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Chapter 19 - Connection
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2024-10-29 19:42:56When Cailen first saw Asher come out of the bathroom the first day he came back, he was surprised and very pleased with who Asher had turned into.
Now, seeing him nearly naked, jogging into the water, took his breath away.
Asher had a defined chest with a growing six pack abs, his arms were muscled but nicely toned and that's all Cailen could see in the faint light the moon offered but that's all he neede- or could handle because he was fairly certain- anymore, and his brain might short-circuit.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Asher asked, grinning at Cailen as he approached but he wasn't capable of speech right now. "Hmm?" Asher encouraged and frowned when all Cailen could do was stare. "Cai? Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I? Cai?"
"Hm, what? No! No, I'm fine," Cailen said quickly but Asher continued to frown at him, probabl
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Cailensat on the edge of his childhood bed with his eyes locked on the envelope in his hands.He only stared at it because he didn't know what to do with it. He didn't know why Edenand Deanhad given it to him. He didn't know why he was dwelling on it either.It was just a letter.Supposedly a letter from his biological mother that's he's never even seen before, but still, just a letter.Obviously he should open it, he should read it and try to make sense of it but he couldn't.There was something stopping him. What, he did not know, but there it was inside him, preventing his finger from tearing open the envelope and seeing what was inside.It was just, he's never wondered about his biological mother. Not really. Sure, for a while he wondered why he was dropped off attheorphanage in the first place but he's never actually wondered about what his mother looked like or what kind of person she was.
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"Cailen," Asher's voice came from behind him, soft and concerned.He turned around and looked up the couple inches to meet Asher's eyes. Asher's hand on his wrist tightened as if to reassure that he was in fact, there."Are you sure you want to go? I can tell them you're not feeling well," Asher offered and Cailen really wished he would stop.Something about the way Asher was looking at him, like Cailen looked about ready to break down, made him feel like he was actually about to break down.But he couldn't. Not yet.He had to stay strong and just get through the mall."I'm good, Ash. Really," Cailen said more cheerfully than he felt.Asher continued to look at him, his eyes searching his face for any doubt. Cailen wanted Asher to understand that he was fine, that he didn't need to pretend to be sick or that he didn't need Asher to coddle him and talk about what was on his mind, because he didn't want to talk about whatever was in the letter or the letter in general.He wished the let
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"Hey, hey, it's the superstar, finally making an appearance!" Matthewcalled out when they entered the kitchen.Cailengrinned at this while Williamlooked a bit sheepish. He knew he was never around much and constantly apologized for it, but they all understood and were all proud of their friend."Shut up, I've been busy!" Williamdefended just as the two girls at the counter turned in their stools and gasped.They each climbed their way down from the stools, Aariyahalmost taking a tumble but she caught herself and then they were each latched onto one of William's legs, the older man chuckling."Uncle William!" Maddisonsquealed, squeezing William's leg tight.Williamawkwardly bent down as far as he could without hurting or squishing the small girls, reaching out to rest a hand on each of them."How are two of my favorite girls?" he asked.It was truly adorable how much they each loved
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"Yeah, I love you too," Cailensaid with a small smile before hanging up his phone and slipping it into his pocket.He went to turn around but paused as a man in a suit rushed by him, obviously in a hurry.They were at the airport saying goodbye to Noahbefore he got on a flight to Scotlandand apparently,he was not the only one planning a trip that weekend.You could barely move without bumping into someone and Cailenhad to step away into a corner in order to answer his phone because it was so loud.Once the man had passed,Cailencontinued back towards the small group that was gathering outside the gate Noahwas to go through to get to his flight.They were all there, Matthew, Hazel, and of course Aariyah, William, Asherand Ezekiel, all hugging Noahgoodbye before his departure.He had been in the middle of saying goodbye when his phone rang and he excused himself to answer
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Cailen is startled from his sleep by a sudden weight crashing into him and then a wet nose sniffing at his face.He knows who it is instantly and groans, not caring if he wakes Asher up at this point.It's his dog, if Loki is waking Cailen up, then Asher can get woken up as well.Cailen brought his arms up, having to untangle himself from Asher's grasp in order to do so, and shielded his face from the intruding nose.It's not like this has never happened before, but it didn't happen often.Loki was usually pretty good at just sleeping at the foot of their bed, but recently, he's been cuddling up to Ezekiel in his so it was a bit strange.Either way, Loki was waking Cailen up so he started to sit up, just remembering to be gentle in case Asher's arm or leg was in the right position to get squished."Loki, down," Cailen mumbled, his tone firm.Cailen heard a groan come from behind him and knew Asher was now awake.
