“There isn’t a law like that,” Rowan scowled. “People are just stupid, Kasen. They literally believe that we’re abominations. We’re sinners in their eyes, and do you want to know something?” He pointed a finger towards the ceiling and cocked his head to the side. “That guy up there? He would tell them they’re being idiots and He would disown them in a heartbeat. They think they’re doing what He wants, but they’ve never been more wrong.”
Kasen had to refrain from laughing as he shook his head, flicking his ashes into the ashtray, “Yeah, try telling that to people like my mom. You do know that’s why she hates me, right?”
“Fuck your ma,” Rowan replied in an icy tone. “She has no idea what she’s missing out on. You are a great person, Kasen.”
“I’m glad you think so,” He mumbled as he pushed himself up from his chair and stretched his arms over his head. “It’s almost time to go.”
“Yeah, I know,” Rowan was standing as well, rubbing at the back of his neck as he glanced at Kasen. “I’m giving you a lift home tonight.”
“Uh,” Kasen blinked. Okay, so that did make him feel better. He didn’t necessarily want to hitch a ride from Old Man Parker. With everything that was happening- who could he really trust? Besides, he was grateful Rowan was here in the first place. He would take the extra fifteen minutes of being with him, just because.
“Let’s get outta here,” Rowan added as he pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway.
It wasn’t long before Kasen had everything locked up and was ready to head out. He couldn’t wait to take a scalding hot shower and relax on his couch. He needed to see Houston and spend the next three hours venting to a silent audience. Dogs really were man’s best friend.
However, as Rowan held the door open for Kasen so they could make their exit, they quickly realized the night wasn’t over yet.
Chapter Twenty
It happened so fast. Rowan pressed his foot against the accelerator and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He glanced at Kasen occasionally, taking note of the blank expression on his face. Hell, maybe he just didn’t know how to feel; Rowan sure didn’t.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Rowan said as they approached the stoplight. He turned to gaze at him once the car came to a full stop. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” Kasen replied quietly as he blinked and lifted his head to stare at him. “Yeah, I heard you.”
Rowan’s free hand landed against Kasen’s thigh and he winced from the sharp pain pulsating through his wrist. It was probably sprained, but why wouldn’t it be after what happened?
He honestly hadn’t been expecting the bastards to be waiting outside for them, or more specifically; for Kasen. Maybe they hadn’t wagered on Rowan being there, but they must’ve been blind to miss his car sitting in the parking lot. He was honestly just grateful he was there when closing time rolled around, or else Kasen could’ve been….
No. Hell no. He refused to even think about that possibility. Kasen was okay; they were okay, though he couldn’t say the same for the two morons nursing their egos back on Parker Hill Road.
“They deserved it,” Rowan added as the light turned green and he continued on his way. “They had it coming, Kase.”
“Yeah,” Was Kasen’s quiet reply as he sank further into his seat.
It was only a matter of minutes before they pulled into the parking lot of Kasen’s apartment complex, and even after he put it into park, with a little difficulty given how much his wrist hurt, he wasn’t sure he wanted to let him out of his sight-especially after what had just happened.
“Are you okay?” Rowan asked as he turned the heat on a higher power.
“I think so,” Kasen mumbled, gazing at him with exhaustion written all over his face. “I just…..that was really bad, Rowan.”
“I took care of it, didn’t I?”
Of course, Rowan’s definition of ‘taking care of it’ involved beating two mindless thugs within an inch of their miserable lives before all but pushing Kasen into his car and taking off like a bat out of hell. What else was he supposed to do? They were going to attack Kasen, and God only knew what else they’d planned to do.
“We need to go to the police,” Kasen said as he seemingly became more alert than before. “They need to know what happened.”
“They won’t listen to us,” Rowan replied as he scratched at the scruff on his cheek. Maybe he should’ve shaved before leaving his house, but hell, what did it matter now? The cut on his lip throbbed like a bitch as his thumb brushed against it. “Besides, I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon enough. Those idjits will undoubtedly press charges against me. There’s nothing worse than getting your ass kicked by a fairy, right?”
