Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Chapter 23

Rivers sniffled and dried a tear with the heel of his hand. The blade inched into the onion, shaving thin slices with a sharp sound. He squeezed his watery eyes and took a moment of pause as the crescendo of drums carried along Purcell's Funeral March. Such a poignant peace.

Another chunk died at the gallows.

Smoke rose from the frying pan, and Rivers removed it from the stove. He should have waited to heat the oil; now he risked ruining breakfast.

"What a glorious sight."

Rivers swung around and tugged off his earphones. Eddie stood behind him, tying a silk rope at his waist.

"What are you making?" He rubbed Rivers' bare back with a burning palm and placed a kiss between his shoulder blades.

"Omelet. It was supposed to be a surprise."

Eddie nuzzled his shoulder and hummed. "I'll go back to bed if you'll come with me."

The faint smile that it brought to Rivers' lips died right a way. He stopped the music still coming from his portable CD player and wrapped the earphones around it.

"What's wrong?" Eddie's face fell into an adorable pout.

Rivers forced a grin. "What do you mean?"

"You've been tossing and turning all night. You're making omelet at five in the morning, listening to depression songs—"

"It's A Clockwork's Orange! The only decent record in the stack, by the way." Rivers frowned, the blade taking no prisoners.

"It's yours." Eddie grabbed his wrist, stopping the vegetable massacre. "Rivs, baby, in this house we don't let problems stew inside our pretty heads. If you don't wanna talk, that's fine. But at least, let me take your mind off it."

Rivers dropped the knife, passing his fingers through his buzz cut that needed a trim. Samuel's hands were in handcuffs in his dream, but Rivers was the one wearing an orange jumpsuit as he forced Samuel into a kiss. His scream had dragged him to reality at two sharp. After that, sleep had never returned.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

Eddie sat on the counter and tossed a cube of yellow pepper in his mouth. "Is that a confession?"

It was.

Rivers moved the chopping board and leaned his hands on the granite, his shoulder slumping under the weight of his sigh. "I screwed up. Big time."

"Why?"

Should he start from the day he'd give his safety away for the sake of a kiss, or from the moment Samuel had kidnapped his every thought?

"There's this guy—"

"Ah..." Eddie smirked.

"No, Ed. It's fucked up. I exposed myself, I..." He wiped his faced and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. The severity of the situation was only just looming on him.

Eddie's brows furrowed, and his curiosity morphed into concern. "Is he in the corp?"

Rivers nodded. "DI. He transferred in April. He's a hard hat, and I was his Senior in his first cycle."

"That makes it more complicated, but I was your sergeant when we first slept together."

Rivers wet his lips, taking a moment before the revelation. "He's engaged."

Eddie stared at him, his mouth open. "Of course he is." He rubbed the corner of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Alright, baby, I'm gonna need the lowdown here."