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But Chris looked surprised. “Secret? I don’t want to keep you a secret. I’d take you everywhere if you’d let me.”
Joq groaned. He couldn’t deal with him right now.
“Can we do this later?” he said and rubbed his jaw.
“Is your dad going to stay with you?”
“Probably.”
Chris nodded, he was looking around the room, looking lost; he also wasn’t leaving.
“When he leaves, I’ll come back,” he said firmly.
“No need,” Joq said but Chris was already going into the kitchen.
Joq closed his eyes with a groan as he listened to Chris politely giving Joq’s dad his number, asking him to call when he had to go—“Anytime, really, I’ll come back”—and Joq just wanted everyone to go.
He felt Chris come back in. He was close.
“If the only problem is a secret, I’d never do that,” he said haltingly.
Joq shook his head, cracked his eyes open.
It wasn’t just the secret. It was the unevenness of it. And the lies.
There was a clatter in the kitchen and Joq said, “Not now.”
“Later then,” Chris replied immediately. “I’ll come back later.”
Then he was fidgeting and not leaving.
“Fine,” Joq conceded.
Chris smiled, nodded; at least he still looked chastised. “I’ll see you later.”
He leaned down and damn it all but the feel of his lips on Joq’s cheekbone and his hair wisping over Joq’s face made his heart pound.
“I’ll be back,” Chris said against his ear. “Get some rest.”
Joq couldn’t speak.
Chris pulled back and Joq watched him leave with one last look over his shoulder and a troubled smile.
His dad reappeared.
“Well,” he said cheerfully. “Wait until your mother hears about this.”
Joq groaned.
“I’m joking,” he handed Joq a bowl of ice-cream. “Though he does seem like a nice boy.”
“Ugh,” Joq took the ice-cream.
His dad settled into the armchair and watched him thoughtfully.
“What?”
“I know we don’t talk like you and your mother do.”
