The Brain vs The Heart - A Battle Royale
Chapter 9
Reid turned, stood and watched as the Grimaldi jet took off. What the hell had just happened? He had let Luke just go, no worse, he’d ordered him to. The fact that Luke’s transplanted kidney had a definite shelf life made Reid ache. In a flash, images of a sick dying Luke Snyder crying and telling Reid he needed to go on without him consumed his mind, leaving no room for the soft sexy vibrant Luke that had been sitting on him ravaging him with kisses. Reid saw himself not being able to do anything to save Luke and how he would hate himself for that. He envisioned being alone again far before he would be ready to be. The stark realization of that had completely freaked him out and he’d panicked. There was no other word for it. He felt like the walls were closing in on him, squeezing every ounce of oxygen out of his body. The ridiculous thing was that just one short hour earlier he had been on cloud 9 literally and figuratively.
He’d never expected to actually kiss Luke before he got on the plane in Oakdale and he sure hadn’t been able to anticipate Luke’s reaction to the kiss. It had all been so different for Reid. That was the first time he could ever remember wanting to give up control to a partner. Watching Luke on top of him doing whatever he wanted was a bit scary. But, having a clear view at Luke’s face and all its vulnerable and unbridled passion had been so hot and truly intoxicating, that it got more terrifying by the minute. Reid also hadn’t expected to be struck by the realization that Luke could die. Seeing the scar had been a slap in the face to wake him up to what he was letting happen. He wasn’t ready for something he never thought he would want in the first place.
A kidney….hell…Luke was too young to have had to deal with so much, and yet, he seemed more willing to live than Reid at the moment. Luke had been honest with him even though he was sure it had been hard for him to do. But Reid hadn’t been able to be honest with him back. He felt like a coward and that was not an emotion he was used to.
His instinct had been to get Luke away from him before he was in so deep that he couldn’t get out again. Now he wanted to kick himself, very VERY hard. Cowardice was unacceptable, even when he knew it had something to do with the fact that he thought he might be falling in love for the first time in his life. Now, standing there seeing the small line of spent jet fuel streak the air overhead from Luke’s plane he realized that it was probably already too late.
Little to no heart in this one at all unless it’s breaking…..sorry folks: Brain…. 5 ½, Heart 4 ½