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 shouldnât be nervous, I knew that part was wrong. He wasnât 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-shirtâ¦and with cuts on his lip and eyebrow. âJesus, Jojo. What happened?â I reached for him, stopped. Christ, Iâd done that without thinking, just went for him as if I had a right to hold him, or touch him, or comfort him. Iâd lost that when I told him I didnât want him.
He closed his eyes, lowered his head. âPleaseâ¦donât call me that.â
The words pummeled my heart, but he had every right to say them. If he wasnât Jojo anymore, that was something I had to accept. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to. Iâll try to do better.â
He nodded, stepped aside to let me in. Questions still raced through my mind. Those cuts hadnât been there when I saw him a few days ago. What happened between then and now? I didnât 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 couldnât 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.
âI donâtâ¦â Joey shook his head. âI donât know how to do this with you. Iâm not sure what to say or ask firstâ¦what I feel or think. Itâs like thereâs a fucking block in my head, and if I open the floodgates, I wonât be able to close them again.â He ran his hand through his hair.
He was so different, soâ¦hardened. Was there any of the old Joey left in there?
âIf you need to open them, do it. I can take it.â
âNo. You donât get to do that. You donât get to come in here and try to protect me and be the hero. Iâm not that kid anymore, Gage. I donât 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 didnât want me anymore. I wonât depend on you or another man ever again.â 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.
âYou act like youâre the only one who was fucking hurt! I went to prison, Joey! I was locked behind bars, and I was alone! I didnât have Mouse or Romeo. I had nothing!â My head was throbbing, this pulse of regret and pain echoing through me. This wasnât like me, but I was hurt. This wasnât how it was supposed to turn out.
âYou could
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