by Trina Solet
As she threw her arms around his neck, she said, "It's OK to be sad, even if he was a bastard to you."
She stepped back and straightened her glasses which had gone crooked from hugging him.
"You're a good sister," Blake told her. His voice was unexpectedly hoarse.
"She's not bad," Finn said as he joined them and put his arm over Blake's shoulder.
Just as they were going in to eat, Blake got a call. It was Gabby, Roberto's sister, and she was whispering. At first Blake couldn't make out what she was saying. He did catch Reese's name and his heart started beating fast.
"A man with an eye patch is here looking for Reese. I'm hiding in the store room," Gabby said.
Blake realized that she was at the bodega. "Call the cops right now," he told her urgently.
"He isn't doing anything," she said. "Just looking around. I have the baseball bat ready if he tries anything."
"If he doesn't leave soon, call the police. Tell them there's a man in the store acting suspicious. I'll be right over there," Blake told her.
She said OK then hung up.
Blake started to rush out. Then he remembered that the twins drove him there.
"What's going on?" Finn asked.
"The one eyed man is at the bodega. Let me borrow the car," Blake said.
"We'll drive you," Dee Dee said.
"Fuck! No!" Blake snapped.
"Do you have time to argue?" Finn asked him.
"I have time to tell your mother to keep you home," Blake threatened.
"And find the car keys?" Dee Dee asked.
"Fine. I'm driving," Blake said. All he could hope for was to keep them in the car.
Chapter 15
When they got to Collins Street, Blake saw a police car parked in front of the bodega. He parked across the street but a few yards back. Then he waited and watched. After a little while, two uniformed cops came out with the one eyed man between them.
Blake took a long hateful look at that man. Except for his eye patch, he seemed ordinary. He was balding with a shaved head, the hair just starting to grow out. His nondescript features gave no clue about what kind of scum he was. Though fairly short, he had a stocky, strong looking body. Blake wondered if he built it up in prison.
He was hoping that's where he was headed again, but then he saw the one eyed man walk away from the two cops. Blake wished they had found some reason to arrest him, but they were just letting him go.
Fuming, Blake watched the man get into his car, an old white Buick. He memorized his license plate as the car pulled away from the curb and drove off.
"Aren't we going to follow him?" Dee Dee asked in alarm as the one eyed man disappeared down the street.
"No," Blake said curtly. He would follow if Finn and Dee Dee weren't in the car with him. He got out and went into the bodega.
"Are you OK?" Blake asked Manuela.
She nodded just as Gabby came out from the back with a baseball bat in hand and went over to hug her mother. She must have been hiding even after the cops got there.
"I was restocking, and I heard the guy ask about Reese, and I knew not to come out," Gabby said. "Mama says I'm a bad liar."
"You are," her mother confirmed.
"When Mama didn't tell him anything, he just hung around like he had nothing better to do," Gabby said.
"Did he ask for you or Roberto?" Blake asked her.
"No. He never said anything about us. He described Reese and asked if Mama had seen him. He said he was Reese's uncle."
"Gross," Blake said, disgusted by that lie. Then he wondered, "Why didn't you call Reese?"
"I wasn't sure if he was still in town. If he was, he would get all protective and rush over here. I wanted to keep him away," Gabby explained. "I needed someone with a cool head."
"Is that why you didn't call Roberto?"
"Pretty much," Gabby admitted.
Blake's main worry was that Randal Mayes might come back there. Manuela assured him that she would get the word out on Collins Street about the one eyed man. That way he wouldn't be able to bother her again without the cops being called on him right away. As an added precaution, Roberto would be sticking around more.
Blake left the bodega with Mayes visit weighing on his mind. He had come too close to his target by looking for Reese there. Damn. Reese had been right to want to leave town.
In a state of tension and worry, Blake had to call Reese to make sure he was OK. He was still with Patty and Simone. Blake was relieved to hear his voice. He didn't give him all the details though, just told him to go back to the motel.
