CHAPTER 39
Fucking Eden.
I knew this shit would happen.
I know he's Carey's brother, and I tried to be as supportive as I could be.
But the Eden he remembers from his childhood, the Eden who put him first, died when his mom and Carey's father left him here alone in a cheap studio apartment, and my parents picked up the pieces.
No kid should have to go through that when they're sixteen.
And I know Carey hates his parents too, but there's a big difference between being abandoned, and moving out of your own accord. But still, Carey deserves better.
Jumping out of the van, I leave the driver's door open and make my way over to Carey.
"You alright?" I ask, rubbing the small of his back.
He shrugs. "It took me five seconds too long to get to the point."
"You're not the problem," I reassure him.
"I've never been the problem." Carey's cheeky grin hides his disappointment.
It's his armour, and I can see when he puts it on just as clearly as he can tell when my mask is up.
They are parts of our personalities that will never change, but we love each other even more for them because only we know how to strip each other bare.
"Now is not the time to be cute." With my lips slightly parted, I poke my tongue into the side of my mouth and drag my eyes down Carey's body before returning to his face. The change in his expression from grin to smirk is slight, but I see it.
"You're your own worst enemy," he says.
"It's a role I'm willing to play."
"That's something I'd say."
"You're rubbing off on me."
Carey's brows raise, and he bites his bottom lip. "You did it again."
"I know what I'm doing."
"You're playing with fire… Oppa." With the final word hanging heavy, he turns away from me, and after one step, he stops. Taking his left hand from inside his jacket pocket, he holds it out, and I take it without hesitation because I'm done hiding too. Today is the day everything comes out.
Carey leads me to the other side of the open van door and tugs me close.
With his back to the driver's seat I cage him with my arms.
"You know," he says, reaching for the zip of my jacket. "Your best friend is a real selfish son of a bitch."
"Yeah." I nod. "And your brother's a stubborn ass hole."
Carey slowly drags the zip upwards, purposely grazing his index finger over my stomach. "Isn't that why you make such good friends?"
"That's what you keep telling me."
Reaching for the back of my head, Carey guides me forward until I'm nuzzled into his neck. "Don't ever change. I like my strong, asshole boyfriend. And I fucking love that I'm the only person you'll ever get on your knees for."
I groan into his skin and wrap my arm around his waist. "We've still got thirty minutes. You wanna take a quick drive?"
"Nope," he says with way too much glee. "If you're so desperate to be on your knees you can do it right here."
I force his body against mine. "Fuck you're perfect."
"Your parents could come back to their car at any time."
I shut him up with my lips, and the warmth of his mouth evaporates any lingering apprehensions.
Lost in his taste, I push him back against the seat. "I hope they catch us. I'm ready for the whole world to see you're mine—"
“You motherfucker!”
The shout cracks across the parking lot like lightning.
Frozen, our bodies still pressed together, Carey and I turn our heads in unison.
Storming towards us like a crazed lumberjack, is Eden, his face twisted into a rage I know all too well.
"Eden," Carey starts, but I push him back and step away.
With my hands up, I move towards his brother. "I can explain."
Lunging at me, Eden grabs the front of my shirt and gets in the words, "You hypocritical son of a bitch," before his fist collides with my jaw.
I stumble backwards, instantly tasting blood.
My ass hits the asphalt, and the sky spins above me.
I don't raise my hand to defend myself. I don't even try to get up, because I know this is what I deserve.
Fist raised again, Eden looms over me. "The things you said. The way you made Jintae feel. And you were doing the same fucking thing behind my back!"
I spit blood onto the ground beside me. “You’re right.”
The admission seems to throw Eden off balance, like he's expecting me to fight back, but I have nothing. No defense. No excuses. I’ve accused him of every sin I’m guilty of myself—bar one.
“That’s it? ‘You’re right’?”
“What do you want me to say? You already called me a hypocrite."
I hear the van door close behind me and glance back to see Carey leaning against it, arms crossed, making no move to intervene. His whole demeanour is composed because he's been expecting this showdown all along.
“Get up,” Eden demands. “Get up so I can hit you again.”
I rise slowly, wiping blood from my lip. “Go ahead.”
"Eden!" The shriek of Jintae's voice stabs straight through the middle of us both. He skids to a stop beside Eden, his eyes bulging at the sight of my bloody lip before he turns to Carey. "Why aren't you doing anything?"
