Take Me Beyond Your Heart (sequel) boyxboy

*20*

I shut the door after Asher dropped me off home that evening. I knew Mom was working late today, but Justin was home.

I heaved a sigh and went up to his room to tell him I was back home. I paused, looking into his neat room and saw him working at his desk. I examined his surroundings. It had been three weeks since I found out he was planning to move. According to Asher, he had seen the house with Kalani and they were trying to close the deal.

I knocked on his door and he turned around. "Hey, Nolan." A smile crossed his face as he stood up.

"Hi." I hugged myself a bit, my book bag still slinging off my shoulders. I put it down.

"I was worried. You don't tell Mom and me where you're going these days. You alright?"

I nodded quickly, trying to convince him everything was fine. "Don't worry about me."

"Of course I'm gonna worry about you, Nolan." He sat back down, still facing me. "I don't
know... you just seem to disappear every other day or so." He narrowed his eyes at me in an attempt to read my mind.

I crossed his room and sat at the foot of his bed.

"Is it the same person you went on that picnic with last month?"

Because I didn't have it in me to lie, I nodded in confirmation. "Exactly, yes."

"Oh... oh!" Justin laughed a little, his worry morphing into excitement and relief. "Well,
why didn't you just say so? You're seeing someone."

"Sort of."

"Good, good. Can I ask the gender?"

"Um, male."

Justin nodded. "Okay. I think this guy is keeping your mind off of things. That's a good thing."

I took a breath. "Your um... your room."

"Oh, right." He looked around with a faint chuckle, but he didn't explain.

"You should go, Justin. Move out, okay?" I said after a long moment of silence.

"Nolan..."

"We've gone through this, I get it. I know that's what you'll say, but you can't protect me forever."

"I know that, but if I could, I would."

"And I know that," I assured.

"I just... I feel like I owe you so much after... that horrible man took you away."

"You were ten, Justin. What was a ten year old going to do?"

"Wake up and scream. Anything would've been better than complete oblivion, especially
when your bed was next to mine. Come on, Nolan, if I'd seen that man..."

"This isn't about that. This is about you and Kalani, and what's best for your relationship. You'll be married in January... and you'll have a baby soon, won't you?"

Justin stared at me and I nodded at him. "I know she's pregnant; I heard her."

He looked down. "What else did you hear?"

"I heard that Asher was getting you a house and... she thinks I'm in the way. God knows I don't wanna be. She'll be family soon, and I don't want her to hate me for holding you back."

Justin stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't..." He shook his head. "I
can't believe you heard. She's wrong about that, you know that, right?"

"I think she was right. I've been in the way of a lot of things; a lot of people."

"That's not true." He stepped closer and I stood up as well, but not in a challenging way.