“You’re awake,” Rus said, voice quite hoarse first thing in the morning.
“Eh, sort of.”
“Coffee?” Rus asked, crawling out of bed.
He carefully maneuvered so he wouldn’t disturb Dylan, whowas still sleeping. Kaiden nodded, and Rus slipped out of the single-room apartment and into the hidden shared space where the kitchen was located. The minute or so of silence was nice, but left Kaiden with a vacuum of his unwanted thoughts.
“I left room if you want cream and sugar,” Rus said, gulping his own black coffee. After he’d downed half the cup, his bloodshot eyes sprang open.
“No, thanks,” Kaiden replied. “I prefer mine black, too.”
A lie but a semi-truth he’d grown accustomed to saying. Kaiden preferred his coffee sweet and sugary and plump with a thousand unnecessary calories. Occasionally, he’d treat himself to a decadent mocha and delicious pastry from a coffee shop. But most days, he preferred not burning through his daily calorie intake with drinks or sweet desserts. Especially not when he’d easily gone over his deficit with way too many cocktails last night.
He felt so stupid thinking about his nutrition, given everything that had happened.
Kaiden took a sip of his coffee and nearly choked as he spit it up.
“What the hell is this?”
“Sorry,” Rus said with a bit less gravel in his voice. “I only got instant here.”
“Blasphemy.” Kaiden shuddered.
He set the cup on the nightstand and gestured dramatically, like with enough flair, he’d blow the coffee away in a telekinetic fit and wash away the horrid aftertaste stuck in his mouth. Alas, he had no magical powers or memory-altering abilities, so he calmed after his small fit.
“I’m going to follow up on the police report on Monday if you want to join.”
“Join?” Kaiden raised a brow.
“On your report.”
Kaiden let out this awkward huffy chuckle and shook his head. It seemed bizarre to follow up, especially when those taking his statement seemed rather disinterested. Not that Kaiden was eager to document his foolishness. Still, this wasn’t the first time he’d been beaten up for being gay. Perhaps the worst time. Most of his encounters came from bullies in middle and high school.
“I’d rather not make a big deal out of it.”
“Your choice,” Rus replied. “But to be clear, expecting authorities to do their due diligence and uphold public safety isn’t making a big deal. In fact, it’s asking for the goddamn bare minimum, in my opinion.”
“I’ve been down this road,” Kaiden sighed. “I mean, not this one, but like we’ve all been bullied and such. Or most of us. I’d prefer just to put it behind me.”
“Okay.” Rus gave a stoic nod, seemingly offering not to poke Kaiden about the topic.
Now, if he could only put it all behind him by the time he went home. He knew his family would have questions, concerns probably.
“Aaaaaargh,” Dylan let out an exasperated groaning yawn as he stretched himself awake.
His legs kicked under the blankets for freedom; his arms brushed against Kaiden and Rus.
“Morning,” Kaiden said, pushing Dylan’s arm away.
“What’s good about it?” Dylan blinked a few times. “Wait. What? I thought you said good morning.”
“What’s good about it?” Rus scoffed.
The three laughed a bit, then sat silently in the bed for a few minutes. Dylan checked his phone, likely screening for any calls or texts he’d gotten from Dorothy’s Home. Kaiden had learned long ago that Dylan lived for work. But he figured as far as obsessions go, caring about a job that kept kids off the streets wasn’t the worst thing.
Kaiden sank into the mattress, wishing he could lay in bed with Dylan and Rus all day. A waste of a weekend, but Kaiden would love some time away from the world. This tiny apartment seemed like the perfect place to hole up in.
“Do you have any coffee?” Dylan yawned.
