Connected by the Tide (22 page)

Andre chuckled then drank from his wine glass.

“He’ll get over it,” Jeremy said.

“It’s been years,” Andre said. “He’ll never get over it.”

“It took me a while
, but I got there,” Jeremy said.

Henry could tell Jeremy was very masculine. He had a huge body covered in muscles, and he was always short and to the point. When he leaned over the table and inhaled his food, he looked like a starving dog. There was a calendar on the wall that showed different girls in bikini
s.

Andre shook his head. “If it’s taken this long, he’s never going to come around.”

“Then fuck him,” Jeremy said. “If he ostracizes one of us, he loses all of us.”

Andre
swirled his wine around the glass. “Thanks, but I don’t want that. You guys should still see Dad.”

“No,” Ren said. “He either accepts you o
r loses all of his kids. That’ll show him how far his head is shoved up his ass.”

“Thanks, guys,” Andre said without looking at them.

They finished the meal in silence, and then Ren did the dishes. Henry helped her and loaded the dishwasher.

Andre eyed
Henry. “I like a man who does housework.”

Ren elbowed Henry in the side. “You just scored some brownie points.”

“Let’s play ball in the back,” Jeremy said as he grabbed a football from the couch.

“Ugh, I hate football,” Andre said.

“Because you don’t try,” Ren teased.

“I do try,” he said. “But I would rather be a cheerleader.”

They went into the backyard and Perry followed behind, his tail wagging.

“I got Ren,” Jeremy said quickly.

“I want to be on Henry’s team,” she said as she wrapped her arm around his. She leaned into him and kissed him. Henry felt awkward kissing her in front of her brothers, but he didn’t pull away.

“I do
n’t want to be stuck with Andre,” he said, throwing the ball in the air.

“It’s okay, baby,” Henry said. “Go with Jeremy.”

“Then you have no chance of winning,” she teased.

“Oh really?” he challenged. “We’ll see about that.”

“Wanna make it interesting?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I win—you do something I want in the bedroom. You win—you choose.”

“Ooh, I like that. But I win either way.”

“So do I.”

“You’re on, baby.”

She turned and walked away, and Henry watched her go. He turned to Andre. “Do you know how to play at all?”

He shrugged. “Go long?”

Henry sighed. “Just do what I say.”

They flipped a coin to determine who got the ball then started the game. Andre was pretty much useless. He couldn’t catch the ball, and when he did, he couldn’t dodge their grabs and ended up falling to the ground. When Henry was the receiver, Andre could never throw the ball far enough.

Andre shrugged his shoulders. “I told you I sucked.”

When Ren’s team had the ball, she always played the quarterback. She could throw the ball far
, and her brother would always catch it. If they ever switched up, Ren was faster than Henry was. He could barely stay on her tail. When the game was over, Henry and Andre were breathless.

“65-7,” Jeremy said. “That’s just sad.”

“But we had team spirit,” Andre said.

Henry clapped him on the back. “Good game. You did great.”

Andre looked at his brother. “Henry said I did a good job.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Because he’s sleeping with Ren and he wants your approval.”

Henry was uncomfortable by his bluntness, but he didn’t react. He wasn’t going to lie and say he wasn’t having sex with their sister. He thought a lie would be worse.

“No, Henry’s a good guy,” Andre
said. “He was nice to me before he knew I was related to Ren.”

“Maybe,” Jeremy said.

Ren came closer to Henry. “Ignore him.”

“I’ll try.”

“So, looks like you’re the loser.”

“I beg to differ.” He rubbed his nose against hers.

“My mind is racing with ideas.”

“Well, you think about it long and hard.”

“Oh, I will.”

“I didn’t realize you were so good at sports.”

“Why is that surprising?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It just is.”

“I grew up with four brothers. It shouldn’t be surprising.”

“Judgi
ng by Andre’s performance, you grew up with three brothers.”

She laughed. “You think I’m a tomboy?”

He looked her up and down. “Definitely not.”

“Really?”