Those weren’t his words, of course. One of the hillbillies waiting outside for Kasen had called them that, and well, Rowan sort of went into a fit of rage afterwards. He couldn’t even explain how it happened. The alarms sounded in his head and the only thought-no, the only urge-he had was to protect Kasen.
“I should get inside,” Kasen’s soft voice dispersed the flashbacks running through Rowan’s mind, and he turned his head in time to see Kasen reaching for the door handle. “Houston’s probably made a mess and as much as I don’t feel like cleaning it up, I need to.”
“Kase, wait….” But it was too late. He was already out of the car and Rowan felt his frustration growing. Why was Kasen being like this? Hadn’t he just saved him from two hillbilly homophobes?
He sighed and slumped back in his seat, wracking his brain for a solution to everything. Kasen was obviously still upset with him for his stupid decision, but couldn’t he cut him slack? He’d only been trying to do the right thing!
“Bullshit,” He muttered, shutting the car off as he got out and shut the door. He took the stairs, two at a time, until he was finally on the second level. He followed after Kasen’s retreating back, reaching out with his good hand just in the nick of time. “Hey, we need to-”
His statement was cut short as he noted the look on Kasen’s face, and he followed his gaze to see that the apartment door was already open. It was only a few inches, but he knew for a fact that Kasen always locked up tight before heading to work.
“Do you think there’s someone in there?” Kasen asked quietly.
Rowan’s fingers tightened around Kasen’s wrist as he frowned. This had gone too damn far. Vandalism and phone calls were one thing; but to show up at Kasen’s place of employment and break into his house, too? Hell no.
“Stay right here,” Rowan said lowly as he took a step forward.
“No!” Kasen’s loud whisper surprised him, and he stopped briefly to stare at him.
“What?”
“No,” Kasen repeated as he glared at him. “I’m not some damn damsel in distress that needs you to sweep in and save me every time something bad happens, Ro,” He huffed. “I can take care of myself, you know.”
Jesus H. Christ! What was wrong with him? Rowan stared at him, taken aback by his sudden outburst. Was that really how Kasen felt? Did Rowan give off some knight in shining armor vibe? He just cared about him and he didn’t want to see him get hurt…..was that really such a bad thing?
“Fine. I’m sorry,” Rowan finally said as he took a step back and lifted his hands up in surrender. “By all means, Captain America, bound in there and confront the intruder.”
-----------------------
Everyone had a limit and Kasen had reached his after receiving the first phone call. His patience for stupidity was gone. He didn’t mean to sound so cross with Rowan, but it was embarrassing to be so weak and vulnerable all the time. He was done being that guy. He wasn’t going to take anymore bullshit –from anybody- and this was just something he needed to do.
It didn’t matter if his heart was beating at a scary rate, or that he was trying to ignore the fear he felt from the beat down that had taken place only a few short minutes ago. He could’ve taken them…..no, that was a lie. They would’ve killed him if R
owan hadn’t been there. It was quite impressive to watch him fight, and under any other circumstances, Kasen would’ve found it to be incredibly hot.
Stop thinking about stuff like that, he scolded as he licked his lips and curled his fingers against his palm. Somebody’s in your apartment and you’ve got to go in there.
He glanced at Rowan briefly, “If I yell…..I might need your help,” He admitted. Why, oh why did he have to prove something right now? Why couldn’t he just let Rowan go inside and see if the burglar was still there?
Because he shouldn’t have to take care of me all the time, Kasen reminded himself as he inched the door open, wincing as it groaned. Shit.
“Be careful,” Rowan whispered.
He nodded and stepped inside.
The apartment was pitch black and Kasen was afraid to turn on the light. If the intruder was still inside, there was a good chance he would attack if he felt threatened.
He should feel threatened, Kasen thought bitterly as he took another cautious step further into his home. He broke into my house and he deserves to have his ass kicked.
Now whether or not Kasen was actually capable of kicking somebody’s ass….well, that was up for debate. He’d never been a violent person and he’d never caused any sort of disruptions in school. He was a lover, not a fighter.
Rowan’s a fighter, he thought. Oh yes, Rowan was definitely a fighter. Kasen had only seen awesome fight scenes in movies until tonight. Rowan was the real deal.
Stop thinking about Rowan right now! He sighed inaudibly, wanting nothing more than to smack himself in the face. He really needed to sort out his priorities- and he also wanted to prove he could take care of himself. That was the whole point to doing this, right?
Kasen couldn’t help but to feel like he was walking straight into a horror scene. He was probably going to round the corner and a seven feet tall masked psycho killer would be waiting for him with a large kitchen knife.
Do I even have any large kitchen knives? He wondered briefly as he slowly peered around the corner to eye the bathroom. The lights were off. He couldn’t see a damn thing. Maybe he needed to pull his cellphone out so he could have some light.
A hand landed on his shoulder then, and he damn near jumped right out of his boots as he yelped.
“Holy sh-”
A warm palm covered his mouth as a hard body pressed his against the wall. It was Rowan.
“Shhh!” Rowan’s lips were suddenly near his ear, hot breath fanning against his skin. “It’s just me.”
“What…the fuck?” Kasen panted heavily as Rowan removed his hand and he had to fight the urge to punch him. “You scared the shit out of me!” He whispered loudly.
“I’m sorry,” Rowan whispered back. “But you’ve been in here for a while and I was getting worried.”
“I was trying to be stealthy,” Kasen blinked. “Like a ninja, you know?”
“A ninja?” Rowan repeated, holding his cellphone up so the soft light could illuminate the space around them. It was easier to see his look of bewilderment now.
“Well, yeah,” Kasen nodded, willing his heart to calm down as his head fell back against the wall. “But now I may need to change my pants. Thanks for that.”
Rowan released a deep chuckle of amusement, and no matter what else had happened already, Kasen found himself wanting to laugh with him.
“I think it’s all clear,” Rowan continued as he took a step away from Kasen and then turned on his heels to head for the kitchen. The light was switched on then, and Kasen had to blink a few times to get his eyes to adjust. “Is anything missing?”
“This place is a mess…..” The sadness in Kasen’s eyes was evident as they observed the damage done to his place. Furniture was tossed about, posters ripped from the walls, and even his damn dishes had been shattered against the floor. Why?
“Damn it,” He muttered, shaking his head slowly. “This is bullshit,” He bounded down the hallway towards his bedroom.
Please still be there. Please still be there, He pleaded silently as he pushed his bedroom door open and stepped inside. He was meaning to check on the money he’d been stashing away for a new laptop, but another thought hit him. It felt like the wind was knocked out of his lungs and his stomach fell to his feet simultaneously. He ran back into the living room as quickly as his legs would carry him.
He couldn’t imagine what the look on his face said, but gaging from Rowan’s expression, it must’ve been a mixture of horror and panic.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked, reaching out to grab his arm. “Kasen?”
“Houston,” He whispered, lifting a hand to run trembling fingers through his hair. “We do have a problem.”
----------------------
“Thank you, Chief Brooks,” Rowan said as he shook the officer’s hand. He watched the older male as he got into his cruiser and pulled out of the driveway, sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest. The entire night had been a complete nightmare, but he was grateful he’d been there for Kasen.
Thankfully, his house was untouched, but who was to say how long that would actually last? Rowan had his suspicions that there were more than just two homophobic hooligans out there determined to make their lives hell, and he needed to find out the ‘who’ as soon as possible.
Stepping back inside, he shut the door and locked it. He even went as far as double checking the lock before making his way down the hallway to his bedroom. That’s where he found Kasen.
“Hey,” He said tiredly, leaning against the doorframe as he gazed at him. “You doing okay?”
Kasen’s eyes moved away from the painting he’d been staring at, and he gave the faintest of smiles. Rowan wasn’t sure he actually liked that smile; it was forced and didn’t reach Kasen’s eyes as it often did in the past.
