Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Apartment 33. Right across the fucking hall. Of course he was. Tam pulled his hand away. “I believe you and no, I don’t.”
“Which apartment is yours? Just in case I need to borrow a cup of sugar.”
There was no way out of that direct question. “32,” Tam said. The surprise that widened Driver’s gray-blue eyes transformed some of Tam’s agitation into amusement. “Freaky coincidence, isn’t it?”
“Or lucky.”
Right, luck. Tam’s terrible luck. Still, his curiosity got to him—sometimes he was too nosy for his own good. “Is turtle-sitting really a thing?”
Driver pushed the flop of hair off his forehead, making his biceps bunch and flex and the bright swirls of the tattoo dance. Tam blinked away. God, what was with him tonight?
“It’s Harrison’s way of being generous without making me feel like a mooch,” Driver said. “I needed a place to crash and he just happened to be traveling for work. I know nothing about reptiles unless they’re teenage mutant ninjas.”
Tam smiled at the reference. “What’s its name?”
“Michel-fucking-angelo. I’m not even kidding. He literally does nothing all day.”
“When you’re watching. I bet he’s practicing his nunchuck skills while you’re away.”
“Maybe I should set up a spy-cam just to make sure.” He winked and Tam’s belly quivered. Christ. Was he going insane? “So, Tam? Is that short for Tammy?”
Oh. Right. There it was. The bucket of cold water that shut his strange attraction down.
Driver looked at him and saw a girl.
Weird disappointment curdled Tam’s stomach and he pressed his fingernails into his palm. “Don’t wait too long to get your clothes or you might find them on the floor.” He walked away as fast as he could on shaky legs.
Chapter Two
Tam stared at the motivational kitten poster in his therapist’s office while he waited for her to take care of an issue with one of the newest residents of Prism Center, the LGBTQIA refuge where he’d spent a mandatory sentence after his last arrest. Prism Center was his salvation, the place where he’d met Ansel and the others. His best friends and his only family. Together they’d created the Sassy Boyz, their dance group, and it had all started here.
But his stay was over. Since moving out, he was no longer a priority, a fact that both pleased him and broke his heart. It’d only been a week since he’d fully left the Center’s protection, but it no longer felt like home. Neither did the apartment.
That was part of his current problem and the reason he’d called to ask for an emergency appointment even though, technically, he wasn’t her responsibility any longer. He was disoriented.
Dr. Jessica Lee was more of a mother than Tam’s real mother ever had been and for that he’d be forever grateful.
She cared. And she made sure they all knew it. Every single one of the residents who came through Prism Center became part of her adopted and extended family. So when she finally entered the office looking flustered and apologetic, all Tam did was smile.
“Sorry, minor emergency but we’re all taken care of now.”
“Thank you for seeing me. I know it’s intake day.”
She sat in her usual spot on the overstuffed rose-covered armchair. “You sounded uncertain over the phone. What’s troubling you, Tameron?”
Tam gripped his knees, remembering his first time sitting in this room, how nervous he’d been, defiant and ready to lie his ass off. Dr. Lee had been so patient with him, coaxing him out of his shell. Listening.
That had been the biggest thing.
She’d listened without judgment—without sympathy or pity or embarrassment. By doing so, she’d made it okay for him to be honest, to talk about his shame, his fears—his dreams.
“I don’t know. I thought it would feel different.”
“Being on your own?”
“Yeah. I thought it would be like this huge weight lifted off my shoulders, but...”
“Sometimes freedom can be overwhelming. All of a sudden you are your own responsibility.”
Tam fidgeted. “But I always have been.”
Dr. Lee crossed her legs. “True, but until now basic survival has been your primary goal. Without that driving force, so many new paths have opened up for you. Are you finding it daunting?”
“A little.”
“Tell me about your first week.”
Tam began by telling her how his friends had helped him move. They’d been able to haul everything in one load, including the donated furniture from his friends’ parents. Now he was the proud owner of a worn couch, an old coffee table, some new shelves, and silk sheets.
He told her how lost he felt now that The Vibe was closed and the Sassy Boyz had lost their regular dancing gig. That he practiced dancing in his living room when he was feeling sad, pushing all his secondhand furniture to the walls so he’d have enough floor space. He spoke about the dance studio and his work. He even forced himself to tell her about the awkward encounter with Driver.