“No. You’re a
Sports Illustrated
model on the outside, but a down-to-earth, low-maintenance, easygoing, sports-loving, girly man on the inside. That’s called a perfect woman, Ren.”

She blushed as she smiled.
“As long as you think that.”

He leaned closer to her ear.
“And a porn star in the bedroom.”

She shrugged. “I try.”

They went back inside the house and gathered around the television. Jeremy put on a basketball game, and Andre looked like he might fall asleep.

Andre
came beside Henry and looked at Ren. “I’m glad Henry is nothing like Dane. I still hate that asshole.”

Ren looked uncomfortable. “You’ll never have to worry about Henry.”

Henry smiled, pleased by her faith in him.

“Homophob
es are the worst,” Andre said.

Henry raised an eyebrow. “Dane was a homophob
e?”

“Yeah,” Andre said. “He used to give me shit about it. A
fter they broke up, it got worse.”

Henry was confused. He looked at Ren. “Then why did you date him?”

“He didn’t know about Andre until we were together for six months. By then, I was too attached.” She looked at her brother. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” he said as he looked away.

“Let me know if he bothers you,” Henry said.

Andre
shook his head. “Everyone bothers me. It’s nothing new.”

“Why?”

“I’m very open with my sexuality. A lot of my gay friends are quiet about it, but I don’t believe in that. This is who I am. You can hate me if you want. I really don’t care.”

“I just can’t believe that would be a problem at the college level,” Henry said.

“Well, not everyone on the island is a hippie.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“My offer still stands. If someone is bothering you, let me know. I have a lot of friends who would stand up for you.”

Andre looked at the screen, even though he wasn’t watching it. “I don’t need someone else to fight my battles, but I appreciate it, Henry.”

Henry nodded but didn’t say anything.

Ren leaned toward his ear. “I’m ready to go home.” She had a twinkle in her eye that Henry caught.

“Okay.”

She stood up and embraced Jeremy. “I’ll see you later.”

“Sure.” He turned to Henry. “It was nice meeting you. Sorry I was giving you shit. As her older brother, I have to.”

Henry smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll put up with anything just to be with her.”

“Good answer.”

“’Bye, Henry,” Andre said. “I’ll see you at work.”

“I’ll be quitting soon. I found another job.”

“You did?” he said sadly. “That sucks.”

“You still have Nancy. She’s one of my best friends.”

“You’re cooler, though.”

“Well, it was nice seeing you. Thank you for dinner.”

“Yeah. No problem.”

“
’Bye,” Ren said as she walked out.

Perry came behind her and followed her to the car. She opened the back door
, and he jumped inside.

“He’s such a good dog,” Henry said as he approached the car.

Perry hung his head out the window and started drooling.

“He’s such a sweet boy,” she said as she kissed him on the head.

“Yuck. Now I’m not going to kiss you.”

“That’s fine. I had other plans anyway.”

He looked at her with a smile on his face. “Oh, really?”

She got into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the house.
“Definitely.”

They came home then walked inside the house. Ren made Perry dinner while Henry waited in the living room, adjusting himself every few minutes because of the
boner in his pants.

When she was done, she walked down the hallway.
“You coming, Henry?”

He sprinted after her and followed her into the bedroom.

She started stripping her clothes away, and he watched her with a hungry expression. “No touching.”

“
I’m already hating this.”

When she was naked
, she lay on the bed, her body flat. Her legs were straight, her toes hanging off the bed. “Take everything off.”

H
e did as she commanded then lay beside her. “How would you like me to make love to you?”

“I want you to fuck me from behind.”

“It’ll be a tight fit.”

“That’s the point.”

His spine shivered.

“Come on,” she said as she wiggled her butt.

He climbed on top of her then placed his hands on either side of her shoulders. His hips dropped, and his cock was pressed against her ass. He licked his hand then wiped the tip before he pushed against her pussy.

“Nice and slow, Henry.”

He pushed inside her and felt the tight squeeze.

“That feels so good.”

He was too turned on to speak. He started to rock into her, dropping his hips into her then flexing his ass as he pulled out again. He stared at her lower back, seeing the large curve as he moved into her.

