22
“Stay the fuck away from me,” Sky warned furiously when a whore tried to touch him.
Startled by the deadly tone in his voice, she quickly backed away and disappeared into the crowd.
Resting his elbow on the counter, Sky’s gaze landed on the boy he could never seem to ignore.
Watching him lose himself in the music, dancing freely as if no one else existed, Sky bit the inside of his cheek and downed his glass of liquor in one chug, trying to suppress the jealousy twisting in his chest.
“One more,” Sky ordered sharply to the bartender, his patience running out as he struggled to keep his temper in check and resist the urge to lash out.
The bartender had no idea who Sky was. After all, this bar was far from their town.
Despite the many decent clubs back home, Sky had deliberately brought Jude here so no one familiar would ever see them together.
It was an old, rundown club with nothing fancy about it, and he already regretted coming.
Sky glanced back at Jude, his brows knitting tightly as he watched him sway his head to some random upbeat track, completely unaware of the crowd around him.
It felt like hungry wolves surrounded him, all eager to claim his attention.
If Jude had not been hurt and begging to come, Sky would never have allowed him anywhere near a place like this.
He drew attention too easily, and Sky hated every bit of it.
The place was a long drive away. Sky did not care about the expensive taxi fare for the nearly two-hour ride.
All that mattered was getting to the club where he could spend time with Jude, far away from the toxicity and chaos of their own town.
He thought it was worth it until he saw the attention Jude was unknowingly drawing, and a quiet regret started to settle in.
Sky tried to convince himself it was because of the bruises and wounds on Jude’s face that people were staring.
But deep down, he knew it was not just that.
It was the way Jude carried himself despite everything, something effortlessly magnetic even in his battered state.
And even then, Jude’s features were still undeniably striking.
Sky had not realized before how well he could dance, either.
There was something almost unfair about the way he moved: fluid, confident, and unintentionally alluring.
His slim waist alone was enough to catch anyone’s attention, easily dethroning the body of a famous soda.
Sky had actually felt a gentle sense of tranquility on the ride earlier, even if Jude had been asleep the entire way.
He was not the type to think of himself as easily drawn to that kind of thing, but he could not stop himself from watching Jude as he leaned against the window, looking oddly peaceful, perfectly beautiful in his sleep.
God knew how many times he had considered shifting him closer onto his shoulder, only to stop himself each time.
Thinking back on everything only made Sky’s frustration worse.
When they arrived at Smirnoff’s, Jude was as quiet as usual, but something still felt off. The biggest difference was how unbothered he seemed by the crowd. It was as if he no longer cared at all. His expression remained stoic, cold, unreadable, and distant.
Jude looked completely lost in his own thoughts, and Sky found himself watching him the entire time, guzzling drinks he had already lost count of.
He knew Jude was dealing with something serious, something heavy enough to consume him from the inside.
And somehow, all Sky wanted to do was stay by his side.
He did not understand why he suddenly felt this overwhelming responsibility to be there for him.
Today’s events had exhausted Sky too, but he knew Jude was carrying a far heavier weight than he was. Still, for some reason, being around Jude made him regain his strength so easily.
Sky had always considered himself tougher than steel, yet when it came to Jude, he found himself softening in ways he hated to admit. Maybe that was why he agreed so quickly when Jude asked him to come here with him.
Not even after finishing three glasses of tequila, Jude was already becoming livelier and more carefree, completely different from the quiet and timid boy Sky was used to seeing.
One thing Sky had only recently realized was how easily alcohol got to Jude.
Once it did, the quiet, reserved boy gave way to someone entirely different.
The flush on Jude’s cheeks and the exhaustion lingering in his eyes were obvious in the way he moved and spoke.
Even though he was still wearing his dark blue slacks, Sky’s oversized black shirt, and his black school shoes, nothing could hide how attractive he looked dancing under the dim disco lights.
And if looks could kill, several men in the bar would already be lying dead on the floor.
Sky hated the way their eyes landed on the twink.
“Whoaaa! Oh gosh! I want moooore, pleaseee!” Jude shouted excitedly as he handed his empty glass to the bartender, ignoring Sky at the side as if he were a complete stranger.
The bartender flashed him a smile, and Sky’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“Here you go, cutie pie,” the bartender said smoothly with a wink as he handed Jude his thirteenth glass of tequila, and Sky counted diligently.