“Not really,” Kasen responded with a shake of his head. “My dog’s missing. My apartment is trashed. Someone wants to kill me and probably would’ve succeeded tonight if you hadn’t been there. So no, Ro, I’m not doing okay. I’m so fucking far from it.”
Kasen wasn’t the type to use a lot of profanity, but Rowan was quickly learning the colorful language would spew forth when the guy was stressed out or upset. He could appreciate that.
They stood there for several long moments before Rowan decided to break the silence, “I was trying to prevent this from happening,” He said softly.
“You can’t prevent stupidity,” Kasen replied as he eased down onto the corner of the mattress and bowed his head. “I guess a part of me always knew something like this would happen. It’s not your fault, ya know.”
“Isn’t it?” Rowan asked as he joined him on the bed, keeping his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he turned his head to look at him. “I mean, this wouldn’t be happening if I’d just ignored the attraction I felt for you.”
Kasen lifted his head to gaze at him, his expression softening considerably as his bottom lip found its way between his teeth.
“I just…really like you,” Rowan confessed as he licked his lips. “And I wanted to spend time with you. For the first time in a long time, Kase, I was happy and it’s all because of you. I’m sorry this happened.”
“Rowan….” Kasen’s voice drifted off as he shifted on the bed, stretching his legs out as he seemingly tried to find the words he wanted to say. Rowan would’ve given anything to be able to read his mind. “I really like you, too, and you know that. I get why you felt you had to do it, but don’t you realize we’re not the first couple that’s had to go through this? And we won’t be the last. There are plenty of gay people in the world who have to fight for what they want and who they love. The fight’s gotten a little easier over the last few years, but it’s far from over.
“It’s not just gay people either,” He sighed. “What about interracial couples? Or young guys attracted to older women? The thing that’s so screwed up about humanity is that people are taught to fear what’s different. They think they have to question it instead of ju
st accepting it. It doesn’t make any sense to me ‘cause I mean, if you’re happy….what does it matter?”
Kasen was stammering. Rowan could tell he was struggling to say each word as the emotion in his voice grew thick. He immediately leaned over, collecting the younger male into his arms as he crushed him against his chest and planted a soft kiss to his hairline.
“It doesn’t matter,” Rowan whispered. “It shouldn’t matter,” He closed his eyes, breathing Kasen’s scent in and allowing it to fog his mind. They would get through this, wouldn’t they? Kasen meant so much to him, and even with his brief moment of stupidity and bad judgment, Rowan realized he didn’t want to give this kid up. What if there was something more that could happen between them?
“And now Houston’s gone,” Kasen sniffled. “What kind of person can sleep soundly at night after stealing another man’s dog? Why would they do that? Why do they have to keep hurting us? What did we ever do to them?”
Kasen was suddenly pulling away and Rowan was helpless to stop him. The tears were back in his blue eyes and the anger was easy to see brewing in the swirling depths of his hues.
“I want my dog back,” Kasen seethed. “I want my dog back and I want those assholes to pay for what they’ve done. Not just to me, but to you, too. I want people to get over themselves and let us live in peace. They don’t have to like it, but they need to respect it. You don’t see me going to another person’s house and trashing the place just because they like something I don’t!”
“I know,” Rowan said quietly as he watched him pace the floor.
“I don’t want people who are different to suffer anymore. I don’t want gay guys to be beaten and killed because of what their heart wants, and I don’t want to see young kids killing themselves over bullying from their narrow minded classmates,” He sobbed. He was having a meltdown and Rowan didn’t know how to prevent it. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to; maybe this was what Kasen needed. He just had to let it all out.
“I want to go out there and hold a guy’s hand without being afraid,” Kasen whispered as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. “I want everybody –no matter who they are or what they want- to have the ability to walk down the street without somebody opening their mouth and saying it’s not right. Because love is always right, Rowan,” He stared at him with wild, heartbroken eyes. “Love is love is love, and damn it….I shouldn’t be hated for loving somebody.”
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