The Difference Between by Blake Moreno

Author:Blake Moreno [Moreno, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781626227606
Publisher: Dark Ink
Published: 2017-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Wade stood, as their agreement had spelled out, in the middle of their bedroom in their new house. He dug his toes into the warm, thick Aubusson rug under his bare feet, and, with shaking fingers, he pulled his green Henley over his head, throwing it to the floor. He almost wanted to call the whole thing off, but he focused on the plan and decided to stick it out.

It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been naked with Russ before. Most recently in the bathroom that morning as they’d traded out the shower. But it’d been perfunctory nakedness. And while Russ had been privy to his body during his stay in the hospital, this was the first time Wade had invited him to take a good long look—and to touch.

The scars weren’t as bad as they could’ve been. Given how infected several of the wounds had become, they’d all healed very nicely. Wade had bought a hand mirror and spent some time looking at them in the bathroom a few weeks ago. There were a few that looked like big raised Xs and one that looked like a long Y from where the whip had laid him open. Wade shuddered. That had been a very hard day with Owen. He squeezed his eyes shut. They’d all been very hard days.

“Wade, look at me,” Russ said, his voice commanding but loving.

“Sorry,” Wade mumbled, obeying.

“Don’t be. I’m going to touch you now.” He stepped closer, putting a soothing hand on Wade’s arm. “Are we good?”

Wade nodded; his fingers tingled a little, and his toes felt strangely numb. Russ’s hand slid up to his chest, and rested over his heart, fingering through his dark chest hair lightly.

“Shh,” Russ hushed him. “You’re hyperventilating. Do we need to take a break?”

Please, Owen. It hurts. Just a little break. For God’s sake, Owen, please.

Wade shook his head. “No.”

They were just getting started. He could do this, he wanted to. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of Russ’s shirt, tugging him close. He turned his face into Russ’s neck, breathing him in, and whispered, “I want you.”

“I know, but we don’t have to push things. You can dress again at any time, baby. In fact, it’s a rule that you’ll put your clothes on if you feel overwhelmed. We wrote that down together, remember?”

Wade released Russ’s shirt and reached into his back pocket to pull out the paper. He unfolded it, and studied the words he’d written so optimistically that morning.

He peered into the shadows of the room. The bed was a comfortable king-size. They’d pulled the big duvet off and folded it onto the chair when they first came in, leaving the white, soft sheets exposed. The blinds were drawn on the windows against the afternoon sun, and the room was the perfect temperature. After the fluorescent lights that had accompanied Owen’s abuse, like the lights of a hospital or school, allowing Owen to see every detail of Wade’s pain, the shadows were comforting. There’d been nothing comforting with Owen—it’d been all sharpness and edges and hurt.

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