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“I forgive you too. If you remember, I didn’t handle it well when Reed drifted from me and dated other people. It was my fault for pushing him away. Instead of lashing out at those around me, I got lost in liquor. We all cope differently.”
“Neither of us really coped.”
I chuckled. “True. Can we move on now? Put this shit in the rearview and focus on where we’re going in the future?”
“I’d like that… son.”
Opening my arms, I gestured for him to come forward, which he readily did. Slater wrapped his arms around me as I held him back. He felt thinner than usual. Hopefully he’d start putting on weight again. Maybe the color would come back to his cheeks too.
Here was this rock god, someone people literally threw themselves at, and he just wanted to be loved. I wanted that for him as well. Slater deserved it.
He shook in my arms as his tears hit my neck. Slater had his own demons he had yet to fully get rid of. Maybe he never would, but with the right person in his life, showing him he was more than the man who suffered from crippling anxiety at times. More than the man on stage who to the world looked like he had everything he’d ever wanted.
Arms that had been around me numerous times held me harder as he pushed closer. Physical touch was Slater’s love language. He liked to know where his friends were. Where they stood with him. He hugged a lot, didn’t shy away from displays of affection.
I heard theclickof the front door but didn’t move the man from my arms. Reed and Elic knew better than to assume I’d do something with Slater. Their low voices carried to us, causing Slater to lift his head and wipe his eyes. He tried to pull away, but I held him where he was.
“You good?”
He nodded.
“I’ll still be there for you, Slay, whenever you need me.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Reed placed his hand on Slater’s back. “Are you okay?
“Yeah, just… It’s a lot.”
“I know. Are you two back on speaking terms?”
“We are,” I said and snaked my arm around Reed’s waist, claiming him, even though I didn’t need to. I couldn’t help it. Reed and Elic were mine. I would stake claim on them every day for the rest of eternity if need be. It didn’t matter that Slater knew Reed wasn’t his, I still had to drive the point home. It was a dick move, yet I couldn’t find it in myself to remove my arm.
Slater gave us a watery smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Cas.” Subtle I was not.
I gripped him by the back of the neck. “I still love you like a brother. Brothers who fight but, in the end, know where home is.”
He nodded and swallowed thickly. “I’m going to head out. I have to get my stuff from Dash’s house unless he’s already done it for me. My brother is great, but I know when I’ve overstayed my welcome.”
“Tomorrow?” Reed asked. “I can be at your place. I have some ideas I’d love to run by you.”
“I hope one of them is the rest of the song you wrote for Elic.”
Grinning, Reed said, “It might be.”
Slater left with a bit of a bounce in his step. I wouldn’t say he was all the way back to normal, that would take time, but he was on the path to healing and hopefully moving on from Reed.
I couldn’t speak to what it was like to love someone only for it not to be returned. I didn’t have that with Reed. He loved me more than he should. He never gave up on me, even when he dated someone else. Time after time, he came to me, whether it was to make sure I was okay or to be welcomed back into my arms.
I didn’t deserve either of them, but I damn well wouldn’t let them go.
“Did you invite us over so you wouldn’t have to deal with Slay alone?” Reed asked with a smile.
“No, I wanted to run something past you both.”
Elic looked at me with his beautiful eyes, always filled with hope and love. Fuck, I had to resist burying my face in his neck and soaking his scent into my lungs.
“What would you think of me selling this place?” I asked. “I’m hardly here anymore.” Glancing around the room, I tried my best to look everywhere but at Reed and Elic. For some reason, I couldn’t outright say I wanted to live with them. I couldn’t invite myself in, even though I practically already lived there. It wasn’t the same with me owning this though. I was still tethered to another house, another place with my name on it.
