Chapter Twenty
Garett
Garett climbed the stairs to their bedroom after Torin had rushed upstairs before he had. The day had been long, and the tension from Dante’s outburst still lingered in the back of his mind. But more than that, he couldn’t shake the conversation he and Torin had at the bar. Torin’s admission he didn’t think he could be what Garett needed had struck a chord and resonated deeper than Garett wanted to admit. He wondered if someone had planted that notion into his head or had he had felt this way the entire time.
Garett pushed open the door to their room, finding Torin sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast soft shadows across his face, and for a moment, Garett just stood there, watching him. Torin looked so…uncertain or deeply depressed. It was a side of him Garett wasn’t used to seeing, and it made his chest ache. Something hurt him. Was he homesick? Did he miss Byron? Was he upset with Dante? Maybe Garett had said something or brought this pain to him.
“Hey,” Garett said, closing the door behind him. “You okay?”
Torin looked up, his expression unreadable as their eyes met. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Garett crossed the room and sat down beside him, brushing shoulders. “Tell me why you look so down?”
Torin’s gaze dropped back to his hands. “I just…feel like I don’t belong here. You deserve someone who can meet your needs, someone who’s…I don’t know, an experienced sub.”
Garett sighed, running a hand through Torin’s hair. “Torin, I’m not worried about you meeting my needs. If anything, I’m worried about not meeting yours.”
Torin looked up, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“I think you believed what Dante said to you about me dumping you, right?”
“I had almost forgotten about that at the bar. Everything was good, then later I remembered what he said. He wasn’t the only one to say that.”
“Who else said that to you?” Garett figure it was compounded by others. The way Cherry had ignored him like he didn’t exist.
“Sam thinks I’m in over my head with you. He said you’ll do things to me that would hurt.”
“That’s none of Sam’s business. What we do is between us. No one gets to put their two cents in our relationship, including Dante. I’ll be talking to him too.”
“I don’t want you to lose your job over me.”
“Dante needs me and he’d never fuck me over. But I need to let him know we’re together and we don’t want any interference.”
“Do you think he was angry because we were fucking in the barn?”
“No. And we never fucked. That wasn’t it. It has to do with his agreement with your brother. I’m not sure exactly what he agreed to.”
“My brother just doesn’t want me with Byron.”
“What did he do to hurt you?”
“He told me I could make a lot of money if I took some boxes to southern Jersey to a warehouse. He gave me a car to drive and I delivered them. I got stopped by some Jersey cops and they arrested me.”
“Did you call your brother?”
“No, I called Byron. He got a lawyer and had me released. I didn’t know what was in the boxes until my brother came down to my school and told me what I did for Byron.”
“What was inside the boxes?”
“Weapons. He never told me. Then my brother told me what I was trafficking, and I could have been sitting in jail for years. I don’t know who cleared me from going to court or doing time. That’s when Liam told me to stay away from Byron.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. I was upset and scared I’d go to prison for a long time. Then he a month later, he came to my dorm. We had a big fight. That night, I got kicked out of the dorm. Liam told me he was sending me away because I broke my promise not to see him.”
“Why did you see him?”
“I guess I wanted him to tell me it was all a big mistake.”
“Was it a mistake?”
“Not exactly. He told me it was no big deal. His father used to send him on errands. He blamed me because I was speeding. That’s when we had this horrible loud fight. He broke things in the dorm.”
“Did he touch you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he hit or punch you?” Garett lowered his head and kissed the top of his head.
“No. He wouldn’t do that. He’s all about shouting and breaking things, then leaving, slamming the door.”
“And your brother Liam, did he ever touch you?”
“No. He had different ways to make my life miserable if I messed up.”
“That’s good. How could you like me after Byron? We’re nothing alike.”
“He hurt me. I don’t want you to be like him.”
“Tell me what you two used to do together.”
Torin stared up at the ceiling. “He’s a New York mafia guy, but not like Dante. He was…cultured. Sophisticated. Took me to art galleries, plays…all that stuff. And I’ll be honest, I fell hard for him, then he hurt me.” Torin was quiet for a moment, then he shifted, turning to face Garett more fully.
Garett shrugged, eying Torin. “I don’t know. I guess I just figured…after Byron, you’d want someone who could give you that kind of city life. The art, the travel, the…dancing every night.” He finally looked at Torin, a small, self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. “I’m not exactly the dancing type.”
Torin’s expression softened, and he reached out, placing a hand on Garett’s arm. “Garett, I liked those things with Byron because they were fun, sure. But that’s not why I was with him. And it’s not why I’m with you.”
Garett raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you with me?”
Torin hesitated, then let out a small laugh. “Because you’re…you. You’re steady. You’re honest. You don’t pretend to be something you’re not. And when I’m with you, I feel like I can just…be myself. No expectations, no pressure. That’s worth more to me than any art gallery or weekend trip.”
Garett stared at him, his chest tightening with a mix of emotions. He wanted to believe Torin, wanted to believe that he was enough, just as he was. But the doubt lingered, a stubborn voice in the back of his mind whispering that he’d never measure up to someone like Byron.
“I just don’t want you to get bored,” Garett admitted quietly. “I’m not exactly the most exciting guy.”
Torin’s hand tightened on his arm, and he leaned in closer, his voice soft but firm. “Garett, you’re plenty exciting. You just don’t see it. You’ve got this…quiet strength. This way of making me feel safe, even when everything else feels like it’s falling apart. That’s not boring. That’s…everything.”
Garett felt a lump rise in his throat, and he glanced away, his cheeks warming. He wasn’t used to this—to someone seeing him, really seeing him, and still wanting to stick around. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
“I just…I don’t want to let you down,” Garett said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.
Torin’s hand slid down to his, their fingers intertwining. “You won’t. And even if you do, we’ll figure it out. Together. That’s what this is, right? Figuring it out as we go?”
Garett noticed the sincerity in his eyes and felt something shift inside him. The doubts were still there, but they didn’t feel quite as overwhelming. Torin’s words echoed in his head: Together.
And maybe that was enough. Time to figure things out, time to grow, time to see where this thing between them might lead. For the first time in a long time, Garett allowed himself to hope.
He squeezed Torin’s hand, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah. Together.”
Torin smiled back, and for a moment, they just sat there. The silence between them was comfortable. Then Torin leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Garett’s lips. It was gentle, almost tentative, but it sent a warmth spreading through Garett’s chest.
When they pulled apart, Torin rested his forehead against Garett’s, his voice soft. “You’re enough, Garett. More than enough.”
Garett closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath. He wasn’t sure he believed it yet, not fully. But with Torin by his side, he thought maybe, just maybe, he could learn to.