Bonus Chapter- 1 Year Later

~Kyle~

The poor, sad soul. I shook my head as I watched him stuff his thirteenth pair of jeans into the suitcase.

"Who even needs thirteen pairs of jeans?"

"I thought you came over to help me pack." Riley said, glaring at me with his bunny rabbit eyes. I curled my feet underneath me on the couch and sighed.

"I did, but just watching you is sucking all the excitement out of me." I yawned and stretched, then pulled a cushion into my lap.

"I wanna go but I don't wanna go. You know what I mean?"

"You're going to university to do all the random stuff you've always wanted to do." I responded. "You're supposed to be happy and excited and jumping up and down like you did the day we found out you got in."

"I know, but I don't want to leave Nate." Riley sighed for about the one hundredth time that night and I rolled my eyes.

"Nate will be just fine. He's got me and Johnny and Eddie and all the other guys to keep his company." I said, and when he only frowned at me, I grinned. "Oh, so you don't want him to be fine without you. Is that it? You want him to be miserable while you're gone?"

He blushed his usual Riley blush, then covered his eyes with his hand.

"Is that a bad thing?"

I shrugged. "If I was leaving for any length of time, I'd want Johnny to miss me to the point of insanity. So I guess its normal."

"You know how Nate is. He won't admit that he's going to miss me, but he says he doesn't want me to live on campus. He wants me to rent an apartment close by. That counts as something, right?"

"But it's a requirement for first years to live on campus. You don't have a choice."

"Well maybe they'll make an exception."

I laughed. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Go to the Dean and say, I'm sorry sir but my boyfriend's a very jealous man who thinks I'm going to get swept off my feet by wayward college boys, so I can't live on campus. Can you please make an exception?"

"Hmm..." Riley bit his lip and turned his eyes to the ceiling like he was actually considering it. I reached out a foot and smacked him with it on the side of his head. He laughed. "I'm kidding. I know it won't work."

"Nate needs to relax. The whole world knows that you'd never even look at another guy. He's got no reason to be jealous."

"But it's the same with you and John gets jealous all the time." Riley said, and I grinned and swayed; his words instantly putting me in a happy mood.

"That's because Johnny's emotionally unstable. He can't control his overwhelming feelings for me." I giggled. "I forgive him."

"But sometimes I think maybe it's not just that he's jealous. Sometimes I think he just doesn't trust me. I think that a lot actually." He sighed.

"You know, your mood swings could be a sign of an underlying mental condition." I told him seriously, and when he rolled his eyes I swung out a leg to kick him again, but this time he dodged.

"Anyway." I went back to the topic at hand. "Even if you could live off campus for the first year, I would still tell you to forget about it. College is all about fun, new experiences, and living on campus isn't something you want to miss out on. Nate just has to accept that."

"I guess."

I ignored his pouting and continued; "Plus, if you don't live on campus I'll miss out on all the fun too."

"Are you really going to visit me every week like you promised?"

"Would I lie?" I asked him seriously, and when he shook his head, I continued. "I'm gonna visit during the week since I know Nate will want to come on the weekends."

He made a face. "He hasn't even said that he'll be visiting."

"Yeah well, luckily for you, I've got all the juicy details. He told Johnny that he's not going to work the weekends anymore because he wants to drive up to visit you when you start living on campus." I assured him. "Maybe that's another reason he wants you to live off campus; that way he'll have somewhere to stay when he comes to visit you for his weekly dose of vitamin D." I wiggled my brows and he blushed. Even after all this time the little teddy bear was still so innocent. I sighed.

"I wish you were coming too. Can't you just enroll and do a couple of courses? It's not like you're doing anything anyway."

"I can't. I've gotta take care of Johnny. Plus, now's your chance to get rid off all that shyness and meet new people." I told him, then pointed a finger at him so he was forced to look at me. "Just don't forget that you'll never find another Kyle, so don't even think about trying to replace me."

He waved me off and I leaned over to pick up the small bag I'd brought with me. After peaking inside for a second, I threw it at him, and he plucked it from the air before it could hit the floor.

"What's this?" he questioned as he opened it, then he frowned and looked at me all irritated-like when he pulled out the large box. "Why are you giving me condoms?"

"For when Nate visits obviously. What else? It's my 'congrats on getting into college gift'. I didn't have time to wrap it, but it's the thought that counts right?"

"You can have them. What do you think Nate's gonna say when he sees me packing a lifetime supply of condoms to take with me to my dorm?"

"I would take them off your hands but John's an extra large so they won't fit him." I said with a satisfied grin. "Besides, Nate will thank you for thinking ahead."

"I know Nate a whole lot better than you do, and I can promise you he won't. Especially since we don't use condom anymore." he said, then chucked the box at me. I dodged and it went sailing past my head to land somewhere behind the couch.

"You don't?" I asked, frowning as I thought about this interesting new development. "Wow you guys are progressing faster than I thought."

He shrugged. "We've been together for over a year you know."

"So have we, and we're still buying condoms. Who decided? You or Nate?" I asked, then shook my head. "Why am I even asking, of course it was Nate."

"It was mutual, and anyway, I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Nate likes his privacy."

Johnny hadn't brought it up even once, but then I'd never even thought to bring it up either; condoms had just always been a given. I watched Riley for a while as he continued stuffing his suitcase. Johnny and I had been exclusive from the start too. I wondered if he'd ever considered going sans condoms.

I bit my lip, lost in thought for so long that I missed it when Nate finally entered the room after being holed up in his study for more than half the day. I'd also missed more than half of what Riley was saying.

"...but I don't think I'll need them. What do you think?"

"Huh?"

"About how much clothes I should bring."

I shrugged. "The dorm room's pretty small and you'll be sharing with at least one other person so I'm thinking less is more."

A small box of Band-Aids landed on a pile of Riley's clothes, and I glanced up just in time to see Nate surveying the mess we'd made of his living room.

Riley frowned. "What if my roommate turns out to be homophobic or what if we don't get along?"

"Then you can request a room change" I said, then smiled. "Or you can just call your big bad boyfriend to come beat him up for you." I glanced at Nate who was watching Riley with furrowed brows and an unreadable expression.

That same look on Johnny's face usually meant concern, but with Nate, it was hard to tell. The guy was so complicated that it made my head hurt.

"I hope everything goes smoothly. I want a good roommate, good professors, a good dorm room, a good experience and I want to meet good people." He continued.

"Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world." Nate put in his two cents, then disappeared as quickly as he'd come. A moment later I heard him rattling around in the kitchen, and on the floor in front of me Riley groaned.

I whistled low. "Is it just me, or is he pricklier than usual?"

Riley shrugged. "He's working on a tough case."

"Johnny's working the same case and his grouch level is the same as it always is." I said.

Riley shrugged again, and this time I let it go. I glanced toward the kitchen entrance then slowly let my eyes travel around the room to the one million and one pictures of them that Riley had put up around the place; on pretty much every available space in the room. It always weirded me out to have their eyes following me everywhere whenever I visited.

The rooms in Nate's place held over a year 's worth of their precious memories together. Riley, being Riley, just hadn't realized that Nate's grumpiness had nothing to do with his case and everything to do with the fact that his precious Riley was moving four hours hours away.

It would be the first time they'd be apart for longer than a few days since they'd met in prison. If I were in Nate's shoes and Johnny was running off to college (as unlikely as that was), I would probably have some of the same fears Nate was no doubt having.

I would worry about how he'd manage so far away without me. I'd worry about all the new people he would meet and whether his new experiences would change him. I would worry about all the thirsty boys chasing after what was mine.

Just the thought pissed me off, and I had to shake my head to clear it. Now Riley was removing the jeans he'd previously stuffed into the suitcase. I didn't think Riley would change much though. He'd probably gain some confidence and come out of his shell a little. He'd also learn to be more independent, but there was no way the Nate-obsessed Bunny was going to accept any of the losers who would no doubt chase after him.

