A Lover's Decision

Chapter 4

Several hours later, Rhyn woke up, but he wasn't alone. He felt someone pressed against his back. Panicking, he thought about lashing out until he heard a page turn.

Rolling over, he saw Rhys with his anatomy book and a notebook balanced on his knee. He was taking notes as he read. Many people thought Rhys was a dumb jock, but he was actually very smart. Most of the time he did his homework like everyone else. It was how he had gotten a full ride to play basketball. He had the skills and the grades.

Rhyn looked around the room. It was only the two of them. Myles had gone home it seemed. Sighing deeply, Rhyn rolled into his brother's thigh and pressed his nose into the thick muscle. When they were younger and had shared a room, Rhyn had always lain like this while Rhys had read to him. It brought him comfort much like when Rhyd wrapped his legs around him earlier.

He heard the book close and land on his bedside table. A bing hand carded through his thick hair, fingertips running easy circles in his scalp. He pressed closer to his brother, an arm going over the tops of his thighs. Finally, Rhyn felt truly at ease.

"You should have told me you had a fever," Rhys chastised. His voice was gentle, barely above a whisper. It was like he was scared he'd chase Rhyn off.

"It's manageable," Rhyn said. "Where's your friend?"

"He went home." Rhys moved around a bit so he could grab something. He pressed a bottle of water to Rhyn's cheek. "Here, take this. It will break your fever."

Rhyn didn't argue. He sat up and took everything from his brother. When he'd taken the medicine, they sat quietly for a long time. Rhyn picked at his blanket as he stared at nothing in particular. He waited for his brother to say something, anything. He knew Rhys already knew so why not just come out with it?

Rhys finally shuffled around until he was sitting knee to knee with Rhyn. they stared at each other, each sizing the other up.

"I know what happened," Rhys whispered. "But I want to hear it from you. What's your side?"

Rhys shrugged. "I woke up in his bed. Naked."

"Were you drunk?" The younger brother nodded. "Did he force himself on you?"

"I don't think so." Rhyn knew he hadn't but he wasn't going to admit it. "Where did you go?"

"When I last saw you, you were standing by the pool table talking to Cassie Robinson. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, you were gone. I thought you had gone home. Then I started talking with that girl Katharine I told you about. We walked around campus before I took her home." Rhys leaned forward. "If I had known you were that drunk, I wouldn't have left you. Or at least I would have come back for you."

Rhyn knew Rhys would have come back for him. He remembered seeing him go to the bathroom, but his next memory was upstairs with Myles. The few moments in between were hazy at best. He could remember tripping up the stairs and laughing, but everything after that blurred together. Until...

"Rhyn, you need to be careful," Rhys warned. "Myles is very popular, and if someone finds out he hooked up with you at the Greek Party, you'll be harassed. He's that popular."

"But why?"

Rhys frowned. "Why what?"

"Why would he want to take me to bed like that?"

"He wouldn't."

It was Rhyn's turn to frown. Because his head still hurt, it made him look constipated. He stared at his brother anyway.