"Where to now?" Finn asked after Blake got off the phone and they all headed to the car.
"First to the motel then you two are going home," Blake told them.
"But we didn't feed you," Dee Dee complained.
"Let's go somewhere and eat," Finn said.
"You two can go, but I need to go talk to Reese."
"We can all go then," Dee Dee said.
"Guys, you've horned in enough," Blake told them since they had forced him to take them to Manuela's.
"He wants alone time with Reese," Finn said and made a kissyface.
"If that will get you to go home, then yes," Blake confirmed.
He had the kids drop him off at the motel. As they drove away, he waved then went up to the room to wait for Reese. He didn't go in though. The wind was picking up, bringing with it a damp cold that promised rain. Blake could see dark clouds being blown in over the rooftops as he stood on the walkway in front of his motel room. He just couldn't be cooped up inside that small room. He was too impatient to see Reese.
It wasn't long before Patty and Simone drove into the parking lot and Reese got out of the back seat. Seeing Blake where he was waiting, elbows against the railing, Reese stared up at him.
When he came up, Reese was a little chilled from the wind. Blake hugged him, wanting to warm him up and feel him in his arms as proof that he was OK. Reese grunted in surprise then pulled him even closer. Now that he was holding him, Blake had trouble letting go. He was so happy Reese was there.
Once they got inside the room, Blake talked to him about Mayes' visit to the bodega. Reese had already been on the phone with Gabby and Roberto. He was worried about the two of them and their mom, but Blake's top priority was Reese.
"There's one way to keep everyone safe, you most of all. We need to leave town," Blake told him.
"Both of us together?" Reese asked. His worried frown was gone. He narrowed his eyes while an uncertain smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Yes, if you want," Blake said. He sounded a lot less sure of himself now that Reese's eyes were on him. He kind of felt hot and uncomfortable as well as afraid that Reese might not want to go away with him.
"So we're finally going to run away together," Reese said ruefully.
"I guess so," Blake looked down, reminded of how Reese had to go off on his own.
"Don’t get shy now," Reese told him, stepping closer. Taking Blake's chin in his hand, he tilted his head up.
Forced to face him, Blake said, "I know we have unfinished business."
"Did you want to deal with it on the road?" Reese asked.
"No. I just don't know how to start. I have a lot to make up for. You had it so rough, and I only added to your pain," Blake told him.
Reese disagreed with a shake of his head. Stepping away from Blake, he paced.
"That's not true. You were the bandage for all my wounds. I would forget everything that was going on at home when I was with you. I would get so lost in you." Reese looked at him and his eyes filled with pain as he continued. "And then that last year, you wouldn't even acknowledge that I existed, like I was transparent, like I was nothing. I had no reason to stick around. I ran. But on the street, I was invisible to everyone except the men who wanted to fuck me."
"Sorry I failed you," Blake said, his voice coming out hoarse, choked off with sorrow and regret.
"Just don't do it again
," Reese said simply. Strangely, he didn't look mad when he said that. "But are you really sure you want to go off with me this time? If it's only because you feel guilty for turning your back on me..."
Blake didn't let him finish. "I do feel guilty, but that's not why. I need you in my life. I can't be happy without you. I wasted years when I could have been with you. Even worse, I wasn't there when you needed me."
"I did OK," Reese said. He never did want to admit how much help he needed.
"So you don’t need me?" Blake asked pointedly.
"I need you more than I could say." The look in Reese's eyes left no doubt that he meant he needed Blake in his heart.
"I don't deserve you," Blake whispered.
"What does deserving have to do with it?" Reese said with a teasing look in his eyes.
Good thing he felt that way or Blake wouldn't stand a chance. He needed to be with Reese more than anything. It was a need he felt down to his bones. He would go anywhere to be with him. But all he had to do was take one step to hold Reese in his arms. As Reese sighed against his shoulder, Blake closed his eyes with relief. Wherever they went, they would be together.