The only thing Nate really had to worry about (in my humble opinion) was him making the mistake of choosing the wrong friends. The dude was not good when it came to trusting the right people. But then, that's where I came in. I'd be there as often as I could to make sure he was traveling on the right path.

Johnny thought I was being overprotective and nosy, but I knew best. As usual.

"Did you get everything on your list?"

He nodded. "Everything except bed sheets, but I'm going to get those tomorrow morning." He said. "Oh and Simon's gonna help me pick out a good laptop tomorrow too."

"Bad idea."

He glanced up with a frown. "Why?"

"Because he's going to pick out the most complicated, high-tech, most expensive laptop he can get his hands on. He's a nerd, he won't be able to help it."

Riley grinned. "That's why I asked Eddie to come along too. That way he can reign him in when he gets too crazy."

"Oooh... Simon and Eddie in a room together? Count me in. I'm in the mood for some secondhand sexual tension. It's like reading a romance novel; except the characters are ten times hotter, and I can take pictures."

"I feel like they would be together if they really liked each other." He said and I reached over to pat his head.

"My sweet naïve little Riley...life's not always that simple. They've got to sort through their issues first."

Riley rolled his eyes. "You make it seem like you have inside knowledge."

"I've got common sense and good intuition. That's all I need."

"Yeah whatever. Come help me pack this one." He said pointing to a small hand luggage in the corner.

"What are you putting in it? More clothes? You're packing like you're going to another planet for a few hundred years."

"Better to have more than less." He said with confidence. "Just pack all my skin stuff in that one."

I discarded the cushion and went to sit beside him on the floor where he had about a million different skin care products that I'd never even heard of.

"When you and Nate get married and you buy a house together, make sure you get your own bathroom so you can have space for all these products. It's not fair that Nate should lose all his counter space just because you're a hoarder."

"Nate's just fine." He said. I began stuffing his products in one by one, reading the labels as I went even though most of them were in some weird, indecipherable language.

"Is this the honey and lime body scrub that you made?" I asked when I came upon a clear unlabeled jar. He nodded, and I opened it and took a long whiff. It smelled like candy and fresh fruits mixed into one cute package. "Can I use it as a face mask too?" I asked. He nodded and I dipped my fingers in and proceeded to coat my face with it.

"Are you sure you don't want to open a beauty store instead? You're always making these cool things. I'd invest." I told him seriously, but he shook his head.

"I do it for fun. If I start doing it to make money, it won't be fun anymore."

"I guess." When my face was fully coated in the stuff, I opened a packet of his wet wipes to clean my fingers, screwed the jar shut and deposited it into his suitcase with the rest of his skincare army.

"What time are you going to get the laptop tomorrow?"

"Around ten. He's picking me up. Where are you staying tonight? Your place or John's? If you're gonna be at John's then Simon can swing by and get you since it's on the way."

When the last bottle was packed, I pulled the zipper closed and stretch. "Johnny's I think, but I'll let you know what I'm doing later tonight."

As he continued his packing, we fell into a comfortable silence.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, and I realized for the first time that I'd been staring. I sighed.

"I can't believe you're leaving me. Who am I gonna annoy now? Who am I going to gossip with and visit at all hours of the day? You and Johnny are the only people who put up with me, and now you're abandoning me here with all the boring people."

He laughed. "Then enroll in a couple of courses and just come with me."

"You don't believe me when I say Johnny needs me, but it's true."

"What does he need you for?" He was looking at me with furrowed brows.

"I'm his only source of entertainment." I began and he snorted. "I'm the person who relieves all his stress and fills his quiet days with good conversation. I'm the one who drags him to the grocery store every weekend so he doesn't starve in that house of his. I'm the one who cuddles with him in the middle of the night when he reaches for me after a bad dream. Most importantly, I'm the one he loves." I finished.

"What do you think he'd say if you told him you were leaving for college too?"

"Hmm..." I thought about it seriously. "I don't know. I think maybe he wouldn't take me seriously, or maybe he'd be upset. Do you think I should test it out tonight and see how he reacts?"

"If he's gonna be upset then why bother?"

"It's not healthy to be in a good mood all the time anyway. Sometimes you gotta change it up a little. Plus, now I'm kind of curious about what he'd say if I was leaving."

Riley shrugged. "It's your funeral."

"The makeup sex is always worth it." l grinned. "How long am I supposed to keep this face mask on anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know that? Just take it off whenever."

"You're a terrible businessman. It's your creation." I grumbled.

"That's because I'm not a business man." He said distractedly, then proceeded to ignore me in favor of packing up his belongings.

I watched him for a few minutes longer, feeling genuinely devastated that he was leaving in a mere three days. After that, life would be a little less interesting. I really needed to make more friends like Riley who weren't particularly boring or average.

"Can't you just do online courses?" I asked and he frowned as he looked at me.

"You're the one who just told me I need to enjoy the full college experience."

"I'm entitled to at least one selfish moment per hour. Just bear with me." I said with a sigh, then stood and left him to his business.

I followed my nose which led me to the kitchen where Nate stood making dinner. He glanced up once when he heard me coming, but as usual, proceeded to ignore me, even as I sat at the counter directly in front of him.

I opened my mouth to start a conversation, but he beat me to it.

"Go home." He said, and I blinked up at him in annoyance.

"I can't."

"Why not?" he asked with that typical 'I want to crush Kyle' glare that was custom-made for me.

"Because Riley says you're making spaghetti for dinner."

"And?"

I gave him my best trademark pout. "I want some."

"No."

I sighed. "Are you seriously still mad at me because of that gay bar incident? I told you it wasn't my fault. How could I have known that the guys would flock him; he's just too cute and sexy for his own good; you can't blame me for that."

"You're a bad influence." Was all he said.

"That was weeks ago. I promise never to take him anywhere near thirsty gay guys again." I said, but the evil look in his eyes only intensified. I dropped my chin onto my folded arms and decided to keep my mouth shut.

I watched him work in silence for a good ten minutes before I spoke again.

"Sooo." I began, sitting up. He glanced up at me for about a millisecond before he turned back to his task...without so much as a word. "I heard you guys haven't found a secretary yet."

This time his look lasted a little bit longer than the first, but he still didn't comment, so I decided to stop beating around the bush. It wasn't any fun when the other person didn't play along.

"I want you guys to hire me as your secretary."

This time a wide smile erupted on Nate's face and I felt a sudden flash of hope, until the smile turned into a chuckle and he turned back to his pot with a shake of his head.

"Come on Nate. Why can't you just give me a chance?"

"I'm sure John already gave you an answer on that. Why do you think it will make a difference if you ask me?"

"Because you're business partners and you're supposed to discuss it together and then come to an agreement. Johnny decided all on his own. How's that fair?"

"Even if we'd discussed it, the answer would still be the same; no."

"Why?" I folded my arms before me, feeling all kinds of frustrated and maybe a little bit pissed because I knew that neither of them was taking my request seriously."

"Since when are you interested in working?"

I glared at him and he watched me with his usual emotionless expression and those scary-as-fuck green eyes that Riley was obsessed with.

"What's so wrong with me wanting to work? Is that a crime?"

"You're too impulsive Kyle. If we give you a job today, you'll quit tomorrow. We're looking for someone reliable who'll get the job done the way we need them to."

"I'm not impulsive anymore. I've changed." I tried to reason with the emotionless monster before me.

"You quit your volunteer work at your father's firm after being there for three days."

"That was last week. People can change in the space of a few minutes." I argued.

We stared each other down for exactly two minutes before finally he had to turn back to his pot so he could drain the water from the spaghetti.

"Why do you want to work as our secretary?"

"So I can be near Johnny." I said. I'd heard that when it came to an interview, honesty was always the best policy. "You know that I'm one hundred percent committed to him, so since he's my motivation, I'll work my ass off."

"I don't need someone who's committed to John, I need someone who'll be committed to their work. If you couldn't even convince your lover, I don't know why you thought you could convince me."

