She looked sad again. “It’s not my business to tell.” Without another word, she turned and walked away.

Now if Noah could just forget the fact that not only had Cooper kept everything about him a secret, but he was awake and hadn’t tried to get a hold of Noah, once.

***

Cooper’s throat was killing him. He knew his shoulder should be too, but somehow the pain medicine helped more with that. He hardly spoke because his voice only came out in a whisper and he knew he needed to rest his vocals but still, he asked his uncle again, “No-ah…?”

How stupid could he be not to have Noah’s phone number memorized? It was in his cell and he remembered giving it to the little girl, but no one knew what happened to it.

The parents of the little boy and girl had been in to see Cooper. Billy had smoke inhalation too but like Cooper, the little boy was on the mend. He’d saved him and as happy as that made him, he couldn’t get his mind off Noah. Cooper needed him. How could he not be here?

“Now’s not the time to worry about your friend. Focus on getting well. He knows you’re here.”

Then why isn’t he with me?

Cooper fought to stay awake. To push his way through the fog of pain and medicine but he couldn’t do it. Just like every other time he woke up, he slipped right back into blackness in no time…

***

Cooper had no idea how much time had passed when he woke up again. They’d moved him out of the ICU, he could see.

He let his eyes case the room, waiting for them to land on Noah, but again, the man wasn’t here.

Cooper squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get a hold of himself. Had Noah decided Cooper wasn’t worth the hassle? Did he change his mind? The pain in his shoulder, traveled to his chest. God, he fucking needed Noah. He wanted him here.

When he heard the sound of the door, he turned his head, hoping to see the man he couldn’t get enough of, but it was his aunt who slowly walked in.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Cooper nodded, trying not to speak if he didn’t have to. When Autumn sat in the chair beside him, he decided his throat didn’t matter right now. He couldn’t remember if he’d talked to Autumn or Vernon about any of this at any of the times he’d woken up, but he sure as hell couldn’t stop himself now.

When he opened his mouth to speak, Autumn beat him to it. “Are you really in love with that boy, Cooper? Are you gay?”

They knew. But how? Had he told them? The only thing he did remember saying was that his friend was back, and he needed them to find him. “Love…him…”

Tears welled in Autumn’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Oh, God. Everything is such a mess.”

Those words were like a bomb in Cooper’s chest. Something had gone down he didn’t know about. “Where?” When he tried again, his voice wouldn’t come out. Fuck!

“We didn’t know. You didn’t even tell us he was back. It was such a shock to see him and then he made all these claims. Vernon loves you. You have to understand. He doesn’t want you to be hurt.”

Hurt? Noah would never fucking hurt him…would he? He wasn’t here. But maybe he’d tried.

“Where. No…” He was going to lose his fucking shit if he couldn’t speak right. They said it would be a matter of time. That he just needed to let his throat heal but Cooper couldn’t wait.

“I should have said something. Seeing him just brought everything back.”

Back? What could it have brought back?

“Autumn.” Vernon stepped into the room.

Pieces of the puzzle started to form in Cooper’s mind, yet still not forming the whole picture.

“He told me he loves that boy, Vernon. I don’t care about anything else. I want Cooper happy. If he loves Noah—”

“Noah’s just like his mother,” Vernon shouted. “He weaseled his way into Cooper’s life as a child and then clung onto him. And now he’s back, pushing his way in just like his mother did. Cooper is not gay. He’s never been, yet that man shows up, and suddenly he is? They’re chameleons, all of them. Can’t you see? I never would have hurt you like that if it wasn’t for her.”

The truth slammed into Cooper, finishing that picture as though it had always been there.

The cigarettes in Noah’s backyard, when Vernon was the only one of them who smoked. Vernon not wanting to go away with Cooper and Autumn that weekend. Noah, and his family disappearing out of the blue. Vernon and Autumn’s sudden anger at Noah’s family…and the tears. Autumn had been sad, hadn’t she? He assumed it was because Cooper himself had been. Because, their friends were gone, but it wasn’t.