Blake was ready to abandon school, his job, his apartment, everything to be with Reese. When he asked Reese where he wanted to go, Reese simply said, "With you." As Blake stared at him in wonder, Reese added, "I don’t care where we go. I already gave up what little I had to be able to see you. I half expected you might reject me again. I didn’t care."
"Have I mentioned just how much I don’t deserve you?" Blake said.
"Yes, and I'm sick of hearing it. You need to go back to school. That's where we'll go," Reese decided. He was making this way too easy on Blake.
It was weird, but the hard part might be leaving that motel room. Blake looked over at the bed. It wasn't just a motel bed any more. It was the bed he and Reese shared.
"We should pack up and go," Blake said to make himself move. He got his duffel bag and started stuffing his things in it.
"Right this minute? You can't leave like that. You just found your brother and sister," Reese told him and took a rolled up t-shirt out of his hand.
"They aren't going anywhere," Blake said. He did hate to leave them so soon, but he was planning to go back to school in a few days anyway.
"You need more time with them," Reese said.
"I'll keep in touch. Right now I need to get you away from here."
"You have to tell them you're leaving," Reese insisted.
"I'll call them."
"Blake, how did you like it when I left town without saying goodbye? Do you really want to do that to them?" Reese asked him.
That certainly hit home. Blake was silent. He remembered the gut wrenching feeling very well. He felt lost, abandoned, and scared of what might happen to Reese. God help him, he even felt rejected.
"OK. We can stop by their house and leave from there," Blake conceded.
"You're still planning to leave right away?"
"Why not?" Blake asked. He didn't understand Reese's reluctance to leave.
"We can stay one more night."
"Too many people know you're here."
"One more night. Now lets go tell your brother and sister we're leaving in the morning."
"OK." Blake looked back at the bed, glad they were coming back to it. He wondered if Reese felt the same way and that's why he wanted to stay a little longer.
Chapter 16
The two of them drove over to Elway Gardens to tell Finn and Dee Dee that they planned to leave the next day. When they arrived in front of their house, it was only just starting to rain. The rain was sparse, and the low sun shone through it, even throwing a small rainbow among the treetops.
When Finn opened the door to them, he and Dee Dee were very surprised to see Blake again so soon. They didn't like hearing the reason.
"You can't leave," Dee Dee said in alarm. "It's too soon."
Finn echoed her disappointment. "Not cool. We haven't finished training you to be our big brother."
When Yu Lin joined them to see why her kids were making such a fuss, Blake took the opportunity to introduce Reese to her. She smiled at him then at Blake like she approved.
"We were going to ask you to come over for dinner," Dee Dee said with a pout. "You too," she said turning to Reese.
"It was going to be tomorrow, but we can make it tonight. You can stay that long," Finn said and frowned threateningly at Blake then at Reese just in case they were thinking of refusing.
"That should be OK," Reese decided before Blake could answer.
Just as well since Blake couldn't bring himself to say no to them. He nodded in agreement.
"It won't be anything fancy just what we can throw together," Yu Lin said.
"Why are we throwing? We can order in," Finn said.
"Dee Dee wanted to make a homemade dinner for Blake," his mother explained.
But Dee Dee now agreed with Finn. "There's no time. I don't want to cook and do dishes when they're leaving tomorrow. I want us to hang out."
"OK. I'll take care of it. I'll order something from Amilia's," Yu Lin said indulgently. As she got on her phone, the twins clustered around her making menu demands.
That allowed Blake a minute with Reese out of earshot.
"Are you really OK with staying for dinner?" Blake asked him.
"I don’t mind a taste of a normal life," Reese said as he looked around.
"I don’t know about normal, but they are all nice," Blake said.
"If it wasn't for your dad, you could have known them all along," Reese said.
"I can't put it all on him. They went looking for me when they were fourteen. I had years to come see them, but I never did."
