The Affair (Wild Hearts Book 4) Read online

  He watched as Hank turned around and saw the eyes on him.

  “Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?”

  “We need to talk,” Brad heard his voice say before he could stop it.

  Chapter 4

  Confrontation

  The sun blared into Drew's eyes, ending his attempt at opening them. There was a loud ringing in his head, and he felt like the sound was going to tear through his scalp. The floor was like jelly, and he couldn't feel his weight on it. Everything seemed to spin.

  “Where am I?”

  He tried to open his eyes again, and what he had thought was the sun, turned out to be the bathroom light bulb. It was still bright though, and it forced him to shut his eyes again.

  “Ah!” he cried, on his third attempt, but this time, he managed to keep them open long enough to look around. He was alone in the bathroom.

  The pain from his head had distracted him from the cold feeling of the bathroom tiles on his naked body: a feeling he just discovered.

  He tried to sit up and felt what had to be the worst headache that he had ever contracted.

  “I'm never drinking again,” Drew promised himself quietly.

  He tried to remember why he had even gotten drunk in the first place and the memories rushed in, a little too quickly. A few tears ran down his cheeks.

  Of course, he had gotten drunk: he felt he deserved a release—an escape of sorts—from the hell that was his entire life.

  He had received the news that his father had died in an explosion, similar to the one that Drew, himself, had had a hand in, at a different bar. Somehow he felt responsible.

  Drew hated Samuel. He hated his father with everything he had, but he did not want him dead. The fact that he was now on his own, with no relatives left alive, gave him a crushing feeling in his chest. The kind that came with hopelessness.

  That wasn't the only thing: he knew he had fallen for Hank. Drew had fallen for a married man, a man who had a wife that had done nothing but be nice, friendly, and helpful to Drew. She was also the reason he was where he was. She had helped him get a place to stay in the city.

  When you get back up, you might want to think about finding another place to live.

  Brad's words floated in Drew's head. He expected nothing less. In his drunken state, Drew had hit on Ned, embarrassed himself, and had told Brad the truth about his brother's sexuality.

  “I'm such an idiot.”

  Drew started to hear voices, but after a while he realized the voices weren't in his head. They were coming from somewhere else in the house.

  Drew's eyes scanned the room, till they rested on a large white towel. It wasn't his, but at that point, he didn't care. All Drew wanted to do was get out of the bathroom as quickly as possible.

  Despite the fact that his legs felt like jelly, Drew managed to stand to his feet. He stretched out a hand and grabbed the towel. As he wrapped it around himself, he fought the urge to throw up.

  Drew pushed open the bathroom door and stumbled into the corridor.

  He tiptoed to the room that he had slept in throughout his stay in the city. The room he knew was no longer his. He contemplated packing his things, but he didn't know how long Brad would give him to stay in the house.

  As the voices became louder, Drew was able to decipher that they were coming from the living room. He heard yelling and knew instantly that the commotion definitely had something to do with him.

  The redhead quickly threw on a random T-shirt, slipped on his boxers, and followed it by grabbing the first pair of jeans he saw.

  “It's not about him!” Drew heard Hank's voice clearly. Hank had come back. A cold feeling settled upon Drew, as he realized that he was out of time.

  He left his room and scurried to the living room. When he got there, silence immediately enveloped the room. All the yelling had seized, but the hostile vibe in the room still lingered.

  “Tell him to his face.”

  Brad's voice was the first to break the silence. He wasn't talking to Drew though, the order was directed to his brother.

  “Tell me what?” Drew asked. His voice was low, partly because he was still hungover, but mainly because he didn't know if he had the right to speak.

  “Fine then,” Hank said. He turned to Drew and spoke. “I'm not gay.”

  The words made Drew even more confused than he already was.

  “But we—”

  “I know,” Hank said, cutting him off. “I know what we did . . . ” His voice trailed off.

  “Then how can you not be gay?” Drew asked.

  “I'm bi.”

  “There's nothing wrong with that,” Michael interjected.

  “That's not the point,” Brad said. “The fact is that he cheated on his wife.”

  “Drew probably seduced him,” Michael said.

  “I did no such thing.” Drew said. His voice was louder now. “I didn't seduce anyone. I even left the farm because of him. Hank was the one who came all this way. He came for me, we have something.”

  “No we don't.”

  There was absolute silence again. Drew couldn't keep the shock from his face. He had expected regret from Hank, but not absolute denial. The words were like a blow to his gut. The pain he felt from them made him forget of the discomfort that came with being hung over. Drew watched, dumbfounded, as Hank opened his mouth to continue.

  “I love my wife; I love my kids. What we had was a fling, it was nothing special.”

  The thing that hurt Drew the most, was how Hank said all of this with a straight face. No sadness in his tone, no remorse—he rambled on like he was giving a speech.

  “Look Drew, you and I . . . it was nothing, just a bit of fun.”

  Drew stared at Hank with a broken heart. He remembered how Hank had been when he came to the city: how he'd been jealous of Ned, how he'd wanted to spend time with him. This Hank in front of him was different, he was colder and calm.