“Oh! Thank you so much, handsome!” Jude replied playfully before chugging the drink in one go and heading back to the dance floor.
Sky bit the inside of his cheek when Jude did not even spare him a single glance.
The fucking audacity.
A flare of annoyance burned through Sky as he shot the bartender a sharp glare before slamming his glass onto the counter, the sound intercepting through the blaring music.
“Do you fucking know who I am?” Sky barked to the bartender, his eyes bloodshot and lips wet in fume.
“Sorry, but no, sir,” answered the bartender.
“I am his fucking boyfriend, so back off, you little piece of shit, unless you want to go home carrying your own head in your hands,” Sky threatened deadly.
The bartender froze in surprise before quickly raising both hands in surrender.
“Easy, man…” he muttered nervously.
Sky rose from his seat and made his way toward the center of the crowded, heated dance floor.
Lustful stares from both men and women followed him, but he paid them no attention.
His eyes remained locked on the completely wasted and oblivious Jude Finn, who was dancing far too closely with some random top in pretense.
It was as if the pain in his body from the beating and all were gone just to dance with fucking guys. Without hesitation, Sky grabbed the man by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.
“Back off, asshole,” he warned coldly before shoving the guy away hard.
Clenching his jaw, Sky grabbed Jude’s wrist and pulled him away from the suffocating crowd.
“That’s enough. We’re going home,” he said firmly, biting the inside of his cheek as he struggled to keep his temper under control.
“No! The night’s only getting started, Sky! Don’t be such a killjoy!” Jude complained, trying to free himself from Sky’s grasp.
“Don’t start being stubborn with me. You know how I am, Jude Finn,” Sky warned, trying to keep his voice calm. “Let’s go home. It’s already late.”
“I don’t want to! You go home yourself.”
“The fuck is wrong with you? Let’s go home whether you like it or not.”
“Ha! The fuck is wrong with you, too!” Jude let out a deep breath before a devilish grin slowly spread across his face. “You sound just like my dad…” Jude slurred, idly pointing into the air while struggling to keep himself steady.
“Ohhh…wait…” he laughed bitterly. “Is he even really my dad? Fucking hell, no. He’s not my dad because I’m fucking adopted…”
Jude’s voice cracked slightly as his drunken emotions spilled out.
“That’s what I fucking heard…”
Jude cursed with so much conviction that Sky could only stare at him, his chest squeezing painfully at the sight. Deep down, Sky knew this was bound to happen eventually. Secrets like that could never stay buried forever.
Now everything finally made sense.
This explained why Jude had broken down earlier, why he had tried to run in front of that truck, and why he had seemed so distant and unlike himself the whole night.
Sky finally understood him completely.
And honestly, Jude had every right to be angry.
Even from a distance, the physical differences between Mitch and Jude were obvious enough that anyone could tell they were not related by blood. Sky had known it for a long time, and he was sure others at school had noticed it too.
“I heard everything they said about me, Sky,” Jude admitted. “I was so weak earlier… when I should’ve been strong for myself. I should be strong because I only have myself…”
Jude’s voice trembled as it broke at the end.
Sky pulled him closer, but Jude kept pulling away, struggling against the comfort.
“Come on,” was all Sky said.
Sky was terrible at scenes like this.
“No,” he cried.
“Come on, let’s go home. We have school tomorrow,” Sky said softly, trying to steady him amid the noise and crowd.
Sky did not care about anyone watching anymore. But of all the responses he could have given, he could not help feeling ridiculous for bringing up school.
“I’m not going to school tomorrow,” Jude muttered, shaking his head like a drunk brat, eyes fixed on the floor as he weakly held onto Sky’s shirt.
“Since when did you start skipping school?” Sky said, lightly reprimanding him as he guided him closer with a hand on his back.
“Since when did you start caring about school, Sky Granger?” Jude muttered, narrowing his eyes as his brows furrowed suspiciously.
“Sshh. You’re drunk,” Sky said softly. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t have a home,” Jude replied, trying to sound casual, but the pain in his voice was impossible to hide.
“Enough of your fucking drama, will you? You’re drunk, Jude Finn. Let’s go home,” Sky said, trying to weather him down, but Jude was hurt by his words even more.