right to be a little pissed off?
“Didn’t look like you needed someone to talk to.”
“So when you’re being a jerk I’m supposed to sit with you and get the silent treatment… again?”
Jerk? Jerk! How the hell?
Eyes widened, Riley whipped his head toward Hunter. His mouth opened, ready to pour out a stream of belligerent bullshit, when the doctor saying “Let’s get started” put the brakes on the verbal explosion.
Now he had no choice but to sit there and fume, and he managed that well for all of about ten minutes. Had it not been for all the mixed feelings and the anger over New Guy getting cozy with his man, Riley would’ve been content to keep his mouth shut and waste an hour of his day with people he couldn’t stand.
Oh, but he couldn’t do it. “How was I being a jerk?” he whispered bitterly, half not caring if they got called out for speaking out of turn.
“Are you shitting me? What? I’m supposed to embarrass myself in front of everyone and drag over the chair you pushed away ? I assumed that meant not to fuck with you.” Hunter’s whisper held a low growl, jaw clenching as he glared at Riley.
Someone outside the bubble of their argument cleared their throat. Both Hunter and Riley jerked their heads in the direction of the sound. It’d been the doctor with the funky mouth, and he didn’t appear to be pleased at all.
“Is there something you’d like to share, Mr. Connors?”
Riley shook his head.
“You, Mr. Morgan?”
“Nah,” Hunter bit out.
“May I proceed, then?” Doc asked.
Neither one of them said a word. Riley didn’t so much as cut his eyes, despite his wanting to.
They were relegated to sitting in silence again, Hunter doing whatever Hunter did, Riley staring at the floor, counting down the minutes until they were finally free to go back to their room. And who knew what kind of fresh hell awaited them there. For all Riley knew, Hunter had every intention of chewing him out, up one side and down the other.
The hour went by faster than Riley expected it to. Probably because he wasn’t looking forward to being alone in a room with Hunter. Wow, what a contradiction to how he’d felt last night. Now he seriously wondered what the hell Hunter’s angle was.
Riley entered their room first and immediately slid into his bed. He didn’t bother with blankets or removing his slippers. Right now he just wanted to sleep and pretend none of this ever happened—well, none of it save for meeting Hunter. It didn’t matter how mad he wanted to be at Hunter, Riley cherished every second they’d spent in each other’s lives.
Boy, didn’t that make him want to melt into a puddle of blah.
He curled around his pillow, facing the wall, because looking at Hunter right now made him think about the moment he stepped into the common area, just wanting to sit down next to his friend and spill his guts over his session with Dr. Landers, only to find Hunter hanging out with someone else, laughing and talking to someone else in a way he didn’t really laugh with Riley. Maybe Riley was too morose. Maybe he needed to lighten up and chill the fuck out. Maybe he’d pushed Hunter away just like he’d pushed his mom away after he’d been rescued.
I T WASN ’ T until he heard something scratching near his head that Riley realized he hadn’t been awake in some time. He’d slept hard, damn hard. So much so he’d drooled on his own arm, and wasn’t that disgusting. Hey, but at least he’d slept. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened, not to that extent anyway. His nights had remained pretty restless since the age of ten. He rubbed his arm across his mouth and raised his head, only to find Hunter sitting on the edge of Riley’s bed with a tray in his lap. The scratching sound had been the second tray being left on the nightstand.
“I brought your dinner,” Hunter said, tone even.
“Dinner?” Riley frowned. “What time is it?”
“A little after
“Didn’t look like you needed someone to talk to.”
“So when you’re being a jerk I’m supposed to sit with you and get the silent treatment… again?”
Jerk? Jerk! How the hell?
Eyes widened, Riley whipped his head toward Hunter. His mouth opened, ready to pour out a stream of belligerent bullshit, when the doctor saying “Let’s get started” put the brakes on the verbal explosion.
Now he had no choice but to sit there and fume, and he managed that well for all of about ten minutes. Had it not been for all the mixed feelings and the anger over New Guy getting cozy with his man, Riley would’ve been content to keep his mouth shut and waste an hour of his day with people he couldn’t stand.
Oh, but he couldn’t do it. “How was I being a jerk?” he whispered bitterly, half not caring if they got called out for speaking out of turn.
“Are you shitting me? What? I’m supposed to embarrass myself in front of everyone and drag over the chair you pushed away ? I assumed that meant not to fuck with you.” Hunter’s whisper held a low growl, jaw clenching as he glared at Riley.
Someone outside the bubble of their argument cleared their throat. Both Hunter and Riley jerked their heads in the direction of the sound. It’d been the doctor with the funky mouth, and he didn’t appear to be pleased at all.
“Is there something you’d like to share, Mr. Connors?”
Riley shook his head.
“You, Mr. Morgan?”
“Nah,” Hunter bit out.
“May I proceed, then?” Doc asked.
Neither one of them said a word. Riley didn’t so much as cut his eyes, despite his wanting to.
They were relegated to sitting in silence again, Hunter doing whatever Hunter did, Riley staring at the floor, counting down the minutes until they were finally free to go back to their room. And who knew what kind of fresh hell awaited them there. For all Riley knew, Hunter had every intention of chewing him out, up one side and down the other.
The hour went by faster than Riley expected it to. Probably because he wasn’t looking forward to being alone in a room with Hunter. Wow, what a contradiction to how he’d felt last night. Now he seriously wondered what the hell Hunter’s angle was.
Riley entered their room first and immediately slid into his bed. He didn’t bother with blankets or removing his slippers. Right now he just wanted to sleep and pretend none of this ever happened—well, none of it save for meeting Hunter. It didn’t matter how mad he wanted to be at Hunter, Riley cherished every second they’d spent in each other’s lives.
Boy, didn’t that make him want to melt into a puddle of blah.
He curled around his pillow, facing the wall, because looking at Hunter right now made him think about the moment he stepped into the common area, just wanting to sit down next to his friend and spill his guts over his session with Dr. Landers, only to find Hunter hanging out with someone else, laughing and talking to someone else in a way he didn’t really laugh with Riley. Maybe Riley was too morose. Maybe he needed to lighten up and chill the fuck out. Maybe he’d pushed Hunter away just like he’d pushed his mom away after he’d been rescued.
I T WASN ’ T until he heard something scratching near his head that Riley realized he hadn’t been awake in some time. He’d slept hard, damn hard. So much so he’d drooled on his own arm, and wasn’t that disgusting. Hey, but at least he’d slept. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened, not to that extent anyway. His nights had remained pretty restless since the age of ten. He rubbed his arm across his mouth and raised his head, only to find Hunter sitting on the edge of Riley’s bed with a tray in his lap. The scratching sound had been the second tray being left on the nightstand.
“I brought your dinner,” Hunter said, tone even.
“Dinner?” Riley frowned. “What time is it?”
“A little after
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