Freedom & Chrome || Book 1 ENGLISH

Reunion

6 weeks later

Not much had happened in the last few weeks, everything stayed the same and everyone did what they always did. The clan was able to get good jobs around Neyon and the mid-sized towns, which meant they would be able to stay here for quite a while without being left out to dry.

V and Kaden had practically merged into one person and spent, literally, every second together. His parents hardly got to see him at home anymore. Not that he was out of the world, the camp wasn't huge after all, but his bed was practically dusted. The two young adults had been about to keep their relationship to themselves at first, but the plan only lasted a full week. Probably hadn't been the best idea to make out in Kaden's car outside the camp. Siria stood in front of them with Mitch in tow, dumbfounded and open-mouthed, staring through the window into the car. V just grinned dumbly at them and waved a little embarrassedly. Mitch wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, while Siria just blinked at them, perplexed. Mitch had probably been right in his guess.

With flushed cheeks Siria stomped away, this was so embarrassing, especially when she thought about how much she had always hit on V, good grief.

"Well that worked out great," Kaden grumbled annoyed, shaking his head. V looked at Mitch, who walked closer to the car and knocked on the window. V rolled down the window and continued to look at him expectantly, not liking the smirk on Mitch's lips.

"Jebus, it's like I had a hunch. How long have you two been dating?" wanted Mitch to know, leaning against the open window with his arms crossed.

"About a week?" V didn't know for sure, but his birthday should be a week ago now, right? He kept losing track of time, and really, he didn't care much. Out here, you had all the time in the world anyway.

"Preem, that's what i call a happy birthday," Mitch congratulated, glancing briefly over at the camp. "So that means you really weren't interested in Siria, right?"

"No, why? Did I make her feel that way?" V sounded genuinely concerned. He hadn't wanted to raise any false expectations, if he had conveyed that in any way.

"No, no," Mitch waved his hand. Now that V had Mitch standing here alone in front of him, he remembered the question he had wanted to ask Mitch some time ago. "Are you two actually together?"

"Not yet, but now that you're officially off the market, who knows, maybe I'll have a chance. We've been getting along pretty damn well since Neyon, she's pretty cool," Mitch's smile softened, but there was still something sassy in his eyes. "I'm gonna go see her before she blabs your little secret all over the clan. See you around," he rapped a few times against Kaden's car and hurried after Siria. But his efforts were of little use, within a few hours, the whole clan knew about V and Kaden. For the least it came as a surprise, but not everyone was as tolerant as V's parents from the beginning. But with time, the rest came to terms with it and they no longer stood out among the others, and hell, who cared if they were two guys?

Five more weeks had passed and for V a very special day was coming. Siria had kept her word and in the short time she had been in Neyon with Mitch, she had tracked down a tattoo artist who did clean work. And now that he was 18, no one could stop him either.

Kaden and V laid in Kadens bed, as usual, and gradually woke up as the first rays of sunlight fell through the thin curtains. "What's the plan for today?" Kaden mumbled wearily into the pillow, pulling V closer to him and stretching out his right leg to rest it over V's hip. Like a quilt, V was trapped between Kaden's arms and legs.

"We have to get to Neyon," V mumbled back, pressed against Kaden. Sleep hadn't quite left him yet, so he didn't even think about giving up his position.