Dichotomy of Love - 16. Part Two. Chapter Four.

Kyan twisted his hands together and stared at the concrete under his feet. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The question felt like sandpaper grating on his tongue. Kyan was the one who’d avoided this dreaded conversation. This wasn’t on Perry.

It’s just that staying at a resort with crystal blue pools, vibrant palm trees, and rocky ocean cliffs was a captivating wonderland which made it that much easier to get lost in the dream of it all. The warm salty air, the swaying trees, and the island breeze were picturesque. The perfect background to imagine yourself falling in love again. There was a reason Hollywood used Turtle Bay time and time again to film blockbuster movies.

But now it seemed reality was about to crash down on his carefully constructed fantasy bubble.

In his heart, Kyan thought he might be falling in love again. Maybe even falling in love for the first time. If he was, he couldn’t have this hanging over his head. Despite the mega pint of worms he’d just opened, part of him was relieved. He was tired of feigning ignorance, tired of feeling like a bum. If things between him and Perry were going to move forward, and he hoped they were, hard conversations needed to take place. It was time to face the truth.

Perry looked at him, as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I mean, it was in the budget…”

Kyan squeezed his eyes closed. Perry was probably right. If Kyan had dared to look at the budget instead of distracting Perry with the kids, dinner, games, movies, or whatever, he would have seen the truth all along. Instead, he avoided the dwindling budget like Gracie avoided a good hair day. Kyan let his fear win.

Perry squared himself in front of Kyan and grabbed his knees so he couldn’t move. “Is this what’s been bothering you all day?”

Kyan nodded.

“This was meant to give you freedom.”

Kyan scoffed. “Give me freedom? I can’t buy a soda without guilt.”

“You can buy whatever you want, within reason, and I think a soda is well within reason. I hope this isn’t why you never buy yourself anything.”

“Of course it is! I hate feeling like I have to justify every purchase, even for the kids. Now that I know you’re paying for everything, I…” Kyan leaned forward until his head was between his legs, feeling on the verge of a panic attack. He dreaded this conversation, but it was so much worse now that he and Perry were more than just brothers-in-law. “I more than like you, and I don’t want you to resent me or, like, get angry if things don’t work out.”

Perry slid out of the chair and kneeled in front of Kyan, forcing him to look at his beautiful, smiling face and comforting green eyes. “I more than like you, too. And I might pay for things when we go out and whatnot, which I love doing, but I’m not paying for everything. I’m not even paying for most things.”

Kyan bit his lip to keep from smiling. Perry more than liked him. He suspected the feeling was mutual, but it was nice to hear it. If they could get past the money thing, if Kyan got a job…

“Wait…” Kyan sat back, and his eyes widened as Perry’s words sank in. “If you’re not paying, then who…”

“Mom and Dad.”

Kyan’s heart took off like a herd of wild horses trying to outrun a cowboy. “That’s worse!” he cried. “Why would they do that?” His panic teetered on the threshold, held at bay only by the presence of Perry.

“Maybe you should ask them yourself.”

Kyan barely mustered the courage to broach the conversation with Perry, the man he wanted to talk about everything with. How was he going to do this with his in-laws? Kyan pressed his forehead against Perry’s. “I liked it better when I thought you were paying for everything.”

Perry chuckled and played with Kyan’s fingers in a cute, kind of flirty way that made Kyan smile. “I liked that better, too. But alas, I cannot take all the glory.”

“Do you think I’m a total loser?”

Perry shook his head.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Perry leaned back and furrowed his brows. “You don’t have to do anything.”

“I can’t freeload off your parents.”

He smiled and pressed his lips against Kyan’s tenderly, calming Kyan’s anxious heart a little. Perry ran his thumb over Kyan’s freshly kissed bottom lip. “You're not freeloading.”

“Of course I am. I haven’t worked since Dayna died.”

“I’d argue you’ve worked harder than ever. Parenting is no easy job.”

The corner of Kyan’s lips curled against his will. Of course, Perry would find a way to boost his mood and make him feel like he was worth something. The words made a little of the weight dissipate.

Kyan ran his hands up Perry’s thighs in a half-hearted attempt at seduction. “I’d argue you just want me to suck your dick.”

“That has nothing to do with this,” Perry said, laughing. He shoved Kyan backward, sending him sprawling on his chaise lounge chair.

