Page 47 of Seth

Ignaz didn’t protest when he unfastened the belts but tensed when Seth ran his fingers over his shoulders, lifting him. The boy trembled, choking with tears. Usually, releasing tears washed Seth’s soul in euphoria, now he felt lost, empty, drained, and utterly lonely. There was something off in Ignaz’s reaction, and he couldn’t figure out what. His understanding of pain was too limited, and he barely knew Ignaz at all, except that the boy didn’t like aftercare. Still, for some reason, Ignaz didn’t reject his touch.

“Did you drive here?” Seth asked, his low voice almost lost in the room. Ignaz shook his head. “I’ll drive you home. Do you have clothes to change into?”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Where do you want to go then?”

“Can’t I stay with you?”

Seth swallowed, looking into the empty pools of Ignaz’s eyes, seeing nothing but salt crystals behind.

I should have walked away.Only in math did a negative multiplied by a negative equal a positive. In real world, when two black holes collided, one always consumed the other. Right now, Seth felt it more acutely than ever, yet he couldn’t walk away, as Ignaz had already caught him in his gravity field.

“Come.”

* * *

His phone ringingcrushed the glassy seclusion of the night. Gustavo pried his eyes open, blinked at the scattering of diamond stars hanging above the dome that looked like shards of glass from his dream. He tried to remember details of his vivid nightmare, but his phone chimed again.

“Turn it off.” An annoyed voice coming from his left dusted off the remains of his dream. He picked up the phone, pressed it to his ear, and slipped off the bed.

“Yes?”

“I have good news and bad news for you. Where do I begin?” Diego’s voice, annoyingly alert and cheerful, filled his ears.

“What time is it?”

“Three a.m.”

“It better be something important.”

“Hmm…” Diego droned.

“What?” Gustavo pushed the bedroom door open and strolled down the corridor.

“I’m not sure if Mayr getting himself a new boy is important enough. You sound annoyed, so I think I’ll call you in the morning.” Smug, arrogant, and too loud, Diego’s voice annoyed him. Gustavo’s blood seethed.

“I’ll murder you if you hang up,” Gustavo promised as he descended the stairs, then turned to enter his office. “Speak.”

“He just brought a twink home.”

“From where? Why didn’t you tell me he was leaving?”

“Because you didn’t ask for the bad news first. We have no idea how he left. The road posts reported negative on him driving away. But he arrived in a small Volkswagen registered for his company.”

“What’s the good news then?”

“The boy walks funny.”

“That’s your good news?” Even if Diego didn’t see him, Gustavo had to pull the phone away to give it a scowl.

“Rejoice. Your sweetheart isn’t asexual after all.” The tiny voice from the speakers reached him.

Gustavo rolled his eyes and pressed the phone to his ear again. “If you are this energetic, turn up before noon. I’d like to know about Seth’s new man and where they met.”

* * *

Seth didn’t turnonthe light when they entered the villa through the rear entrance. The door quietly closed behind their backs and locked with a click.