Ren moaned and
sighed, enjoying every second of him moving inside her. “Just like that.”

He did as she asked and rocked into her gently, feeling the constriction of her walls as he moved. He disliked not being able to kiss her, but he enjoyed fucking her this way.

“Don’t come until I tell you to.”

“Damn,” he said as he moved into her.

She reached behind her and grabbed his ass, pulling him into her harder. She bit her lip and moaned.

The o
bvious pleasure she was feeling made his arousal more difficult to fight. Every sound she made had him at the brink of an orgasm. He’d never felt so good when he had sex. Knowing he was making her feel so blissful was such a turn-on. He loved making her come.

She arched her back more and rocked her ass against him, bo
uncing on his dick. Her nails dug into the sheets and she started to moan loudly, her mouth opening wildly as she came.

Henry thrust his hips and fucked her harder so she would have an explosive orgasm. Her pleasure didn’t help his. He wanted to come with every downward thrust.

She turned her head and looked at him. “It’s your turn.”

He grabbed her ass and pounded into he
r hard and fast. “Oh, yeah.”

“Come on.”

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her ribs as he came, still moving inside her slowly. When he was finished, he rested his head on top of hers, catching his breath.

“Fucking isn’t so bad, huh?”

“Mwah.”

She turned over and kissed him, making his lips set on fire. “It’s okay if you enjoy it.”

“I really enjoy it,” he said into her mouth. “But I love making love to you more.”

Her eyes softened when she looked at him. “Henry, you’re always making love to me.”

30

Henry worked with Andre at the aquarium the next night. Andre seemed to have all the routines down, so Henry decided to let him work on his own tonight so they could split the load and finish more quickly.

Henry was washing the windows of the main tank when he heard two people giggle.

“Can you wait a second?” a girl said.

“Do I ever wait?” Henry rec
ognized the voice. It was Coen.

“You aren’t alone,” he announced as he continued to clean the window with the extended window wiper.

They both fell silent then emerged from the dark hallway.

“Hey, Henry,” Sydney said, her cheeks
flushing.

“What are you guys doing here?”

They both looked at each other.

“Coen just wanted to see one of the exhibits,” she said awkwardly.

Henry knew what they were really doing. He laughed. “Well, I already cleaned the jellyfish exhibit, so no one will be over there for the rest of the evening.”

The
y both blushed when they realized their brilliant scheme had been caught.

“Uh, thanks,” Coen mumbled. He grabbed her hand and led her down a hallway. They started giggling again
, and their voices drifted away.

Henry shook his head and continued to work. Their relationship didn’t bother him anymore
, and it was the greatest relief he ever found. Knowing they were having sex in the same building as he didn’t make him sick to his stomach. In fact, he thought they were kinda cute.

“Dude, look at my hand.”

Henry turned and looked at Andre, who appeared out of the hallway. “What’s up?”

“Those damn birds.”

He had a small bite on his middle finger. “Did you wash it?”

“That’s the first thing I did.”

“We should put a bandage on it.”

“Those things are vicious.”

“You’re telling me,” Henry said with a laugh. He finished the window then returned the tools to the closet. They walked in the break room and covered the wound with a bandage. “What did you do?”

“I was just walking
, and one came up behind me and bit me. That little asshole.”

Henry laughed. “I always keep my hands in my pocket
s unless I’m using them when I’m in their tank.”

“Well, thanks for the warning.”

“Sorry,” he said with a smile. He washed his hands then changed out of his uniform, putting on his street clothes. He was so glad to be out of the uniform. It smelled like fish and animal feces by the end of the day.

Andre
changed beside him and didn’t look at him.

Henry wondered if Andre
had ever checked him out, but he realized how stupid he was being. Just because he was gay didn’t mean he checked out every guy. That would mean Henry checked out every girl he saw.

“I heard some people giggling in one of the rooms,” Andre said.

“Was it the jellyfish room?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“It sounded like they were getting frisky,” he said with a smile.