"I bet if it was Riley asking, you'd give him in a heartbeat."

"Yes, because Riley has his head on his shoulders. He works hard at everything he does, he never quits just because he's not in the mood and he understands that what we do is important to us."

"Then why don't you just hire him then since he's the model employee?"

Nate grinned and I kind of wanted to strangle him. "He never applied for the job, and he's going off to school anyway, so it would be pointless, don't you think?"

I was seriously contemplating going down on my knees and begging, but then my phone rang; interrupting my dark thoughts.

"Hey Johnny." I answered with a sigh.

There was a brief pause before he replied. "Why do you sound like that? What's wrong?"

"Would you give Riley the secretary job over me?"

"Yes." He said; no hesitation.

"You and Nate are the worst, you know that? You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to be supportive." I said. "Don't bother coming for me, I'm taking a cab home."

"I'm already on my way. Get your stuff together." He said, as if my words had had no effect on him, then he hung up, and I groaned. When I dropped my cheek onto the counter feeling murderous, Nate set down a plate of steaming spaghetti and meatballs right in front of my eyes, and my sour mood lifted completely.

Nate's signature spaghetti and meatballs weren't something to turn your nose up at. It was like heaven in your mouth and fireworks on your tongue. I took the fork from him when he held it out and dug in without another word. When Riley left I wouldn't be getting anymore and that in itself was a tragedy.

"Do you think maybe you could box some up for me to take home too? I mean since this is the last time you'll probably be making it?" I peeked up at him through my lashes, expecting a resounding no. Everybody knew he only made it because it was Riley's favorite.

"The storage containers are in the cupboard. Don't make a mess." He said, causing me to glance up at him in shock.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" I asked, but he was already leaving the kitchen with two plates in hand and I didn't get a reply.

"Sometimes I really wonder what Riley sees in him." I mumbled to my plate. "He's like a rock; cold, emotionless and dead inside." I shook my head.

I plucked one of Riley's mushroom-looking lollipops from the jar on the counter and twirled it around in my hand. I didn't understand where the boy got the energy or the creative juices to make all these different things everyday. When he wasn't making lollipops, he was making body scrubs and music boxes and popsicles, and I just couldn't keep up.

I didn't have the patience for stuff like that. I preferred to spend my time gathering information on important stuff. Stuff like who was dating whom, the gold-digger who was trying to get into my dad's pants, the exact size of Johnny's package, and on whether I was tall enough to get a modeling contract; the things that mattered. I dropped the lollipop back into the jar and took another huge bite of my jumbo meatball.

I glanced at my phone screen again when it rang, and answered over a mouth-full of food.

"I'm outside." Johnny said as soon as I picked up. I swallowed.

"Aren't you coming in? I'm eating."

"No, I'm beat. Just pack it up and let's go."

"Did you eat already?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Nate made spaghetti though so..." I trailed off, and there was a long pause before he responded.

"I could spare a few minutes." He seemed to be saying mostly to himself, and then the phone went dead. Less than a minute later, I heard his spare key jiggling in the keyhole of Nate's front door, and Johnny came sauntering in. He looked like a tired, handsome bear, with his hair sticking up at weird angles from running his fingers through it a million times, no doubt.

He called out to Nate and Riley as soon as he closed the door behind him, and they shouted back a greeting from the other room.

"Sit down, I'll share some for you.' I said, waving him over as I stood and made my way around the counter. I pulled a plate from the cupboard and picked up the tongs from where Nate had set them down and began heaping the spaghetti onto the plate.

He sat on the stool next to the one I'd vacated and watched me.

"You look tired."

"Understatement." He responded. I slid the heaping plate over to him along with a fork, then grabbed a bottle of water from the case by the fridge and slid that towards him too.

"What's that on your face?" he asked just before taking his first bite.

"Riley's homemade Honey and Lemon body scrub. I'm using it as a face mask."

I sat beside him and scraped some of my own food into his plate as well, then propped my head in my hand and watched him.

"I missed you today." I said "You know, if I'm your secretary we can spend all day together everyday."

"You can do that without being a secretary. No one's stopping you from coming to the office everyday."

"Dad says I'm too clingy, and that if I keep it up you're gonna eventually run for the hills." I said, and he chewed thoughtfully as he watched me.

"Since when do you listen to your dad?"

I shrugged. "He's not the first person to say that. Mario and McKenzie said pretty much the same thing too. I don't wanna jinx it."

Still, he continued to watch me as he ate; his tired, intelligent eyes focused on mine.

"Stop listening to other people and do whatever you want." Came his reply before he finally turned his full attention back to his meal.

"I guess." I replied, then reached up to flatten the hair on his head. He'd stopped shaving it months ago and I still wasn't used to it.

"Riley's leaving...I feel like I'm losing a rib or something." I told him with a frown.

"Didn't you say you'd drive up to visit him once a week?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but it's not the same. I won't have anyone to talk to when he leaves."

"You've got a million friends here Kyle."

"Not like Riley though." I said. "I want him to go to college and live his best life, and get wasted at partie, and be independent and more outgoing and make new friends and stuff. But I want him to experience all those things when I'm right there with him. Selfish, right?"

Johnny didn't answer right away. His chewing slowed and he set down his fork on the plate. When he turned to me, giving me his full attention, his eyes suddenly didn't look tired anymore. Instead, they looked alert and assessing.

"Are you saying you want to go to college with him?"

I could have played with him just to see his reaction, but I wasn't really in the mood for games. I was genuinely upset that Riley wouldn't be around much anymore and I kinda wanted to vent. So, I chose to be honest.

"I would if you were going to come along too, but since that's not going to happen, I'd be miserable if I went." I said. "I wish things could just stay the same. We're all happy now and in two days everything's gonna change."

"That's life. Change is a huge part of it. All we can do is suck it up and deal."

I rolled my eyes. "I was hoping you would say something profound."

This time, instead of answering, he leaned in and kissed me on the lips, then turned back to his meal as if nothing had happened. I propped my chin in my hands, with my elbows resting on the counter, and watched him.

Yup, that was my Johnny; blunt and rough around the edges, but as sweet as honey and all mine. I reached over and poked his arm.

"Someone's getting laid tonight." I said with a wide grin, and the infinitesimal lifting of the corners of his lips, for a fraction of a second, was the only indication that he'd heard me.

The room fell silent after that and I watched him and waited until he'd taken his last bite and set down his fork before I spoke again.

"Johnny." I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I have good news and I have bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Whichever." Came his unconcerned reply, then he uncorked his bottle of water and drank.

"Okay, then. The bad news is that I'm going out of town for one week starting on Monday."

I said, then watched as he closed the bottle and finally gave me his full attention.

"Out of town, where?"

"I'm going to keep Riley's company for his first week of school. I want to help him unpack and stuff and get accustomed to everything." I said and he was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence.

"When are you and Nate going to stop babying him? He's not the first person to go off the college. He can manage on his own."

I frowned. "Are you saying that if I was going off to college you wouldn't keep me company for the first week and visit me every weekend?"

"That's different."

I rolled my eyes. "How is that different?"

"You're independent and I know you can take care of yourself. You guys don't give him the opportunity to learn to do things on his own."

"Yes we do. What's so wrong with wanting to support him? He's my best friend. Plus, it's only a week. He's going to be there by himself after that anyway so he'll have plenty of time to get independent."

He was quiet for a long time before he finally said; "Where are you planning to stay when you get there?"

"I booked a hotel room close to campus. You can come if you want."

"I can't take a week off work." He said gruffly. "What's the good news?"

I grinned. "I bought you a non-refundable plane ticket, so you have to come with me. It'll be fun Johnny, plus, you haven't taken any time off work in a long time. You're entitled to vacation time just like everyone else." I said. "And we're due for a vacation anyway, so this is the perfect time."

I was 99.9% sure that he was strangling me in his mind; if the look in his eyes were anything to go by. I smiled, putting on my best 'cute Kyle' face in an attempt to convince him to yield to my plans.

