Page 3 of Necessary Time

“Very much, yes.” He nodded, expression sympathetic. We both glanced toward the sink, white porcelain that matched white marble counters, all of it void of dish soap and sponges.

I took the plates out of the cabinet and set them on the counter.

“I can run to the store,” I offered.

“We should both just go. You don’t have a car and we still need to get some groceries for this beast while we’re at it.” He slapped his hand against the stainless steel fridge beside him.

He wasn’t wrong, so I agreed and followed him back into the living room, which was an absolute disaster of cardboard, kraft paper, and plastic shrink-wrap.

“Are you trying to get out of putting the entertainment stand together?” I asked.

Grayson was already across the room, lacing up his sneakers.

“What? No.”

“It looks a little out of your competence zone,” I teased.

“I’m fully fucking capable of putting together an entertainment center, you smug little East Coast piece of shit,” he snapped, but his eyes were light and his tone was soft.

“Is that like…a pet name?”

“God, finally a term you’re familiar with.” He fiddled with his phone. “That reminds me, I meant to text Miles about piss kink.”

“I really don’t think me not knowing that’s a thing is cause for alarm.” My sneakers were older than Grayson’s and far more worn down. I didn’t have to deal with lacing them up; instead I shoved my feet into them while tied. Ready to go. Easy peasy.

His phone chirped and he turned and showed me the screen. Miles’s reaction was an LOL followed by a gif of someone laughing that took up the whole screen. My cheeks burned, maybe from embarrassment. I wasn’t sure. I knew the prodding was all in good fun, so I let it roll off my back, but I was seriously going to have to start reading a sex encyclopedia or something to catch up with the two of them.

Not to mention what that meant about my brother.

I shivered, banishing the thought.

“Are you ready?” I asked, checking for my wallet and phone. It wasn’t like I had any money to contribute, and not like Grayson would let me even if I did, but I still didn’t want to be without it.

Once we got unpacked and settled, I would have to prioritize looking for a job. I wasn’t qualified for much, but I needed money so even if I had to go into retail or something, I would manage it. Hendrix seemed to think my ability to earn money was directly tied to whether I was in school or not, but what he didn’t realize was being in school made it even harder to get a job. I’d had something part-time back in Brixton that didn’t interfere with my school schedule and paid well enough to cover my half of the rent in the apartment I’d shared with…

The apartment I’d shared with David.

“I’m ready.” Grayson opened the front door and we both stepped out into the hallway. The building had automatically locking doors, but I checked it anyway, out of habit. Together, we rode the elevator down to the parking garage, and I followed Grayson to his sleek black Audi.

In reality, I wasn’t ready at all.

Not for being in California, not for losing my best friend, not for moving away from my parents, not for dropping out of college, not for any of it.

But there wasn’t another option.

I didn’t have another choice.

CHAPTERTWO

Colin

Secrets were exhausting.But it was secrets that kept my family by my side, so another day, another year, another step ahead, constantly carrying my biggest secret in silence.

I tapped the corner of the birthday card from my parents on my desk, some glitter shaking off and floating down to my keyboard.

Well, that’s never going to come out.

I sighed and flipped the card open, tracing over my mother’s elegant cursive message and my father’s scrawling signature at the bottom.