Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 84289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I can’t believe I’m standing here trying to negotiate the prospect of letting Niko film me.
Niko glances away, squinting toward the midday light coming in through a pained window. “Can’t tonight.”
“You can’t?”
“Got plans. Later, boyfriend.”
He gives me an upward nod but doesn’t elaborate any further on his plans before walking off through the dense crowd.
Disappearing like smoke in air.
Just like he always does.
7
Niko
Niko, scrolling through comments this evening, 5:15pm
Username: Dragonfly
The good still outweighs the bad. The creepy comments stand out, but there are so many more that lavish me with praise.
Someone called me a “demi-god.”
Another person said I’m the hottest guy on the app, by far.
So many people just thanked me for the amazing orgasm I was able to provide for them. And as always, I notice some names more than others.
You can’t choose a favorite child…
But you can choose a favorite viewer.
Hercules2210: We don’t deserve you, Dragonfly. Fuck, I could live a thousand lives and never get sick of looking at you.
I hear the rumble of metal music coming through my cousin’s door before I even push it open.
I walk inside and the smell of fresh tangerine fills the air.
Sevan’s music is deafening, and he’s sitting in his chair, lifting two gigantic dumbbells in reps over his head.
“Sev. Turn that shit down.”
He groans under the weight of his dumbbells, grimacing as he looks at me. “Remote is by the speakers. You do it.”
I finally find the remote and I see a bowl full of tangerine peels next to it. I turn the music down halfway, looking back at Sev as he finishes his set.
“What’s with the oranges?”
He roars as he finishes his last rep and drops the dumbbells to the floor. He pulls in a sharp breath, his biceps and traps bulging even more than I remembered.
“Tangerines are the perfect workout food. Light but energizing. Also, hello to you, too, Niko.”
“Jesus, your arms are absolutely fucking jacked,” I tell him.
“Got to work something out, when I can’t use my goddamn legs for months.”
Sev’s wheelchair is at the edge of his bedroom, and he looks at it like it’s a third person in the room.
It’s heartbreaking to see the two casts on his legs.
Sevan is a fucking badass, and he always has been. I’ve always been “troubled,” but Sevan actually knows how to play society’s game while also being a badass in between.
He’s strong. He has more tattoos than me. He’s always gotten in physical fights, too, and growing up, he was my favorite kind of bad influence.
But Sevan also is good at school, and grades, and charming authorities in a way I’ve never been able to pull off.
Usually he’s organized and on top of everything in life, but…
Clearly the injury has been hitting him hard.
“This place looks like a bomb shelter,” I tell him. “Please don’t tell me you’re actually living like this.”
I stride toward the far window, pulling open the window shades.
The dying orange-pink light of sunset floods the room and dust motes float in the air. I grab the bottom edge of the window and shove it upward, letting crisp air in.
“Cold,” Sevan protests. “And bright.”
“Refreshing, and necessary. It’s sunset, and it’s cloudy. How is that too bright?”
He shades his eyes with one hand and gives me the middle finger with the other. “The sun is coming in under those clouds like a spotlight. I like my cave. You used to keep your room dark all the time, too.”
I grab one of his pillows, which are haphazardly placed all over his bed, and I move it up toward the top.
“We need fresh air before snow starts coming down. And I never lived in vampire mode like this, Sevan. This room looks like another person hasn’t been in here in weeks.”
There are empty bottles of protein shakes on every surface.
I instantly launch into fixer mode.
I strip the bedsheets and put them into a pile to take them down to the laundry. After a good amount of cold, fresh air has come into the room, I shove the window closed and gather empty water glasses on his nightstand and put them into neat stacks.
“Didn’t know I was going to get the Mom version of you tonight,” Sevan mutters, running a hand through his hair. “My room’s not that bad.”
“This isn’t you. I think you’re well aware of that.”
The final glow of sunset casts shadows over his face, and I see him try to smile.
There’s so much sadness behind that smile.
So much disappointment.
The cousin I used to do everything with, looking broken for the first time in his life. He used to be a force of nature, playing hockey all the time, getting into trouble and somehow always getting out of it, unwilling to slow down.
He lets out a long sigh.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he finally says.
“God, Sevan.”
I walk over to his chair and lean down, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug.