Rivals 🌈 ✔

40 - For His Own Good

A few days had passed since they branded him. By now, the pain was gone. The moment he was out of sight of the others, he slipped a leather bracelet over it so he was no longer confronted with his burnt flesh. Juice had given it to him two days ago when he noticed that Raine kept staring at it. The others would go mad if they knew a Son had given him the bracelet but to Raine, it was a sweet gesture. For him, this was a reminder that Juice would always be on his side, no matter how shitty he felt. It had been a rough couple of weeks, but every obstacle made them stronger.

Raine bent over to tie his shoelaces. His working day was over. He had taken a quick shower — the only thing he still used his clubroom for — and he was about to pick up Sasha from daycare. Sammy had college until late and she wouldn't be home before dinner. He would make sure there were leftovers for her.

Just when he was about to get up, the door swung open. The only one who entered his room unannounced was Esai, but their friendship had changed so much he was surprised to really see him.

"You see lover boy tonight?" Esai slipped a hand in his pocket and leaned against the door frame.

Raine didn't answer. He didn't plan to see his boyfriend tonight, but it was none of Esai's business. In silence, he stood up, looked around to see if there was something he wanted to take with him, and grabbed his keys from the desk.

"See you Monday," he muttered.

He wanted to rush past Esai, but the man stepped aside to block the doorway. "Wait."

His voice sounded surprisingly soft. Raine raised his eyebrows.

"You got plans for tonight or not?"

Raine shrugged, giving Esai a compelling look.

"If you don't — maybe we can hang out? You know — like the old times?"

Raine hesitated. Esai actually sounded insecure, which he never was. After their years of friendship, Raine thought it would be easy to read him but it was harder than expected. At a rapid pace, they had grown apart. Deep down he hated the way it worked out. Perhaps it wasn't too late. Maybe the damage could still be repaired.

"Yeah, sure." Raine offered him a small smile.

"Awesome. I'll pick you up after dinner."

. . .

Raine had mixed feelings about it. How would Juice feel about it? It had been Esai's idea to beat the shit out of him. Nevertheless, he felt relieved too; the past days it had felt like had lost so much and this gave him hope that his life could still go back to normal.

He had just put Sasha to bed when the doorbell rang. Sammy was still eating at the kitchen table. A while ago she broke the lease of her apartment because he was so often from home, and he didn't want to contact a babysitter the whole time. Sammy didn't mind, he knew she enjoyed spending time with her niece. It made her feel closer to Rosa. Apart from that, he told her he wanted to leave the club as soon as they would let him, so she knew this was just a temporary solution.

"I'm leaving," Raine said.

She turned her face towards him and smiled. "Have fun."

"Yeah," he said softly. Fun. He indeed hoped they would have fun. A strange sense of nervousness sneaked through his body. This felt like the ultimate test for their friendship. If this whole night would be awkward, it would indeed be over.

There was another ring at the door. Esai had never been the most patient person on earth and if he would let him wait much longer, they would start with a handicap. He pulled open the door. There was indeed annoyance in his eyes, but he said nothing. Whether it was a good sign or not, Raine did not know. They used to tell each other everything.