Chartreuse (19 page)

    
“Fuck your ma,” Rowan replied in an icy tone.  “She has no idea what she’s
missing out on.  You are a great person, Kasen.”

    
“I’m glad you think so,” He mumbled as he pushed himself up from his chair and
stretched his arms over his head.  “It’s almost time to go.”

    
“Yeah, I know,” Rowan was standing as well, rubbing at the back of his neck as
he glanced at Kasen.  “I’m giving you a lift home tonight.”

     “Uh,”
Kasen blinked.  Okay, so that
did
make him feel better.  He didn’t
necessarily want to hitch a ride from Old Man Parker.  With everything that was
happening- who could he really trust?  Besides, he was grateful Rowan was here
in the first place.  He would take the extra fifteen minutes of being with him,
just because. 

    
“Let’s get outta here,” Rowan added as he pulled open the door and stepped into
the hallway.

     It
wasn’t long before Kasen had everything locked up and was ready to head out.  He
couldn’t wait to take a scalding hot shower and relax on his couch.  He needed
to see Houston and spend the next three hours venting to a silent audience. 
Dogs really were man’s best friend.

    
However, as Rowan held the door open for Kasen so they could make their exit,
they quickly realized the night wasn’t over yet.

Chapter
Twenty

     It
happened so fast.  Rowan pressed his foot against the accelerator and gripped
the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.  He glanced at Kasen
occasionally, taking note of the blank expression on his face.  Hell, maybe he
just didn’t know how to feel; Rowan sure didn’t.

    
“It’s gonna be okay,” Rowan said as they approached the stoplight.  He turned
to gaze at him once the car came to a full stop.  “Did you hear me?”

    
“Yeah,” Kasen replied quietly as he blinked and lifted his head to stare at
him.  “Yeah, I heard you.”

    
Rowan’s free hand landed against Kasen’s thigh and he winced from the sharp
pain pulsating through his wrist.  It was probably sprained, but why wouldn’t
it be after what happened?

     He
honestly hadn’t been expecting the bastards to be waiting outside for them, or
more specifically; for Kasen.  Maybe they hadn’t wagered on Rowan being there,
but they must’ve been blind to miss his car sitting in the parking lot.  He was
honestly just grateful he
was
there when closing time rolled around, or
else Kasen could’ve been….

    
No.  Hell no.  He refused to even think about that possibility.  Kasen was
okay; they were okay, though he couldn’t say the same for the two morons
nursing their egos back on Parker Hill Road. 

    
“They deserved it,” Rowan added as the light turned green and he continued on
his way.  “They had it coming, Kase.”

    
“Yeah,” Was Kasen’s quiet reply as he sank further into his seat. 

     It
was only a matter of minutes before they pulled into the parking lot of Kasen’s
apartment complex, and even after he put it into park, with a little difficulty
given how much his wrist hurt, he wasn’t sure he wanted to let him out of his
sight-
especially
after what had just happened.

    
“Are you okay?” Rowan asked as he turned the heat on a higher power.

     “I
think so,” Kasen mumbled, gazing at him with exhaustion written all over his
face.  “I just…..that was really bad, Rowan.”

     “I
took care of it, didn’t I?”

     Of
course, Rowan’s definition of ‘taking care of it’ involved beating two mindless
thugs within an inch of their miserable lives before all but pushing Kasen into
his car and taking off like a bat out of hell.  What else was he supposed to
do?  They were going to attack Kasen, and God only knew what else they’d
planned to do. 

     “We
need to go to the police,” Kasen said as he seemingly became more alert than
before.  “They need to know what happened.”

    
“They won’t listen to us,” Rowan replied as he scratched at the scruff on his
cheek.  Maybe he should’ve shaved before leaving his house, but hell, what did
it matter now?  The cut on his lip throbbed like a bitch as his thumb brushed
against it.  “Besides, I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon enough.  Those idjits
will undoubtedly press charges against me.  There’s nothing worse than getting
your ass kicked by a fairy, right?”

    
Those weren’t his words, of course.  One of the hillbillies waiting outside for
Kasen had called them that, and well, Rowan sort of went into a fit of rage
afterwards.  He couldn’t even explain how it happened.  The alarms sounded in
his head and the only thought-no, the only
urge
-he had was to protect
Kasen.