  “You used him then!” Brad said. Drew couldn't remember a time that Brad wasn't calm, but right now, he had fire in his eyes. Fire brought by the pain of betrayal.

  “You were bi—and you knew it. I'm your brother, and you let me suffer when I came out to our parents. I was alone, and I had to leave home and start a life here because I thought I was different. You knew—you could've helped me—we could have done this together, but you left me on my own.”

  “Brad, listen, you don't understand . . . please don't tell my wife about this.”

  “That's what you're worried about?”

  Throughout the exchange, Drew and Michael stayed silent. Drew was painfully aware of the look that Michael was throwing his way. It was a look of disgust—like he was the lowest sort of criminal.

  “If that's what you're worried about, then you can rest assured,” Brad stated. “I won't tell your wife, I can't bear to break up that beautiful family you have. You're lucky to have Gracie and your beautiful children. I'm only doing this for them, but you're going to get yourself straight.”

  Hank couldn't meet his brother's eyes.

  “You'll leave in the morning, Hank. Drew, you can stay for a few days while you try and find a new place. But you'll have to leave soon.”

  “Why should he stay?” Michael interjected. “You're kicking your brother out, and Drew can still hang around for a few days?”

  “Drew doesn't have anywhere to go, he'll be stranded if I kick him out.”

  “You just want him near you; you want him around.”

  “You're being crazy.”

  “Please, don't do this.” Everyone turned in Drew's direction. “I'll leave now; please don't fight.”

  “Where will you go?” Brad questioned. “It's almost midnight, it's not safe.” Drew heard what sounded like concern in his voice.

  “I'll stay with a friend.”

  Drew staggered towards the front door, passing Hank as he moved. He saw a sad look on his face but knew it meant nothing.

  “What about your things? Aren't you
going to pack?”

  It was too late though. Drew had already left the apartment and closed the door behind him. He stood for a brief moment and looked up at the sky. The moon could barely be seen in the cloudy sky, and once he realized none of the neighbors—if they were watching—would be able to see him, Drew fell to his knees and put in no further effort to stop the flow of tears from his eyes.

  He truly was alone. He had nothing and no one.

  As he sobbed, his phone buzzed. He almost ignored it but decided to check. Cleaning his eyes, he was able to see that he'd gotten a text from Ned, who was checking on him. He quickly sent one back.

  “Could you please come get me? I'll explain when you get here.”

  He waited for a bit, before suddenly feeling foolish. Of course Ned wouldn't come: nobody cared about him that much.

  But his phone beeped again. It was an answer from Ned.

  “On my way.”

  Chapter 5

  Cease

  “Good riddance,” Michael said.

  “You're not like this, Michael. What has gotten into you?”

  Michael and Brad sat on opposite chairs in the now quiet apartment. Hank had gone to sleep, and Brad and Michael had watched as a car had come for Drew.

  Brad felt a certain amount of guilt as he watched the car leave. He felt responsible, in a way, for the young man that he had just sent out into the world. He felt Drew's only crime was to have been caught in circumstances that he had no control over. The notion that Drew was completely guilt free didn't reside in Brad's mind, after all, he'd had an affair with Brad's brother. Brad still felt like most of the blame there was on Hank, especially when Hank had said the affair meant nothing. It was clear to anyone with eyes, that Hank meant a lot to the redhead.

  “I'm just glad he's gone, he's nothing but trouble.”

  “Don't say that, at heart he's a good kid.”

  “Good kid?” Michael asked. His face was scrunched up, like the meer thought of Drew being good had left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “Good kid?” he asked again. “Why the fuck are you defending him?”

  “Hey calm down, I'm not defending him. I'm only saying it's unfair to say that he's the only party that's wrong in this. My brother is also at fault.”

  “No, that's not it,” Michael countered. “You like him don't you? Brad Evans, admit to me that you like Drew.”

  “What the hell are you saying?”

  Brad knew that Michael got jealous and insecure at times, but this seemed like something different. It seemed like something that Michael had been holding in for a while, but now it was slipping out in waves.

  “Just tell me the fucking truth!”

  “What the fuck do you mean? What truth? I'm so confused.” Brad stood up and walked in circles. He paced around the living room, holding his head as he did.

  “You like Drew,” Michael said. “That's the only reason that you would take his side over your brother's.”

  Brad couldn't believe his ears. The man he was in love with, his fiancé, the man who was supposed to know him more than anyone else in the world, was accusing him of being unfaithful.

  “There are no sides. Both of them are wrong, but you're carrying on like my brother did nothing to contribute to this. Hank is just as wrong as Drew here, maybe even more so.”

  “This is all Drew's fault.”

  At that point, something echoed in Brad's head. The memories of all the people he had left behind for not understanding him and being unreasonable, played in his mind. He watched as Michael continued to speak, but he heard no other words from his mouth. All he could think about now was how Michael seemed like he wasn't any different.

  “I can't do this . . . ” Brad said quietly. Somehow Michael heard it.

  “Me too—I can't keep arguing with you, if you're going to take Drew's side.”

