A Lover's Decision

Chapter 22 (18+)

Roberta opened the door and motioned for Rhyn to be quiet. He followed the housekeeper into the house, keeping as quiet as he could.

They went up the servants' staircase. Rhyn was surprised there was still a servants' staircase, but this house was old. There were bound to be nooks and crannies that hadn't been touched during renovation. Or it had been kept to make sure the staff had easy access to the food during parties.

As they came upstairs, he heard yelling. Myles's voice was the first one to hit his ears. He had never heard that tone in his voice before. He was angry, angrier than he had ever heard he'd known him. He'd heard him yell when he was frustrated during a game, but this was different. This was exasperation. Rhyn understood exasperation. He'd felt it just an hour ago.

Roberta opened Myles's door and allowed Rhyn to go in. She held a finger to her lips for him to keep quiet then pulled the door closed. Whatever was going on between Myles and his dad was bad enough Roberta didn't want him to be found out.

Rhyn sat on Myles's bed and waited. He had some text messages from his brothers. They wanted to know if he was okay, if he was at Myles's, would he be home that night? He didn't bother reading all of them because he wasn't really in a place where he wanted to answer. He was still a bit hurt because of it.

He settled against the blanket he'd bunched up and chose a random book on one of his apps. He enjoyed a good book every now and then. It got him out of his head for a little bit. Right now, he needed that escape. Between the argument that had happened with his brothers and the one going on in this house, he wanted to run away even if it was mentally.

Time ticked by slowly. Rhyn finally relaxed as he got to chapter three. His body sank into the bed with ease as the girl in his book walked into the hospital after her car accident. He wasn't really interested in the book per se, but it gave him a reprieve from the constant thoughts in his head.

He heard yelling and looked at the door. The knob turned as Myles yelled again. Rhyn couldn't comprehend the words, but he didn't need to. The tone was enough to tell Rhyn that Myles was done with the argument.

The door slammed, making the pictures on the wall shake. Myles stood with his back to the bed and his hands on his hips. His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to calm his temper. Rhyn wasn't sure if he knew he was there, but he didn't want to shock him.

Getting up, Rhyn crossed to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He kissed Myles's shoulders, going in a straight line across his shoulder blades. He rested his cheek on the middle of his back and tightened his arms. He felt Myles relax slowly, his shoulders slumping.

"When did you arrive?" Myles asked. There was still an edge to his voice, but it wasn't as hard as it had been.

"I had a fight with my brothers," Rhyn said. He rubbed his cheek into Myles's back. "Don't worry about me though."

Myles turned and wrapped his arms around Rhyn. he pulled his head to his chest and ran his fingers through his hair. Rhyn relaxe again, enjoying the warmth that coursed through him.

"That didn't answer the question," he sighed. He twirled a curl between his fingers. "What did you argue about?"

"They told me why I never had a chance with anyone else I ever pursued." Rhyn looked up, drawing Myles's gaze down. "Everyone I ever liked met them and used me to get close to them so they ran them off."

Myles kissed his forehead then sighed. "I'm sorry about that."

"What about you?"

Myles shook his head. "Don't worry about it. My dad and I just don't agree about things."