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Locky lets out a small breath.
"He was right about one thing, though," I say, somewhat reluctantly.
There's something I've been meaning to tell Locky. I've been putting it off, but this is kinda the perfect moment, even though it came courtesy of that shitweed Bailey.
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
Our eyes meet. "Locky, I have served time."
"Oh." He blinks a few times then glances around the cat menagerie overtaking our living room. "Should we put these guys back so that we can talk properly?"
"Good idea."
We bundle the kittens into their carriers and take them back to the shelter. Once we're back inside the house, Locky lets out a massive yawn.
"Wanna talk in bed?" I suggest.
"Sure."
"Inmybed," I clarify as we head down the hallway.
"I washed my sheets this morning."
"It's the rest of the room I'm worried about."
That earns me a playful smack across the chest, but Locky passes his door and lets himself into my room.
"I meant it," I say as we slip under the covers. "We need to talk. Will you be able to keep your hands off my irresistible body?"
Locky laughs. "I'll give it my best shot."
We lie down on our sides facing each other, which I soon discover is a big mistake. We're too close. This is way too intimate for what I'm about to tell him. Then again, after I say my piece, I may never get the chance to be this close to him again. I need to savor every precious second of it.
"I've been in jail twice," I say, diving straight into the deep end.
"What for?"
"Assault, both times."
Locky visibly swallows as he takes that in. I'm not naive. It's a lot to process. Just because we're getting along well doesn't mean I expect him to brush this off as no big deal. Because it is a big deal. I fucked up badly.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"I do." I stroke his arm as I begin telling him my story. "Bishop and I had a rough childhood. Dad was a drug addict and he left Mom before I started school. She abandoned us a year later, also an addict."
"Jesus, I'm so sorry."
"We were put into foster care. Sometimes, we'd get placed together, other times we weren't. It was…rough. That's when my protective instincts developed. I was the older brother, so I always did what I could to look out for Bishop. If we were going to cop shit, I made sure I took the brunt of it. It's something I learned to do well. Maybe a little too well."
"How so?"
I blow out a heavy breath, the shame over my past actions clinging to me. "The two assaults I was charged for were…on my girlfriend's ex-boyfriends."
Locky bites his lip and frowns. "Go on."
"They both had shitty exes. And I… I do this thing. When I care about someone, I lose all objectivity. I can't think straight or make logical decisions. I go ballistic. If someone is in danger or needs help, I'd tear down everything in the fucking world to help them."
Locky skims my bearded jawline with the backs of his fingers. "Yeah. I've kinda noticed that."
