Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

before sending him on his way.
    When he got out onto the street, the rain was pouring down. Pulling his hat down low and his coat collar up, he walked swiftly to his car. On the drive home, he wondered what he was going to say to Nathan. He was calm now, but he knew the moment he saw Nathan, that would no longer be the case.
    Parking outside the house, he took a deep breath. Maybe all his fretting was for nothing. Maybe Nathan wasn't home. Maybe he'd decided that he belonged with Danny. With a frustrated grunt, he got out and headed for the front steps, a different emotion entirely washing over him at the sight of Nathan sitting on the top step under the porch wearing nothing but his black pants and undershirt. Not only was Nathan missing his shoes and a whole lot of other clothing, he was also soaked to the bone and shivering.
    "You look like a drowned rat," Harlan grumbled, unable to think of what else to say.
    Nathan's head snapped up and his bottom lip trembled a little. Seeming to get a hold of himself, he simply nodded.
    "What the hell happened to you?"
    "I got mugged by a bunch of brunos. The bastards took everything except my undershirt and pants. They probably would have taken those too if some coppers hadn't shown up."
    Jesus, how long had Nathan been sitting out here in the cold, waiting for Harlan? "Why didn't you go inside the house? Have you lost your goddamn mind?" He stalked up to Nathan and hauled him to his feet.
    "Possibly," Nathan muttered, his teeth now chattering.
    "Un-fucking-believable," Harlan growled, holding onto him with one hand and fishing for his keys with the other. Once he managed to get them out, he jammed them into the lock, turned the key and shoved Nathan inside. "This has to be the dumbest thing you've ever done." Nathan knew Harlan had lost his family to Influenza, and here he was sitting out in the cold, drenched, and welcoming any number of life-threatening illnesses with open arms. "Get your clothes off, right now." He didn't bother waiting around to see if Nathan was listening. Instead, he went into the bathroom and got a hot bath running. When he got back, Nathan had done as asked, and stood in the hall completely naked, shivering from head to toe.
    Harlan led him into the bathroom and ignored the surprised look on Nathan's face as he started getting undressed. "Stop standing there like a rube and get in the damn tub."
    With a small nod, Nathan carefully climbed in and scooted up, leaving room for Harlan to climb in behind him. The clawed bathtub was big, but with the both of them in it, there was little room for movement. He took the washcloth from the small rack and used it to poor some water over Nathan's shoulders and head.
    "Harley—"
    "Shut up. I didn't say I was ready to talk to you yet."
    Nathan went quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again. "Can I ask one question?"
    "One," Harlan muttered.
    "Is it over?"
    It would be better in the long run wouldn't it? They both had so much buried deep inside, things that their relationship managed to keep that way. What if by doing what they did, they were just hurting each other even more? Was being together really making them whole, or was it just an illusion, hiding the reality of their irreparable damage?
    He took a deep breath and released it slowly before answering. "No."
    Nathan said nothing. He started to take the cloth from Harlan to take over the task, but Harlan just pulled him back against him.
    "I'll take care of it," he said quietly, determined to do just that.
    CHAPTER 5
    Nathan lay wide awake in bed as he did every other night, his back pressed against Harlan's chest. Despite the closeness, it felt as though there was a canyon-sized gap between them.
    "I can feel how angry you are, so why are you bothering with all this," he asked, truly baffled. From the moment he'd stepped out of the bath, Harlan had taken care of everything, just as he'd said. He'd bathed Nathan, washed his hair, dried him, brought him to bed, and now lay down with him under the covers, holding him tight. He was also still mad as hell. It was coming off him in waves.
    "Because I don't want you to get sick," Harlan replied. "You know what I went through with my parents. Next time, use your head. For crying out loud, Nate, you're smarter than that."
    Nathan turned in Harlan's arms to face him, ignoring his lover's grunt of protest. "Look at me, Harley."
    Reluctantly, Harlan did. "Now what," he snapped.
    "Now, you stop being such an ass,"