Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 140629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
It had been the other way around, but he was so confused about where he started and where Gunner began at this point that it didn’t seem to matter.
Dad got to his feet, eyes wide. “Why did you have peanuts? You know you’re not supposed to have them! Caspian!”
“I was upset after the argument with Alex and ate a cake without checking the label. But he was there, and he—took care of me,” Caspian muttered, dropping back into the armchair, weighed down by his parents’ scrutiny.
Mom rubbed her forehead, flushed behind her mug. “Okay, so, is this Gunner person a serious boyfriend?”
It was well-intentioned and softly-spoken, but the question still felt like a punch in the gut. Caspian swallowed and shook his head, his heart like a ball of lead dragging him to the bottom of a dark ocean. “We—we split up.”
In that moment, he knew that he’d never get over his regret.
Tears filled his eyes all too quickly and spilled down his cheeks. He’d fallen for Gunner so fast, so intensely, but their relationship had been built on the foundation of snow that had now melted.
Mom reached him within half a second and pulled him into a hug. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. We had no idea what was going on with you.”
Sinking into her arms was relief, but the embrace couldn’t soothe the pain of knowing that he’d never get to hold Gunner again. Maybe his heart would cover the thorn there with hardened tissue, but it would always remain there, stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Chapter 29 – Gunner
This was worse than detox. Gunner had no idea he’d become addicted to Caspian’s presence, but a week later, he was starved for his touch, craving Caspian’s attention, and an overall mess of a human being. It didn’t help that he’d been uprooted from his home, and his so-called friends had all turned their backs on him. A few acquaintances still talked to him at the gym, but Gunner was well aware that his life would be very different from now on.
He wasn’t about to roll over and show his soft underbelly to just anyone, but he didn’t want to be the old Gunner either, and planned to make amends for the shitty things he’d done in the past.
If he was to clean up his act, the first step was to bite the bullet and have a serious chat with Snowman. Whether he liked it or not, the unsavory business he was now attempting to escape had funded the debt payments, so there had to be a way to go around it. He felt like a fool even hoping for such miracles, because no one cared about his personal problems when money was involved, but there was no shame in asking.
He could only ignore reality for so long, so he promised Zahra he’d pick up some cookies from the amateur baker who lived at the trailer park and ventured out of her home, followed by Dingo.
Gunner was surprised Snowman hadn’t knocked on his door already, but maybe the cokehead had enough decency left in him to give Gunner a few days’ slack following the fire. He presumed the kindness wouldn’t come cheap, but he didn’t want to look as though he was avoiding the issue.
With a cigarette in hand, Gunner leaned down to pet Dingo’s head when the dog whined, staring toward his former home, as if he could still smell his mistress. “I know, I know, Madge had you for many years— How old are you anyway?” He frowned, wondering how this strange magic worked. He and Caspian had swapped twice already, but Noah hadn’t been granted the lottery win. Gunner had experimented with drinking Madge’s alcohol in case that was the trigger, but he hadn’t gotten his wish either.
Dingo barked at him and dashed forward, greeted by the brilliant laughter of two small boys playing in front of one of the trailers. A part of Gunner worried the children might accidentally wish on something and get stuck in a situation they couldn’t comprehend, but Madge had never restrained her dog, so he left Dingo with the children and approached the gray box-like building close to the gate.
Snowman’s office was at the back, but as he passed the windows of the administrator’s quarters, one of them opened, and Phyllis’s bright blonde head peeked out. “There you are! We need to talk about next month’s rent!”
“Rent? My trailer’s burned down,” Gunner muttered, facing her with a deep frown, but Phyllis didn’t miss a beat and raised a cigarette to her wrinkled mouth.
“It’s still taking up space on my property. If you want to leave, you’ll have to remove what’s left of your home and clear the slot.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me—”
Gunner let Mozart play in his mind, because he’d vowed to become a better person, and violence wasn’t the way to achieve that. He needed to control his impulsive behavior, because the last time he let himself go, his attack on Alex had almost ruined Caspian’s life. And while Phyllis was being heartless, it was her right to demand payment for the services she provided, so he took a deep breath and, much calmer, met her gaze.