Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist by K. A. Merikan Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t know. I was so scared back then in the forest. I had no idea what you would do. You were all drunk. Anything could have happened.” Ethan stared at the table, unmoving like a statue.
    Robert swallowed and got to his feet. Keeping his eyes on Ethan’s hunched form, he circled the table to stand next to him. From up close, his hair looked like beautiful threads of silk. “Just tell me if anyone picks on you, yeah?”
    Ethan looked up at him, with his lips forming into a dissatisfied pout. “I will,” he muttered and quickly slid off the chair in a way that allowed him not to risk brushing against Rob. He took a few steps toward the corridor.
    “Where to now? Can I have some water first?” asked Rob, whose eyes trailed down the slim legs. Suddenly, being alone with Ethan didn’t feel nearly as intimidating. He was pretty, and lonely, and scared of Rob.
    “I-I wanted to show you out. I thought you wanted to leave?” Ethan swallowed, and Rob didn’t have to be a mind reader to see there was still a glimmer of hope in that blue eye. Robert cleared his throat, desperately trying not to let any redness leak onto his face, but it was a futile attempt. He couldn’t help but think that it was an opportunity for both of them. He had planned not to get involved with anyone until college, but Ethan was a safe option. There was still pent-up anger in him, but at the end of the day, someone as self-conscious and weak as Ethan couldn’t possibly threaten him in any way.
    “Will you do me too?”
    The instantly widening pupil was all the answer he needed. Ethan stepped up to him and grabbed his hand. “I will! I don’t have any experience, but I’ll give it my best. And if you let me practice now and then, I promise I’ll get better at it till graduation.” The heat of his fingers betrayed the arousal and need contained in that small body.
    “Water?” asked Robert, hardly keeping his smile at bay. This kind of excitement was something he definitely wanted to see in someone he was fucking. Heat spread through his body like wildfire.
    “Yeah, sure, sure!” Ethan rushed off to the kitchen, with his bare feet thudding against the wooden floor.
    “Just be careful.” Robert hurried after him, suddenly hit by the vision of Ethan failing to perceive the depth of something and hurting his other eye. “I’m not dying yet.” The moment he reached the kitchen, with the last word still on his lips, glass smashed all over the floor.
    “Fuck!” Ethan groaned, but instantly dove to the cupboard under the sink for a dustpan and brush. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it.”
    Robert didn’t hesitate and pulled him out, pressing him against his chest. “Leave it, yeah? You said you don’t see well.” He could feel Ethan’s heart hammering in his chest, and it was kinda nice, actually. He’d held and kissed girls, but Ethan felt and smelled different altogether. There was more of him somehow, even though he was on the small side, and his scent was richer, sharper.
    “It’s just grabbing stuff that’s been annoying lately,” Ethan uttered but didn’t move by a fraction of an inch.
    Robert sighed, closing his eyes for just a short moment to enjoy the closeness. It was odd, but the moment Ethan had withdrawn his demands, his own anger had dispersed like a drop of ink in a pot of boiling water. “ You’ll get better at it with time.” He spun Ethan around and lifted him to the counter. Pulling glass out of those bare feet was the last thing he wanted.
    Ethan blinked at him from behind his black-rimmed glasses, but stayed put. “Wow. I mean… wow. I knew you were strong, but… I’m not all that light.”
    Robert let out a chuckle and looked at the narrow feet with a smile involuntarily spreading all over his face. “Yes, you are. You lost weight in hospital.” He scooted down to retrieve the dustpan and brush, and started quickly gathering the shards.
    Ethan’s curious eye never left him alone. “I have a big