Kyan sighed and scooted upright. All jokes aside, he felt like an indentured servant. When his head was in the sand, he ruled his own roost, but the truth was worse than he thought. It wasn’t Perry who owned him; it was his in-laws.

It catapulted Kyan back to the childhood he clawed his way out of. While his upbringing wasn’t inherently terrible, the walls were rigid. He never had the chance or the freedom to figure out who he was. Navigating the myriad of emotions life threw at him, or having the chance to succeed or fail on his own wasn’t an option.

He didn’t know how to handle things with Jed and Trudy. It was a skill set he was never taught. Now that money wasn’t impacting his relationship with Perry, he wanted to put his head back in the sand. Maybe he could convince Perry to leave the conversation alone.

Except that wasn’t the right answer. Kyan was being a coward.

“Daaaaad!” Ava shouted as she ran across the pool deck with a glowing smile and eyes that couldn’t wait to tell him about all the fun she had. Kyan braced himself as she threw herself at him so they wouldn’t topple over.

“Did you have the best time with Grandma and Grandpa?”

”We were so awesome!” she gushed and began talking at the speed of light, trying to beat her siblings to the punch as they crawled onto the chaise lounge and covered Kyan like a litter of wound-up puppies. He could hardly keep up as the four simultaneously told him about the games, the sunken ship, the airplanes, the military people, and the popcorn while trying to keep his gentleman parts from being smashed and kneed. He smiled and nodded, giving each kid as much attention as possible until they ran out of steam.

“Can we swim?” Noah asked abruptly. Kyan loved that about his kids. The ease with which they moved on to bigger and better things ceased to amaze him.

“Of course. Let’s head up and get changed.”

Perry squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll take them up.” He nodded toward his parents, standing nearby, looking a little tired but smiling happily at their grandkids' excitement.

Talk to them, Perry mouthed.

Kyan looked at his in-laws and swallowed. It was now or never because he was a giant pile of chicken crap. He took a deep breath. “How were the kids?”

“They were simply Wonderful,” Trudy said with the biggest smile he’d ever seen.

“There was so much going on,” Jed added. “Not a dull moment with those kids. But it was fun, and we think the kids had a great time.”

“Sounds like it.”

“How was your day?” She asked. “Did you guys find anything fun to do?”

“We went to town where Perry kept the economy afloat.”

Jed and Trudy laughed. “Perry doesn’t shop often, but when he does, watch out!”

“So I learned.”

“Did you get anything good?”

“Oh, no.”

“Nothing struck your fancy?”

It was now or never. Kyan gestured for them to take a seat on the empty chaise lounge Perry had previously used. “I actually want to talk to you guys about that.” He glanced at the balcony where his rooms were, hoping Perry would be standing there in support, knowing they hadn’t even made it to the elevator yet.

He took a deep breath and blurted, “I know you guys are paying my bills.”

Jed and Trudy looked unphased. “And?”

“Well… you shouldn’t have to do that.”

“Of course, we don’t have to.”

“Jessica told me I can work with her in the office, so I think I’ll take her up on that.”

Trudy’s brows furrowed. “Why? The kids are so little. Gracie isn’t even in school yet.”

“I don’t want to take advantage ‌of your generosity. I feel like I should work for it.”

“Oh, Kyan.” Trudy grabbed his hand the way she famously did to everyone she comforted. “You're doing the most important job in the world. You’re raising our grandbabies and you’re doing it so well. No one in the world can do it better than you.”

“Oh.” His eyes stung. “Thank you.”

Jed cleared his throat. “Blink and your kids are grown and having babies of their own. Sometimes, in the worst of cases, you bury your own child. Believe me when I tell you that every minute is a gift. Keeping you home with the kids is what’s best for everyone. Not just you, but for them and us.”

“The entire family,” Trudy added in agreement, looking at her husband with great affection.

Despite his best efforts, tears rolled down Kyan’s cheeks. “I worry you’ll resent me or think I’m taking advantage of you.”

Jed chuckled. “As if we thought you were capable of such a thing.”

“It can’t be cheap,” he reasoned, trying to find leverage where he could. Rent, utilities, food, clothes, gas, insurance. The list was endless.

