Chapter 1 #13
"No, listen to me. I'm doing it. Free of charge. As a gift. From me, to him. To say thank you for transforming your nerdy Canadian ass into a functioning, slightly emotionally available human being."
"You are insane."
"I'm in awe," he corrects, hands over his heart. "Let me give this man some ink. Let me honor this." I laugh.
I laugh until I have to sit on the edge of the bed, shaking my head.
My life has officially become a fever dream.
10) Hard Since Forever
Gio
"Seriously?" I stare at Jin. "We literally said it two minutes ago, dude! Two. Minutes."
Jin blinks at me, confused as fuck. "Was it...1814?" I drop the flashcard on the floor and drag a hand down my face.
"No. Try again. With brain cells this time, man."
"Ugh," he groans, flopping back dramatically onto the couch. "Why is everything about the 1800s so confusing?"
"Because history hates you," I say. "Just like me right now." He shoots me a look, then sits back up, already sweating through his T-shirt. The fan by the window is useless.
It’s August, the air is heavy, and we are two idiots buried in European history instead of doing literally anything else. I point at him. "And why are you even studying?! It's August. People are at the beach. There are pool parties happening. The world is out there—"
"My dad told me to," he mutters. "He said I should be ahead for next year. Prepared and 'disciplined'."
I roll my eyes hard. Of course Charles did.
He probably handed Jin a textbook instead of sunscreen and told him, 'Son, knowledge is your summer tan.' I don’t say it out loud. Instead, I grab another flashcard and wave it in his face.
"Okay, let's get this over with. I skipped a car meetup for this. I hope you know the sacrifice I've made."
Jin crosses his arms. "Well, I was supposed to go out with a girl from school today. I've been trying to ask her out for like three months. But now I'm freaking stuck here."
I raise an eyebrow. "She must be thrilled you ditched her for me." He groans. "This is a disaster."
"A romantic tragedy," I say, fake-sighing.
"Star-crossed lovers torn apart by the Treaty of Vienna."
He throws a cushion at my face. I catch it and laugh.
Just then, his mom, Mrs. Eden, appears in the doorway, hands on her hips, and looks straight at Jin.
"Really, Jin?" she says, exasperated. "Not only is Gio the only one who offered to help you, while your siblings have all abandoned you, but you're also complaining?
Sit down and stop making his life harder! "
I give her the most angelic smile of my entire existence. "Thank you, Mrs. Eden," I say sweetly. "Your children yell at me all the time. Only you care. I'll remember this while writing my will. I promise."
She actually laughs. "There's food in the kitchen," she says. "You've got time to eat before Charles gets home."
"Oh, perfect," I grin. "Just what I need. A meal before I get murdered by Napoleon reincarnated."
She snorts and walks off. I turn back to Jin with renewed focus. "Alright, let's go. Say it. What happened in 1848?" Jin flops onto the cushions like he's dying. "Kill me."
I lean in, lowering my voice just enough. "Read a little more," I murmur, "and I'll take you for a ride on the bike. For real. Just you and me. No speeding though."
His eyes light up. "Seriously??"
I nod.
"Helmet's already in the back. But if you mess up again, I'm making you walk." He immediately sits up and reaches for his notes. Goddamn right he does.
"Going to say hi to your donkey of a brother," I mutter as I get up from the couch. Jin doesn't even look up.
"Try not to choke him. With your tongue."
I freeze. "What did you just say?"
He flips a page, calm as ever.
"Nothing. Something in the book."
I smile. The hallway is quiet. My shoes barely make a sound on the wooden floor as I approach Rava's door. My fingers are already at the handle before I even realize I'm smirking.
I don’t knock. I just open it, step inside and stretch.
"I’m here. Lock the door. I've been hard since forever."
Silence.
Not Rava turning to look at me. The second my mouth closes, the air shifts.
Embarrassing.
There’s… a guy. A fucking guy. Sitting on Rava's bed, legs crossed, phone in one hand. He slowly raises his eyes from the screen. Looks at me.
Oh, God. The smile. The biggest, brightest, most terrifyingly unhinged grin I've ever seen in my life.
I blink. Did I just say that out loud in front of someone? To the wrong person? The guy's eyes widen with joy.
"No. No fucking way. This is real?" His voice is shaking with excitement. "This is ACTUALLY happening?! brO!"
The fuck? He spins in a slow half-circle.
"I swear to GOD—this is better than sex. This is cinematic. This is historical. Gio, right? You just walked in here and said that?!" He points to the floor where I stand, jaw clenched.
"Bro. I can leave. I will. I'll walk out right now. Do whatever you want to him. Break his spine. Fold him. Shatter his dignity. Make him cry into the sheets, I don't care. End him with love."