“A friend of mine works in one of the labs. Her fiancé comes here on her breaks, so they can—you know.”

“Wow. That’s bad
-ass.”

“Yeah.
They are adventurous.”

“Have you ever brought Ren here?”

He raised an eyebrow. “When we first started dating.”

“Wow. My sister is a slut.”

“Not to do that,” he said quickly. “I just wanted to show her the animals. She seemed really excited when I told her I worked here.”

“It’s okay. I know my sister isn’t the most c
onservative person. When you go to the same school, word travels.”

“Well, I’m not like those other guys she’s been with. I really love her.”

Andre nodded. “I can tell.”

“And you shouldn’t hold her past against her. She was in a dark place at the time.”

“I wasn’t,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t judge my sister at all. She accepts me for who I am, and I accept her. It’s that simple.”

“That’s how family should be.”

Andre got quiet. “Yeah.”

Henry knew he was thinking about his dad. “It’s his loss.”

Andre didn’t respond to the comment. “I’m ready to head out.”

“Yeah.
Me, too.”

They grabbed their belongings, clocked out,
and then walked through the front door. The parking lot was deserted except for a few cars. They walked across the concrete as they moved in the darkness. The sun was gone, but it was still warm. The breeze held the heat.

Henry noticed a group of guys leaning against a truck. It was dark
, so it was difficult to make them out. He couldn’t even see their faces. “Do you know those guys?”

Andre looked up from the ground. “No.”

Henry felt uneasy. He had never seen anyone in the parking lot after he got off work. It was always empty. Students, hobos, and wanderers never camped out there. “I think we should go back inside.”

Andre looked at him. “They aren’t even looking at us.”

“Yet.”

“I’m not scared of anyone.”

They kept walking, but Henry couldn’t help but feel frightened. Andre’s car was much closer to theirs than Henry’s was. He was at least twenty feet to the left. “Are you sure?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Henry. I’ll see you later.”

Henry glanced at the guys one more time before he turned to the right, heading to his car. He didn’t want to stare at the nighttime lurkers and give them a reason to confront him, so he kept his eyes locked on his car and approached it. When he heard a yell, he turned around.

Andre
was being held against his car by two guys. One was punching him in the face.

“Fucking faggot!”
He punched him again.

Andre
leaned forward, groaning through the pain, but he didn’t make a sound. The guy kneed him in the head.

The anger and adrenaline kicked in Henry’s veins
, and he dropped his backpack and sprinted toward the assaulters. When he reached them, he felt his heart fall. All their faces were covered in ski masks. People never covered their faces unless they were about to do something really bad.

“Let me go!” Andre said as he fought their hold.

Henry came around the car and pushed the first guy he saw. Everyone scattered for a moment when they realized they had company.

“Get off him!” Henry said as he pushed the guy holding Andre.

Andre fell to the ground, then got to his feet quickly.

The man closest to Henry threw a swing at him, colliding with this jaw. Henry stumb
led back and felt the blood pour in his mouth.

“I guess we got another one, boys,” the guy said over his shoulder. “It must be his boyfriend.” He raised his fist to punch Henry, but Henry darted out of the way. Then he raised his fist and punched
the guy in the side of the head.

That pissed the guy off and he charged Henry, engaging him in a
close fight. Henry felt his body slam to the concrete and another fist collide with his face. He kneed the guy then rolled over him, punching him in the face. He grabbed his mask to pull it off, but the guy brought his fist into his nose, making it sting on impact.

Henry fell back and heard Andre yell as he was hit again in the stomach. There were four guys altogether. Two were holding Andre back, one was punching him, and the other
guy was trying to knock Henry unconscious.

Henry was so preoccupied with the guy he couldn’t reach Andre. Every time he tried, he was pulled back. When he was pushed to
the ground again, he saw the man pull out a small knife. Now he was really afraid. Going with his instinct, he kicked the knife as hard as he could because he was wearing the metal shoes required for work. He knew the tip wouldn’t pierce the hard material. The knife fell on the concrete, difficult to see in the darkness. Henry kicked the guy again, hitting him in the groin. When the guy was bent over, Henry shoved him to the ground, pushing his head into the street.

