“Well, I—”
“No,” Kaiden firmly answered, knowing damn well Dylan was even pickier about his coffee.
“There’s a place around the corner,” Rus said. “It’s right on campus.”
“Is it even open?” Dylan asked, likely suspecting the college was completely shut down on the weekends.
At least Kaiden figured as much. Neither of them had attended college, so their understanding was limited.
“It’s open,” Rus replied.
“Oh, that’s cool.”
Kaiden slid off the bed and pulled himself to his feet. The floor bed was far more work escaping than collapsing into the night before.
It didn’t take long for them to get dressed. Kaiden needed the most time as he laced up his corset vest. He wasted a fewminutes trying to make his clothes a little less disheveled, but last night had taken its toll on more than him. It’d ruined one of his favorite outfits.
He’d mostly washed off his makeup late last night, but in the morning light, he now realized how poorly he’d done. After removing the last bits, he examined the bruising settling on his face and neck. His stomach ached, and his chest burned. There were so many other bruises and cuts and pains to examine, but that was the last thing Kaiden wanted to do.
“Ready.” He joined Dylan and Rus with a phony soft smile plastered on his face.
It didn’t take long for them to head over to the campus coffee shop. Kaiden felt incredibly awkward in his ruined outfit and visible bruising. When Dylan had perked up with his sweet caffeine treat, he offered to take Kaiden home. Ugh, the absolute last place he wanted to go right now.
“You can chill at my place as long as you want,” Rus said, giving Kaiden the ultimate offering he’d gladly accept.
If only he could.
“I have work.”
“Seriously?” Dylan stared, perplexed. “Call out. Alison will understand.”
“No,” Kaiden sighed. “I need the money if I’m ever going to get my own place in a million years.”
“Well, the offer’s good all weekend,” Rus replied. “I don’t got shit going on. We can chill with movies or something. Game. Hell, day drink. I might not have a coffee pot, but I do have a nice mini bar setup.”
Soon after, Dylan and Kaiden headed out, and he dropped him off at home. Thankfully, his stepfather’s car wasn’t in thedriveway, which meant he and Kaiden’s mother had likely gone to the flea market. They tended to make their Saturday mornings all about getting good deals on junk they didn’t need and had never wanted before setting foot into the bargain shops.
With any luck, his sister and brother-in-law were still asleep. It was doubtful the little terrors were sleeping, and Kaiden figured they’d have a hundred questions on what happened to his face.
Kaiden slipped inside, bolted directly to his room, grabbed an outfit, ignored the blasting cartoons coming from the living room, and turned into the kitchen to make his way to the basement, where he could get ready in peace.
“Finally home, I see,” his sister said, facing away from him as she microwaved Kaiden’s breakfast bowls.
Of course, she took them. She’d tossed three in at once, obviously doing her best to ready a meal for herself and the kids. Kaiden rolled his eyes. Whatever. It wasn’t the first time she’d taken his stuff without asking, and it wouldn’t be the last time. Right now, he didn’t have the energy for an argument.
“I see your little fundraiser turned into a rager,” Sandra said, waiting for the beep of the microwave. “I unlocked the door for you, figuring I’d be nice despite how you canceled last minute, but you didn’t even bother coming home.”
“Things ran late.” Kaiden lingered in the kitchen, wanting to say something, wanting to explain what had happened, but every fiber of his being told him to just go to the basement and get ready for work. “I’m sorry if Mom had to watch the kids. I wasn’t—”
“Jesus Christ, Kaiden!” Sandra locked her eyes onto his, but they drifted, studying his bruised face, his ripped clothing, thespecks of dried blood scattered across his itchy skin. “What the hell happened to you?”
His eyes swelled, and he gave a teary response. “I got assaulted last night.”
“Oh my God, sweetie, that’s horrible.” She swept in close, wrapping Kaiden in a rare hug, and pulled him away from the basement door and toward the kitchen table. “How did this happen? Why? What fucking monster had the audacity? Who was there? Was this because of the kids you were helping? Jesus, I know people don’t like it, but did they really have to attack you because of a couple gay kids?”
Sandra was still under the impression that Kaiden had gone to a last-minute fundraiser to help Dorothy’s Home. Kaiden knew the appropriate response was to keep up the lie, to hold back the details. Mostly, he didn’t want to divulge the truth, didn’t want to invoke his sister’s pity or judgment, but as she sat so close to him, cradling his head as she examined his stitches, Kaiden couldn’t keep the words in.
The truth poured out as he released a gasp of sorrow that’d built inside him. “No, we were at Himbos, just trying to have a nice time.”
