Attachment Strings by Chris T. Kat Page B

all ,” Alex chimed in. He voiced his opinion in such an icy tone that shivers ran down my spine.
    “What did I say now ?”
    Alex snorted in disbelief while he picked up the fork and started feeding Sean on his lap. The boy opened his mouth willingly and this time Alex didn’t help him close his mouth while he chewed. It was a revolting sight and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my face impassive.
    Alex’s face hardened. “You assumed Sean couldn’t understand what you said. Let me enlighten you to the fact that not everyone who’s disabled is stupid. Sean’s intellect is absolutely normal for his age. He has cerebral palsy. I won’t bother you with the details since you wouldn’t understand them anyway. He can’t speak, yes, but he does understand everything you say. You better watch your mouth.”
    I bristled. He had just called me arrogant, prejudiced, and on top of it, he had more or less told me to shut up. I clenched my fists tightly before I gritted out, “Please excuse my nonexistent knowledge about… that disability of your brother’s. You still don’t get to tell me how to speak. Now, is it possible for you to answer our questions or will you or your brother flip out again?”
    “We didn’t—”
    “Geez, Woods, did you leave your common sense at home this morning? Or did the sex you two have last night short-circuit something important in your brain?”
    I gawked at Parker, whereas Alex quickly put his hands over Sean’s ears. A deep red color tinted Alex’s cheeks. It was obvious that Parker’s blunt remarks had left him incredibly flustered, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was a funny sight with Sean trying to free his ears and Alex looking as if he wanted to hide in a hole.
    “What’s so funny?” he hissed. “I don’t want you talking like that in my home. Sean is just a kid! He doesn’t need to know about… about what we did last night.” He averted his eyes in a gesture resembling defeat. Softly, he added, “Please?”
    “You don’t think he’ll resent you because you had sex with a man, do you?” I couldn’t help asking.
    “Woods!”
    Alex laughed, though it sounded suspiciously like a choked sob. “He’s six years old! He doesn’t need to hear the word sex at this age. He’s also not different from any other child. He wants parents. If he thinks there is or was something going on between us, he’ll want you to stay here and become part of the family.”
    I froze. My gaze darted from Alex’s face to Sean, still struggling to shake off the hands covering his ears. Part of the family? No way.
    Having a family had never been on my personal wish list. Even the thought of spending my life with a lover was fairly new. When I could move again, I hastily got up from the chair. “Forget that I asked. How long will it take you to feed him? We only have a few questions, but we can come back another time when it’s more convenient for you. Maybe at a time when your brother isn’t at home.”
    “It’ll take me about ten minutes. I’ll convince him to watch a DVD, and then you can ask your questions. I’d rather get it over with and get you out of my home as soon as possible.”
    Ouch . I probably deserved that. Scratch the probably; I did deserve that comment. Though why did it feel as if he had punched me in the gut? More to the point, why did I want to make it up to him, show him I wasn’t such an ass?
    Parker glanced at his watch. “That’s okay. Do you want us to wait somewhere else? So you can feed Sean in peace?”
    “Why don’t you say straight away that you’d rather be in another room instead of watching Sean eat? Oh, whatever. Go to the living room.” Alex was still covering Sean’s ears, which was most likely the best for all of us.
    Parker started, “I didn’t mean—”
    “I don’t care what either of you meant. Get out of the kitchen so I can feed my brother.”
    Parker and I fled from the kitchen. Once in the living room, we