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I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head, trying to block out Langston, who was doing his best to coax me out of bed to eat breakfast. Thing was though, I didn’t feel like eating. I just wanted to lay in bed all day like I normally did on my days off and try to pretend the world didn’t exist.

“Baby boy, come on,” Langston said, sitting on the side of the bed, making it dip. My body rolled toward his. He rested his hand on my bare hip, and using his thumb, he traced circles into my pale skin. “I need you to eat, Cove.”

“No,” I mumbled.

He sighed. “Cove, I’ll drag you out of this bed. Don’t think I won’t.”

I pulled the pillow off my head, squinting at him through the dim lamp light. I had blackout drapes over my windows because I hated the outside world. It was cruel and depraved, sucking the life from everyone it could. It’d already sucked the life from me.

“You’re not my mother,” I snapped at him, hating that my voice still came out weak and so tired.

He narrowed his eyes at me, and I swallowed thickly, instantly wishing I could take the words back. He stood. My heart lurched into my throat. Was he leaving? He couldn’t leave. He promised he wouldn’t.

I squeaked when he easily lifted me from the bed and tossed my naked body over his shoulder, carrying me out of my room and into the kitchen. My cheeks burned in mortification. I was naked!

My prick hardened, poking him in his shoulder, but he paid it no mind. Could the ground open up and swallow me whole now? That’d be great.

He plopped me into a chair at the kitchen table. A plate of eggs was in front of me—just two, as if he knew I wouldn’t be able to stomach much more than that. Tears pricked at my eyes.

“I’m naked,” I croaked.

Langston took a seat beside me and dragged the plate to him, cutting up the eggs. “I gave you the opportunity to get out of bed, baby boy, and you chose to take the hard way.” He ran his eyes over me, a hungry look entering his eyes. “So, now you get to sit here and eat breakfast in your birthday suit.”

I flushed. He forked up a bite of egg and lifted it to my lips. I sighed and opened my mouth, allowing him to feed me. It didn’t take long for me to get the two eggs down, and afterward, he kissed me softly, brushing his hand over my cheek.

“Thank you for eating, baby.” I flushed at his appreciation. He stood and held his hand out to me. “How does a shower sound? I want to take you somewhere today.”

I frowned at him as I stood to my feet, lacing my fingers with his larger ones. He gently squeezed my hand and led me to my bathroom. After dropping his briefs, he stepped into the shower, pulling me with him.

“Where are you taking me?” I finally asked him when I realized he wasn’t going to say anything else on the matter.

“It’s a surprise,” he told me, dropping a soft kiss to my lips. “Once we finish in here, I need to head to my place and get dressed, but I’ll be back within ten minutes.”

The thought of being alone again, even for just ten minutes, was a bit terrifying. But I nodded anyway, forcing a brave look onto my face. Though judging by the frown that immediately pulled at Langston’s lips, I hadn’t been successful. He grabbed my chin, forcing my eyes onto his. “Baby boy, I’m coming back, you hear me?”

I nodded. “I know,” I whispered.

He tugged me into his arms and held me for a moment before stepping back to bathe me. There wasn’t any play this time, but the tenderness in every touch and caress was clear.

And the thought of ever losing it one day made my heart ache.

I shook my head, yanking on the handle of the locked door. And every time I unlocked it, Langston just locked it back. My chest heaved, and I began to drastically sweat. I was trapped. Langston had me trapped.

“Cove!” Langston barked. I jerked my wide, terrified eyes to his, my slippery palms still yanking on the door handle. “Baby, stop,” he ordered. “Focus on me and just breathe.”

“I thought it was a surprise—a good one,” I choked out.

Langston grabbed my sweaty hands in his and gave them each a gentle squeeze. “It may not seem like a good surprise right now, baby boy, but it will be in the future,” he soothed.

I turned my head to look at the therapist’s office again, the doctor’s name on the brown door in pretty, gold letters. Rose bushes and other smaller flowers surrounded the building, and twinkle lights were wrapped around the banister of the steps leading to that dreaded door.

“I don’t want to see a therapist,” I whispered.

“Baby, I need you to,” Langston begged. I turned to look at him. He drew in a deep breath and then released my hands before grabbing his phone. I watched as he began to tap a few icons, and then he turned it to face me.

Langston was seeing a virtual therapist.

“My insurance, for whatever weird as fuck reason, doesn’t cover therapists in the area,” Langston explained to my confused face. “So I have to see a virtual therapist. Sometimes, we talk about my fear of coming out to my parents, and other times, we just talk about the stress I’m facing at school.”