Gifted Connections 4

“Urgh!” I mock growled at him. “Your right, it’s not a competition.”

He laughed once more and started to dice up some onions.

“How’s Lincoln?” I finally asked. “Where is he?”

“He’s good. At least he said he was. He’s in my room. We offered him his own apartment, but I think you’ve already enchanted him,” Drake informed me.

I snorted. “I doubt it. He already asked if he could leave once the connection was made. I don’t think he’ll be here for much longer.”

“I think,” Drake said with a slight pause, “he’ll be sticking around for a little while. He doesn’t have another movie to film for some time, and he only has a few photoshoots to go to for that car line, in New York City. He actually seems pretty interested in our program here and finding out more about himself as Lincoln Hudgens the gifted, not just the actor.”

I stood up to grab a drink from the refrigerator. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that a small part of me enjoyed our copulation but the other part of me still felt like I was betraying the guys and the love I had for them.

“Is that what he’s saying?” I asked as I pulled out two cans of Dr. Pepper out for us. The fridge was very bare. “We’re going to have to go shopping soon.” I sat back down on my stool and watched as he continued to make our meal.

“Yes, to both.” Drake chuckled. “Remy still can’t stand him, b

ut I think Troy, Noah, and Jaxson have warmed up to him. When Lincoln brought you back here, we had a discussion, and I think he understands how serious our connections are.”

“And you and Jace?” I asked taking a tentative sip of my pop.

“I think we’re…indifferent,” Drake stated honestly. “He seems like a good guy, and we realize he’s needed, but we understand how important he is for you, for us. We’re just reserving our opinion of him until we get to know him better.”

I nodded, withdrawing into my thoughts once more. I really didn’t need my life to get more complicated than it already was, and I already felt stretched thin between them all. I knew it was imperative that I show them how important they were to me, and adding another one wasn’t going to be easy. Not that Lincoln seemed to want my attention.

“So about my dad,” Drake cleared his throat.

I was wondering when this conversation was going to occur, but honestly, I didn’t care that he hadn’t told me about it. Death could be a personal thing, and suicide seemed to leave a lot more scars to the ones that were left behind. At least in my opinion.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I told him quietly as I leaned into his chest.

We had eaten and then cuddled up on my bed to watch movies. Wrapped in his arms, I felt safe, secure, and loved. His warm bare chest felt like home against my cheek. It was in these quiet moments I was reminded why I loved him so much.

“I want to,” he admitted gruffly before linking his fingers with my own and placing it back on his chest. “The reason I never told you about his apparent suicide is that I don’t think it was a suicide. I’ve looked at the police reports, and I've seen the pictures. I know why they might believe it, but I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he didn’t kill himself. I don’t know why or who did, but he didn’t.”

I nodded. “What happened?”

“Dad was supposed to pick us up from school, and that day he didn’t. I went back inside the school to call him, but he didn’t answer his phone. He always answered his phone,” he explained quietly. “When mom came and got us, we went straight home. We could hear his car in the garage when we got out of my mom's car. We opened the garage door up, we found him dead in his car. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“They said he left a note on his computer, but my dad was old school. He still sent cards to people for the holidays or birthdays. He would take the time to make each card personal and meaningful. There was no way he chose to end his life, leaving a brief, impersonal letter on his opened computer.”

I sat up and straddled his lap before I took his face in my hands and kissed him. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t imagine. Was there any indication that foul play was involved?”

He rubbed my back and pulled me closer. “No, none. Pops even had an old friend look into it. Any evidence that they could have gathered was already gone. No one really collects much evidence when it seems like a suicide. Mom never believed me when I tried to reason with her, and eventually she demanded I not talk about any of it or him anymore.”

“Hey, Drake,” I said hesitantly. “If Patrick can see crimes of the past. Do you think with enough details he might be able to help you out?”

I could feel his smile spread across my forehead. “You are so brilliant! I’ll have to ask him and see if he could. It’s been years, but we already know he's solved older cold cases.”

I smiled against his chest glad, that he had a little hope.

“Just wait until I get out of here!” I heard a deep husky voice yell.

Confused, I walked out into the hallway as I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. “What is going on?”

The first thing I noticed was Jaxson and Remy leaning against the wall in the other hallway. Their shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.

Noah popped his head out of his room, pulling on his black t-shirt. “Lincoln,” he mouthed, pointing towards Drake’s room.