Page 36 of A Thousand Cuts

He reached out but stopped before his hand could touch Liam. He wasn’t allowed to touch. He wasn’t sure he was allowed to even be as close as he was.

“Honey…”

“Please don’t call me that,” Liam said, sounding gutted. “You said you accepted my answer.”

“I did.” Fix sighed, balling his fingers into a fist and pulling his hand back. “I do. I apologize.” He stood up and stepped back from the couch. “I’m only a phone call away.”

Liam blinked and lowered his gaze, stroking King’s head, but he gave a tiny nod at Fix’s words.

Accepting that that would be the only thing he’d get from Liam, Fix turned to walk out of his apartment.

“Are you going to look me up?” Liam asked before he could cross the threshold.

Fix turned back to face him. “What?”

Liam looked up, green eyes alight with the fire and spite Fix knew he carried around like a shield. “My videos,” Liam said. “Will you look them up?”

Fix held his breath in for a second.

“Why would I?” he asked.

Liam squared his shoulders slightly. It didn’t help. He still looked fragile and sweet wrapped up in his blanket, his gorgeous hair like a halo around his head and those full lips pressed thin against each other.

“You like me. You said so.”

“I did.” Fix nodded. “And I do.”

“There are videos of me online,” Liam pressed like he was trying to provoke him. “Jerking off. Fingering myself. I have dildos…”

“I’m aware,” Fix said, feeling the back of his neck sweat.

“Will you look them up?”

Fix could lie to him. He could say whatever he thought Liam wanted to hear. But he didn’t want that. Honesty was always what he cherished the most.

“No,” he said simply.

“Why not?” Liam demanded.

“Because I want the real thing. The real you. I don’t want to be someone in the crowd. Another username behind a screen. Anything that happens between us, if anything happens at all, will be because you want it.”

Liam stared at him, clutching the blanket. His fingers trembled slightly and his throat convulsed as he swallowed.

“And if I don’t? If you never have me?” Liam asked, and it sounded like a challenge. Like a test Fix didn’t know how to pass. He had no idea what Liam was thinking. He thought he’d caught glimpses but even those were hard to decipher.

“Then I don’t have you,” Fix said finally before he picked the flowers back up, turned, and forced himself to walk out of Liam’s apartment.

Chapter 7

Liam

Liam did his level best not to think of Fix. But pushing Fix out of his mind left him overly focused on the only other thing that was as impactful in his life.

The mystery curser.

He couldn’t get the suspicions out of his head. Was one of his followers truly the one responsible? He’d found himself hesitating for the first time before he’d logged onto his profile and posted a quick photo of three brand-new costumes he’d made just for the occasion.

It’s your choice tonight.