15. Allen
Allen was enjoying his calm, cuddly evening sprawled on top of Jake in the living room when the door to the penthouse opened, accompanied by the beep of the alarm. He was used to Riley showing up unannounced, but his entrances were usually less dramatic and came with less cursing and muttering.
Jake tensed under him, and Allen lifted his head off a toned, bare chest to look into his boyfriend’s worried eyes. Silent communication passed between them, both immediately knowing that something was wrong.
Allen rose onto his knees, peering over the back of the sectional to assess just how close Riley was to completely unravelling.
“Motherfucking shoe,” Riley growled, holding onto the wall for support as he fought to get his sneaker off. “You stupid, annoying, piece of shit—”
“Riley,” Allen said, using the stern tone he reserved for times like this. “Take a breath and then tell me what’s wrong.”
Jake hauled himself upright and gathered Allen into his massive arms, tucking his chin over Allen’s shoulder as he murmured, “Riles…”
Several more grunts echoed through the space as Riley finished removing his last shoe, and Allen took the opportunity to mute the TV so they could all focus.
“I just—” Riley began walking to them, but then abruptly stopped and flung his hand out to grip the wall. “No, I need a few minutes. I’m going to use the gym.”
Allen was speechless as Riley marched past them, back stiff, eyes wide, and breath hitching with frustration. It made no sense for Riley to work out when he’d just been at practice, but Allen assumed it was a ‘needing to blow off steam’ situation more than it was to build strength.
Once Riley was gone and the door to the gym clicked shut, Allen dragged his gaze over to meet Jake’s. “What do you think that’s all about?” he asked.
Allen studied Jake’s reaction. The pursing of his lips, the muscle ticking in his jaw, the bob of his throat when he swallowed.
“Give him thirty minutes before you go in there,” said Jake. “He should be calmed down by then.”
Allen cupped Jake’s cheeks in his hand, raising an eyebrow. “Why do I have to be the one who goes in there? Wouldn’t Riley prefer you?”
Jake’s shoulders jerked as if he was about to shrug, but like a good boy, he stopped and used his words instead. “When Riley is upset, he prefers you. I watch him when he’s with us, and I’ve noticed he’s calmer when you’re beside him.”
Allen had a soft spot for Riley, and Jake knew it. Something about his boyish charm never failed to pull on Allen’s heartstrings.
“He’s cute in a sad way,” said Allen. “I wish I knew more about him, but he doesn’t talk about himself much.”
He knew he had touched on a sore topic when Jake winced and began fiddling with the waistband of Allen’s pyjama pants, dipping his fingers under them to tug on the hidden lace.
“He doesn’t talk because it hurts to think about it,” said Jake.
“His parents died young from an accidental drug overdose, and his sister had to decide between raising him or sending him into foster care. Because Riley’s parents knew my parents and we were best friends, my dad paid off their mortgage and paid for their bills and food to keep them comfortable, as long as Riley’s sister agreed to keep him in school and take care of him. ”
Allen leaned away, as if he could somehow avoid the horrible information being offered to him. He knew Riley was sad and lonely, and that Riley felt guilty when it came to Jake and his family, but he joked and smiled so often that it was hard to tell what was really bothering him sometimes.
“My dad would have adopted Riley if he ended up in foster care,” Jake continued, tilting his head to check on Allen’s well-being like the amazing boyfriend he was.
“But his sister was eighteen, and Dad was reluctant to separate the siblings, so he went for the guardian option. I also…had a bit of a meltdown because I didn’t want a brother at the time, even if it was Riley, so Dad decided to keep the peace. ”
Allen smiled at that. Jake could be a little difficult to deal with when he was uncomfortable, and he could only imagine how Mr. Valero reacted to Jake’s adamant refusal.
“It wasn’t because I wanted to be an only child,” Jake said, quickly catching onto Allen’s inner musings. “I was thirteen years old, and very sure of myself when I told my parents that I was going to marry Riley when we grew up, which was why it was impossible for us to be brothers.”
A giggle bubbled inside Allen’s throat. He tried to hide it because Jake was making such a serious face, but it was impossible. “I’m beginning to understand where all of your father’s grey hair came from,” he said, poking Jake’s nose. “But do continue.”
Jake shrugged and looked away, fixing his eyes on Riley’s discarded shoe. “The story ends with Riley’s sister excelling in school, going to university, meeting a rich guy, and ditching Riley the day he turned eighteen.”
