Page 127 of Something Like Winter

nostril?

“Everyone fucks to get something,” Ryan said, following Tim into

the kitchen. “Sometimes it’s love and sometimes it’s money.” “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Tim shouted. “If all you’re

here for is money, you can leave right now!”

Ryan strutted close to him. “Some people fuck just to get fucked.” When Ryan kissed him, Tim tried to remain cold, but he couldn’t. He

kissed back, enjoying himself when suddenly he felt pain. His bottom lip

had been bitten hard enough to draw blood. Ryan pulled back, eyes

brimming with satisfaction. Was this part of the game now? Tim was so

disgusted that he felt like smacking him, but Ryan had taught him a

better way to deal with pent-up aggression. In case he’d forgotten, Ryan was already undoing Tim’s pants before working on his own. Needing to be purged of his anger and wanting those angel eyes to come back, Tim spun Ryan around, bent him over the kitchen counter, and took out his frustration. Ryan grinned the entire time.

* * * * *

The honeymoon was over. Marcello’s words were prophetic. Tim

didn’t know what he had done, if anything, to cause the change, but

Ryan’s dark side had slipped out of the bedroom and into the light of

day. Usually this materialized as sadistic humor, Ryan taking

unprompted cheap shots.

Ryan spent much of his time with his new friends. Even when he

was home, his ear was glued to the phone while he chatted with Stephen

or one of his circle. Ryan also possessed an eerie sense of knowing when

he had pushed Tim to the very edge. More than once Tim had been ready

to kick him out. Then, out of the blue, his sugar-sweet boy would return. With the fall semester drawing near, Tim kept encouraging Ryan to

re-enroll. Of course money was an issue, so he pulled a few strings with

Marcello, as Eric had probably once done for him. He got Ryan model

work that would earn him enough in just a few weekends to pay for his

sophomore year. Ryan seemed thrilled at first, especially since he would

be working with some of his new friends, but he came home after only a

few hours on the first day.

“That wasn’t fun at all,” Ryan complained.