Page 99 of Trust Me

Chapter 27

Dean

It didn’t concern me and I wasn’t all that interested, but I could hear Oli and Remi talking through the wall. That was how I picked up a few things. Cole was a name that came up a couple times. Oli was angry; that much I could gather from his tone. It felt odd on him, but I somehow preferred it to the worry that was on his face when Remi and I walked in the door.

I’d left the bar a mess, too intent on getting him here. Now, I wanted to go back and clean it up. It’d be easier if I got it over with rather than trying to do it when I opened tomorrow.

Just a moment after I sat up and put my feet on the floor, there was a knock at my door.

“Yeah?”

It opened slowly, then Oli’s face appeared in the crack. “You awake?”

“No, I’m sleepwalking.”

He chuckled as he stepped into the room. When he shut the door behind him, it was dark again, only his outline visible.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“He’ll be fine. Better if he’d actually listen to me sometimes.”

“He doesn’t seem the type.”

Oli sighed and leaned against the wall, sinking his hands into his pockets. “He is, but at the same time, he isn’t. He doesn’t understand healthy relationships.”

“Good thing he has you, then.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Reaching forward, I grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. He sat on the bed beside me, then scooted backward.

“He’s sleeping on the couch,” he said.

“Do you wanna stay in here?”

His lips quirked upward. “That’s a stupid question.”

As he settled on his side of the bed, I watched him, trying to figure out if he was alright. In the dark, it was hard to tell. His voice sounded tired, though.

“Go to sleep,” I told him. “Do you work tomorrow?”

He shook his head before he laid it on the pillow. I settled on my side facing him, which had become a bit of a default position when he was here.

“It makes me wonder,” he murmured, “if people like me and Remi are doomed to be stuck in these cycles.”

“What cycles?”

“For him, abuse. For me”—he met my eyes—“loneliness.”

My gut twisted at the word. “I didn’t know you were lonely.”

“Probably cause I’m not when I’m with you.”

“Because of the crush?” I teased.

“Because of the way you look at me.”

I tried to ignore how it felt with his eyes on me. “I don’t know what you mean.”