RAW Deception (Round 2 in the RAW Instinct Series)

Shane

Saying goodbye to Greg was the hardest part of this trip. This was the hinterland of my devotion. I dreaded returning to Johannesburg not knowing what Joe would do, even though I had added another safety net – Raw – I felt that it wasn't enough.

When we arrived, I dropped Raw at the gym and promised to pick him up after closing time, but he said not to worry, he'd be staying at Curisco's for the night.

On this, the last part of my journey, between Raw's Gym and my house, nerves got the better of me. I had no idea if Joe would be home or on one of his mysterious trips to Bloemfontein. I wished Gregory was with me.

Nervously I inserted my key into the front door. The house smelled of disinfectant. It always did. Beryl disinfected everything on a weekly basis. Joe's immune system didn't have the strength to fight off even the common cold. Aplastic anaemia damages stem cells in a person's bone marrow. The bone marrow makes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are all essential for the body. Joe's marrow stopped doing that. His own immune system turned on him and attacked his healthy bone marrow cells. It's debilitating. And eventually it's fatal.

I stepped into the house quietly and lugged my luggage upstairs, stopping halfway when Beryl appeared at the top of the landing. "You're home," she said, sounding irritated.

"Long journey."

"How are the boys?"

"They're just awesome. They send regards."

"Joe got back this morning."

"He did? From where?"

"Bloemfontein."

"He spent a day or so with me at Canton's Cottage," I said, passing her.

"Warning. He's not in a good mood. I think he expected you back last week."

"I don't care what he expected. He should have been home days ago."

"Something's happened here. Want to talk about it?" She asked, following me to my bedroom door.

"Long story. We had problems."

"I'll make some coffee. You must be tired from the drive."

"It wasn't too bad," I opened the door and entered the room. "Come in. I need to talk to you." Closing the door behind her, I threw my carry bag onto the bed. I put the other one, filed with dirty clothes, in the bathroom.

Beryl folded her arms. "What's going on, brother?"

"I met someone."

She didn't flinch. "It was inevitable. Joe's become a shadow of the guy he once was. He doesn't make it easy for anyone. You meet him at Canton's Cottage?"

I nodded and smiled just remembering him. "Edward's dad."

"You're not serious."

"It just happened. Like it was meant to be. He's the warmest, sexiest man you will ever see. He's humble and decent and fuck, I can't explain it. It's like he's alien."

"Coming from you, that's quite a recommendation. I'm actually glad for you. We all have our own stories. But I would suggest you don't tell Joseph, not now."

"He knows."

"No wonder he's like this."

I shook my head and giggled. "He's like this because he's suffering the humiliation of being branded a vicious, aggressive monster. He wanted me to return with him two days earlier and I said no. We had a talk and I told him I no longer loved him the way he wants to be loved. He lost it. Hurt me. I had to see a doctor because Joe bruised my kidneys. If it weren't for Gregory, Edward's dad, I'd be dead."