As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t at home. I knew where I was; I had woken up here once before, not too long ago. It was different this time. Far different.

Screaming filled the bedroom even though the doors were closed. It took little brainpower to know exactly who was fighting. I had also helped cause the problem they were fighting about, but I wasn’t sure why I had agreed to help him. Maybe I thought there was a chance for us to have something more. I honestly didn't know what I thought.

I didn’t even have a chance to get out of his bed because he threw the doors open, our eyes meeting.

“Good. You are awake. We need to have a long conversation.”

I didn’t want to have a conversation with him. That was the thing. He went to his closet, pulling out clothing and tossing it on the end of the bed.

“Get dressed.”

His words were short with me, but not sweet. There was a bitter, angry tone to them and I didn’t like it. I felt bad. I changed into the clothing and left the bedroom slowly. Alessio sat at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He smiled at me softly. He didn’t look any worse for the wear and even had the courage to look his father in the eyes and smile.

Not me man, I was avoiding looking Andrei in the eyes. I was sure he knew that thought. He grabbed a cup of black coffee setting it on the table along with cream and sugar.

“Sit down, now.”

I walked slowly and sat down. I dared not touch anything, without being told it was ok. He placed a stack of buttered and sliced toast on the table before he set a few other things on the table. A pan of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, fresh fruit, plates and forks. Alessio grabbed some food putting it on a plate he took off the stack on the table. Alessio took another plate filling it up with only small amounts of everything, He set a fork on the side of the plate and set it down in front of me.

“Lukas is a big boy he can get his own food, Alessio,” Andrei said sharply before sipping his coffee.

The coffee in front of me sat there still, black and getting cold. I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t have an appetite to eat. I was still feeling guilty for last night; I knew I didn’t have a reason to feel this way, but I did. The more I remembered my behaviour the worse my guilt grew.

I picked up the fork slowly and ate. The food I swallowed was good, but it sat like lead in my stomach. I would not be rude however, I had food on my plate, I would finish it. I poured a small amount of cream into the cup of coffee and some sugar. I stirred it with the spoon that Andrei gave me. Our fingers brushed slightly, and I felt terrible again. I should have just turned the kid away when he showed up at my door, but I didn’t.

The actions of his father hurt him and I didn’t want Andrei anywhere with that man. His own mother didn’t like that man. I had got myself wrapped in something that didn’t even concern me. And for what?

Sipping the coffee slowly, I just wanted this to be over. I appreciated that he made us all breakfast, but I wanted to hide already and he hadn’t even begun to have a talk with me like he said he was going to. I felt like a scolded child, that was the worst part.

Finishing off my food, I stood up. I took Andrei and Alessio’s empty plates. The sink wasn’t that far away, but it felt like miles. Turning the hot water on, I didn’t bother turning the cold water on. I just wanted it all to be over. That’s what I kept telling myself, Even as the water burned my hands.

Hurrying with the dishes, Andrei set the other empty dishes in the sick, the water touching his hand only briefly. He hissed yanking his hand back. He was quick to pull my own hands out of the water. They were red and unhappy looking but; the pain was long faded. I had ignored it.

“Lukas, what the hell is wrong with you!”

“I was just—-”

“That water was boiling hot, look at your fucking hands!”

“I didn’t feel it.” It was a lie, but I couldn’t tell him that.

He quickly turned the water to cold and shoved my hands under the cold water. I felt the burning in my hands then. It was terrible. He wouldn’t let me pull my hands out from under the cold water though. He held them there and clicked his tongue in anger.

“Alessio, go grab some of the burn creams from the medical wing, just to be on the safe side.”

Alessio, went to his room grabbing keys and walked off to get the creams. My hands weren’t even that bad, but he was still holding them under the water.

“My hands are fine.”

“They are going to be tender, and I don’t want you to get blisters.”

“It’s fine. I won’t.” I mumbled.

He wasn’t believing a word that I said, but that was fine. But it wasn’t the truth, anyway. He knew it too.

“Hold them under the water well I go get a soft towel.”

“Ok.”

He walked down the hall, and I held my hands under the water. Alessio came back, Someone right behind him.

“Dad, Jackson is here. Says Zev needs to reschedule with you. One of the kids has a cold.”

“That’s fine, Morning Jackson,” Andrei said as he made his way over, with the towel. He took my hands out of the water and they were tender.

“Morning, Who’s your friend?” He said wiggling his eyebrows at Andrei in a frat-boy kind of way.

“This is Lukas. He works for the lab at the LHPD. He’s a friend.”

“Cool, Nice to meet you, I’d shake your hands, but that doesn’t look like a great idea.”

Alessio slipped gloves on his hands before he put some cream on them and had his dad remove the towel. Well, Alessio was rubbing the cream into the tops of my hands, Andrei and Jackson talked about mafia shit just right out in the open. They weren’t worried about me in the slightest. I found it both cool and uncomfortable.

The sound of the door opening had me watching to see who else was coming by. Creed stepped around Jackson, headed right for the coffee.

“Alexi killed our coffee maker. Don’t ask.” Creed sighed.

Creed pulled a cup down out of the cupboard and poured some coffee into his cup. The door opened again, stomping feet down the hall, Alexi rounding the corner. Creed handed the cup in his hand to Alexi before making himself another cup. Alexi turned to look at me, his eyebrow raised before looking at Andrei.

“Alexi, the next time you have so much free time. Fuck off.” Andrei snapped. Making me jump suddenly.

“I’m sorry, I have no clue what you mean. I was busy last night, working.”

“I’m so sure.”

Alexi turned his attention back to me.

“Don’t worry, His bark is worse than his bite. I’m sure he gave you lecture and treated you like a bad teenager. To be fair though, that’s all the experience he has.”

“Alessio was right. You are a shit starter.” I groaned.

Creed broke out laughing, Alessio froze his eyes looking at Alexi before going back to work on my hands. Alexi just brought his coffee cup up to his lips sipping it slowly before he narrowed his eyes at Alessio.

“Little fucking shit head. What rumours are you spreading about me?”

“They are hardly rumours,” Andrei said, Glaring at Alexi.

“What happened to your hands, Lukas?”

I sighed.

“I burned them in hot water doing the dishes, trying to get out of here faster. I didn’t want to get lectured.” I said looking at my still tender and slightly pink hands.

“Ouch, I think I might have gone for the lecture,” Alexi said.

Jackson left after he got a call and Alexi sat down at the table stealing a piece of leftover toast. Creed closed the tube of cream for Alessio when he asked. This was all super weird to me, I expected this to be so much worse than it had been, but I also knew at some point Andrei was going to speak his mind with me about this. It was just a matter of when. As he walked by me he stopped and he lowered his mouth to my ear, so only I could hear him. It gave me chills when he spoke his lips brushing against my ear.

“Whatever you think is going on with me and the man fucking my son, You are deeply wrong Lukas.”