Painted On My Heart

A smile lit up her face and she nodded. “Oh, absolutely. If his viral load was where Kellus’s is and his test came back negative for any other STDs…yes, I would.”

“Without a condom?” he interjected before glancing over at Kellus to gauge his reaction. He wanted to make sure his guy had been paying attention.

She nodded again and flashed a knowing smile.

“Would you be afraid to swallow, knowing everything you know?” He knew the answer before he even asked the question, but he had to make Kellus realize that having HIV with regular treatment wasn’t the death sentence most people believed it to be. Kellus was the one who needed to let go of the stigma attached to this disease.

“Me? Not at all. But, let me say this. As long as there aren’t any deep cuts or wounds in the mouth, I wouldn’t worry about contracting HIV through swallowing. Once the emission gets past the mouth, the enzymes in the esophagus and stomach acid kill the virus. Remember, swallow or spit, don’t let it sit. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes. Thank you. I believe I can rest my case now.” Arik gave her a smile before turning his attention back to Kellus and giving him a satisfied wink. Hopefully, Kellus had been paying attention, because he would be quizzing him as soon as they were alone.

She cleared her throat, shuffling through the stack of papers on her desk before turning her focus on Kellus. “Now, here’s a question for you, Kellus. Are you still able to handle paying for your prescription? I’m happy to step in,” she announced, organizing the file folder with Kellus’s medical history. “I had you down to call and check in. I can help with funding. We don’t want that to keep you from taking the medication.”

“I’ve got it. No problem,” Kellus replied. When Arik looked over, questioning the swift response, his guy just shook his head at him, not expanding on his answer. Money wasn’t a problem for him, but he could see where the cost could be a struggle for a starving-artist type. As much as he’d learned about the hardheaded Kellus Hardin, he doubted he’d ask for help even if he needed it. The man’s ideologies were a force to be reckoned with.

“He’s a hardheaded one, Arik,” she said as if she had just heard his thoughts. Paula stacked all the pages together before closing the file in front of her.

“Yeah, you have no idea.” He chuckled, even as Kellus knocked him in the thigh with his leg. “What?” he asked innocently, flashing a big grin in Kellus’s direction.

“Do you two have any other questions?” she asked, tapping her fingers together on the desk.

“No, not at all. I’m happy with all the answers you provided. What about you, Kellus?” Arik asked.

“It still scares me. I can’t let it go,” his guy answered, pushing his fingers through his hair.

Arik looked over at Kellus and lifted a hand to caress his shoulder as he gave his standard answer where his guy was concerned. “Sure, you can.”

“You say that a lot,” Kellus shot back irritably. That made him laugh wholeheartedly. He definitely had his hands full of challenges with this one.

Arik ruffled Kellus’s hair as he stood. Kellus would no doubt run his fingers through his hair at least a dozen more times, fretting over this information, before they ever made it back to his place. Arik reached back for his suit jacket, hanging on the back of the chair. He stepped aside when Kellus stood and shook Paula’s hand as she came around her desk and gave his guy a hug. When she kept Kellus there in the hold, he decided the two needed privacy so he headed for the door.

She whispered quietly to Kellus. Whatever Kellus said in response got her animated. She pulled away. Her hands were moving between the two of them, and Kellus had leaned in, listening closely. From his position, Arik could see Kellus look over at him as he replied to her in those same hushed tones. Kellus had a special way about him. There was no mistaking the natural way he drew people to him. Even now, whatever she was saying, he listened intently and let her get all the way through her thought without interrupting. Arik needed to learn that trait. When she reached up to hug his neck again, he took the hug, a genuine smile spreading.

When Kellus let her go, she came toward him, her grin huge and her hand extended. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Arik,” she said sincerely.

“Thank you for getting us in so quickly and staying late,” he said, shaking her hand then opening the office door. The corridor right outside her office was dark. She went out first, flipping on the light switch.