Chapter 135: Back to home
**OLIVER WEST**
A day later and I was finally back home, away from that disgusting hospital smell. Although Mom had wanted me to follow her to my Aunt’s house so she could look after me, Kieran had insisted I stay with him.
I didn’t protest. So we went back to his house.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed this familiar room until I returned.
I hugged Teddy K to myself, I was just realizing that my poor stuffed K looked a little worn, which made me wonder if Kieran had been using it as a pillow.
I smiled at the thought, but my giddiness vanished as I suddenly recalled what happened in that hospital room.
Xander was my half-brother.
THE HECK?!!
And he was older than me too because my lovely father cheated on my Mom with his first love a few months before I was born!
The thought still made my head spin. And to think that my mom knew about it but had forgiven him because she had been afraid of being labelled as a divorced single Mom.
I despised my dad even more, and he abandoned us for that woman too. How dare he get a happily ever after even though he was the villain in our story!
The revelation had felt like something out of a soap opera, too dramatic to be real. I felt a bit of consolation in knowing that my dad hated my sexuality so much but his ’perfect son’ is still in the closet.
Serves him right. I hope Xanders little bro ends up being gay too!
I felt worse now thinking of the dance with Xander at that party.
The memory made my skin crawl now knowing our relationship. But at least, I no longer had to worry about his romantic intentions, but it raised new questions in my mind.
If he wasn’t chasing after me for romantic reasons, then why had he been watching me and Kieran for all those weeks? He wasn’t warning me to stay away from Kieran because he wanted me to like him, then why?!
Kieran emerged straight from my thoughts, carrying that familiar tray - the one that made my stomach clench with dread.
Medicine time.
"You know the drill," he said, setting the tray down on the bedside table
I glared at him. He had threatened to call my Mom if I ever fought with him about this.
"I’m not your enemy Ollie, don’t give me that look." He held out the pills with one hand and a glass of water with the other. "Take them."
I swallowed the bitter medication under his watchful gaze, making disgusted faces the entire time. When I finished, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something wrapped in colorful paper.
"Here," he said, holding out a piece of candy. "For being such a good patient."
I scoffed. "I’m still not forgiving you for telling on me,"
But I took the candy anyway, unwrapping it with hidden excitement. The sweetness helped wash away the aftertaste of the pills, and something warm bubbled up in my chest but I still maintainined my grumpy facade.
Kieran placed the empty glass on the dresser, and I made myself comfortable under the covers, pulling them up to my chin.
The familiar softness of his mattress, and the scent of his pillow - everything about being here felt like heaven after smelling drugs and antiseptic for so long.
A pleasured sigh slipped from my mouth and then I felt the bed dip next to me.
"What are you trying to do?!"
I went perfectly still when Kieran lay down next to me, awareness making every nerve tingle. I could feel the heat radiating from his body where it touched mine.
"You’re finally back in my bed," he said, and the way his voice dropped made my heart skip.
I faked a yawn, ignoring the way those words affected me. "I’m going to sleep. I need plenty of rest, remember? And space too."
I rolled away to create some distance between us, but I felt him scoot closer immediately. The warmth of his chest pressed against my back.
"The space you gave me when you were hurt wasn’t enough?" he asked softly.
I turned around so quickly that my head almost bumped against his.
"Careful," he hummed, his fingers touching my forehead where the bandages covered my stitches. The touch was innocent at first, just checking the healing wound. Then his movements became less and less innocent.
My brain short-circuited as his fingers slowly massaged down my arms, up to my shoulders, finding the sensitive spot at the crook of my neck that was exposed by my loose-fitting t-shirt.
"K-Kieran," my voice came out as a breathless whisper.
"Hmm?" His gaze met mine and held. When his fingers grazed my cheek, the simple act of breathing became difficult.
"You’re so beautiful," he whispered, leaning closer to brush his lips over mine in the gentlest way possible.
"I want to be with you every single day, Oliver. Always."
Always.
The word brought back all the thoughts I’d been trying to push away. Our future.
College applications.
The reality that we’d have to make decisions soon about where our lives would take us.
Just as he leaned in to kiss me again, I turned my head for his lips to brush against my cheek instead. Then I slowly sat up, my back resting on plush pillows.
"But we can’t always be together, can we?" I tried to keep the sadness out of my voice, but I could tell from his expression that he heard it anyway.
His gaze turned serious. "What do you mean?"
I exhaled shakily, clasping my fingers together in my lap. "When you said you were going far away from here, did you decide where you wanted to go?"
I held my breath, waiting for his answer. I already knew he’d have to take over his father’s company someday. And he was going to a world standard college.