“If things are getting bad again?—”
“They’re not,” I lied, cutting him off.
He pressed on the accelerator when the light turned green. “All I’m saying is thatifthey are, then please, at least, talk to your therapist about it, even if you don’t want to talk to me or Kreed. I’m not offended, bro. But you’re my family, and I knowthat day fucked with all of us. Even Kreed still has nightmares, Corvus. It’s normal if you do, too.”
I screwed up my nose in mock distaste.
“Oh, are we getting in our feelings now?” I teased, wanting to get off the topic. And fucking about would get Hudson off my back, too, which Ineeded. I didn’t want to burden him with this—not when he’d been the victim of the incident. He’d been the one stabbed by a man who was hired by his mother—not me.
He huffed a laugh. “No, dimwit. Just… You know what? Never mind.”
I laughed. “I’m hungry. I only ate one slice of pizza while I was there waiting on you to show up. Feed me, Hudson.”
He sighed like he was put out with me, but I also knew he was only joking. Especially since Hudson loved to eat.
“Where at?” he asked. “I want pho, but I don’t particularly care either. Craving anything in particular?”
“Hmm.” I pretended to think about it, but there was only one thing I wanted to eat, which was pizza. And I knewwhy, but I also didn’t care to look too closely at that. Wasn’t ready to, honestly. Because I didn’t form attachments. I fucked and dipped. No boyfriends or girlfriends. No one to bring home to meet Kreed and Hudson. It kept me from getting hurt.
But there was…something there already. And I kind of hated it.
“Just pasta,” I said, instead of telling the truth.
Hudson nodded. “Pasta it is.”
I shifted my legs, my eyes glued to the TV screen in front of me. Hudson and Kreed had gone to bed a while ago, doing fuck knew what, and I didn’t particularly want to know. So, after dinner,I’d come up to watch the originalDirty Dancing, one of my favorite comfort movies. When Hudson found out, he purchased it for me, so I didn’t have to search through multiple streaming services to find it. Now, I had unlimited access, and after the day I had, I was more than grateful for my best friend’s giving nature.
To the world, he was an absolute dick. But to those he actually gave a fuck about? He truly was one of the best people in the fucking world.
My phone buzzed beside me on the bed, and I groaned, slapping my hand around until I found it. Unlocking the screen with my thumb, I lifted it enough to read the text that’d come through.
Unknown:
Your water pump went out. Should have the part in two days.
Unknown:
This is Kip, by the way. The guy at the auto shop.
I quickly saved his number to my phone, my heart in my throat for a reason I absolutely refused to spend time trying to identify. Wasn’t ready for that yet. Not sure I ever would be.
Corvus:
Thanks. I didn’t expect you to look at it so quickly.
Kip:
I like keeping pretty boys like you happy, chibi.
My cheeks flushed, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. I’d been called pet names many, many times, but none of themgot me all bothered like him calling mechibior Michelle calling mebub.
What the fuck didchibieven mean?
Corvus:
Well, this pretty boy is thankful.
I quickly went to Google and typedchibiinto the search bar, my heart stalling for a whole second when I saw the meaning. It meant little or small in Japanese, and suddenly, I felt a little too emotional because did Kip so easily see that side of me? The side that wanted to be cared for but was terrified to let anyone close? Physically, I wasn’t small by any means. I was a little over six feet tall, and I weighed nearly two hundred pounds. Hudson and I always worked out together, so while I was lean, I was muscular, too.