I step back. I swear I don’t even know if I’m breathing.
"Who the hell are you?" I ask.
"Oh. Right. Introductions." He steps forward and puts a hand over his heart.
"Noah. I'm Noah. Best friend, life coach, emergency contact and tattoo therapist of your very pretty boy."
Oh.
Oh.
The tattoo guy. So basically this guy…has touched him. Sat with him for hours. Created art on his skin. Had access to his body before I even knew it was mine to crave. But I can’t say anything because I'm covered in tattoos even more.
I don't know if I want to hug the bastard or strangle him for making this masterpiece on Rava's body.
I look at the bed. "You're…staying here?"
"Duh. Guest room was boring." Then he claps again.
"Dude. DUDE. You don't understand. I'm the reason he even made a move on you. Me. Me! I told him to go for it. I gave him the speech. I prepped him. I said, 'if you don't kiss that man, I'm calling immigration'."
He is walking in circles around the room, arms flailing, face lit up like a drunk saint.
"And now here you are! You said you've been hard since forever?
! I've never been prouder of anything in my life!
I've nearly had an aneurysm watching this slow-burn mess unfold like a Netflix series.
You're real. He's real. AND YOU'RE IN HIS ROOM WITH THAT VOICE. "
"You're insane."
He points at me. "And you're fucking iconic."
The door creaks open behind me. It's Rava. "Damn…seeing you two in the same room…"
His voice is calm. "…feels illegal."
"Oh it's illegal alright," Noah jumps in immediately. "He walks in, drops the most pornographic line I've ever heard in real life and means it, and I'm just here, spiritually ascending in the corner!"
Rava looks at me, suspicious. I turn to him with both hands in the air. "I thought you were alone, you idiot!"
He just stands there. No reaction. One eyebrow up. Noah? Laughing. Literally clapping. "No no no, don't blame him. He thought it was just you. He came in full horny mode. Like, 'door's closed, time to sin.' It was BEAUTIFUL. I'm honored to have witnessed it."
I groan and drag my hands down my face. "I will kill you in your sleep," I mutter toward Noah without even looking at him.
"Do it. I swear, as long as Rava's crying into your shoulder afterwards, I'll die a proud man."
Rava walks deeper into the room, finally closing the door behind him. "So…this is how you greet me now?" His voice drops half a tone. "Hard since forever?"
I shoot him a glare. "Shut the fuck up."
"You said it."
"I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A THIRD PERSON IN THE ROOM."
Noah loses it.
"I'm never letting this go. Ever. I want it tattooed on my ribs." Rava just leans back against the desk, arms crossed. Noah blinks at us, hand on the door. "Excuse me," he says dramatically. "Panic made my bladder go suicidal. I'll be back in two."
He looks right at Rava, then at me, grinning. "Don't be too loud."
Click. The door shuts behind him. Rava moves toward me, smiling. His hand finds my chest. And then he kisses me softly. I melt. I actually melt. I smile into his mouth without meaning to. One of my hands finds his waist.
The other slides behind his neck. He pulls back just an inch, dazed. And then he kisses me again. And again. I smile against his mouth.
"You came to me?" I whisper, not bothering to hide the smirk in my voice.
"Shut up, I’m desperate," he whispers back, laughing, already pulling me down to him again. "What are you doing here?" he murmurs, lips brushing mine.
I barely open my eyes. "Teaching history."
I kiss his jaw.
"To your brother."
Another kiss.
"He sucks at it."
Rava laughs against my neck. His hands slip up under my shirt. "Of course you're corrupting Jin."
"I'm a public service," I whisper, biting down gently on his lower lip. He gasps. Bites it back. His fingers tangle in my shirt.
"So this is how we say hi now?" I murmur, lips barely brushing his. "Because I'm a fan."
"Me too," he breathes, and pulls me back in. Our mouths collide again, with quick deep kisses. When we finally stop for air, still holding each other, we lock eyes.
Longer than we should’ve.
He looks like he wants to say something but doesn’t.
He looks away first. And I swear, I feel the smirk curl at the edge of my mouth.
Yeah. I win that one. The door creaks again. Noah walks back in, wiping his hands on his pants. He stops mid-step. Looks at us.
His eyes scan the room, then narrow, suspicious. The corner of his mouth curls.
"So…" he says, tone deadly calm. "…did someone end up pregnant, or was I early?"
I burst out laughing. It shoots out of me like a reaction. Head drops back. "Fuck's sake, man."
Rava hides a smirk behind his hand, shaking his head.
"He reminds me of Lorenzo," I mutter, still chuckling as I run a hand through my hair. Rava points instantly. "THANK you. I said the exact same thing."