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Evan settled himself. “I appreciate you saying that.”
“I never want to see you again, Evan. Is that clear?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s clear.”
“Good. And, good luck,” I said sincerely.
“Thank you, Kendall, for everything,” he said before turning around and walking out of my life forever.
I couldn’t have imagined how cathartic my conversation with Evan could have been. Watching him walk away, I felt different. Everything felt different. Never had I been surer about what I was going to do with my life. I wanted to help little boys like Evan. Intervening with them early could change their lives and the lives of everyone around them.
But, it wasn’t just LGBT kids I wanted to help. There were adults. A lot of people in this world were in pain. I thought about it. Wasn’t Nero one of them?
I was never meant to be with Nero. That wasn’t why we had been put together. I was there to help him. I knew he was having a rough time with life. I knew he was inclined to make bad decisions. Yet, I allowed things to develop between us.
It was wrong of me. If I cared about him… if I truly cared about him, then I had to do better. If I loved him like I claimed to, then I had to make a decision for him. We couldn’t be together. Not if I cared about him. And not if I’m going to help him.
I knew what his problem was and he wouldn’t be having it if I hadn’t stuck my nose in where it didn’t belong. When I heard his mother’s story, it broke my heart so it had to have devastated Nero. Someone had to tell him that he mattered to them. A lot of someones had to tell him.
Marching back to my room to come up with a plan, I got a phone call from somebody I hadn’t expected.
“Quin? What’s up?” I asked happy to hear from him.
“Have you seen Nero?”
“Yeah, I left him about thirty minutes ago. He had an interview with a Nashville reporter. I think he’s still at the sports facility.”
“I don’t think he is.”
“What’s going on?”
“I just got a call from Titus. He walked in on him tearing apart their room and when Titus went to stop him, Nero knocked him out. He said, when he woke up, Nero was gone. Kendall, I don’t see him doing anything good.”
Shit!
“Do you have any idea where he might be?” Quin pushed.
“None.”
“Really? Because I was counting on you knowing something.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
As soon as I said it, an image flashed into my mind. It was of us standing at the edge of the lake. It was where he ran to when he was a kid. I don’t know why I thought about it, but remembering the moment I fell in love with him wasn’t helpful right now.
“Okay. Cage is trying to call him. Hopefully, he’ll pick up.”
“Let me know he’s alright if you hear from him.”
“I will,” Quin said before ending the call.
This was my fault. There was the reason Professor Nandan wanted me there. I was supposed to be his support. Instead, I got lost in my melodrama bullshit. Now, he was out there somewhere hurting others and probably himself.
I again thought about our time at the lake. What had made me think of it? I wasn’t sure. But, I had to get my head in the game. I had to think of where he could be. At some point, he must have shared something that would help now.
Continuing to think about it, I headed back to my room. I was kind of hoping that Cory wasn’t there. I loved him, but he had been acting very weirdly ever since the cuddling incident.
I had tried to tell him that nothing that had happened was a big deal. Yea, he had an erection. What guy didn’t in the morning? And yes, his erection touched my butt. Life goes on.