  “No.” Brad's voice was barely over a whisper. “I can't do this—” he gestured between the both of them, “—I can't do us.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “I'm calling off the wedding, Michael. I'm sorry.”

  Chapter 6

  Assistance

  Drew and Ned had driven in silence for quite a long time. Drew had absolutely no idea where he was going: where Ned was taking him. He had never been to Ned's apartment before, but right now, he didn't exactly have a lot of options.

  The only other friend he had that he could talk to, was Tyson, but since Tyson's disappearance, Drew had noticed how much Tyson had tried to avoid him.

  In their last encounter, Tyson seemed wary of Drew, and desperate to do anything to be away from him. It's hurt Drew to think about it, but he figured he deserved it. He had, in fact, used Tyson in a way. Drew was glad Tyson was safe now, but it still hurt to have lost someone who was such a selfless friend.

  “I deserve it,” he muttered to himself.

  “What was that?” Ned asked. He didn't take his eyes from the road.

  “Nothing.”

  Drew used the opportunity to look at Ned. Ned had no reason to help him. Sure, Amelia had given him an order, but it felt different with Ned; it felt like Ned actually wanted to be there for him.

  Drew immediately remembered hitting on Ned in the shower.

  “I'm so sorry, Ned.”

  “Huh? What for?”

  “For throwing myself at you earlier tonight. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry for it.”

  “What are you trying to say? You think I'm not worth it— you throwing yourself at me? Or am I not your type?”

  “What? No, I . . . ”

  Ned's laughter filled the car. It was a sweet sound. A welcome change from all the yelling and anger that Drew had experienced throughout the day.

  “I'm just messing with you,” Ned chuckled. “You really need to rest a bit. We'll soon arrive at my apartment, and you're welcome to stay for as long as you want. It'll make my bodyguard job a lot easier too.”

  “Thank you so much. You even came in such short notice, I really appreciate that.”

  “It's fine . . . ” Ned's voice trailed off, like there was something else on his mind to say, but he didn't know how to put it.

  “Can I ask you something?” Ned finally spoke, after about a minute. “Everything tonight—and you, needing a new place to stay, does it have something to do with your father?”

  His father.

  Drew couldn't believe that he had forgotten. With all the commotion that the night had brought, he had forgotten that his father had died. He had forgotten that he was now an orphan. Ned seemed to realize what Drew was thinking about.

  “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up. I was just curious. You don't have to answer, if you don't want to.”

  “No it's fine. You might as well know what happened. It's the least I could do, for all you're doing for me.”

  “Okay then, so what happened?”

  Drew let out a deep breath, before going on to narrate all that had happened. He explained everything in as much detail as he could. He told Ned about how life had been for him on the farm after the brief affair he had had with Hank.

  He also explained how he had left the farm and had come all the way to the city, so that he could find Samuel, his father. Drew hadn't wanted a reunion with his father; he hadn't even wanted anything other than to tell Samuel about all the harm he had caused Drew and his mom, and then, to inform him of his mother's death.

  He had done all of this, but Samuel hadn't even flinched. His father didn't even show the slightest bit of remorse, for all he had done. Yet, there Drew sat, mourning his father and wishing that he was somehow still alive.

  Drew told Ned about how Hank had come to the city, and he had thought it was to find him. How they had spent a wonderful night together and fucked like rabbits. And how Drew had finally felt like he was loved.

  Now all that was completely out the window. Hank had said it was nothing more than sex for him, and that he didn't love Drew. Even worse, was the fac
t that Brad and Michael had quarreled over him. He decided that the best thing for everyone would be if he left, as quickly as possible.

  “That is . . . well it's quite a lot to take in.”

  “That's an understatement,” Drew scoffed. “My life is a wreck. I have nothing now. I don't even have any clothes; I left all of them at Brad's house because I was in such a hurry to get out of there. I don't even know what my next step is, now that my father is dead. Who is going to take over from him?”

  “I don't know: I have a few ideas, but I can't be certain. Not yet, at least. But one thing is sure, whoever it is, that person is going to show up soon. All we can do is wait to see if this new leader is an enemy or a friend.”

  “Do you have any idea what Amelia thinks about all this?”

  “I can only say that we'll find out soon. Don't worry yourself about all this. You can do your thinking after you sleep. You look terrible.”

  “You don't say,” Drew commented sarcastically. “Thank you very much for pointing that out for me.”

  “You're welcome,” Ned replied cheerfully. His tone made him sound like he genuinely believed that he had helped.

  The car moved into a dimly lit street that had a few apartments along each side of the road. Ned pulled up to—from what Drew could see—was one of the larger houses on the street. It was a big house; Drew hadn't been expecting anything so nice.

  “Wow.”

  “You might want to pick your jaw from the floor,” Ned laughed, as he brought the car to a halt. Both men descended from the car and Drew continued to stare.

  “You know, I'm a little hurt that you're surprised I live in a nice house.”

  “I'm sorry,” Drew quickly apologized. “It's just . . . well I wasn't expecting anything like this.”