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In spite not speaking Raphael’s language, Diego still chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were right in the thick of it. You were protecting your own heart.”
Raphael bowed his head. “If I wasn’t being so self-centered, I might have noticed and saved both of us a lot of pain.”
Diego’s expression fell. “I heard about what happened, but please tell me you’re not blaming yourself.”
Raphael shrugged one shoulder. “Not entirely. I’m not responsible for what Paxton did.”
“I caught that little bastard fleeing town,” Diego said after a moment. He blew out a puff of air and dragged his hand down his face. “Wanted to beat the snot out of him, but he looked pretty roughed up. He unleashed a few choice words about the people here, and probably about Dmitri, but he didn’t use his name. I told him if he knew what was good for him, he’d forget the road that led here.”
Raphael felt a surge of gratitude and affection for his friend. “Thank you.”
Diego shook his head. “No one fucks with my family. Is Dmitri okay?”
“He’s getting there,” Raphael told him, and he was glad it wasn’t a lie. “It’s a little bit complicated, but I told him how I feel, and we’re going to make it work.”
Diego leaned in and cupped Raphael’s cheek. “He’s worthy of you, and you know I don’t say that easily.”
“I know.” Raphael closed his eyes and leaned hard against Diego’s touch. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Just be less of a stranger. And let me help if you need it.”
Raphael nodded, and then he was struck with an idea. It was half a year before the start of the coming summer—months before the next ritual of star gazing and Chinese take-out. But now was the best time to start. “I wanted to give him a gift. Maybe you can help with that?”
Diego’s eyes sparkled, and he stood, offering Raphael a hand up as he used his other to drag his chair closer. “Let’s go to my studio and talk.”
Raphael grinned as he sat down and adjusted his feet. His legs were spasming a little from his stress, but his argument with Jayden seemed miles away now. He loved Dmitri, harder than he’d loved anyone, and for the first time since accepting that they were going to make a go of this, he felt like their future had truly opened up.
* * *
Raphael was just finishingup dinner when Dmitri walked in. He offered a quick smile to Raphael as he unwound his scarf and shook the raindrops from his hair. A nor’easter storm was gaining strength, and it had been coming down hard. Raphael could tell it was going to be a harsh storm, but he was happy to deal when he had Dmitri in his arms.
“How was the drive in?” he asked as he started to ladle soup into bowls.
Dmitri groaned, setting his bag down and stripping off his coat. “Shitty. I got an email from the dean saying that they might close campus for the next couple days depending on how bad this storm gets. If that’s the case, they’ll either delay exams or they’ll have them online.”
Raphael bit his lip as he pushed the bowl toward Dmitri, and they both took a seat on the stools at the breakfast bar. His conversation with Rian was still fresh in his mind, as was the fight with Jayden. He hadn’t heard from either since then, but he didn’t want to keep them a secret from Dmitri.
“I got a phone call today,” he started slowly, watching as Dmitri sipped the broth. “From Rian.”
Dmitri made a soft choking nose, and he scrubbed his hand over his mouth. “Oh. Well. Uh.”
“He says you haven’t been to his class this week.”
At that, Dmitri rolled his eyes. “Can you blame me?”
“No,” he answered slowly, “but he can only do so much to keep your grades protected.”
Dmitri bowed his head over his food and stirred a whirlpool through the soup. “Yeah.Fuck.”
“He wants you to come back. He’s promised he won’t speak to you at all if that’s what you want.”
Dmitri’s eyes widened as he looked over, his face almost panicked. “I…what? Why?”
“Because he feels guilty,” Raphael answered him. “He dragged you into his relationship with me, and now you’re avoiding him.”
Dmitri pulled both lips between his teeth, then sighed out through his nose. “I just figured he hated me. You know, because I basically stole his boyfriend.”
“There was nothing to steal,” Raphael said, putting his spoon down. He turned on his seat and curled his fingers around the back of Dmitri’s neck. “I was always yours.”
