Take My Body (Curse Bound 2)

Mom hesitated, but when Dad nodded, she extended her arm. “Barbara. Thank you for bringing him home safely. But… who are you exactly? Are you friends with our Caspian?” the incredulity in her voice gave away what she thought of that concept, and Caspian couldn’t blame her. Two weeks back, he couldn’t have imagined it either.

“It’s an old friendship, but we’ve reconnected when he came back home. I should have told him he couldn’t handle what they were serving at that bar, but I’ve brought his car too, so… they’re both safe,” he finished awkwardly, staring at Gunner, who slumped against Dad like a mannequin. Neither of his parents could get him upstairs. “I could carry him to his bedroom, if you’d like.”

Mom offered him a stiff smile and shook her head. “Oh, he can sleep on the sofa tonight.”

“Don’t want the sofa,” Gunner slurred and Caspian cringed, torn between embarrassment and the itch to stroke Gunner’s hair and make sure he was fine.

Dad rolled his eyes and took the car keys from Caspian. “Yes, sofa it is if he can’t get up the stairs on his own. Thank you for bringing him here. Barb, please get Mr. Russo a taxi. It’s the least we can do.”

Caspian stared back at them, with a sense of doom weighing on his stomach. Of course they were afraid of letting him into their home. At least he wouldn’t have to walk or try to hitchhike home.

“Thank you. Tell Caspian I’ll call him tomorrow,” he said, stepping back.

Instead of taking Gunner to the living room, Dad made some awkward small talk about booze and bars. That taxi couldn’t arrive fast enough, because he had no doubt the reason they all stood there was Dad not wanting to leave Mom alone with a stranger. And while Caspian understood that, it still hurt to see them so wary of him

When he finally got into the car, Caspian pulled out his phone to text Gunner.

[Sweet dreams, babe. Call me when you’re awake.] He sat on the message for five minutes, unsure whether it didn’t sound lame or cheesy, but pressed send in the end and looked out the window, hoping they both survived tomorrow’s party.

Chapter 22 – Gunner

Gunner had nursed a head-splitting hangover in the morning, but it cleared by the early afternoon, and he felt good as new. He was dressed in a fine blue suit, drank fresh orange juice, and gentle piano music resounded through the speakers in the sunny garden. He’d even enjoyed several salmon canapés.

He might have been an impostor, a big fat fast food burger among fancy sliders made with grass-fed beef and garnished with caviar guacamole, but despite earlier fears, he’d been enjoying himself so far. It wasn’t like he’d be expected to do accounting at the party, so he pretended he knew who he was supposed to, and mingled with people, complimenting women on their colorful cocktail dresses, and even helped Barb hang up some fairy lights for the evening.

Caspian’s parents weren’t happy about last night, so he worked hard to get back into their good graces. He’d first judged them as snotty rich folk, but while they had their oblivious moments and insisted on only drinking organic milk, they were kind and had lots of love for their son. If anything, guilt filled Gunner whenever he thought that he’d taken Caspian from them. No matter how much he wished to have parents like that, it wasn’t the case, and he would have been a different person if he’d grown up in this household. His thoughts drifted off to being brothers with Caspian, so he quickly dismissed the creepy brain vomit.

The lush garden was the size of half a football field, and while most of it was manicured grass, flowers Barb had chosen and took care of herself grew in several beds surrounded by smooth stone. Gunner didn’t dare enter there on his own, for fear of damaging the lawn, but it wasn’t a great concern of the Bradys, considering that they’d invited so many people.

Several guests had come with children in tiny suits and dresses. A small area in the far corner had been surrounded by a temporary fence and featured toys, a bubble machine, and was minded by two young women dressed as princesses. The reality those kids lived was a world apart from the trailer park he’d grown up in. Maybe if he stayed Caspian for a while longer, he could help Noah find a good job and set him up with people who wouldn’t pull him into drug deals or put him down for his scars.

Gunner might have read the text message where Caspian called him babe a few times too many before he called him. He’d been filled in on the fuzzy details of last night, and the fact that he’d almost been abused while drunk put him off alcohol today.