"Because this isn't my fight."
"But he's bleeding," Jin protests, gesturing to my face.
"He can handle it. They both need to get this out of their systems if we're ever gonna move forward." Carey approaches him with a calmness that makes me so fucking proud to call him mine. "Come on." He places a gentle arm around Jin's shoulder. "Let's give them a minute."
"But—"
"Trust me. I know your brother, and he knows mine. They need to do this their way."
Physically shaking, Jin looks back at Eden, but there is something in Carey's quiet confidence that convinces him.
When they disappear behind the cafe I turn back to Eden. He winces, flexing the fingers of his right hand and looking over his knuckles.
"Your brother is a better man than either of us."
Eden fists his hand again. "Don't start talking like you know him better than me."
"Is that not how you feel about Jin? Like you know him better than I do?"
Eden digs the heel of both his palms into the center of his forehead, then drags them out to his temples as he paces unevenly. "Just… Just, be quiet."
"Why? Because it's hard to hear the truth? I've spent more time with Carey in the past three months than you have in the last ten years."
"My god, Tek. Would you just shut the fuck up for a minute?"
"We don't have a minute. My parents could show back up at any time. And for Carey and Jin, we need to go in there united." I gesture towards the cafe.
Eden glares at me side on. "I need to hear you say sorry for the things you said to Jin."
"I've already apologized to him, but I'll say it as many times as you both need to hear."
"And what about the things you accused me of?"
My stomach knots. Jin is only nineteen, and even though I trust that their love for each other is genuine, my reaction was a logical one. "I'm sorry for that too. But honestly, how did you expect me to react?"
"Not like you did. Not like a crazed animal."
"You just punched me!" My voice raises.
Eden dismisses me with a wave of his hand. "That was a retaliation punch. I don't want to keep hurting you."
I roll my eyes. "My hero."
"Quit the attitude."
"Quit acting like a victim."
Eden turns to me face on. His shoulders square, and the extra height he holds is amplified tenfold. "I'm not a victim."
"Well you're definitely not a fucking saint.
On the surface, what we've done might look the same, but I never hid anything.
You never really asked about Carey, and what you did, I told you the truth.
I gave him a job at the shop. He is running the place better than Shawn ever did.
He's breathed a whole new life into it. But you…
You lied to me every time we spoke because you knew how worried I was about my brother.
You knew the toll it was taking on my mother. And you chose to let us suffer."
"I was protecting Jin."
"From the first day?"
Eden hesitates, looking away.
"From the first day?" I repeat.
Eden's jaw locks.
"I know you never liked him. And I believe him when he told me that he didn't know you were going to be at the cabin. But I can't believe that you gave a shit about his feelings when he first arrived."
"That's not even relevant now."
"To you maybe."
"Are you ever going to get over this?"
"Perhaps." I shrug. "But that will all depend on how much you grovel for your brother's forgiveness.
" Eden just stares, but I can tell he's analyzing every word.
"At the end of the day, I don't really care what you think about me.
We'll get over it, we've been through worse.
But you abandoned Carey without any word.
All he's ever wanted is to impress you, and for you to love him back. "
"I do love him."
"Then you need to start fucking showing it. All you've talked about is how I hurt you and Jin."
"That's because he's my priority."
"And Carey's mine!" I snap. "I shouldn't need to explain to you how unexpected this is for me. But I can promise that the only reason I exist is so I can wake up every morning and make sure he feels better than he did the day before."
"Okay, I get it."
"Do you?" I step closer. "Cause I love your brother. He's given me something I never thought I'd ever have again. And I'm willing to abide by whatever rules you lay down to make sure everything works out for him. Is that something you're willing to do for Jin?"
"Of course it is."
I sigh; "You really are the more stubborn one."
"Am not."
I widen my eyes. "Am too."
"Don't start."
"I'm not."
"For fuck's sake," Eden growls.
"Okay. Okay." I chuckle, and raise my hands in surrender. "But we are on the same team. We really shouldn't be fighting."
"I'm not fighting."
I dip my chin to my chest and just stare. No words necessary.
"Fine." Eden throws his arms out wildly to the side, and when they smack back against his body, he takes a deep breath before saying. "I think your father might actually kill me."
I smile and shake my head. "I don't think he's the one you need to worry about."