"Kyle—"

"It's just one lousy week out of a whole year. All you do is work."

"Well some of us have to make a living."

"No you don't. Your family left you as shit-ton of money. You can do whatever you want, you just choose not to because...because..." I trailed off and froze as I watched him; waiting for some reaction because his family was a sore topic that he never mentioned, and I'd just thrown them in his face.

I was holding my breath as I watched him watch me, but instead of blowing up, biting my head off or walking away, he simply shook his head.

"Well unlike you, I like working. It makes me feel like a useful member of society."

I pouted. "Are you saying that I'm not a useful member of society?"

He smiled in confirmation, and because his smiles were so rare and they made my heart flutter, I leaned in and kissed him once, no—twice on the lips and pulled away again feeling happy.

"What's the point of me having a trust fund if I can't enjoy it?" I asked.

He propped his cheek in his hand, with his elbow on the table, and watched me.

"No one's stopping you from enjoying it."

"But we never do anything fun together."

"You drag me out with you every weekend."

"If you don't come then I'm going to hang out with Riley for two weeks...or more depending on how I feel."

Another rare smile. "Are you blackmailing me?"

I shrugged. "If that's what it takes." And then I stole another kiss because Johnny smiling was gold.

"Alright, I'll take three days off."

"Six days."

"Four and that's the best I can do."

"Deal." I grinned and held out a hand. He took my hand in his, and as usual, his grip was firm; just the way I liked it. He leaned in close to my ear and I thought he was going to say something sweet and romantic, but instead he whispered;

"Get your ass to the car. I'm tired."

"You were supposed to say something nice." I frowned.

"Like what?" he pulled away and began gathering our dirty dishes. I watched him walk around the counter and frowned.

"I don't know...something like...you're beautiful or something."

"Have you seen your face lately?" he said, turning his eyes to the dishes he'd placed in the sink. I groaned. I'd forgotten all about the face mask.

"I'm gonna go wash this off and you better have something nice to say when I get back." I warned as I walked away. I entered the living room where Nate and Riley were sitting together on the couch. Nate was fidgeting with some weird gadget and Riley was eating his dinner with his legs folded under him like one of those Buddha figurines he'd given me way back when.

I entered the first bathroom I saw because God knows they had a lot of them. I could understand the need for so many if they were usually in the business of inviting guests over or hosting fun house parties, but Nate and Riley were disturbingly quiet people who didn't like attention, so one bathroom would have probably been enough.

By the time my thoughts veered to another topic, I'd already washed the face mask off and I had to hand it to the kid; he knew his ingredients; my face was Gold. I grabbed a bar of soap from the humongous jar of soaps Riley had placed on the bathroom counter and sniffed it.

"Minty." I whispered. I couldn't say what it was, but every time I visited their house I somehow got lost in all the cool stuff Riley made. Back in prison I'd had no idea he'd had any talent whatsoever.

I'd thought he was just quiet Riley who had big ambitions and the most adorable smile but, low and behold, I'd grown to learn that he had layers to him; many many layers; like an onion. Unlike his life partner Nate, who had exactly one layer, and all that was there was the essence of evil...and maybe some good looks, but that was it!

I turned Riley's minty soap around and around in my hands; lathering it up and then washing it off, then I glanced down at the jar again. This was the only scent that he'd made that I didn't have. I sighed. I was seriously going to miss him when he was gone.

Universities: tearing families apart since the days of the caveman. I sighed. I was going to have an extra long chat with my dad in the morning. I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent him a quick text so he could know to expect me.

Me: "I'm dropping by the office in the morning."

Dad: "Any reason in particular?" he texted back almost instantly.

Me: "I need to talk about my feelings."

Dad: "I keep telling you, I'm a lawyer not a therapist."

Me: "Then why do you have a therapist's chair in your office? Besides, I don't trust therapists.

The inner workings of my brain can't be divulged to just anyone."

Dad: "I have a busy day tomorrow. We'll have to meet up another day."

Me: "I'm coming by at around 8:00 a.m."

There was a long-ish pause before his next reply.

Dad: Okay, but let's keep it under an hour this time. Deal?"

Me: "Two hours at the most. I swear."

Dad: "Alright. See you tomorrow and don't be late."

Me: "I'm never late."

When I pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out into the living room; it was to see Riley quietly giggling at something Nate was whispering in his ear, and John dozing off of the chair across from them.

I passed by the two lovebirds and made my way over to my man. When I flicked his ear with my finger his tired eyes sprang open.

"Time to go sleepyhead."

"Ready?" He asked, looking all cute and blurry-eyed.

.................

"What's wrong with Riley?" Johnny asked as he pulled the car out of Nate's driveway.

"You noticed it too?" I asked in surprise and he nodded.

"He looks like he's about to have some kind of emotional meltdown. What's the big deal with moving a few hours away? He'll still see you and Nate often enough."

I sighed. "They haven't spent more than a day apart since they met. Riley's trying to act tough and calm but it's obvious he's stressed out about all these upcoming changes." I said. "He's always been dependent on others...especially Nate. It's natural that he'd be afraid of going off by himself to some new town where he won't know anyone."

"Maybe this will be good for him."

"It will be but Nate's no different though. He looks stressed out about it too."

"That's because he dotes on the kid too much. He needs to stop being so damn overprotective otherwise Riley will never learn."

I chuckled. "They're cute though. I love the way Nate takes care of him."

John snorted but otherwise said nothing.

I looked at him for a moment. "How come you're not overprotective of me?"

"You get into too much trouble. It would be too much work."

I shrugged. "I guess. Do you think Nate's noticed how much it's affecting him?"

"I think he's too caught up in his own feelings to see it but no doubt it'll all come out soon enough."

"Yeah. Riley's been on the verge of tears all day. I feel bad for him."

"He's the one who wanted to go off to college. People leave their family's behind to do it every year. He'll get used to it."

A long moment of silence passed between us, where we both sat there lost in our own thoughts, before I looked at him and said what had been on my mind for the past few days.

"Back to our conversation earlier, about what my dad and friends said. Do you think I'm clingy?"

"Of course." He said simply and I blinked up at him in surprise.

"You do? Is it because I visit your office everyday? Is it because I text and call you too much or do you think I sleep over your house too often? because I can cut down on a lot of that stuff." I assured him; my feelings hurt.

"If I had a problem with you being clingy I would have told you so." Johnny said in that matter-of-fact tone that he always used. "I like you this way. It makes me worry less."

I grinned. "Worry less about what?"

He glanced at me briefly but didn't respond and I knew from the look in his eyes that he wouldn't no matter how many more times I asked, so I let all my happy, sappy thoughts pool into my mind and let it go.

"That's the most romantic thing you've said to me all week." I reached over to run my fingers along his muscular arm, then gave it a firm squeeze and let go before he started being all grumpy about me distracting him.

I was in a happy mood all of a sudden. Take that dad. When we stopped at a traffic light, I turned to him again.

"Do you know that Nate's still mad at me?"

"Well you dragged his lover to a gay bar and he almost got sexually assaulted. What do you expect?"

"He's making it seem as if I knew that was going to happen." I sighed. "He thinks I'm a bad influence. I swear Nate acts like his dad sometimes. It's ridiculous."

"You just said it's cute."

I rolled my eyes. "You're his best friend, tell me what to do to make him like me again."

"Stay away from Riley."

"Never."

He chuckled. "Then be patient. Nate will come around soon enough...if you stop causing trouble."

"It's been weeks."

"Yup."

I rolled my eyes again because asking Johnny for advice was always a bad idea anyway. He was never on my side.

"I bet you two hundred dollars I can get him to talk to me again by the end of next week."

Johnny, who loved a good bet, grinned. "You'll be waiting a month at least." He said confidently.

"Are we on then?"