“I would argue it’s priceless,” his father-in-law countered. “Besides, we’ve spent thirty-plus years building our trucking business into what it is today. If we want to make sure our grandbabies have the very best in life, then we will. And if we want you to have the very best in life, then we’ll do that, too.”

Trudy squeezed his hand. “Because we love you.”

Trudy and Jed moved to sit on either side of him and rubbed his back while waves of emotion overwhelmed him. The parental comfort made it worse. Kyan couldn’t stop crying, and knew people around the pool were watching. Having the only kids at the resort had put a target on his back, and now this.

When he finally collected himself and sat up, Trudy and Jed watched him with nothing but concern.

Jed’s eyes darted between his wife and Kyan. “It’s important for you to know there are no strings attached.”

Kyan nodded automatically, then stilled. Strings? He did not know what they were referring to.

“It’s just, we know you don’t feel comfortable with us having the kids too much, and that’s fine. We will always respect your decision as a parent first and foremost.”

Kyan sat up straight.

“It’s fine,” she rushed, sensing his panic. “We just don’t want you to feel obligated or pressured to do anything you don’t want to do because of our money. That’s not what this is about. It’s not a bribe.”

Kyan’s chest tightened as he realized the domino effect his insecurities had caused. “Fuck,” he groaned as he buried his face in his hands. “That’s not how I feel.”

“Oh, son, you don’t have to explain,” Jed said, comforting Kyan again. “We understand.”

“It’s not what you think. It– it comes from my parents. They’ve never made an effort to meet my kids. They would never watch the kids without being inconvenienced, without judgment, or resentment. Asking you guys to do those things sends me into a spiral of anxiety. If you two ever thought—”

Kyan would rather die.

“We know the feeling,” Trudy assured him. “When Jed and I got married, we were broke. Staying home with the kids was a dream. We thought the business would bring us the financial security we needed to make it happen, but it took much longer than expected to get where we needed to be. Neither of us was close with our parents, and asking them for help was out of the question. As the kids got older and our business finally took off, our dreams shifted. Isn’t that how it goes? What you can’t do with your own kids, you make up for with the grandkids?”

“I don’t care how hard you try. You can’t burden us,” Jed assured him. “Not with those wonderful kids of yours. They mean the world to us.”

“Plus, they’re our link to Dayna.”

Jed nodded. “There is that. We’re sorry we didn’t have a more direct talk about this before now. It was pretty obvious you were avoiding the money conversation, which was understandable. Perry was awfully stressed over the decision to tell you or not to tell you. Trudy and I were the ones who decided that, if not bringing it up was easier on you, then we were okay with that. We didn’t want you to worry more than necessary, and I think selfishly, we knew you’d argue against it. Please let us do this.”

It was a lot for Kyan to take in, and it was hard not to feel like the scales were tilted against him because that’s how life had always been. But he would try to break the cycle. “If you’re sure.”

“We’ve never been more sure of anything,” Jed confirmed, then gestured to the resort and everything around him. “We planned this vacation with three things in mind, and I’ll tell you two of them. To get all of us together and to spend every moment possible with Charlie, Noah, Henry, Ava, and Gracie.”

“I ruined that, haven’t I?”

“Hardly,” he laughed. “But if you and Perry wanted to scurry away and do whatever you two get up to, we would stay with the kids. This is a great chance for you to enjoy yourself.”

Kyan studied his father-in-law for a moment, trying to figure out if there was any way he knew about him and Perry, but Jed’s expression was genuine. He wasn’t looking at Kyan any differently. He definitely didn’t look irritated, mad, or betrayed.

“Well… the guys we met earlier this week invited us for drinks tonight after the luau,” he hedged. Kyan still felt weird, but it felt worse to deny his amazing in-laws what they wanted than worrying about inconveniencing them.

Trudy smiled, her eyes glistening with excitement. “We can stay in your room if you don’t mind bunking with Perry. Then you can sleep in, and we’ll take the kids to breakfast in the morning.”

Kyan blinked. What if it was too much for them?

“How about this,” Jed said, laughing at Kyan’s expression, “you and Perry are going out with the guys tonight. That’s an order. Trudy and I will see you at breakfast or sometime after.”

He fought the urge to say no and reminded himself that this was what they wanted. They were asking for it. He smiled, though it didn’t come easy. “If you’re going to twist my arm.”

