Chapter 14

Ramon turned away, let the boxes fall onto the floor. His shoulders hunched over and his head dropped. Brandon stepped close, but Ramon didn’t respond.

“Ramon, babe, what is it?” I shouldn’t have teased him about that. Reston, you are such an asshole sometimes.

Ramon just shook his head. He wasn’t crying, Brandon could tell, but he had drawn in on himself like a kicked puppy. Brandon lay one hand on him, just enough to make contact, and he felt Ramon’s back loosen at his touch. They stood there, close enough for their body heat to merge, but Brandon felt so disconnected from him that his head ached.

Ramon took a shaky breath and whispered, “He hit me.”

Oh, shit.

Brandon had no understanding of abuse, had no tolerance for it. He contributed to the local domestic violence shelter and several animal rescue charities, but couldn’t bear to read the newsletters or see any pictures.