[Twice Featured Noteworthy Novel & Staff Pick on Tapas.io] ✔
[Previously featured on Tapas.io's LGBTQ+ Community collection] ✔
One night. That was all it took for Senn Reyes' life to change drastically--and permanently.
Senn Reyes is a seventeen-y...
* * * A/N I usually keep these chapters as Patreon Exclusive chapters. But this one contains too much important info to keep from y'all. So, I hope you'll enjoy this read too! * * *
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Saturday
After spending his Saturday morning searching furniture stores for a closet, nightstands, a decent bed and a desk chair to go with the desk Tessa and Dean had previously already bought, and—after a bit of pushing from Tessa and Killian—a plant to decorate his otherwise plain bedroom.
With a bucket of paint, two rollers and other painting necessities, Senn spent the afternoon painting one wall in his room and putting up the bed as a start.
Not once did he feel guilty towards his parents. On the contrary, he knew they would want him to be happy, and pushing away people that loved him wasn't going to help him. Neither was wandering around without having a place to call home going to do any good. No, he needed his own space, and ever since Tessa and he had made a lot of progress in their relationship as aunt and nephew, Senn did feel more at home.
He felt welcome.
But once his wall had been painted baby-blue—like his old room—and needed to dry, Senn had used up all possible distractions from Elio and his behavior at the party the evening before. Buying furniture and paint accessories, setting up a bed, making up a bed in Killian's room to sleep while they were still painting, and even writing in his diary when painting the room caused a memory from years ago to surface.
But all excuses aside, he really wanted some answers from Elio, especially since last night. Elio, apparently, hadn't ever gone to a party thrown by friends before. In fact, nobody had ever seen him go to a party, or go out for that matter.
Nobody, except Senn, on the night of their first kiss.
Elio going out, felt like a bad sign.
Senn's mind had taken him places—mostly towards Julian and Elio— while his feet took him elsewhere. Which was how he found himself in front of his old home, at the doorstep of Elio's house, even though he 'just went for a short walk outside'.
He rang the doorbell, even though he never planned to visit Elio that evening. But now that he was there, he could as well try and get some clearance on Elio's motives for his 'break-up' with Joyce.
It wasn't Elio who opened the door, but a guy that looked a bit like him. Just slightly darker hair, a little taller, and definitely slightly older too.
"Oh, eh, hi," Senn stuttered, tripping over his own words, "I was looking for Elio. I'm a friend... Senn."
"Elio!" the guy yelled over his shoulder. "Senn's here for you!"
Senn smirked, though the corners of his mouth dropped as soon as he remembered how Killian used to call him like that whenever one of his friends was at the door. At the exact same door. And Elio was most likely in the exact same room as Senn had been all those times Killian called for him to come down.
