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At that, Bodhi did laugh. “He’s not coming. They don’t pay our tuition. They can’t force him to do anything.”
Martinez held up a pacifying hand and Bodhi realized his signs were on the verge of hysterical. “I’m not saying either of you have to speak to them, even if they did pay your tuition. They’re legally allowed to sit in the lobby until the building closes to the public, but you and your brother have the right to refuse them. I wish I could make them leave the campus. I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
Bodhi groaned and swiped a hand down his face before looking at Caleb who seemed on the knife’s edge of pissed. “Can I—”
“Yes,” Caleb answered without waiting for Bodhi to finish. “Stay with me. Did you text Ravi?”
Bodhi nodded, then looked back at Martinez. “What else do you need to know? I’m tired.”
Martinez gave him a softer look than he’d given Caleb. “Did they threaten you at all? Or get physical?”
“No,” Bodhi answered.
Martinez looked skeptical. “You’re not in danger if they did. You can use that to get an order of protection.”
Bodhi sighed. “They just let themselves in. I forgot to lock my door. We’re too grown for them to hurt us physically anymore.”
Martinez’s face did that complicated thing others had done in the past when Ravi or Bodhi talked about their life growing up. It was like pity and anger and uncertainty all at once. It was obvious the officer didn’t know what to do.
“If they show up in your room again, you can do something about it.” He scribbled a few things down on his notepad, then tore off the paper and pushed it toward Bodhi. “The first one is a website you can reach out to if you need legal assistance. And the second one is where you can request the incident report if you want to file an order of protection. I can’t guarantee a judge will grant it, but the worst they can do is tell you no.”
Bodhi took it and shoved it into his hoodie pocket. He didn’t fully believe Martinez that the worst a judge could do was tell him no. Deaf and disabled had more rights now than in the past, but he knew more than one person who had been put under a conservatorship because some bigoted, uneducated person in power believed they couldn’t take care of themselves.
And that was Bodhi’s worst nightmare.
That was why he refused to rock the boat.
“Thanks,” he finally said. He wasn’t about to dump that on some cop who would never understand his fear.
Martinez nodded, then gave him an apologetic look as he stood. “I’m sorry again.”
Bodhi shrugged. “It’s fine. I expected them to do this.” He didn’t explain the incident at the hospital, or how shit like that was probably always going to happen to both him and Ravi whenever there was some kind of emergency. And how he could go complete no-contact with his grandparents, but they’d always find a way to worm themselves back into their lives.
It just…was what it was.
He said nothing as Caleb gestured for him to stand, and Martinez did the same. There was a moment of coiled tension, then the cop raised his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Bodhi frowned and was about to ask what Martinez was talking about when he saw Caleb answer in his periphery.
“It’s fine.”
Martinez still looked wound too tight.True biz. “I swear. I didn’t know. He told me—”
“It’s fine,” Caleb answered again. He looked like he was going to start punching something and Bodhi prepared himself to step in between them. The last thing either of them needed was an assault on an officer. “I’m angry, but he and I are over.”
Martinez went completely still, then nodded, turned on his heel, and walked away.
Bodhi twisted to face Caleb with his brows lifted.
Caleb bowed his head on a sigh, then lifted his gaze. “He was sleeping with Cameron.”
That rocked Bodhi to his core. “He…the night you two…”
“Yes. We were fighting because I saw him tagged on IG in Javier’s photo. Kissing. Then Cameron told me he’d been sleeping around the whole time.”
Bodhi glanced over his shoulder at the path Martinez had taken, then he turned his attention back to Caleb. “Do you believe him that he didn’t know?”
“Maybe,” Caleb said. “He seems nice, and Cameron was always a really good liar.”