"Make it three hundred and you do my laundry for a month. And don't come whining to me when you lose."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright then, and when I win, I want three hundred and you have to go on a cruise with me when I work out the details. And you don't come walking around all grumpy when you lose." I countered, then rubbed my hands together in glee. A long vacation at sea with Johnny. There was no way I would lose this one.

He glanced at me for a brief moment, as though he were considering his options, then he nodded slowly.

"Deal."

.............................................

I was on time when I stepped off the elevator and into the waiting area outside my dad's office the next morning. The first thing I noticed was the new legal assistant sitting behind the desk beside his door.

"I glanced up at the clock on the wall and walked right past her, but when I placed a hand on the door knob leading to my dad's office, she practically had a heart attack.

"Sir! You can't go in there. He's in a meeting!" She hissed at me, and for a second we stood looking at each other. She was frozen there with her hand held out and her eyes wide. It was such a comical thing that I could only grin as I pushed the door and stepped inside.

And I know what you're thinking; 'that was so rude Kyle. At least wait your turn.' No. It's already 8:01 a.m. so it IS my turn, and if I didn't barge in, his meeting would go on for the rest of my life.

"Don't mind me." I said to the two dozen guys seated around the large conference table. I dropped down onto the 'therapist's chair' positioned next to my dad's desk and laid down on my back; waiting and listening.

All I was hearing were problems after problems but no solutions. I sighed. This was cutting into my therapy session and I was not amused. I stood and walked over to the end of the long-ass table and folded my arms.

"How about you just set up the company in St. Lucia...that way you'll get your 1% tax and you get the added benefit of not having to name any of them as directors. Just contact a trust services company over there, God knows they've got a million, and use them as a nominee director for the IBC." I said. "You could even use them as nominee shareholders and once you've figured out your shareholder situation, you simply have them transfer the shares to those guys and issue a new share certificate. Easy."

I was greeted by complete silence as the room full of newbie lawyers looked at me as if I'd grown an extra head. I sighed.

"Seriously dad they're cutting into our session."

"Kyle." He said in that tone he used when he was trying to lay down the law (no pun intended). But there was still that proud glint in his eyes that always appeared whenever I decided to state the obvious.

"Alright gentlemen. I'd urge you to think on what Kyle just said because he's absolutely right. Do your research and we'll meet back here on Monday to discuss it further. Right now I'm late for a meeting with my son, so if you'll excuse me."

I watched with my arms crossed in front of me as they stood like those robots on television, and filed quickly out of the room. When we were finally alone I turned to my old man with a frown.

"Seriously dad, where'd you find those guys. This is elementary school stuff."

"Everyone has to start somewhere. They're new hires, fresh from law school. Eventually they'll learn."

"And you wanted me to waste my time and go to law school when it's obvious they don't teach them anything. I learned this stuff from reading your books when I was just a kid. Literally all they have to do is take up a book and the information's right there."

He patted my head. "Not everyone has your brain Kyle. Us normal folk can't just glance at a few thousand lines in a book and remember it all for life."

I knew exactly what was coming next so I sat down in the chair and waited.

"You could do amazing things with that mind of yours Kyle. You could be a damn good attorney. Your friend's going off to college, why don't you just go with him? You might find something you're interested in. It doesn't even have to be law."

"Nope."

"Kyle—"

"You're cutting even more into my therapy session dad. It's already 8:15 a.m. and I've gotta meet up with Riley soon so we can get the tea on Simon and Eddie's non-existent but 'soon to exist' relationship."

He sighed and pulled off his glasses the way he usually did when he was frustrated. I lay down on my back and watched as he settled in his chair behind the desk.

"Alright, what's going on with you?"

"Aren't you going to do the thing?" I questioned. He blinked at me for a little while as if I was the one who had wasted sixteen minutes of our time already, then he pulled out an empty legal pad and a pen, and pulled on his glasses.

"And how does that make you feel Kyle?" He tapped the pen on the pad, just like in the movies and I turned my eyes up to the ceiling to get into the mood.

"I feel fucking sad. My best friend's going off to college and I'm only going to see him once a week from now on and I think I might be depressed a little bit. Do you think I'm depressed?"

"If you went to college with him then you wouldn't be depressed at all."

"Ah...so you do think I'm depressed." I surmised. "You know that feeling you get in your chest when you're trying really hard not to cry but it's just right below the surface but you're in public so you gotta hold it in so you don't embarrass yourself?"

"Ah..."

"Well that's how I feel everyday now. I mean at the beginning when we found out he'd gotten in, I was ecstatic, overjoyed, over the moon even, but ever since he started packing up his stuff I've been feeling like this."

"Have you told him how you're feeling?"

"No. Nate's stressed out about it too, even though he won't admit it, and Riley's about to have an emotional episode. I don't want to add to the household stress."

"Do you think he's making the right choice?"

"Absolutely. This is something he's always wanted to do and its going to be an amazing experience for him, so he should go. If he doesn't he might regret it."

"Don't you also think that you might regret it if you don't go?"

I shook my head. "No. It's not something I've ever wanted. I'll probably regret it if I decide to go actually. But that's not the point Doctor."

"I'm not—"

"The point is, I'm gonna miss him and I feel like shit that my other half is going away for an extended period of time and I'm going to miss all the important milestones in his life. Plus, if you look at the statistics, most college students drift apart from their other friends once they meet new people in college." I said. "I swear to God if Riley outgrows me I'm gonna be pissed as hell."

"I thought John was your other half." he commented and I frowned.

"Johnny's like my left lung; there's a difference. And anyway, that's not the point dad."

"What is it that you want Kyle?"

"I want things to stay the same. I don't want to lose my only friend."

"You have dozens of friends."

I shot him a look. "You sound just like Johnny."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

I sighed. I should have known better than to ask a lawyer to be my therapist. All they did was talk; they never wanted to just listen.

I sat up and picked up the phone I'd set down on my dad's desk.

"I'm gonna have to cut this session short dad. You're stressing me out and that's not good for my health."

"I'm stressing you out?"

"Yes." I stood and walked over to him, glanced at the empty legal pad and shook my head. Then I leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I'm staying at Johnny's again tonight so don't wait up for me."

"Where are you headed now? I can give you a ride."

"Nah, I'll call a cab. Go meet with the rest of your staff so they can go home early. It's Saturday dad. You shouldn't be such a slave driver."

"The work of an attorney never ends." He said with a chuckle. "Be safe. I'll see you tomorrow."

I ordered my cab as I was walking out the door. The legal assistant didn't even give me a second glance as I walked past her desk, and I figured it was for the best anyway. I was losing track of how many new friends I'd somehow managed to accumulate in the past year alone. Johnny said I was too friendly.

I sat by the large windows in the lounge outside dad's office and waited for my cab. I might as well go spend some time with Johnny and have Simon pick me up there when they were ready. I folded my arms before me and closed my eyes. I must have drifted off soon after because the next time I opened them, it was because the legal assistant was calling out to me.

I glanced up at her as I fought a yawn. "Front desk called to say that your cab is outside." She was saying.

I glanced down at my phone and shot up out of my seat.

"Shit. Thanks Daisy!" I shouted as I ran down the hall and by-passed the elevator for the stairs. If the driver gave me a bad passenger rating I was going to be so annoyed. I blamed Johnny for keeping me up all night.

It was only when I was seated in the back seat of the car with the seatbelt strapped securely across my chest that I realized that I actually didn't know the legal assistant's name, and in my hurry to get out of the building I'd made one up for her on the spot.

I shook my head. "What the fuck's going on in that head of yours Kyle?" I mumbled to myself.

"Huh?" the driver questioned; looking at me in his rearview mirror.

"Don't mind me. I'm just...talking to myself."

.......................................

The first thing I spotted when I got out of the elevator at Nate and John's securities firm was a very tall guy wearing trendy square-frame glasses, sitting behind the secretary's desk that had been empty for weeks.

"Hey Kyle." Gabriel, an employee greeted as he was about to walk past me and I grabbed hold of his arm.

