AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Everything.
And he snapped.
He wasn’t even fully aware that he’d stood up, but his hands hit the desk so hard, he couldn’t ignore the sting in his palms, which was what he wanted. To feel something other than the chaos in his head.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. Bodhi had walked through the door at that exact moment, and it was swinging shut just as Caleb had hit the desk. Bodhi’s eyes went wide as he backed up hard enough to hit the wall, and Caleb froze, rooted to the spot as the impact from Bodhi’s body shook the photos in the frames.
His face was kind of grey with panic, and Caleb instantly knew he’d fucked up.
“I’m sorry,” he amended as quickly as he could. He put his hands up in surrender as he took a single step around the desk. “Bodhi. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Bodhi was definitely not with him. His hands were shaking, and he’d dropped the water at his feet where the cap had popped off, and the liquid was soaking into his shoes. His eyes were far off, and Caleb wanted to smack himself.
God, why was he like this?
He debated about calling for help, but with everything else going on, he wasn’t sure anyone would notice the light, so instead he turned and grabbed the chair, whipping it over to Bodhi’s side. Clearing his throat, he reached for his long-since rusted voice and tried to form the words as best he could.
“Please,” he voiced. Deliberate sound felt foreign against the back of his tongue. “Bodhi. Sit down.”
That seemed to bring Bodhi halfway back to earth because he blinked then shuffled one step over. Caleb gently touched his arm and Bodhi flinched, but he didn’t pull back. He let Caleb led him to the chair, and he watched with those still-wide eyes as Caleb knelt beside him.
“Can you understand me?” he asked, switching back to sign.
Bodhi swallowed heavily, then nodded.
Caleb took a breath. “I’m so sorry. I lost my temper, but it wasn’t about you. Today has been really bad.”
Bodhi nodded again.
Fuck, they weren’t getting anywhere. He thought back to Jori and the way his past trauma used to consume him back at school. They’d been so young—too damn young to navigate those moments without help, but they did eventually get through them.
Caleb swiped his sweaty palms on the stiff pants, then he made a snap decision. He needed to get Bodhi out of there and to somewhere quiet, and he knew the exact place. “Can you come with me?”
Bodhi’s fingers were trembling like he was on the verge of hypothermia. “Where?”
“My condo. It’s not far. You don’t have to say yes, but I think you need to get out for a bit.”
Bodhi looked completely confused, but after a beat, he lifted his fist. “Yes.”
Caleb started to stand, then he paused. “You don’t have to say yes,” he reiterated a second time. “I can drive you back to your dorm if you’d rather go there.”
Bodhi’s laugh looked absolutely humorless as he shook his head. “Will you get mad at me for signing slow?”
Shame erupted under Caleb’s skin like a fireworks finale, and he bowed his head, taking a calming breath because self-hatred wasn’t going to fix the problem. Even in his moments of deepest resentment for his brother, Caleb never treated Wren like this. He had to get his shit together.
He looked up after a long beat. “No. I promise.”
Bodhi should have told Caleb to go fuck himself for the way he’d been over the past few weeks. Instead, Bodhi climbed, held up by gently trembling knees, and offered a hand to Caleb.
He took it, feeling something in his chest he couldn’t name, and he snatched his hand back as quickly as he could without being offensive. Glancing around, he spotted his keys on the desk next to his phone, and he held up a finger while he sent Wren a message.
Caleb: Taking off. Bodhi w/ me. Text if problems.
He slipped the phone into his pocket, the weight odd in the unfamiliar pants, and he jerked his head toward the door. He didn’t look back to see if Bodhi was following him because he wasn’t sure he wanted to feel the sting of disappointment and self-deprecation if Bodhi took that moment to escape.
Walking around the corner, Caleb came to an abrupt stop and gasped when a body crashed into him. He turned his head to see Bodhi backing up quickly, but he motioned him to walk closer. The collection of angry moms stood out in the parking lot, and he could see their jaws moving—frantic and angry.
“Can you hear what they’re saying?”
