Page 53 of Crying in the Rain
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “So you’re ‘I’m not hungry’ is a mere trifle to me.”
“Actually, I quite like trifle,” Ade said with a grin as the kitchen door opened and Kris came back in.
“What needs doing?” he asked, keeping his face averted from both Ade and Shaunna.
“Broccoli, maybe?” she suggested, watching with a worried frown as he passed her to reach the vegetable rack. As he turned back, he fleetingly met Ade’s gaze, his bloodshot eyes giving away precisely what he’d been doing in the bathroom.
“Here you go.” Ade handed Shaunna the pan, now full of peeled potatoes, and rounded the table. Grabbing Kris by the arm, he tugged gently. “Hey. Come here.”
Kris shook his head and tried to carry on even though he’d dissolved into tears again.
“No,” Ade said, tugging hard on Kris’s arm until he spun around. “I willnotbe the cause of this.”
Kris resisted a few seconds longer but then buried his face in Ade’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” His voice juddered as he clung to Ade.
“Why are you sorry?”
Kris shrugged. “Because.”
“Because?”
“What you went through, and I can’t change any of it.”
“Well, no, of course you can’t.”
“I’m supposed to stay strong for you, not the other way around.”
“I don’t think there are any rules for these kinds of messed-up situations, but this isn’t you being weak. This is you caring and hurting because I am, and let me tell you, I already care too much about you to see you hurting like this because of me. Or because of him.”
Kris sniffled. “You’re incredible, do you know that?”
“Why, thank you,” Ade said lightly.
“It makes me lo—” Kris swayed backwards and released his grip on Ade. He looked horrified by what he’d almost said, and if it was what Ade thought…
“Too fast,” Kris muttered, backing off completely. “I invited you here because it’s a safe space, somewhere to rest up, not so I could hit on you. We’ve only known each other three days. My mouth just ran away from me—”
“It’s OK,” Ade interjected gently, pulling Kris close again. He couldn’t decide if his heart was going at a million miles a minute or he was picking up on both their heartbeats and rested his hand on Kris’s chest as he looked him in the eyes. “It is fast, that’s very true.”
“That doesn’t make it wrong,” Shaunna said from across the kitchen.
Kris held Ade’s gaze, the sparkle returning despite the pink puffiness that made his irises seem an even cooler blue than usual.
“She’s a feeder,” he said, trying to rally. “Did she tell you?” Shaunna tutted. “This potato-peeling gig she’s got you on? It’s part of her ploy to feed you up and turn you into a fatty like me.”
“Ha!” Ade slipped his hand around Kris’s side and ran a finger over his ribs. “What fat is that?”
Kris jerked at the touch.
“Oh, so you’re ticklish, are you?”
“Nooo,” Kris claimed, even though he was jolting about all over the place.
“He’ssoticklish,” Shaunna said.
Ade laughed but stopped his low-level torture and took over trimming and steaming broccoli, leaving Kris to mash the potatoes, while Shaunna concocted the creamiest, most delicious garlic chicken ever. The banter continued as they ate together, with a little help from Casper, who begged shamelessly, despite—Kris was quick to assure Ade—never being rewarded for such naughtiness in the normal scheme of things.