Allen’s smirk slipped away, fingers tightening in Jake’s hair. “Are you being literal?”
Jake blinked once, let it sink in, then slowly angled his gaze back to Allen.
“Riley woke up on his birthday and found a note on the kitchen counter. She explained that he was an adult now, so she was leaving the country to live her life with her boyfriend. She said Riley had me, the house, as well as my dad’s money, so she wasn’t worried about him anymore.
She didn’t leave a number for him to contact her, and when he tried to call her old one, the number had been disconnected. ”
Wishing harm on people wasn’t Allen’s go-to move, but in that moment, he prayed that Riley’s sister was miserable wherever she was.
“She hasn’t contacted him since?” Allen asked.
Jake shook his head. “Never. I think Dad knows where she is because he wouldn’t have let her abandon Riley without having a word with her—especially when he paid for her university degree.
Riley told him not to inform him of her whereabouts if Dad found her because he didn’t care.
And she was right anyway; Riley did have me. ”
Jake’s lip was curled like he wanted to smile, but Allen could tell that he was hesitant to because of the severity of the topic. So, Allen offered one of his own, shoving the fury and heartbreak he felt for Riley down until he was able to keep a level head.
“You didn’t marry Riley, though,” said Allen. “What happened there?”
The smile finally broke, and Jake huffed. “We were too busy graduating high school, dealing with my hockey injury, selling his house before he lit it on fire, and buying our first property because we were going to be real estate kings like my dad.”
Allen was unkindly reminded again, for the thousandth time, that Jake and Riley were young.
“And besides,” Jake added. “Riley is straight.”
The disbelief must have been clear enough on Allen’s face for Jake to read, because he blushed and suddenly dropped his gaze.
“Do we believe that?” Allen asked. It felt nosy to dig into the personal topic, but Allen wanted to be sure.
“No,” Jake admitted. “But I’m letting him figure stuff out on his own. I just don’t know if…there are any options Riley would be satisfied with for either gender. You’ve heard the comments he’s made.”
Allen had, several times. Riley often lamented how he wished there were a female version of Jake and Allen so he could date the perfect woman. Allen had been willing to let the touching, snuggling and platonic head kisses between the three of them slide, but those comments always made him pause.
“I feel like you’re leading me somewhere,” said Allen. “Don’t be scared to voice your opinions, Jake. I’ll let you know if you’re overstepping.”
Jake’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and Allen waited patiently, giving him time to organize his sentences properly.
“I’m bad at reading people,” Jake said, gaze darting up to meet Allen’s before dropping just as quickly. “But when Sloan was here, Riley was acting possessive of us in a way that I’m not used to.”
Jake wasn’t wrong. Allen remembered thinking the same thing before Kingston bolted out of the penthouse.
“You think—”
A loud buzz cut Allen off, and he gasped when Jake flinched hard enough to startle him.
“Jesus, it’s just my phone,” said Allen, cupping Jake’s face again to give him an apologetic kiss. “Why are you acting so spooked?”
Jake returned to grumbling and having a staring contest with Riley’s shoe, so Allen picked up his phone and answered it before the sound made his sweet boyfriend break out in hives.
“Hello?”
The line was silent for so long that Allen pulled away to check the number in case it was a scam call, but then a gruff voice finally spoke.
“Monroe, we need to talk.”
Allen and Jake snapped their attention to each other, and Allen’s mouth fell open as chills rushed through him.
“That’s fucking creepy, it’s like he knew we were talking about him,” Jake whispered, and suddenly it felt like they were the main characters in a horror film.
“Are you whispering? I can’t hear you,” said a very pissy Kingston Sloan. “Squeak up, Hamtaro. I need to ask my questions before I chicken out.”
“H-Hamtaro?!” Allen wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the arrogant bastard. “Ask your goddamn questions before I hang up and block you.”
A garble of muffled curses answered him, and Allen was reminded of Riley’s frantic agitation a moment before Kingston hit him with a baseball bat of a question.
“How did you know you liked guys?”
Allen’s eyes found Jake’s, and both of them were wearing identical expressions of confusion.
“Oh no,” Jake whispered. “I was right. I read things too well this time.”
“Uh…” Allen’s throat was dry, and he had to swallow before he could answer.
“It’s hard to say when it started. I always thought about kissing boys when my classmates wanted to kiss girls.
I always had crushes on boys, too. When I was a teenager, it finally clicked for me, and I realized I was only attracted to men, so I started dating them. ”