Rivals 🌈 ✔

87 - A Fading Scar

Raine dragged the last box into the living room. Actually, he wasn't allowed to carry much at all yet, but he was stubborn and didn't want to leave all the work to Juice. He glanced at Sasha, who was coloring at the coffee table. For three weeks she had been living here in the house again and it was as if they had finally stepped out of the chaos. Two weeks ago, Angel had called him and told him he had an acquaintance who rented a house. It was big enough for the three of them and Raine had agreed after talking it through with Juice. They could stay here too, but he just wanted to get away from Oakland and make a fresh start. Once they were settled in Santo Padre, they could look for a property to buy; something that suited their tastes. The thought of actually leaving here made his insides tingle. Finally. Finally they could start living their dreams. Although he had left the club a month ago, it was still like his life was on standby, waiting for the moment when he could leave everything behind.

And that moment was today.

The corners of his mouth curled up as the front door opened and Juice stepped inside. "The moving van is outside."

His eyes shone and something warm stirred in Raine's stomach. His boyfriend looked so much more relaxed than in recent months. And that was saying a lot since changes were not easy for someone with OCD. Still, his stress level had plummeted considerably since he had moved in.

He rested his hands on Juice's hips. "Are you ready?"

"Are you ready? You've lived here for years."

"Absolutely. Not a shred of doubt."

"Good." Juice leaned forward for a kiss but held back because of Sasha. "Well, then we can start filling the van."

They were still carrying the boxes when the roar of an engine sounded. Automatically, Raine stiffened. Nothing was wrong. It was just a motorcyclist passing by, he told himself.

But it didn't pass—the engine stopped.

Raine climbed out of the van and saw his boyfriend coming through the door with a box in his hands. He stepped over the threshold and then stood still, his face hardening.

Something's wrong.

Once he was on the pavement, Raine turned around so he could see the biker. He recognized the bike immediately—it was Esai's. The man took off his helmet and, after giving Juice a dirty look, walked towards Raine.

"So you just leave? Without saying anything?"

"I don't have anything to say to you."

"Don't be stupid. We've been friends forever."

Raine snorted, "We haven't been friends for a long time. If you didn't realize that, you really are an idiot. I don't even know if I believe that our friendship ever mattered to you."

Esai clenched his jaws. His eyes were smoldering.

He would never understand, Raine realized.

"You're the one who—"

"I'm not in the mood for this, Esai. Maybe one day, you'll be able to accept my relationship with Juice. Maybe you won't. But until you can, I have no desire to talk to you anymore."

"I just can't believe you're throwing your life away for that faggot."

Out of the corner of his eye, Raine saw that Juice clenched his fists and wanted to throw a punch at the man, but Raine shook his head and raised his hand.

"Don't waste your energy on him. We can use it for other things. Sometimes friendships get stranded." He turned his gaze back to Esai. "But if you can't see that I'm getting exactly the life I want—with someone I love, while I can take care of my niece and I don't have to constantly worry about losing more people, we lost each other a long time ago. I'm not that seventeen-year-old kid anymore who wants to prove he's a man and doesn't give a damn if others get hurt in the process. And it looks like you did get stuck in that phase and just don't learn from your mistakes—you can't even see them."

Esai's face contorted into a sneer.

Not waiting for a response, Raine stepped inside to grab a new box. As soon as Esai was out of sight, Raine took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Juice asked softly. The man put a hand on his shoulder.

Raine closed his eyes for a moment. It still hurt, losing someone who had once been a good friend. This time cancer wasn't the enemy, but... something completely foolish.

With a gentle nudge of his hand, Juice forced him to turn around. His fingertips stroked along his jaw.

"Where we go, we'll have plenty of opportunities to make new friends. Better friends. Friends who deserve you."

Sighing, he bent his head until it touched his friend's. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close.

They would. And he also already had friends he could count on. Angel. Skye. And he had Juice. The love of his life, the one who knew him through and through, who was so much more than a friend, than a lover.

His breathing calmed down, and he allowed himself to be surrounded by Juice's warmth. This wound, too, would one day be nothing but a scar. Just an unpleasant memory of which the pain had faded.

. . .
If you enjoyed this chapter and you want to support me as a writer, it would mean the world to me if you'd leave a comment, vote and follow my profile ♥