"Who's that?" I whispered conspiratorially. Gabriel glanced between me and the tall guy.

"Oh that's Lorenzo. He's the new secretary the bosses hired."

I blinked several times slowly as my mind began to process what he'd just said, and by the time I'd gathered my wits I realized that Gabriel had gone about his business and I'd been left there alone to gape at Lorenzo.

Lorenzo, who was watching me now with a welcoming smile, beckoned me over with an overly-excited greeting.

"How may I help you, sir?" he asked, and I made my way over to the desk.

"I'm Kyle. My hubby works here." I told him, folding my arms before me in an attempt to look somewhat slightly important.

"May I have your ID please?" he asked and when I handed it to him his smile widened.

"Ah yes. I have you on the list. You can go right ahead. I'll just let him know you're here."

I frowned. "What list?"

"The partners gave me a list of all the persons who are allowed in without an appointment or prior notice."

That was news to me. "Can I see it?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not authorized to distribute the list." He said with that same wide grin.

"You're not distributing it though. You're just showing it to me."

"I'm sorry sir, but it's against the firm's policy for me to do that."

I nodded slowly, looking him up and down. He was going to be a tough nut to crack, that was quickly becoming clear; but I had my ways.

I leaned against his desk. "Well, you know, in a way you are authorized to show me. Johnny's my boyfriend and one day in the not so distant future, he'll be my husband, so if you look at it that way, I'm practically your boss too." I said. "So I'm authorizing you to show me the list."

"Show him the list Lorenzo. God knows he won't stop nagging unless you do."

I glanced up at the sound of Johnny's voice and smiled at him as he walked into the room with a large file in his hand.

"Of course sir." Lorenzo said, reaching to some hidden spot behind his desk and pulling out sheet of paper. He handed it to me with a smile. Always with a smile. Just where did one go to find perpetually happy people like this?

Johnny pulled open a file cabinet, deposited the file he was holding and locked it back with a small key. I glanced down at the paper. There were two columns. One for Nate and one for Johnny. Nate's list had Riley, Simon and Eddie. While Johnny's list had me, my dad and Michael.

I grinned at the fact that my name was listed first, then handed it back to Lorenzo.

"You know what I don't get?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." Johnny responded distractedly as he reached over to take another file that Lorenzo held out to him.

"How come Nate doesn't talk to Simon at all, yet he put him on his list? I mean what's the point?"

"Simon's his brother. Why wouldn't he be on the list?"

"If Simon stops by what are they gonna do? Sit in silence?"

John's reply was a half grunt but otherwise he said nothing. I shook my head, then turned my attention back to a more important matter.

I stared him dead in the eyes. So this tall guy was their new secretary. They'd even gone ahead and gotten him a name plate already: Lorenzo. The injustice of it all. I shook my head.

I leaned against his desk, getting myself comfortable as I prepared myself to have a nice long chat with the guy who had stolen the secretary post right from under my nose.

"So...Enzo. Can I call you Enzo?"

"Uh..."

"No." Johnny interrupted as he grabbed me by the nape of the neck like I was some stray cat. "Stop harassing my secretary." He said, ushering me out of the room and down the hall.

"Johnny, I'm just being friendly." I assured him, but he still didn't let me go until we were safely tucked away in his office.

He went as far as to lock the office door; as if I didn't have opposable thumbs to aid me in my escape. I sat in one of his chairs and propped my feet up on his desk.

"How'd the meeting with your dad go? He called me a few minutes ago."

I shrugged. "Not good. He was trying to be a lawyer instead of a therapist and ruined the whole vibe."

"You do realize that he's not a doctor right?" he asked as he sat in the chair behind his massive desk.

"And it's a damn shame." I said. "Why did he call you?"

"He wanted me to know that you're depressed."

"Oh." I said, then pulled out my phone to check the time. I had at least two hours left before Simon came to pick me up.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?" I questioned with a frown.

"Are you depressed?"

"How would I know. I'm not a doctor."

"Kyle."

I sighed. "I don't know. I think I could be...a little bit."

"Because of Riley?"

"No, because change is inevitable and life sucks."

"Where's the Kyle who could take on the world? I miss him." Johnny said. I looked up at him, and though there was a tiny smile on his face, his eyes looked slightly worried.

"That Kyle's terrified that he's about to lose his best friend. He doesn't have time to take on the world too."

"Come here." Johnny said, pushing his chair back from the desk and gesturing to his lap. I shook my head. If I went over there I would cry and I'd already filled my crying quota for the year. Instead, I looked across the room, then back at him and grinned.

"What?" he asked, looking at me with furrowed brows as my grin grew wider and wider.

"Wanna have sex on the copier?"

..................................

~Riley~

Simon was making the entire process more complicated than it needed to be. I just wanted a laptop that could get me through all my years at university. I didn't need a space shuttle. Kyle and I sat side by side in the store watching him debate with some other tech nerd who worked there. We'd been watching them go at it for about half an hour and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon.

This is the reason I'd asked Eddie to come along, but instead, Eddie was sitting on my left with a weird little smile on his face as he watched the two nerds argue. I poked his arm and he looked at me with that same happy expression.

"Make him stop." I whispered, and Eddie's grin widened.

"Do you know Simon?" he asked. "Once he gets started on the tech stuff there is no stopping him."

I frowned. "Then why'd you agree to come along?"

Eddie shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

Beside me, Kyle yawned, then blinked a few times fast before pulling out his phone to reply to one of his millions of texts.

"This isn't going the way I'd hoped it would." I commented mostly to myself, but Kyle shoved his phone into his pocket and stood. The expression on his face was one of abject determination as he looked down at me.

"What?" I asked. He glanced not-so-subtly at Eddie, then gestured to the other side of the store with his head.

With a sigh, I stood and followed him across the room. Not surprisingly, neither Eddie not Simon even noticed our disappearance.

"Maybe I should just go home, finish packing and tell Simon to call me when he's done."

Kyle waved me off. "Rid your mind of all thoughts pertaining to the laptop Riley. We have far more important matters to attend to."

"Why are you talking like that weird guy from the stupid Vampire book you're always reading?" I asked in frustration. Kyle looked at me like I'd committed blasphemy.

"For your information, 'A Vampire's Marine' is not a stupid book, it's a work of art. And Rien isn't weird, he's badass. He's my my spirit animal."

When he realized I wasn't about to play his game, he rolled his eyes at me and manhandled me so that I was facing a row of DVD's.

"See that guy standing over there?" he asked and I nodded.

"I've been watching him for awhile now and he's been stealing glances at Eddie for the last fifteen minutes."

"And?"

"And, my sad, miserable little friend, we're going to use him to make Simon jealous."

The guy in question was a sexy-looking guy with a full, well-groomed beard that any twink would call 'daddy' and he looked like a very straight man who would squash us with his bare hands for even suggesting the word gay and him in the same sentence.

"I can already tell you're stereotyping. Get out of your head." Kyle drawled in a bored tone.

"You think every man on earth is gay though, but just because the guy looked at Eddie doesn't mean anything."

"If he's not gay I'll eat my hat." Kyle practically shut me up. I watched in horror as he walked over to the guy in question; hips swaying to some beat only he could hear as he sashayed down his imaginary runway.

I couldn't hear what he was saying to the guy when he stopped in front of him, but I held my breath, waiting anxiously for the guy to get pissed off. For a while nothing happened, then I watched as Kyle pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and waved it in front of the guy's face, before he pointed to Eddie who had no idea what was happening just a few feet away from him.

I watched as the two talked some more. At least the guy didn't look pissed, but he was shaking his head in disagreement to whatever it was that Kyle was saying. Then, I watched as Kyle replaced the cash into the back pocket of his tight jeans and they continued their talk.

I shook my head. Only Kyle would put himself in such an uncomfortable situation. Whenever I was with him it felt like I was in some kind of insane romantic comedy and I wasn't ever quite sure if he was playing the main character or the funny supporting role.

