Beautiful and Terrible Things by Riley Hart

Author:Riley Hart [Hart, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance, M/M
Publisher: Riley Hart
Published: 2020-12-29T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Gage

I knocked on the door, trying to ignore the trembling in my hand. While part of me thought, This is Jojo, I shouldn’t be nervous, I knew that part was wrong. He wasn’t Jojo anymore, only Joey, and too much had happened between us for us to ever go back. That truth was an overwhelming riot in my chest.

The door opened, and he was there, wearing basketball shorts, a T-shirt…and with cuts on his lip and eyebrow. “Jesus, Jojo. What happened?” I reached for him, stopped. Christ, I’d done that without thinking, just went for him as if I had a right to hold him, or touch him, or comfort him. I’d lost that when I told him I didn’t want him.

He closed his eyes, lowered his head. “Please…don’t call me that.”

The words pummeled my heart, but he had every right to say them. If he wasn’t Jojo anymore, that was something I had to accept. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’ll try to do better.”

He nodded, stepped aside to let me in. Questions still raced through my mind. Those cuts hadn’t been there when I saw him a few days ago. What happened between then and now? I didn’t know why, but I flinched at the click of the door closing behind me.

My fingers tingled with the need to touch him, and I couldn’t help wondering if he felt it too. He wrung his hands together, massaged one with the other and flexed his fingers in a way my own longed to do.

“I don’t…” Joey shook his head. “I don’t know how to do this with you. I’m not sure what to say or ask first…what I feel or think. It’s like there’s a fucking block in my head, and if I open the floodgates, I won’t be able to close them again.” He ran his hand through his hair.

He was so different, so…hardened. Was there any of the old Joey left in there?

“If you need to open them, do it. I can take it.”

“No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to come in here and try to protect me and be the hero. I’m not that kid anymore, Gage. I don’t need you like I did then. I can take care of myself. I made damn sure I could take care of myself after you decided you didn’t want me anymore. I won’t depend on you or another man ever again.” He was pacing the living room, a sharp edge to his voice. Something about that sound, about his stance, unraveled the control I had over my own pain.

“You act like you’re the only one who was fucking hurt! I went to prison, Joey! I was locked behind bars, and I was alone! I didn’t have Mouse or Romeo. I had nothing!” My head was throbbing, this pulse of regret and pain echoing through me. This wasn’t like me, but I was hurt. This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out.

“You could

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