before, to jerking off Fallon against the wall of his entryway with the door standing wide open.If I wasn’t sure already, the pure, unguarded pleasure on his face was enough to convert me to bisexuality.
Or…whatever they’re calling it these days.Non-straight-ness.
To my right, Ravi leans into my space.“Hey, have you started on the reading list yet for Lit 102?”
Ravi’s a freshman.I’m a senior.A senior who sucks at reading and the more complicated parts of the English language (who needs to diagram a sentence anyway?), so I stupidly put off some of the basic required classes until senior year.“No, I have not started on the reading list.The semester hasn’t begun yet.”
“You might want to.It’s kind of meaty.Sula,Fahrenheit 451,The Scarlet Letter, andThe Grapes of Wrath.Lotta deep shit.”
Great.“There are movies I can watch, right?”
Rav pushes his glasses up his face.“I think so?But they don’t always follow the book exactly.”
I’m currently unable to deal with this.“Whatever.Reading’s not my thing.I only need to pass the class.”
Funds are still a bit tight, so I limit my order to some fruit, toast, and OJ.They’ve got excellent pancakes here, fluffy ones with berries, but I’m trying to put more aside in savings.If I find Evans—whenI do—I don’t know what he’ll need.If he happens to be a hundred percent okay?Then I want to be able to contribute to the dream we promised each other back when we were still in foster care.
