T.J. Klune - Bear, Otter, and the Kid 1 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune Page A

was stretched tight against his chest and shoulders. The sleeves strained against his arms. I wondered drunkenly what would happen if I made him angry; I bet I wouldnt like him when hes angry. I felt my mouth go dry and chose to sit in a chair opposite him instead of on the couch next to him, trying to get the image of Otter as the Hulk out of my head.
    I didnt know what to say so I said nothing. He didnt say anything, either, and in my mind it became a contest to see who could hold out the longest before speaking. My drunken mind found this fascinating, at least until my drunken mouth opened and said, “I cant do this, Otter.”
    “You cant do what, Bear?”
“I dont know. Dont listen to me. Im drunk and not making sense.” “What cant you do, Bear?” he repeated, and I swore at him in my head.
    “I cant… I cant take care of Ty,” I said, thinking Id meant to say something else but not knowing what it could possibly be.
He sighed. “Dont take this the wrong way, but you really dont have a choice in the matter. You have to.”
    “Its not fair.”
“No, its not.”
“I cant do it, Otter.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Were you going to leave?” I said abruptly.
This took him by surprise, and he recoiled as if Id slapped him. “What?”
    “Back when we told Ty that Mom had left, the Kid asked you if you were staying, and you said you were, and Creed said something. I dont remember what he said, but it made me think that you had plans to leave.”
He shook his head but didnt say anything. “Were you?” I insisted, suddenly needing an answer from him.
    “It doesnt matter, Bear,” Otter said quietly, looking away from me. “Yes, it does. You dont need to stay because of us.”
“Us?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Me and Ty.”
He shrugged. “I told you both I would.”
    “Dont sacrifice anything for us, Otter,” I said, feeling anger ignite in my stomach. “I have to do that enough myself already, so dont you do the same.”
    He didnt say anything back.
“Where are you going to go? Is it for work?”
He shook his head.
    “No? No, what? It wasnt for work?” I pushed, an edge in my voice. “Then what was it for? What were you going to do? When were you going to tell me?”
“Im not…,” he started then sighed.
     
“Dont be stupid, Otter. Answer the damn question. When are you leaving?”
    “Bear,” he said, his voice in that low warning tone. Usually it shut me up. Usually I stopped talking. But whether fueled by alcohol or rage, I couldnt drop it. I couldnt leave it alone.
“Why wont you tell me?”
     
“Bear, just leave it alone!” Otter got up and started pacing back and forth.
    “Fuck you. I wont! Tell me!”
“Im not going anywhere!”
“Why not!” I shouted, not caring if the Kid woke up.
    He stopped pacing, and his eyes flashed at me. “If you dont know already, then theres no point in telling you,” he spat at me.
I jumped up from my chair and stood in front of him, glaring up into his face. He scowled down at me, his eyes unflinching. I had never been that close to his face before and saw flecks of gold in the green of his eyes that I never knew existed. I wondered just how drunk I was because I felt my hands come up, and I knew I was going to punch Otter in the face or shove him to the ground. What I didnt expect was my hands to wrap around the back of his neck and slide gently up to his hair, still wet from the shower. What I didnt expect was for my hands to pull him toward me. What I didnt expect was for his lips to meet mine, a grunt of surprise pouring from his mouth. What I didnt expect was how warm he tasted and how good it felt and how I could tell when he got over his initial shock because he started to kiss me back , and my blood boiled, and I was electrified, and the whole universe shook to its core. Then I realized what was happening, what I was doing and who I was doing it with , and I froze as Otters hands trailed their way to my waist. As soon as his hands