     “I
should get inside,” Kasen’s soft voice dispersed the flashbacks running through
Rowan’s mind, and he turned his head in time to see Kasen reaching for the door
handle.  “Houston’s probably made a mess and as much as I don’t feel like
cleaning it up, I need to.”

     “Kase,
wait….”  But it was too late.  He was already out of the car and Rowan felt his
frustration growing.  Why was Kasen being like this?  Hadn’t he just saved him
from two hillbilly homophobes?

     He
sighed and slumped back in his seat, wracking his brain for a solution to
everything.  Kasen was obviously still upset with him for his stupid decision,
but couldn’t he cut him slack?  He’d only been trying to do the right thing!

    
“Bullshit,” He muttered, shutting the car off as he got out and shut the door. 
He took the stairs, two at a time, until he was finally on the second level. 
He followed after Kasen’s retreating back, reaching out with his good hand just
in the nick of time.  “Hey, we need to-”

     His
statement was cut short as he noted the look on Kasen’s face, and he followed
his gaze to see that the apartment door was already
open
.  It was only a
few inches, but he knew for a fact that Kasen always locked up tight before
heading to work. 

     “Do
you think there’s someone in there?”  Kasen asked quietly.

    
Rowan’s fingers tightened around Kasen’s wrist as he frowned.  This had gone
too damn far.  Vandalism and phone calls were one thing; but to show up at
Kasen’s place of employment and break into his house, too?  Hell no.

     “Stay
right here,” Rowan said lowly as he took a step forward.

    
“No!” Kasen’s loud whisper surprised him, and he stopped briefly to stare at
him.

    
“What?”

    
“No,” Kasen repeated as he glared at him.  “I’m not some damn damsel in
distress that needs you to sweep in and save me every time something bad
happens, Ro,” He huffed.  “I can take care of myself, you know.”

     Jesus
H. Christ!  What was wrong with him?  Rowan stared at him, taken aback by his
sudden outburst.  Was that really how Kasen felt?  Did Rowan give off some
knight in shining armor vibe?  He just cared about him and he didn’t want to
see him get hurt…..was that really such a bad thing?

    
“Fine.  I’m sorry,” Rowan finally said as he took a step back and lifted his
hands up in surrender.  “By all means, Captain America, bound in there and
confront the intruder.”

-----------------------

     
Everyone had a limit and Kasen had reached his after receiving the first phone
call.  His patience for stupidity was gone.  He didn’t mean to sound so cross
with Rowan, but it was embarrassing to be so weak and vulnerable all the time. 
He was done being
that
guy.  He wasn’t going to take anymore bullshit
–from anybody- and this was just something he needed to do.

     It
didn’t matter if his heart was beating at a scary rate, or that he was trying
to ignore the fear he felt from the beat down that had taken place only a few
short minutes ago.  He could’ve taken them…..no, that was a lie.  They would’ve
killed him if Rowan hadn’t been there.  It was quite impressive to watch him
fight, and under any other circumstances, Kasen would’ve found it to be
incredibly hot.

    
Stop
thinking about stuff like that,
he scolded as he licked his lips and curled
his fingers against his palm. 
Somebody’s in your apartment and you’ve got
to go in there.

    
He glanced at Rowan briefly,  “If
I yell…..I might need your help,” He admitted.  Why, oh
why
did he have
to prove something right now?  Why couldn’t he just let Rowan go inside and see
if the burglar was still there?

    
Because
he shouldn’t have to take care of me all the time,
Kasen reminded himself
as he inched the door open, wincing as it groaned. 
Shit.

     “Be
careful,” Rowan whispered.

     He
nodded and stepped inside.

     The
apartment was pitch black and Kasen was afraid to turn on the light.  If the
intruder was still inside, there was a good chance he would attack if he felt
threatened.

    
He
should feel threatened,
Kasen thought bitterly as he took another cautious
step further into his home.  
He broke into
my
house and he deserves
to have his ass kicked.

    
Now whether or not Kasen was
actually capable of kicking somebody’s ass….well, that was up for debate.  He’d
never been a violent person and he’d never caused any sort of disruptions in school. 
He was a lover, not a fighter.

