Kairos - Blood (MxM) | Book 2 | ✅

7.Even Steven

"Motherfucker," Sean grumbled patting his jacket pockets.

"Here," I handed him a lighter.

We paused our wandering as he lit up.

City lights bled into each other and a rainbow of colors shone above our heads while groups of young happy people passed by us on the wet streets.

I took out a cigarette and Sean held up the flame for me. "Thanks."

Our steps fell into the same rhythm and although Sean was taller than I was, our frames and mannerisms were more or less the same.

"I should have told you. A long time ago." There. My olive branch.

"Yeah, you should have."

"Fuck you, Sean. You should have known," I blurted.

"How?" he growled annoyed.

"I'm 32, 33 actually, and I've introduced you to zero girlfriends."

"Ginny was your girlfriend. I thought," Sean said lowly with a shrug.

"You hit on her every chance you got yet you thought she was with me?"

"I'm no saint. Have you seen the rack on her?" Sean caressed imaginary breasts on his chest.

I smirked, "You charmer."

He grinned and averted his gaze from me. I glimpsed his full set of teeth for the first time. When did he get dental work done?

"My own brother and I never even suspected..." he sighed and puffed heavily from his cig, veiling both of us in smoke.

Silence was my friend. I didn't know how to ease his mind.

We strolled some more and my feet began to cramp.

"Back when we were kids, was Jack your," he cleared his throat, "boyfriend?"

I scoffed and put out my cigarette stepping on it. "I don't remember."

"How the fudge do you forget something like that?"

"I... it was before mom and dad..."

"Right."

"Wait," I stopped walking, "you remember 14-year-old Jack?"

Sean giggled like a gossiping maid, "Sure do, brother. Course you didn't know I was watching, but that time he hid in our shed, I knew he was there. I even bought more junk food so you'd have what to steal from the cupboards to bring him."

I needed to sit and dragged Sean to a street cafe bench. A waiter took our order. My brain had enough time to process every clue I had so far.

"Jack was hiding from someone and I was protecting him."

"Sure. Yeah, I guess."

"Was he running from bikers?" I asked tentatively.

Sean looked up as his lips pressed together and cheeks puffed up with air. "I doubt Mike would have hunted a kid like Jack. Besides, you and the gang were tight."

The biker gang I remembered, but I would have never described my relationship with any of them as 'tight'. A fair-haired pretty boy jumped up at me from the mud hole where my memories swirled unclear. Mike.

"Then who was Jack hiding from?"

Sean sipped his coffee. "Beats me."

I lit up a cigarette, shuddering as a chilling gust of air enveloped us.