“One fifty,” Kaiden said with a long lull. “A week.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rus blurted. “For an extra two fifty a month, you can rent a place at my apartment complex. Hell, they even include an eighty-dollar utility credit.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.” Kaiden forced a smile.
No, that was the wrong word. He didn’t force a smile, not with Rus and Dylan. He fell into the smile, and it helped wash away the anxiety he’d carried since his mother approached him, since he started dodging his friends. Correction, his boyfriends. Well, Kaiden supposed they were always his boy friends, since they were always boys and always his friends. Now, he lost himself in silent musings of entertainment. So much so, he found Rus and Dylan observing his giddy nature with confusion.
“I’m coming up with a plan.”
“What is it?” Dylan asked.
“It’s a secret.”
“Secrets aren’t healthy for good relationships.” Rus moved in, playfully prodding.
“Mystery keeps the romance alive.” Kaiden smirked. “I’ll fill you both in once it’s more than a daydream. Fair?”
Rus and Dylan eyed each other, then nodded at Kaiden. Having them both on his team could be something Kaiden could happily fall into; however, having them team up against him could end badly for him. They’d force him to appreciate himself, much like they did upon their arrival. They might very well force him to acknowledge he mattered. That’d be rough to figure out.
“Well, my apartment is always open if you need an escape.”
“Yeah, and we’ve got a free room for the week,” Dylan said. “We still have an empty bed since Jamal moved and Tasha’s gone this week for some JROTC competition, so her room is available if you want some space.”
“Thank you,” Kaiden replied, grateful they were willing to offer him escape, offer him refuge. “But it’s kind of weird staying at my boyfriends’ places since we just started dating, like, you know, five minutes ago.”
“Boyfriends?” Dylan’s eyes lit up. “I could get used to that.”
The joy etched onto his face made Kaiden’s heart patter. The immediate acknowledgement and comfort both of them had with Kaiden casually dropping the word “boyfriends” made him giddy.
“You’ve crashed at my place like a hundred times,” Rus retorted. “Not weird at all.”
“Yeah, that was as friends.”
“We’re still friends,” Dylan cut in.
“Yeah, but now we’re also more than friends.”
“Which should make it even easier to stay the night,” Rus added.
Now, they both moved in closer, boxing Kaiden back into the wall where they’d locked lips with him a moment ago. They were doing it. The teaming up thing. They didn’t even realize, but they were already working together to poke holes in Kaiden’s logic. Two boyfriends might end up being more work than Kaiden was prepared for.
“I’m good where I’m at,” Kaiden said. “Plus, I already paid for the month, so I’m getting my rent’s worth.”
“You paid ahead of time?” Dylan made a sour face, likely thinking of how many times Kaiden had given them money for a utility bill ahead of time, only to watch John piss it away.
“I just wanted to get everyone off my back while I planned.” Kaiden shrugged. “It was the push I needed to finally get out.”
“You’re going to explain this plan eventually, right?” Rus pointed a finger. “I don’t like being left out of the loop.”
“Oooooh. Such a controlling boyfriend, I don’t know if I can handle that.”
“You’re going to have a lot to handle, buddy boy.” Dylan grinned.
“Okay, you two have to go,” Kaiden said with a chuckle. “I have work.”
“Depends.” Rus stood firm, refusing to budge despite Kaiden’s gentle push.
Dylan followed suit, even folding his arms.