Jed and Trudy grinned, and then they looked across the resort and their smiles morphed into something spectacular. Kyan turned and found his kids running toward the pool in swimsuits he hadn’t seen yet and a thick layer of sunscreen smeared across their skin.

Perry followed behind with an arm full of towels and a tote with all their stuff. He was shirtless, with green swim shorts that rode high on his thighs and backward ball cap and sunglasses. A week under the Hawaiian sun had tanned him in all the right places.

It took immense self-control for Kyan to keep himself from tackling Perry into the pool and kissing the hell of him. He didn’t, but oh Lord, he wanted to.

Kyan had to wait to get his hands on Perry, and suddenly the evening plans didn’t seem like so much fun when he could go straight to the room with Perry.

Trudy stood and patted Kyan’s head. “We’re going to take a nap and recharge before the luau.”

****

At five, Kyan and the family, dressed in the shirts Perry bought earlier in the day, walked through the lobby and found Reid and his friends waiting just outside. Together, they followed the savory scent of smoked meat down the dirt path that weaved alongside the ocean, past the horse barn, until they reached a giant white tent with live Hawaiian music.

A beautiful native woman carefully placed beautiful leis around each of their necks. Gracie ripped hers off immediately while Ava lit up and twirled around, loving the way the flowers danced in the breeze.

The sixteen of them sat at a long, linen-covered banquet table. Reid ordered a round of overpriced Mai Tais for the adults and POG juice for the kids. When the host released them, they lined up single-file for the food line.

The greatest part of this vacation was the ratio of adults to kids. Noah was old enough to get his own food, while Ava was stuck to Charlie’s side like a neodymium magnet. Gracie was being spoiled by Grandpa Jed and Henry was surrounded by Reid’s friends, who were missing their own kids.

For the first time in forever, Kyan had only one plate to fill, and it was his own. He got to pick the food he wanted to eat. He looked at all the food and then scooped a giant pile of lomi lomi salmon and poi and kaula pua’a and…

“Look at you go,” Perry said, laughing at Kyan as he filled his plate.

“New level of freedom unlocked.”

Perry smiled, grabbed a bread roll, and shoved it into Kyan’s mouth. Kyan tried to chew it, but it was too much and ended up spitting it on his plate. When Perry wasn’t looking, Kyan grabbed the half-chewed roll on his plate and shoved it in Perry’s mouth.

Perry immediately spit it out. “Gross!”

“Oh, so now my mouth is gross? I’ll remember that.”

Perry quickly shoved the roll back in his mouth and smiled as he chewed it. “Mhmm. So good,” he said with a mouth full.

Kyan laughed and walked back to the table where the kids were picking through their food and chugging their juice like it was an all-you-can drink.

It was a gorgeous night. The wind was warm and the company was amazing. When the hula dancers came out, Kyan’s table stood and followed along as instructed. Ava made her way to the front and watched with such rapture one dancer brought her on stage and used her as a model. Kyan smiled as his daughter stole the show. But when the fire dancer came out, she was quick to snuggle tightly into Kyan’s lap while her brothers took her spot up front, absolutely captivated by the swirling flames of death.

****

There was a knock on the door.

Noah ran to the door in his little Green Lantern briefs. “Who’s there?” he shouted as he lifted to his tippy-toes to try and see through the peephole. Alas, he was too short, so he pressed his ear to the door instead.

“Grandma and Grandpa.”

Kyan glanced at the time. They weren’t supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes.

Noah grunted as he struggled to open the heavy door. A moment later, his in-laws peeked around the corner into the bathroom, taking in a tub of naked toddlers, displaced water, skewed clothes, and wet towels.

“Oh, we can do that,” Trudy said as she hurried into the mess.

“It’s no big deal.” Kyan rinsed the shampoo out of a squirming Gracie’s hair, and then helped her out of the tub. “With this out of the way, you can enjoy the evening.”

Trudy took the towel from him and finished drying Gracie’s hair. “Don’t underestimate the joy we get from everyday things. They are small but mighty, and ‌when the kids are grown, we will remember and cherish these moments most.”

Despite being reprimanded in the kindest way possible, Kyan reached for Henry.

“Don’t,” Jed warned.

Kyan backed away and smiled as Jed opened a towel and lifted Henry out of the tub.

He looked at his kids, all of whom were smiling happily. “I think Grandma and Grandpa are kicking me out.”