"Typical," Reese said with a shake of his head. "You really do need to be hunted down like an animal by the people in your life."
Blake groaned. He couldn't deny the truth of that.
When Dee Dee and Finn came over to join the two of them, they told him that there was one more guest for dinner.
"Grandma Xin Qian is coming over," Dee Dee said. Her expression was caught somewhere between eager and cautious.
"Good luck, man. You'll need it," Finn said. His expression wasn't ambiguous. It clearly said, "You are dead meat."
The reason for his attitude arrived just as Yu Lin and the kids were done setting up the table with takeout served in nice dishes. The twins' grandmother was very businesslike as she came in. She looked like she was there to do a surprise inspection not have dinner. At odds with her attitude, she was dressed like a hippy in a long, tie-died skirt and an embroidered shirt. Her hair was graying, cut straight at chin level.
After taking in everything, her eyes settled on Blake as he was introduced to her. She looked him up and down then she stepped closer. With her chin raised, she looked hard at his face.
"You look too much like your father for my liking," she said.
"Mom!" Yu Lin said, sounding kind of like Dee Dee. She looked ready to apologize to Blake for her outspoken mother.
"It's OK. I agree," Blake reassured Yu Lin and smiled at the twins' grandmother. "It wasn't my choice."
"Just make sure it's only skin deep," Xin Qian said.
"Mom, please don't lecture him," Yu Lin told her.
The look on Xin Qian's face clearly said that she would do as she pleased. She turned back to Blake with a brighter look in her eyes.
"I guess you're family," she said to him.
"I guess so," Blake said. He smiled but he was kind of close to crying too. It was weird how good it was to hear those words. Blake felt like he was officially being welcomed back into the family from which his father had exiled him. Reese must have known what he was feeling because he grinned at him. Having him there just made everything better.
They went to sit down, and the twins' grandmother made a toast. "To the next generation. May they live up to their potential."
"You are not supposed to use a toast to scold us," Finn objected.
>
His grandmother only shrugged. During dinner, Finn and Dee Dee dominated the conversation.
"Dee is a scardy cat. She didn't even want to come out of our mom," Finn said.
Dee Dee rolled her eyes and their mother cringed.
"It's true. I'm twelve minutes older than her," Finn said. "She made me go first, and she wouldn't come out till I gave the all clear."
"You probably just elbowed me out of the way so you could be first," Dee Dee told him.
Blake couldn't believe they were arguing about their birth. He had no first hand experience until now, but he had a feeling that, like old married people, siblings could argue about anything. Their mother and grandmother took it in stride while Reese seemed to be enjoying the show. He smiled at Blake like he was congratulating him on his newfound family.
When they were done with dinner, the twins cleared the table. Blake got up to help too. It seemed like a brotherly thing to do. Taking the dishes into the kitchen, he noticed a picture on the fridge of little Dee Dee hugging little Finn while he made a funny face at the camera. He had trouble reconciling that image of him with a Finn who was lusting after a closeted baseball player.
"That's us in first grade. I loved school so much," Dee Dee said. She was a nerd through and through.
"Except she was too shy, and some of the other kids thought they could pick on her. If I saw them, it was war. But I picked on her more than anyone. It's a big brother's privilege. Don't you get any ideas," Finn said to Blake.
"I think I'm too old to pick on you," Blake claimed, though he could pick on Finn a little. He was kind of asking for it.
"You're never too old for that. I'll be picking on Dee until I'm old, gray and toothless," Finn asserted and turned on the water to rinse off the dishes.
Now that he couldn't hear, Dee Dee sidled up to Blake. "When we were little, Finn would beat up anyone for me. He got into so much trouble. But really I was just a big crybaby," Dee Dee whispered and grinned.
Looking around some more, Blake saw a faded kid's drawing that was hanging on the fridge. He noticed that Dee Dee had signed it, but one of the Dee's was crossed out.