    
Rowan’s
a fighter,
he thought.  Oh yes, Rowan was definitely a fighter.  Kasen had
only seen awesome fight scenes in movies until tonight.  Rowan was the real
deal. 

   
Stop
thinking about Rowan right now!
He sighed inaudibly, wanting nothing more
than to smack himself in the face.  He really needed to sort out his
priorities- and he also wanted to prove he could take care of himself.  That
was the whole point to doing this, right?

    Kasen
couldn’t help but to feel like he was walking straight into a horror scene.  He
was probably going to round the corner and a seven feet tall masked psycho
killer would be waiting for him with a large kitchen knife.

    
Do
I even have any large kitchen knives?
  He wondered briefly as he slowly
peered around the corner to eye the bathroom.  The lights were off.  He
couldn’t see a damn thing.  Maybe he needed to pull his cellphone out so he
could have some light.

     A
hand landed on his shoulder then, and he damn near jumped right out of his
boots as he yelped.

    
“Holy sh-”

     A
warm palm covered his mouth as a hard body pressed his against the wall.  It
was Rowan.

    
“Shhh!” Rowan’s lips were suddenly near his ear, hot breath fanning against his
skin.  “It’s just me.”

    
“What…the fuck?” Kasen panted heavily as Rowan removed his hand and he had to
fight the urge to punch him.  “You scared the shit out of me!” He whispered
loudly.

    
“I’m sorry,” Rowan whispered back.  “But you’ve been in here for a while and I
was getting worried.”

     “I
was trying to be stealthy,” Kasen blinked.  “Like a ninja, you know?”

     “A
ninja?” Rowan repeated, holding his cellphone up so the soft light could
illuminate the space around them.  It was easier to see his look of
bewilderment now.

    
“Well, yeah,” Kasen nodded, willing his heart to calm down as his head fell
back against the wall.  “But now I may need to change my pants.  Thanks for
that.”

    
Rowan released a deep chuckle of amusement, and no matter what else had
happened already, Kasen found himself wanting to laugh with him. 

     “I
think it’s all clear,” Rowan continued as he took a step away from Kasen and
then turned on his heels to head for the kitchen.  The light was switched on
then, and Kasen had to blink a few times to get his eyes to adjust.  “Is
anything missing?”

     “This
place is a mess…..” The sadness in Kasen’s eyes was evident as they observed
the damage done to his place.  Furniture was tossed about, posters ripped from
the walls, and even his damn dishes had been shattered against the floor. 
Why? 

    
“Damn it,” He muttered, shaking his head slowly.  “This is bullshit,” He
bounded down the hallway towards his bedroom. 

    
Please
still be there.  Please still be there,
He pleaded silently as he pushed
his bedroom door open and stepped inside.  He was meaning to check on the money
he’d been stashing away for a new laptop, but another thought hit him.  It felt
like the wind was knocked out of his lungs and his stomach fell to his feet
simultaneously.  He ran back into the living room as quickly as his legs would
carry him.

     He
couldn’t imagine what the look on his face said, but gaging from Rowan’s
expression, it must’ve been a mixture of horror and panic.

    
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked, reaching out to grab his arm.  “Kasen?”

    
“Houston,” He whispered, lifting a hand to run trembling fingers through his
hair.  “We
do
have a problem.”

----------------------

     “Thank
you, Chief Brooks,” Rowan said as he shook the officer’s hand.  He watched the
older male as he got into his cruiser and pulled out of the driveway, sighing
as he crossed his arms over his chest.  The entire night had been a complete
nightmare, but he was grateful he’d been there for Kasen.

    
Thankfully, his house was untouched, but who was to say how long that would
actually last?  Rowan had his suspicions that there were more than just two
homophobic hooligans out there determined to make their lives hell, and he
needed to find out the ‘who’ as soon as possible.

    
Stepping back inside, he shut the door and locked it.  He even went as far as
double checking the lock before making his way down the hallway to his
bedroom.  That’s where he found Kasen.

    
“Hey,” He said tiredly, leaning against the doorframe as he gazed at him.  “You
doing okay?”

    
Kasen’s eyes moved away from the painting he’d been staring at, and he gave the
faintest of smiles.  Rowan wasn’t sure he actually liked that smile; it was
forced and didn’t reach Kasen’s eyes as it often did in the past.