“For another twenty-five days.”
“Still…”
“I was fifteen. You?”
Santino coughed and stared at Cody, who wore a huge grin. “Do you like to shock?”
“No, but you’re talking to me about. Someone who had done far more than you before the age of seventeen.”
“You don’t know me that well to say that.” Santino furrowed his brow. “You’re making assumptions.” He didn’t like people who thought they knew all about him. Cody had no idea what kind of life he’d led.
“Nope. The scars on my back? Got them hanging off ropes after shooting up. Whipped so hard the blood ran down my back to join the blood coming from other places.” Cody gave Santino a hard stare and Santino didn’t want to know, but he did. He knew exactly what Cody meant. “The scars on my wrists are from the cuffs attached to those ropes. I was a junkie who fucked around — literally fucked around — and drank like a hardcore motherfucker. I didn’t want to put a bullet in my brain, so I did the next best thing, and it almost got me killed.”
“I stand corrected.” Santino swallowed hard and tried not to think about the pain Cody must have gone through. “I’m sorry.”
“I am who I am because of that, and I have the only man I have ever loved sleeping next to me every night.” Cody glanced out of the window and waved. “Orsen is here. You should take him shopping. He can afford to buy new clothes now.”
“You surprise me.” Santino hadn’t met many people like Cody, who had gone through what he had and come out the other side so confident and strong. “I now understand why you’re so protective of Orsen.”
“He deserves a good life.”
“Yes, he does.” Santino smiled when Orsen approached. “Hello, Orsen.”
Cody smiled at Orsen and stood. “I’m on my way out, so you can have my seat. You look good today.”
Santino watched Orsen blush from the praise and noticed the small smile he gave. “He’s right. You look much better than when I first met you.”
Orsen’s blush deepened, and he ducked his head. “Thank you.”
“Sit down and I’ll get you a drink. Would you like some cake?”
Orsen lifted his head, his eyes wide. “Oh, I can’t afford—”
“I offered. And yes, you can afford it. I’d suggest a chocolate brownie. Handmade here and delicious.”
“Oh, yes, please, and a coffee. They won’t be mad that it isn’t tea, will they?”
Cody laughed and hugged Orsen. “They won’t care. I’m meeting TJ for some alone time before we have all the kids.” Cody nodded behind him and Santino joined him, both stepping away from Orsen.
In a low voice, Santino murmured, “You’re right. I’ll make sure to praise him often.”
“Learning this stuff helps. Therapy will too, which he needs, even if he hasn’t committed to it yet. All in good time.” Cody waved and left. Santino watched him go, then glanced over at Orsen, who sat staring out the window. His light blond hair caught the sun that shone through the window, and when he turned to look at Santino, he saw what Cody had. Those eyes sparkled, the light making Orsen’s hair look like a halo, and Santino’s breath caught.
Orsen was beautiful.
Chapter Seven
Orsen knocked on Santino’s door and stood waiting for him to answer. It had been a week since they’d met in the little tea shop, Tea for Two?, and this was his second day of learning. He’d done more tests yesterday, and Santino had told him what to expect from today onward. He was behind, as he knew, but Santino had told him it wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. He only had to catch up on five or six years of school.
Only.
But he would do it. Because he wanted to wipe away the shadows of the past and move forward, living the life he wanted. No more stealing. No more trapping animals. No more dodging punches or locking himself in his room, hiding from the person who should love and protect him, but hated him the most.
Life was his to live now, and he wanted to live it.
He did have one tiny problem, which wasn’t so tiny. He liked Santino. He liked the way he spoke to him. All soft and gentle, but with respect. He didn’t speak to him like he was a child, andOrsen liked that. He knew in some ways he was innocent. He didn’t know much about movies or what shows were on TV. He didn’t know the latest slang or how the world worked. He didn’t really know about money or cards and things like that. But he wanted to.
“Orsen. Come in. You okay? You looked lost in your own world.”