Henry looked over at An
drew and saw the blood spilling from his mouth. His eyes were black and swollen, and he wasn’t even fighting it anymore. He seemed to be unconscious.

“You’re going to kill him!” Henry yelled.

“That’s the point.” The hooded figure looked at one of the guys. “Knock him out.”

Henry released the guy he was holding and stepped back. Now he had two adversaries.

“Sydney, call 911!”

Henry saw the doors to the aquarium open.

Coen came out, a look of murder on his face. Sydney tried to come after him, but he grabbed her by the arm and shoved her harshly inside then slammed the door closed. He sprinted to Henry then pushed him aside, taking on the first guy. With lightning speed, he punched the guy in the face five times before the assaulter realized what was happening. The other man flinched, realizing Coen was a serious adversary. Henry took the opportunity and charged him, throwing him to the ground.

“Someone is calling the police. Shit!”

The guy released Andre, letting him fall to the ground with a thud. He didn’t move. The guy jumped into their vehicle then drove to the guy Henry had pinned to the ground.

“Leave him!” the guy in the passenger seat yelled.

“He gets caught, we all get caught!”

They both charged Henry and shoved him aside. Henry wasn’t going to let them go and get away with that they did. He wasn’t letting it happen. He threw his body against the guy just as he took out a knife.

Coen grabbed him and pushed him back. “It’s not worth it.”

They both held their knives as they dragged their accomplice
s back to the car. Coen held Henry back as they watched them go. They peeled out of the parking lot, running over a sign on the lawn as they made their escape.

Henry ran to Andre and turned him on his back. “Andre? Andre?” Henry shook him. He was totally unresponsive.

Coen came beside him and looked at Andre. “He’s breathing.”

Blood was leaking from his nose and his mouth. His eyes were swollen shut.

“Fuck,” Henry said.

“What the fuck happened?” Coen asked as he felt his heartbeat.

“I have no fucking idea. They just jumped him.”

“Is he in a gang?”

“No! They did it just because he’s gay.”

“A hate crime?
”

Henry nodded.

The police and ambulance came to the parking lot. The paramedics moved on Andre first, taking him into the back of the vehicle before they took off to the hospital. Coen and Henry were questioned by the police as Sydney ran outside and jumped into Coen’s arms.

“Are you okay?” she asked, tears practically spilling from her eyes.

“Baby, I’m fine. Not even a scratch.”

She looked at him everywhere, assuaged by his lack of physical trauma.

“Thank you for listening to me,” he whispered into her ear.

She nodded but didn’t say anything. Then she looked at Henry. That
was when the tears started to fall. “Omigod,” she said as she hugged him. “Are you okay?”

Henry nodded, holding her tight.

“You’re bleeding everywhere.”

“I’m fine,” he said quietly.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Everyone is fine. It all worked out.”

“Did you get a license plate?” an officer asked.

Coen swore loudly and gripped his hair. Henry knew what that meant. He shook his head.

“Description?”

Henry shook his head again. “They all wore masks.”

“Did they say any names?”

“They were careful.”

The officer nodded. “We’ll look into it.”

Henry knew that meant they didn’t have any leads at all. “Damn.” He turned away and walked to his car.

“Henry, where are you going?” Sydney asked.

“The hospital.”

“You should get checked out.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m going to Andre.”

“We’ll follow you,” Coen said.

Henry nodded then slammed the door. He pulled out his phone and stared at it, not wanting to make the phone call. Ren would be devastated. With shaky hands, he called her and waited for her to answer.

“Coming over?” she asked with a smile in her voice. “I just went shopping for lingerie. Your timing couldn’t be better.”

“Baby, listen to me.”

Her voice totally changed. “Henry, what is it?”

“Meet me at the hospital.”

She paused for a long time. “What’s going on?”

He sighed. “Andre was jumped by a group of guys. He’s unconscious
, and he’s been taken to the hospital.”