I sighed. Moving to college was stressful and I still had a lot of packing left to do. When I'd left the house this morning I'd been so sure that the trip to the store would take a quick fifteen minutes. I should have known better.

I pulled my phone from my pocket when a message alert came in and sighed when I read it.

Nate: "I'll be there in ten."

Me: "We're not done yet. Simon's still debating with the store guy, Eddie's not helping and Kyle's doing something stupid."

And that was the end of that conversation. Nate wasn't really a texter. Any minute now he was going to call. I started the mental countdown. Five...Four...Three...Two.... And like clockwork my phone began to ring.

"Hey babe." I answered.

"What's going on?"

"Simon and the tech guy are arguing and it's been more than half an hour already and I still haven't finished packing everything." I complained. "and Kyle's trying to pay off some random guy to go flirt with Eddie to try and make Simon jealous and the guy doesn't even look gay Nate. He looks like a kickboxer or something."

"That damn Kyle." Nate responded, and I could already picture his annoyed expression. If it would prompt him to come down here and move things along, then that expression was welcome. "Just don't get involved." Was all he said.

"Are you still going to come down here anyway? I bet you could speed things up." I said; my fingers and toes crossed.

"Yeah I'm on my way." He said, then after a brief pause he continued; "Let Si do his thing. He'll get you the best, so you won't have to worry about that."

"Yeah but the best is about to cost me three thousand dollars that I don't have. I just want a good computer not a whole science lab."

I rolled my eyes when he only chuckled. "Can you get me food when you're coming?" I asked.

"What do you want?"

"Anything with a strawberry milkshake. Oh, and an iced coffee for Kyle."

"Alright I'll see you in twenty then."

I pocketed the phone and glanced over at Kyle who was now talking to the guy as though they'd been best of friends for years. I watched as they stood there laughing and I shook my head. After a moment's hesitation, I walked over and stood beside Kyle. I gave the stranger a small wave but he was more focused on the conversation than on his own surroundings.

"...yeah I go up there all the time. I've never seen you there though. I feel like I would remember seeing someone like you." The guy offered him a bright, warm smile and Kyle snapped his fingers twice.

"I'm not the guy you should be flirting with Carl. I'm taken remember? But my friend Eddie over there is not and we both know he's hot...so since you won't accept my money, then you might as well go do it for free." Kyle said. "And don't pretend you're not interested because you've been eyeing him since you stepped into the store."

Carl laughed as he glanced over at Eddie again and I looked at my best friend the alien. The guy could befriend a snail is he really wanted to.

"A guy who looks like that should be able to get anyone he wants. Why are you willing to pay someone to go out with him? What's wrong with him?"

Kyle's grin was as wide as ever as he looked at Eddie with obvious pride. "He's beautiful isn't he?" he sighed in satisfaction. "He's taking a little break from men for right now." He lied. "But I think it's time for him to get back out there and you're his type so..." he trailed off as he allowed his words to sink in.

While the guy watched Eddie, I watched the guy; he was huge. Almost as big as John and that was saying something. When his eyes shifted from Eddie to me, I stepped back.

"Woah big guy. He's taken too and his man will literally kill you just for looking at him so don't even think about it." Kyle said, then mumbled; "He's so damn thirsty," under his breath so that only I could hear.

"Kyle let's just drop this." I said, my eyes darting from Kyle to Carl and back.

Kyle sighed. "Fine. Guess I'll just set him up with Frankie instead."

I rolled my eyes because there was no Frankie, and like clockwork, Carl moved past us and was already making his way over to where Eddie sat, completely oblivious to Kyle's plotting.

"One of these days you're gonna get yourself into some serious trouble." I told him as we watched it all play out.

"But today is not that day my friend." He chuckled, then rubbed his hands together like a creepy mastermind.

What happened next was the most bizarre thing I'd seen in a long time. The second...and I mean the second, Carl said the first word to Eddie, Simon, who had been completely engrossed in his conversation with the tech guy, broke off mid-sentence, and we watched as his eyes shifted to his best friend.

We were too far away to hear what they were saying and moving any closer would probably ruin everything, so we just stood there and observed. I watched as Eddie's eyes traveled up and down Carl's body appreciatively and no doubt, Simon's sharp eyes didn't miss it either.

I couldn't understand Simon's expression though. There was no real emotion there; no jealousy, no anger, no nothing. His intelligent eyes simply watched with an intense sort of focus that gave me goose bumps.

One thing was clear at least; Simon and Eddie weren't in a relationship, because if they were, Eddie wouldn't now be handing his phone to the guy in plain sight of Simon. I watched the interaction as the two men talked in a friendly, slightly flirty way and Kyle latched onto my arm and squeezed.

"Look at Simon." He hissed and I shifted my gaze back to him. Except that his eyes weren't on Eddie and Carl per se. Instead, his gaze was glued to Eddie's phone which Carl held as he probably typed in his number. Still, his eyes followed the device as it was passed back to Eddie, right up to the point where Eddie stuffed it into his pocket and he blinked as if coming out of a trance.

Eddie and Carl's conversation didn't last very long after that, but both men looked relatively happy as they spoke. Finally, and only when their interaction seemed to be wrapping up, did Simon shift his gaze away from the two and back to the tech guy who looked very confused and abandoned. A moment later, the debate restarted as if nothing had happened.

"Well at least we've confirmed one thing." Kyle said with a happy grin as Carl broke away from Eddie and went on his way. "Simon's into Eddie."

"Two things you mean." I corrected.

Kyle's brows furrowed "What else?"

"Eddie's gay."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "That was never in question." He said.

"But Eddie's probably not into Simon."

Kyle chuckled. "He is. I'm not worried about that. I just don't get why they're not together yet."

"And it's really none of our business."

"True." He conceded, but I could see the wheels turning in his head already and I chose not to get involved anymore than I already was. When I left for school, he'd be matchmaking on his own anyway.

"You realize you just set Eddie up with that Carl guy right?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Gimmie a break, Simon and Eddie are legendary. Some random thirsty man like Carl couldn't even hope to get between something like that."

"You're delusional."

"No, I'm right." He said, then finally released my arm and sashayed away. I was really going to miss the drama queen. I sighed, feeling even more depressed than I had been for the past few days.

It took another twenty-three minutes before we were finally walking out of the store with a brand-new two-thousand-dollar laptop, which to my delight, Simon purchased for me as a gift.

Though, if I was being completely honest, I'd admit that the real reason he got it for me was because Simon and I were serious gamers and the last time we were playing a game against each other online, we had to stop mid-game because my laptop decided to breathe its last breath. Of course it had pissed Simon off (though he'd never admit it) because he was convinced he'd been about to win and failed to get his chance.

So, today's expensive purchase was pretty self-serving (for Simon, not me.) I would be lying if I said I wasn't pretty damn excited though. The hour we'd spent in there had been worth it and that was the reason I was grinning from ear to ear as I hopped into the front seat of Nate's truck.

Kyle was grinning for an entirely different reason as he hopped into the back and took the coffee that Nate offered. The ride to Kyle's house was mostly silent. Kyle was caught up in one of his weird fantasies and whenever that happened it was pretty hard to pull him back out.

Nate was just naturally quiet and he still hadn't forgiven Kyle yet so he was even quieter than usual. Fifteen minutes later we dropped Kyle off and I turned to him. One thing about Nate, despite his level-headedness, he knew how to hold a grudge. His relationship with his younger brother Simon was testament to that fact.

"You know, if you're gonna be mad at Kyle, you should be mad at me too. Kyle's not my guardian angel so why does he have to bear all the responsibility?" I asked and I watched as his mouth tightened. We'd had this conversation before and it hadn't ended well the first time.

"He took you there when I explicitly told him—"

"I walked there on my own two legs. He didn't pick me up and drag me. I made the conscious decision to go because I didn't think it would be a big deal." I interrupted. "It was just a stupid gay cub that people visit all the time without any trouble. How were we supposed to know that something like that would happen?"