“You go bye-bye, Daddie,” Gracie ordered, waving him goodbye as Trudy brushed her long black hair.

Well, that was his cue. He gave them each a kiss and left the suite.

Perry opened his door, wet, shirtless, and with a toothbrush hanging from his mouth. “Almost done,” he mumbled as he walked back to the bathroom.

Kyan sniffed the air. “Doesn’t smell like wet, smoked pig in here.”

Perry took the toothbrush out of his mouth, then leaned in close and smelled Kyan’s neck. He smiled. “I smell nothing wrong here.”

Oh boy. Kyan had meant his bathroom where he and the kids had tried to wash off the luau, but okay. He took a step back to cool himself down.

Fifteen minutes later, Kyan was leaning against the bathroom door while Perry styled his hair. He was always annoyed when Jessica said she was “almost done” when really she wasn’t, but Kyan didn’t have a problem watching Perry fuss over himself, not when he wore a tight shirt that showed off his incredible body.

It wasn’t an inconvenience at all.

Perry looked at Kyan in the mirror and blushed. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Perry rolled his eyes and continued messing with his hair.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Kyan said.

His gaze darted to Kyan’s. “Okay?” Perry responded awkwardly, like he didn’t know what to say. Kyan wondered if the ‘okay’ was permission for action, but before he could do anything about it, Perry finished what he was doing.

He straightened the stuff on the counter and then summoned Kyan. “Switch places with me and finish getting ready.”

“Uh, I am ready?”

“Humor me.”

If Perry thought Kyan could do better, then Kyan would humor him. He stood in front of the mirror and picked up the hair gel, then looked at Perry. “Do I need to get my hair wet first?”

Perry shook his head.

Kyan got to work, making things worse. The more he tried, the worse it got. How did Perry’s hair turn out so good, all sexy and messy, while Kyan’s hair looked like someone had drizzled it with grease?

He leaned closer to the mirror as if magnifying the problem would solve it.

Out of nowhere, Perry pressed his crotch against Kyan’s ass and ran his hands over Kyan’s hips, then under his shirt and up his chest, pulling him up so he could pepper his neck with little kisses that turned into heated kisses. Kyan dropped his head back on Perry’s shoulder and wrapped his arm around Perry’s neck.

Perry's fingers explored every inch of his stomach and chest before dipping into Kyan’s pants.

“Oooh.” A heatwave rolled through Kyan’s veins, setting his body on fire. His poor dick filled with blood so quickly that it left him lightheaded.

Perry tilted his face with his free hand and kissed Kyan’s lips.

Kyan moaned like a filthy whore, and when Perry pulled away, Kyan whined and chased his lips.

“What was that for?” he asked breathlessly, still a little dazed from the sudden seduction.

Perry pulled his hand from Kyan’s pants and stepped away. “Next time you want to kiss me, that’s what I expect to happen.”

Kyan stumbled backward. “Oh,” he said. “I see.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his pants. “I just— you were getting ready.”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay then. Noted.”

Perry had come out of nowhere and thrown Kyan for a loop. Now he was achingly hard and horny. He touched himself through his pants, feeling the effect Perry had on him. “We don’t have to go for drinks.”

“They leave tomorrow and you’ll regret not going.”

“That’s not fair,” Kyan whined. “You used your sexy superpowers, and now I’m hard as hell. I can’t go out the door.”

“Flex it.”

Kyan stared at Perry. Flex it? He’d never heard of such a thing, but he did as told. Sure enough, his erection slowly deflated.

Perry smirked and ran his fingers through Kyan’s hair, magically fixing everything Kyan had destroyed earlier, then headed to the door, but before he could open it, Kyan turned him around and kissed him. It was meant to be a quick revenge kiss, but Perry cradled Kyan’s head and slipped his tongue in his mouth.

Kyan melted.

If this thing between Kyan and Perry was a video game, then Kyan came with a Nintendo Duck Hunter gun. He felt prepared. Little did he know Perry was a Call of Duty reigning world champion. Better guns, better graphics, better design.

Kyan didn’t stand a chance, but it was fine. Losing wasn’t so bad.

****

“Oh, look who finally showed up,” Reid ribbed when Kyan and Perry joined the group in the beachfront bar. The view could not be better. They were right on the sand, so close to the water the breeze was a mist of saltwater. The sun was low on the horizon, and tiki torches lit the walkway from the bar to the resort.

