“It’s going to be okay,” I assure him. “I promise.”
He nods and his breath grows ragged like he might be silently crying. It brings tears to my eyes, but I quickly blink them back. The last thing he needs is for me to lose it. Pulling slightly away, I study his face that’s screwed up in a new kind of pain I haven’t seen before. It’s heartbreaking how boyish and lost he appears.
I run my fingers through his hair and stand on my toes to press my lips to his. Our kiss is frantic and urgent, ending all too soon when we hear voices down the hall. Reluctantly, I pull away, gnawing on my bottom lip that still tastes like him.
We spend the next twenty minutes bringing in the last of his things. The boxes get set in a corner to be dealt with another day. Dad and Ryan head downstairs for bed, leaving me and Canyon alone.
Canyon takes in the space with a despondent look on his face. I hate the frown on his full lips and wish I could kiss it away. He lets out a sad sigh that twists my gut.
“Home sweet home, I guess.”
“If you get scared, you know where my room is.”
He smirks. “You’re going to hold me and keep the monsters away?”
“That’s what big brothers do.”
A laugh rumbles out of him. “Dude, I’m older and bigger.”
“By what? A week? Besides, I think we’ve already established I have the bigger dick.”
“I don’t ever remember this conversation going down.” His brow lifts, blue eyes flickering with heat. “We certainly didn’t measure them side by side.”
“Oh, but we will, Voss. We will.”
I waggle my brows at him before leaving him to get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth and changing into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms, I crawl into bed and turn on the next episode of Mubona Ikari. A few minutes later, Canyon saunters in wearing only a pair of basketball shorts and a vulnerable smile. He turns off the overhead light and joins me under the covers. His arm slides under my head and he pulls me to his side. I absently touch his perfect abs, remembering how good it felt to have him in my mouth earlier.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask, my voice low and nearly a whisper.
“What’s there to say? She thinks I’m just like Dad.”
“I know you’re pissed at your dad, but he’s not a bad guy. Neither are you.”
He swallows and strokes his fingers through my hair. “I wish she’d get help. She’s clearly depressed. I don’t know what to do.”
“You can figure it out soon. Right now, rest. It’ll all work itself out.”
“So optimistic.”
If only I shared that optimism with myself…
“What about Carrie?” I ask. “How does she feel about your mom making you leave?”
“She argued on my behalf, but the second Dad showed up, she bailed, locking herself in her room so she didn’t have to talk to him.” He pauses for a moment. “I hung out with Nae tonight.”
My entire body stiffens at his words. Naomi is his ex-girlfriend. She’s my friend, but something about them being together has jealousy flaring hot in my veins.
“We talked,” he murmurs, grabbing my wrist and bringing it to the center of his chest. “She’s still my best friend. I needed to talk about…” The “us” hangs in the air.
“Me and you?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“Such a gossip, Wonderland.”
I playfully smack his chest. “I want to know if it was good or bad.”
“All good.” Warmth floods through me at the smile I hear in his voice. It all turns to ice when he asks his next question. “What was up with your messages tonight on Insta?”
I close my eyes and try to ward off the chill. “I got a wrong number text from some creeper. This whole time, I’d been talking with them thinking it was you.”
“What? Did you send them pictures?” The panic in his voice has my heart stammering.
“No, thank fuck. They kept saying weird, vague things and I just thought it was you messing with me. Tonight, it was another reminder about my birthday coming up and that it was going to be special. When I asked what you were talking about, you kept saying that I would find out. It was confusing because you were just with me and never mentioned my birthday, and then, on Instagram, you were playful and flirty, not almost cold and foreboding like the texts.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
“Nope.”
“Block the number,” he instructs. “It’s probably some freak who accidentally texted you and is now trying to fish for information. A fucking scammer.”
“I will. Promise.”
We grow quiet, lost in our own thoughts as we watch Daisuke try to cut Chibi in half with his sword. Chibi darts out of the way, a taunting smirk on his face, barely dodging each swipe in the air. When Daisuke turns red and loses his shit, Chibi throws knife after knife at Daisuke, pinning his clothes to the wall behind him. Chibi walks up to Daisuke, and I hold my breath thinking he’s going to cut his throat, but instead he tickles Daisuke while he’s at his mercy. Daisuke starts cackling and the bed shakes with laughter as Canyon laughs too, clearly amused by this part. I smile, my heart squeezing at his enjoyment.