“Thank you.”
Trying to help him, Gene rationalized it for the man, to talk him down from the ledge.
“It’s okay to be attracted to him,” Gene said. “It’s a problem if you act on it. That’s a whole subgenre of book kink that’s illegal in most states—well, not the Southern ones. Below the Mason-Dixon, it’s called a Saturday night on the farm.”
He laughed.
“Thanks for that,” he said, feeling a little better. His brother had found a decent person, and he was glad.
He reassured him.
“You’ll be okay, Callen.”
He glanced up.
“How do you know?”
He was honest.
“You and Ethan are a lot alike. You’re genetically going to be similar, but your mannerisms, and how you behave…you can tell you’re brothers. You have nothing to worry about. He survived. You’ll survive.”
Callen was curious.
That was an odd way to put that.
“What did he survive?” he asked.
He patted his leg, but this time, he didn’t pull it away.
“That’s not my story to tell. One day, ask him. No one has ever asked him, and that’s why he’s never spoken about it.”
Callen considered it.
“Was it a foster home?”
He said nothing.
Yeah, no meant no, and like he wouldn’t tell Ethan about Callen’s past, he wouldn’t tell Callen about Ethan’s. Sometimes, you had to carry the secrets for others.
So, he changed the subject.
“Let me order you food. Want a burger?” he asked.
Callen nodded.
It was clear that Gene wasn’t going to go there. One day, maybe he would be able to ask his brother.
If he ever came back.
Picking up the phone, he ordered Callen food from the restaurant downstairs to be sent up. He got him two burgers, fries, and ice cream.
Because he knew ice cream made Ethan feel better when he was struggling.
Then again, it made everyone feel better.
When he hung up, Gene reassured him.
“Eat, and when you’re feeling better, get back to the reservation. Do you need a ride?”