"If you had stayed away from the place like I told you, you wouldn't have been put in that position. You agreed with me right up until the point Kyle convinced you it was okay to go."

"I never agreed with you though Nathan." I said earnestly. "You didn't want me to go because you just didn't want me to be around other gay guys but that's unreasonable. I should be able to go hang out with my friend even if it's at some stupid club, without it being a problem."

As Nathan tended to do whenever he was pissed, he went silent. I saw the way his hand tightened on the steering wheel and even from the side, the angry glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You just don't trust me, that's why." I said quietly. "You didn't want me to go because you thought I was going to cheat on you. And you've been moody about me going to college for the same reason too I bet. You're always like this because you've never trusted me."

"Don't be ridiculous Riley." Was all he said and I turned away from him to look out my own window. Without warning, the tears built and spilled onto my cheeks and I wiped at them with the back of my hand.

I hated this. I hated feeling like I'd done something wrong when I'd done everything to show him just how committed I was to the relationship. I'd never done a thing to make him doubt me but he did anyway. And tomorrow I'd be leaving for college, which meant that I wouldn't be able to see him whenever I wanted and just the thought of it scared me.

Going to college was what I'd wanted for so long and finally it was in my reach but I was miserable.

"Why are you crying?" he growled at me, and that just made it worse.

Before I knew it, I was sobbing into my half empty strawberry milkshake and feeling overwhelmed by just about everything; the lack of trust, how I was going to miss him, the fear of going somewhere new all alone. Everything I'd been stressed out about for the past few weeks just came spilling out in one big emotionally charged mess of tears and ugly sobbing and I couldn't stop it.

He didn't say a thing all the way home, and when he pulled up in the driveway and got out, I just sat there in the car and bawled. I barely even noticed it when he pulled open my door and helped me out; holding onto my arm until he opened the front door and ushered me inside.

After that he disappeared, and a few moments later, our room door slammed so hard that the hanging bulbs over the kitchen counter rattled. I stumbled until I found the couch and curled up in it and let it all out. When it was over, I just lay there in silence, completely spent.

I couldn't say when Nate finally emerged from our room, but when I saw him next, he was kneeling on the floor in front of the couch with a steaming mug in hand.

"Here." He said gently. "Drink this." Then held it out to me but I just stared at it; watching the steam swirl above it without a word. I didn't even have the energy to reach for it, and when he realized I wasn't going to take it from him, he twisted around and set it down gently on the coffee table behind him.

When he turned back to me, I couldn't read his expression. I had no idea if he was angry or annoyed or anything. He just knelt there staring at my hands as they fidgeted with the edge of the throw blanket that had magically appeared at some point while I'd been sobbing my heart out. We sat in silence for a long time, before he said his next words; which came out in a whisper;

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not going. I'm staying here with you." I responded quickly and he looked up at my face; our eyes meeting.

"You've wanted this for a long time. You'll regret it if you stay." he said; his voice equally soft.

"If I go I'll rarely get to see you." I said. "And I don't know anyone there. It'll just be me in an unfamiliar place around people I don't know."

"You'll see me every weekend, maybe even more than that." He said with that tiny lift of the corner of his mouth that I liked to see. "You'll meet new people and after a while you'll get used to it. Everything will be fine."

"I've been really happy this year. Everything's been perfect and I feel like when I leave everything's gonna be different."

"Like what?"

"Kyle's going to start hanging out with his other friends and eventually he's going to move on. People drift apart when they go to college." I told him seriously, but Nate was smiling.

"Kyle is obsessed with you. Trust me, he's not going anywhere."

"Then what about you?"

"What about me?" he asked. "You're the one who's doing to go off to meet people and gain independence. I should be the worried one."

"Because you don't trust me." I surmised. Nate sighed.

"You don't see yourself clearly. You never have." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"You draw people's attention wherever you go Riles. We'll walk down the street and every head turns to look at you and you don't even realize it." He said and I shook my head at the absurdity of his statement.

"You're wrong." I told him.

"I'm not." He said, his eyes filled with such certainty that I could only watch him in surprise. "Maybe I'm selfish, but I don't like it when other guys approach you. I don't like it when they try to flirt with you, or touch you or talk to you or even look at you and every time they do it pisses me off."

"But—" I began and he held up his hand and I fell silent.

"I know." He said. "It's unreasonable and it's not fair to you, but how I feel has nothing to do with trust. You're one of the few people in this world who I do trust."

I felt the warmth blossom inside me and I was smiling before I even realized it.

"So all those times you got all grumpy when you saw me around guys was because—"

"Because I'm a selfish bastard who wants you all to myself." He said, then released a breath. "I'm really going to miss you Riles. I love having you here by my side. I love lying on the couch on a Sunday morning and looking across the hall and seeing you sitting there making your body scrubs and lip balms and all the things that make you happy.

"Really?" I blinked away tears because Nate rarely told me how he was feeling.

"Yes, and you know what else?" he asked, and I shook my head. "I'm going to miss waiting an hour for you to finish your weird Korean skincare routine every night before bed. I'm going to miss you burning the rice every single time, and I'm going to miss seeing you smile at me every time I walk through the door."

"I'm not going." I said again, the tears streaming down my face again as I listened to the sweetest confession I'd ever heard.

"I don't want you to go, but I want you to go." He said. "This is what you've always wanted so you have my support one hundred percent. If I didn't have a business to run I'd come with you, but as long as you'll have me, I'll be there on the weekend. A four-drive is nothing."

"And we can video chat everyday." I said in between sniffles.

"Everyday." He confirmed. "And I'll bring you dinner on the weekends so you won't completely starve." He grinned and I gave him a watery smile.

"Okay."

"All I need you to do, is have fun, make new friends and enjoy the experience." Nate said. "Don't stress too much and make sure you eat on time. You know how you get when you're focused on something... so set an alarm or something so you'll remember to eat."

"I will." I wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve.

"Be safe and call me if something happens, or even if you just want to talk. It doesn't matter what time of day or night."

"I'm going to cry when I get there after you leave." I warned him and he smiled.

"I know." Then took my face into his hands and leaned in to kiss me. When he pulled away, he said the words that rarely crossed his lips. "I love you."

                                                                     AUTHOR'S NOTES

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS 4O-PAGE BONUS CHAPTER. THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE SERIES AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU GUY HAVE TAKEN THE TIME OUT TO ENJOY IT.

THE FIRST SEVEN CHAPTERS OF CELL MATES 2: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED AND WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY. GO CHECK IT OUT!.

MY BOOK 'A VAMPIRE'S MARINE' WHICH KYLE MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER CAN BE FOUND ON MY PROFILE, SO PLEASE GO CHECK THAT OUT AS WELL BECAUSE YOU'LL DEFINITELY ENJOY IT!

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW TO MAKE SOME OF THE THINGS RILEY MADE IN THIS CHAPTER, ALONG WITH  MANY  OTHER DIY PROJECTS, POETRY, SHORT STORIES, TRAVEL POSTS, KOREAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS, RECIPES ETC, FEEL FREE TO CHECK OUT MY BLOG: pulledfromhercarriage.com (just copy and paste it into your web browser, or you can find the link on my wattpad profile.

Don't forget to follow me here on wattpad DoUbLeZone

Also, follow me on instagram at: doublezone_books

Finally, don't forget that Cell Mates has been published, so if you want your very own copy, you can find it on the following sites:

Amazon: ebook and paperback

itunes: ebook

Kobo: ebook

Barnes and Noble: ebook

Createspace: paperback

Thanks for your never-ending support over the years...you've made so many of my dreams come true. Your comments and sweet messages have always and continue to warm my heart and provide me motivation. Your purchase of my book over the years has also helped me in so many ways that you can't even begin to imagine, so thank you. 

Thanks again for being amazing readers and I look forward to seeing you over on Cell Mates book 2 as well as on all my other works! 

Love you all and keep sweet!

-DoubleZone.

-unedited.