AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leo at least had the grace to look sorry as he accepted the mug, immediately adding sugar though it hadn’t begun to steep yet. “Sorry about that. I don’t really remember much from last night. How’d we get here? Andwhyare we here?”
“You snorted some shit in the loo,” Oliver said through clenched teeth. The irritation and frustration he’d been repressing was boiling to the surface now, and even Gabe’s patient stare wasn’t taking the edge off. “We thought you might have overdosed, so we dragged you here to see if we needed to call for an ambulance.”
Leo glowered at his sibling. “I knew what the hell I was doing.”
“Oh really?” Oliver challenged, his voice high and tight. “You knew you’d be so fucking wankered on God only knows what, you wouldn’t have a single memory of the night before? Do you realize where you could have woken up if I hadn’t been there? If Gabe hadn’t grabbed me from the bar?”
“You’re not my mum.”
“No,” Oliver said coldly. “I’m not. Otherwise, I’d be holding your head in a bucket of holy water until you turned blue.”
Gabe sucked in his breath and looked away, and Oliver quickly shut up. Leo looked ashamed, but only for a minute as he sipped his tea. “Where are we, exactly?”
“Right near the club,” Gabe offered quietly.
“Good. I want to go home, shower, and sleep.”
“You’ve class today,” Oliver pointed out.
“I don’t think I’ll do anyone any good if I’m unconscious during a lecture, Ollie. So, thanks for your concern, but I think I’ll pass.” Pushing himself away from the table, Leo went for the front door—still no shirt, and one shoe missing—and he was gone.
Oliver stood to follow, but Gabe put a hand on his arm. “Let him make that walk of shame on his own.”
Clenching his jaw so hard it hurt, Oliver shook Gabe off, but sat back down. “I don’t know why he has to be such a little shit about everything.”
“Probably to piss you off since you care so damn much,” Gabe said. “He’s going to need help, but you can’t force him. Just…take a step back. Breathe. You can keep him from killing himself without holding his hand to class. If he fails out of school…”
“He goes back to the UK,” Oliver said quietly. “Toher.”
Gabe’s expression fell. “Just try giving him some space. See what he does with it.”
Covering his face, Oliver breathed heavy, but allowed his shoulders to relax. “Alright,” he finally said, and wondered if he meant it. Could he actually bring himself to let Leo fall a little on his own? The truth was, he worried his sibling had become so dependent on Oliver pulling him from the fire that if he didn’t, Leo wouldn’t be able to recover, that he wouldn’t know how.
But Gabe was right on one count—Oliver couldn’t live for him. Not forever. And something about that made Oliver crave what he’d been denying himself since he could remember. A taste of something just for him. And that something was sitting close enough that if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch him.
“Can I get your number?” Oliver blurted after a long pause, dropping his hands.
“My number?” Gabe looked confused, the expression adorable, although it made Oliver wonder if maybe he was reading Gabe completely wrong.
Trying to muster up his most charming grin, Oliver shrugged. “Yeah. You know, so I can text you or ring you up. See if you’re free for a…for a date or something? Sometime?”
“Just the two of us? No drugged-out, pea-soup-vomiting siblings?”
Oliver let out a delighted laugh. Gabe’s answer wasn’t a rejection. “I can’t promise anything. This is LA after all, but… I’ll do my best.”
Gabe giggled, and it sent a pleasant tingle up Oliver’s spine. “Fine, alright. You can have my number. Give me your phone and I’ll put it in.”
Oliver went back to Gabe’s bedroom and fished through his jeans with slightly shaking hands, finding the small device and happy to note it still had some battery. He tossed it to Gabe who quickly put himself in the contacts.
“I just sent myself a text,” he said, handing it back. “So now I have yours too.”
Oliver grinned as he reached up to try and finger-comb some of the tangles from his hair. “And you’ll answer if I text you?”
“Barring broken fingers or unexpected coma,” Gabe promised, and Oliver smiled wider.
Fifteen minutes later, Oliver was back in his club clothes, full, caffeinated, and feeling lighter than he had in a long time. This was far better than the hot Texan from the bar, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something for himself. A quick fuck here and there was one thing, but with Gabe, he found himself craving more.
“So…see you soon?” Gabe asked, leaning on the door as Oliver stepped into the hall.
