Love Lies Bleeding by Remmy Duchene (carter reed txt) 📕

"What are you thinking?" Leo asked.

Anderson inhaled and turned. "This diner—my father and I came here once when I was about nineteen. I was home for the summer from university and he wanted to spend some time with me. I wanted desperately to be on a plane heading to South Korea with Byung."

"Byung is Korean?"

"Half. His mother is Chinese and his father Korean. He was born in Korea, lived in China for a while, then moved here. He was still young so he was raised here. Anyway, dad and I sat right over there. That's when he asked me if I thought he had been a good father to me. I was offended he'd even ask that and I told him so. Eventually I answered his question."

"And? Was he a good father?"

"I can't believe you had to ask that. He was like a father to you, right? What do you think?"

Leo nodded and said, "Touché. A part of me is happy my mother isn't alive now to go through this. She looked up to your dad. I remember when she started dating again she asked Jazmon what he thought, then the man had to meet Jazmon for the stamp of approval."

Anderson chuckled. "I can just imagine how that ended."

Their food came then and Leo took a sip from his coffee without adding anything to it. "Yeah, about as well as you thought. He was a leech and Jazmon saw that. I used to pray she'd date him but it never happened."

"Every child wants their parent to be happy."

"Yeah. I was too young then to understand what marriage was. I was thinking about where you're staying tonight."

"Oh?"

"My place is a decent size. I mean it's not what you're used to, but its mine and safe. You're welcome to stay there tonight. Even though I offered to stay at your place with you tonight, that was kind of thoughtless of me. You probably don't want to stay here since… well, you know…"

"I couldn't ask you to do that. I can stay at a hotel or with Byung—either way I won't be completely homeless. The thought of knowing someone was in my house—a stranger was in my house without me. It just makes my skin crawl. I don't know if I'd be able to sleep even if you were there with me."

"You're not asking, Anderson. I'm offering."

"If you're sure. I just don't want to get in your way—you know? And I'm not a baby. I can still take care of myself."

"Are you always this infuriating?"

Anderson shrugged.

* * * *

After leaving the diner, they went back to Anderson's place so he could grab a few things. The forensic team was finished but the cleaning crew was still at it. The place still looked like a bomb hit it. Anderson felt violated. Strangers were in his house again, touching everything, sticking things against his furniture. He could still see where the forensic teams had dusted for prints or trace.

Climbing the stairs, he kept looking over his shoulder, as though he expected someone to be there. He didn't like that feeling.

His bedroom was cleaned up and he hurried and grabbed a small travel bag from his closet. He dumped a toothbrush and other toiletries he would need the next day before work. He packed a pair of track pants for sleeping and a change of clothes for the next day. He didn't know how long he'd be gone from but he wasn't going to assume anything.

Downstairs again, he grabbed a pile of assignments that were already due back to the students and set his mind to spend the night marking them. He doubted he'd be able to sleep in a strange house anyway. He walked with his bag and papers to the squad car and Leo climbed out to open the door for him.

"What's in the big bag?" Leo questioned.

"Assignments. They were due back to my students already. I figured if I don't sleep tonight, I'll spend the time marking some."

"You teachers never stop, do you?"

Anderson grinned and brushed by Leo to drop the bags on the back seat.

"You know, I may seem like a boring conversationalist, but I'm not."

"Leo, I didn't mean you were. I just… I'm behind on this grading and… you're laughing at me!"

Leo laughed softly. "It's good to see you thinking about something else for a change."

"Gimme a sec, okay? I have to call someone."

"Okay. Take your time."

He took a deep breath and turned toward his front door with his cell phone pressed to his ear.

"You all right?" Leo called from where he now sat on the hood of his car.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Anderson waved just as Byung's voice came over the line.

"Hey, Bee," he spoke in Cantonese. The last thing he wanted was for Leo to eavesdrop on his conversation. "My house was broken into."

"Shit! Are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine. One of the detectives insisted on me staying at his place tonight."

"So… you're spending the night as his place, huh?"

Anderson heard the insinuation in his friend's voice and laughed. Just the thought Leo Sung Kim was gay was laughable. The man had a body like a brick house and he looked like he was into football and a good raw fuck with a woman. Anderson couldn't help thinking it was Leo's loss. "It's nothing like that."

"That why you're speaking in Cantonese rather than English?" Byung teased.

Anderson simply laughed and the conversation carried on.

"But listen," Anderson said. "I'll be fine. He's got a big gun."

Byung laughed. "I bet he does."

"You know it's hard to talk to you when you get like this," Anderson joked.

"Uh-huh." Byung laughed harder.

"You're an ass, you know that? Leo isn't gay."

"Now you're on a first name basis with this guy? You two are moving faster than I thought."

Anderson rolled his eyes and took a glance at the detective. Leo was sexy, leaning against the cruiser, trench coat dancing about his ankles, arms folded across his muscular chest with his gun and badge glistening