A New Life (BoyxBoy)(Poly)

Chapter 10 - Aftermath

Adam continues looking at the ground, shifting in his seat. "Um..."

"Was he your boyfriend?" He pushes.

Adam remains at a loss for words. "I, um..."

Noah sighs and gently lifts Adam's chin towards him.

"We need you to talk talk to us." He says, his face softening.

"I... I mean yes, he is, but..." Adam's eyes drift back to the ground, his voice trailing off.

I feel Daniel tense beside me as my mind races. 'That FUCKER!' I can't believe he hurt him, can't believe anyone could be so heartless as to hurt him. I already knew someone had hurt hurt him, had been hurting him, but the reality of the situation hadn't really hit me until now. Brimming with rage, I look up at Noah.

His expression is no longer kind. His jaw is clenched, and his normally emotionless eyes are now filled with fury.

I notice Adam squirming uncomfortably as Noah's grip on his jaw subconsciously tightens.

"Babe." I whisper to him, snapping him out of his trance.

He quickly realizes what he's doing and lets go of Adam's face. Adam relaxes a bit, still avoiding our eyes.

Noah turns his head towards him again, making sure not to scare him.

"How long has this been going on?"

Adam again looks away, this time staring at the couch cushion he's leaning against.

"It's... I mean, it's fine. I can handle it."

"Look at me. You're avoiding the question." Noah says.

He doesn't budge.

"Adam."

His gaze on the cushion intensifies. I can almost see it sweating.

"Adam, how long." It's an order, not a question.

Adam mumbles something under his breath, still frozen.

"What?"

He mumbles it again, barely audible.

"Adam, I need you to speak up."

"Two years." His voice is a whisper, but we all hear it.

His words ring in my head. I imagine the last two years of my life, replaced with fear. Pain. Two years. That must have been hell.

Noah pulls him into a hug. "I'm so sorry, dove."

Instead of hugging back, though, Adam pushes him away. "I-It's fine. It's not that big of a deal."

Noah grabs his hand. "It's a huge deal. Don't act like it doesn't matter."

Adam pulls his hand away. "Y-you're overreacting. It's not that bad, r-really." He scoots back a bit, bumping into me.

I turn his head towards me, and he jumps at the touch.

"Adam, he hurt you. He hurt you a lot. That's unforgivable, and I simply can't understand how you can just brush it off like nothing."

He opens his mouth to make another excuse, but I cut him off. "How much did he hurt you? Every month? Every week? Every night? Was that not horrible? Did you not hate every second of it?"

He sits there for a second, staring up at me. A tear slips down his cheek, and he shoves me away from him, desperately wiping at his eyes.

"Stop it! Stop it! This- this isn't right! Stop it!"