The friends they made were leaving the next day, and Kyan had the entire night free to celebrate, to do all the things he rarely did because he was a single dad. For the next hour, he sipped his drink and chatted with Reid and the others while he kept one eye on Perry.

Kyan never pegged Perry as an extrovert. He was usually on the quieter side, and yet when they went out, Perry had the confidence of a Fortune 500 CEO. He made his way through the group like he owned it.

Kyan excused himself. He walked up behind Perry and pressed his lips to his ear. “Remember earlier when you told me what you expect me to do the next time I want to kiss you?”

Perry stopped talking. He turned and looked at Kyan, his dark green eyes trained on Kyan’s mouth.

“What I want to do is—” he whispered the rest of the words into Perry’s ear.

Perry cleared his throat and stood up. “Email me next week,” he told Reid over his shoulder.

The guys catcalled and whistled after them as Perry dragged Kyan out of the bar, down the tiki-lit walkway, to the elevator, where they took the longest ride to the sixth floor, and all but ran to Perry’s room.

“Shhhh,” Kyan hushed, half laughing as they tumbled into the suite. “Your parents.”

Perry grabbed the back of his shirt and peeled it off, and then reached for Kyan’s and did the same. “They can’t hear anything,” he promised, then kissed Kyan with an intensity that took him by surprise. When Perry pulled back, his pupils were blown wide. “I want to suck your dick right now,” he said, deftly pushing Kyan’s pants down. “It’s fine if you’re not ready to reciprocate, but I can’t wait another minute.”

Kyan stumbled out of his pants and scrambled backward on the bed. He had been dreaming of this since he was fifteen and it was finally happening. The tequila shot of a blowjob was the worst kind of tease, driving his desire for the real thing higher. Kyan spread his legs and fisted the sheets in anticipation. “Don’t laugh,” he pouted as Perry stood in the middle of the room, smiling at him.

“I’m not laughing,” he lied, absolutely failing to hold back just how amusing he found Kyan’s eagerness.

Kyan leaned back and stroked himself. “I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

Perry crawled up his body. “I’m not laughing. I swear. I’m happy, okay?” He grabbed the hand Kyan was using to touch himself and pressed it against his heart. “This is something I really want to do to you.”

With that, Perry kissed him, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Kyan melted into the bed as Perry kissed his way down Kyan’s neck and across his collarbone.

They’d barely done anything, and his poor body was on the cusp of an explosion. Kyan squeezed his eyes shut and breathed through his nose. When Perry took him in his mouth, Kyan’s toes curled.

It was nothing he ever experienced. Perry took his time, using his tongue to pull Kyan closer to the edge. He tried to stay relaxed, but heat pulsed through his body like a tidal wave, threatening to take him under. Kyan gripped Perry’s hair, not sure if he wanted to yank him off or make him go faster so he could finish.

Perry sucked harder, using his tongue to stimulate the sensitive spot towards the tip until Kyan spiraled past the point of no return and he came with a grunt.

It took a while for Kyan’s brain to tick back to life. When it did, Perry was hovering over him, smiling down at him. “Hi.”

Kyan stretched like a cat on a sunny window seat. “Hi.”

Perry kept staring, waiting for Kyan to say or do something. Then he felt Perry’s impatience against his thigh.

Ohmygod. Kyan panicked and tried to squirm out from under Perry, making him laugh. “What are you doing?” he asked, not letting him gain an inch.

“I should return the favor.”

Perry laughed. “As romantic as an obligatory blowjob sounds, that’s not what I’m after.”

Kyan stilled under him. “What are you after?”

Perry shook his head and smiled, his cheeks pinking under Kyan’s scrutiny. “A little performance review. Thoughts, critiques.”

“You want me to review your blowjob?”

Perry buried his face in Kyan’s neck. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”

“Five stars. Would recommend. Most anticipated blockbuster event of the year. Nay, the century! Mind-blowing and spellbinding. Perry gave the performance of a lifetime. Did not disappoint. Will seek encore performance.”

Perry melted on top of him and Kyan wanted to fall asleep like that. The weight of Perry's body, the way his legs lay on either side of Kyan's, like he was protecting him from everything bad in the world, was oddly comforting.

“Now tell me how you ‘more than like me’,” Perry whispered.