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“So why this time?”
I allowed Wilber to shift me off him. He picked up a weekly
magazine lying on the seat and opened it to a high-gloss photo. It
was shot of Constantine and me at some art gallery opening. I was
staring at a painting with such unguarded sadness in my expression
about three feet behind him. I didn’t even know a photo had been
taken. I remember that painting. It was just blocks of color, but for
some reason, it reminded me of home. Wilber’s home. My home.
“Constantine called me. He told me to find a replacement if I
wanted you back.”
“He let me go?”
“I think his wife asked him to. You cannot ignore this photo,
Boy. Heartbreak has never been caught so poignantly.”
“I want to go home.” I laid my body heavily across the seat
and rested my head on Wilber’s lap. Just the sound of his voice
96
That’s What Brothers Do…
gave me a sense of security that 2.6 or even 3.1 million just didn’t
give.
“Brant.” A hand touched my bare neck.
“I’ll grow it back.”
“Only if it’s what you want. You are not a slave. You are not a
toy.”
“May I be your lover?”
“Yes, my Boy.” Wilber urged me back up until I was enfolded
in his arms. He opened his legs so my ass was sitting on the seat
but my knees were hiked up over his thigh. I’d gotten too heavy to
sit on his lap by the time I’d hit seventeen. I had reached my
current height of six-foot-two but was still pencil thin. Wilber
kissed my temple. “Happy Birthday, Brant. I lit your candle on
your birthday cake and made a wish before I came here today.”
“You made a birthday wish for me?” I’d never heard of that
before.
“I’ll do it every year from now on.”
“Why?”
“Because my wish came true. Welcome back, Brant. Welcome
home.”
I tilted my head back and angled my head to receive his kiss. I
kept my eyes open to know that it really was Wilber I was kissing.
That it was him I was touching and being touched by. What did he
say? He lit a candle for me. He wanted to lift me to the light. He
wanted to set me into the sun. Just looking up into his strong
distinctive face was enough to light up my world. I felt like the
moon emerging from behind the earth back into the warmth and
radiance.
Shade burned away in direct light. It just couldn’t survive in
the face of brilliance.
As we walked toward the house, every window was dark. I
frowned. Where was everyone? Wilber saw the frown as he
unlocked the front door. “I told everyone to clear out for the night.
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Derekica Snake
If I succeeded in bringing you home, I didn’t want any
interruptions. If I failed... well, you know I drink alone.”
I actually felt shy. I was startled when I felt Wilber’s fingers
brush at the tear tracks that still stained my cheeks. “The time for
tears is over, my boy. You are home.”
“I’m 30 years old today. I’m not a boy.”
“If you say so, Goth Boy.”
Wilber walked into the dark house towards the kitchen,
flipping on a light. I followed him like a grateful kitten plucked
from the curb. As I walked into the kitchen, he stood facing the
counter. I had wanted to try this so many times in the past but was
afraid of being rejected. After three years with Constantine, I
wouldn’t let any opportunities pass me by again.
I leaned my body onto his back and wrapped my arms around
his chest. I breathed in his scent and felt the warmth of him
through his jacket. In my folly, I swear I could feel his heart
beating against my cheek. He stilled.
I tensed for a moment and almost stepped away, but then… I
brushed my face back and forth across his back and tightened my
grip. Faint of heart won’t get me what I need, and I needed Wilber.
His strength. His kindness. Maybe he just wanted my body, but
that was enough. I could love enough for the both of us. His hands
came over mine, and I expected him to peel me away. But instead
his hands clasped mine and held them tighter to his chest.
“Thank you,” I whispered into the material of his jacket.
“For what, Brant?”
“For not pushing me away.”
“I will never push you away, boy. You’ve been away too long.
Come here.” While I claimed to be thirty years old, I had the
emotional control of a hormonal teenager. He turned in my arms
and pressed my head against the side of his. I clung to him and
cried relief. Wishing and waiting and wanting had finally come
true. “You are home. You’re home.”
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That’s What Brothers Do…
His hand came up and rested on my bare neck. “I’ll grow it
out again.” I could feel the warmth of his hand beginning to melt
the ice my body was encased in.
His thumb stroked up and down my nape. I shuddered – but
not in a good way and he stopped. “I can’t imagine what you have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]