Relationships Read online

maybe?”

  Corey staggered back as if struck. “Lies! I would never say you were cute. You're too...bulky.”

  “I get that from my dad.”

  “I'm telling him you said that.”

  “Go ahead, he'll agree.”

  Corey paused a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, he would.”

  “You got into a bar fight?” Tank asked, dabbing some peroxide on one of Scowl's cuts, drawing up a hiss from the mountain lion.

  “He called me a faggot.”

  “Babe, you're gay. It wasn't really an insult.”

  “He called me a prissy faggot, and then said whoever would date someone like me must be either desperate or a moron.” Scowl looked at Tank with a glint of humor in his eyes. “Nobody calls me prissy, and I'll be damned if I let anyone call my desperate boyfriend names.”

  Tank rolled his eyes. “You're all heart. Maybe you shouldn't go out to bars when you have a desperate boyfriend to hang out with, hm?”

  “Don't be all whiny, Tank. I just needed to blow off some stream after dealing with Robey and Jolly tonight.”

  “Did something bad happen?”

  Scowl shook his head. “Naw, I was just getting tired of their lovey-dovey crap. The last thing I want or need after taking down some boogeyman is that kind of sappy bullshit.”

  Tank winced as Scowl's words cut him to the bone. “Wow. Thanks a lot.” He stood up and started to walk towards the front door.

  “Hey! Where do you think you're going? You're not done with me.”

  “I think I am,” Tank said, and closed the door behind him.

  The pair walked over to the bar near the cruise liner’s pool. His cousin got himself a beer while Tank ordered a mai tai, sipping it in silence until Corey broke it with another question.

  “So you think because you saved Ivan's life, he's going out with you out of...I dunno, maybe gratitude? Or maybe because he thinks he owes you?”

  “I never said I saved his life,” Tank said, staring straight ahead of him, avoiding catching Corey's eyes.

  “I can read between the lines, cousin. Quote: 'I'm wondering if Ivan's making the same mistake I made'. Your mistake was going out with Scowl and his stupid nickname after he saved your life from something you won't tell me.”

  Tank closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You are just too damn attentive for your own good. And it isn't that dumb a nickname.”

  Corey flashed his teeth in a smug grin. “Look, you guys haven't been going out for that long. It's natural to have these jitters. Is he involved in what you and Scowl do?”

  Tank felt a familiar lump of cold tension growing in his stomach. “What do you mean?”

  “Don't play dumb. I know all about what Uncle B and Aunt Nikki did before they had you, and what Uncle B still does when you guys need some extra muscle.” He lowered his voice in a whisper. “What do hellroaches look like, anyway?”

  Tank almost fell out of his chair as he whirled around to face his cousin. “How did you know about them?”

  “Dude, come on, I listen.” He flicked a finger against one of his long ears. “You should know by now these aren't just for show.”

  “I don't want you to get involved in any of this.”

  Corey nodded. “And I won't. You big guys can have it—I'm not built for that kind of stuff. So does Ivan get involved in your work?”

  Tank shook his head. “No. He wants to stay as far away as possible.”

  “So you're afraid of him getting involved, maybe hurting himself, or worse.”

  Tank hadn't thought of that, at least not consciously. Was Corey right? Was that the real reason of his apprehension? “So why am I thinking of Scowl, mister know it all?”

  “Because of how you two, um, ended. And especially because of how badly Scowl took it.”

  Scowl hadn't returned Tank's calls in a week. The rabbit felt terrible for walking out on the mountain lion, but surely Scowl could understand his point of view? It wasn't going to work out. Why delay the inevitable?

  A knock on the front door interrupted his thoughts. The last person he expected to see was standing there when he opened the door.

  “Scowl?”

  “Yeah, it's me. You left your sweatpants at my place.” Scowl held up the garment in front of him.

  “You haven't answered any of my calls.”

  Scowl glowered up at Tank. “After you walked out on me. Gee, I wonder why?”

  “It wasn't going to work out. We both know that.”

  Scowl dipped his head and muttered something so softly, Tank couldn't pick up what was said.

  “I couldn't hear you,” he said.

  Scowl raised his head, and Tank flinched at the anger boiling away in the feline's eyes. “I said I didn't know that. Thanks for not talking to me about it. I really appreciate being abandoned for no apparent reason.”

  “Scowl, I didn't mean to--”

  The burly cat cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Save your 'sorry' for someone who cares. I don't want anything to do with you, not ever again.” As he turned, he looked over his shoulder. “Knowing my rotten luck, I'll probably bump into you with some new boy toy of yours.” The mountain lion's eyes went into slits. “I hope he knows what he's getting himself into.”

  “Scowl, wait!” Tank grabbed Scowl by the shoulder, but was thrown back by a sudden elbow to his stomach. Though the mountain lion wasn't as large as Tank, he could still hit hard, and knew exactly where to hit the rabbit, leaving Tank on the floor in pain.

  Scowl took one step back, crouching down, looming over the man he called 'boyfriend' days before. “Maybe next time before you go and decide to break someone's heart, you'll think about them first. But I'm not betting on it.”

  The shadow moved away and Tank heard the door click shut as Scowl left, leaving Tank to struggle to catch his breath and wipe away the tears which began to form, alone again, bruised in ways that may never heal.

  “Maybe it's not Ivan I'm worried over,” Tank said. “Maybe I'm worried I'll make the same mistakes.”

  Corey looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

  Tank looked at his nearly empty drink. “When we broke up, I just decided then and there it was over and left. We never talked about it or even tried to work things out.” He looked up to the blue skies. “I know we were falling apart, but I could have handled it a lot better than I did.”

  “I follow you, but I kind of don't follow you.”

  Tank looked at his cousin. “I didn't consider Scowl's feelings at all. I was selfish, and wound up hurting someone I still loved, even if it was only for a little while longer. I'm afraid I might let my selfishness take over and hurt someone else.”

  “Ivan seems to be a lot nicer than Scowl, that's for sure.”

  “A rabid raccoon can be nicer than Scowl. The fact of the matter is I need to own up to what I did and try to make sure I don't do the same things again.”

  “You really like Ivan, huh?”

  Tank thought about that for a moment. He did like Ivan, a lot. Ever since he walked into the gym Tank worked at, the rabbit was smitten. “Helping him was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Well then here's what you do, cousin. Stop worrying about being selfish and treat Ivan like you would want to be treated before you turn into a sad, mopey rabbit.”

  Tank chuckled, feeling the knots in his stomach start to unwind. “I guess I was in danger of being one of those, huh?”

  “One more word, and I would've had to smack you for it.”

  Tank raised an eye ridge. “Is that so?” He stood up and lifted Corey out of his chair.

  “Hey, wait! What are you doing?” Corey said as Tank tossed him over his shoulder. As the large rabbit approached the pool, Corey continued his protests. “You wouldn't dare! Don't throw me into the pool!”

  “I'm not going to throw you,” Tank said as he crouched down near the pool's deep end. “I'm going to jump in and take you with me.”

  “Y
ou bastard! I'll get you for this!”

  But Tank had already jumped, soaring as high as his heart now felt.

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