Rivals ? - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Juice was right.
His injury was indeed too fresh. It was a long ride and the past weeks he had barely used his body. His muscles were aching and the scar on his stomach stung. Raine was immensely relieved as they approached the clubhouse of Santo Padre. Parking his bike on the side of the lot, he slid off his Harley. His hand glided across his stomach while he squeezed his eyes, cursing.
Before the others would see how weak he felt, he pushed away the pain and greeted the Mayans of the Santo Padre chapter.
"Yo hermano," Angel laughed, pulling him in a squeezing hug. "Our good Samaritan!" He leaned back to give him a once over. "Good to see you brother."
During Raine's recovery they had texted each other. If the guys hadn't been so busy around here, Angel might have visited him.
"The ride was okay?"
"A little too long."
Angel gave him a pensive look. "Well — you almost died. Has a huge impact on your fitness and shit."
Raine sighed. Probably. "A good beer will do wonders."
"Good beer and a hot chick," Angel winked. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him to the clubhouse. "I made room for you in my trailer." He laughed. "I missed you man."
Raine smiled. He had missed his friend too. His friendship with Angel went deeper than those with the other guys. Raine had just started prospecting when Angel's mother was murdered in her husband's butchery. Raine, who had just lost his own mother, had been a great support, especially when Angel's little brother was sent to prison after accidentally killing a cop when he was chasing his mother's murderer.
On his way inside he greeted some of the other guys. It was strange how quickly everything felt familiar. It felt like he'd never left.
"Don't ya wanna come back?" Angel asked. They were sitting at a couch in the corner, with good sight on the stripper pole. When they had signed up for the club as young boys, this had been their favorite spot. Right now, Raine could care less about the scantily dressed women.
Raine took a drag from his cigarette. Did he want to come back? Yeah, he did, he realized. He liked the quiet of Santo Padre; although he was raised in Oakland, this place had always felt like a liberation. He had gone to this place to deal with the death of his mom. His sister's sickness had pulled him back. Something told him this was also the right place to deal with her death.
But Juice wouldn't be here. Angel could be a great support, but he wasn't Juice. Missing him would tear him up. He however couldn't tell Angel, his friend didn't even know that he was in a relationship.
"Maybe, after a while," he said. "But I can't leave now. Sammy needs me."
He nodded understandingly. "How she holding up?"
"She has her ups and downs. Esai has been a great support."
Angel looked him in the eye. "That ain't bothering you?"
Raine knew what he meant. Just like most of them, Esai slept around. Yet, he believed his friend had enough respect for his little sister to treat her differently than all those club whores.
"I'm not sure they're more than friends. I think he will only push for more if his feelings are more serious."
"And what about your feelings? Elin stops by now and then. She misses you. Once she knows you're here, she'll come for you."
Elin... He didn't exactly look forward to see her.
"I'm over her," he shrugged. He leaned back in the couch. Fuck — that wound really stung. "In fact, I met someone."
He knew Angel was going to find out about it anyway, since they would share a trailer for the next weeks. He however wasn't sure if he wanted to stick to the Skye story, or whether he would tell him the truth. Angel had met Juice, he knew Raine would never date the girlfriend of an old friend. Furthermore he trusted Angel, contrary to Esai; Raine believed he could keep it to himself.
"No way!" Angel gave him a surprised look. "Is it serious?"
"Yeah."
Angel stared awaiting at him. "Well? Tell me about her! Is she hot? — Of course she's hot. Show me a pic dude!"
Raine smirked as he pictured how Angel would respond if he showed him a picture of Juice now. He decided to be a little more subtle.
"I'll tell you more later," he promised. "It uh — it's a bit of a sensitive issue. Nobody else knows."
"You're not having an affair with one of the old ladies, huh? Or underage daughters?"
Raine wondered if they would prefer that over a relationship with a Son.
"No," he answered.
The curious look didn't leave Angel's eyes, but he understood the gravity of the situation and didn't push for more information.
. . .
Raine stayed in the clubhouse for one more hour, then he went to the trailer. Angel had told him he would sleep on the couch because Raine looked like shit, and Raine didn't dismiss the offer. Angel had stayed behind, Raine had told him he wanted to call his lover first.
"Hey handsome," he greeted Juice, pressing his phone to his ear. "You alone?"
"Yeah — I'm in my room." His voice sounded weary. Raine doubted his own voice sounded much different.
"Long day?"
Juice sighed. Raine knew he was rubbing his face. "You can say that."
A silence fell. It still felt wrong not to ask any questions, but he stuck to their unspoken rules.
Actually Raine wasn't sure what to say. Having a conversation over the phone was different. Usually they could neither talk about everything they'd like, but at least they could touch each other.
"Your day must have been rough too," Juice said.
"Yeah. I'm exhausted. The scar hurts."
Maybe not the smartest thing to say, but he knew Juice would worry about him anyway.
"You gotta rest."
"Yeah. I'm already in bed." His fingers caressed the bedspread. He wished Juice could have been with him tonight. "I'm going to tell Angel about you in a few minutes."
Juice gasped for air. "W-what?"
"I have to hide you from everyone," he answered. "I'm sharing a trailer with Ang. I don't want to hide you here too. I trust him. You two met at the fundraiser. You remember?"
"Yeah." His voice sounded soft. Worried.
Raine switched to a video call. He could read Juice by listening to his voice, but he rather looked at his face. Juice was also on his bed, his back against the wall. He didn't recognize the wallpaper and assumed he was in his clubroom.
A blush spread across Juice's cheeks as they looked each other in the eye. Raine felt his fingertips tingle; he wanted to caress his face and feel the shy heat underneath his lips. His thoughts shot back to last night. How amazing it had been to be loved by his boyfriend like that, how strong his feelings had been.
"Skye knows about us. Chibs too." He bit his cheek. "I don't like not having anyone around to talk to about you. That there is no one I can tell how happy you make me, how much I love you and how much I miss you. Angel won't tell anyone else. Trust me, okay?"
Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah — you're right. I would go crazy if I hadn't Mouse to talk to." He ran his thumb across his bottom lip. "By the way, thank you for the poem. It was really sweet."
Raine winked. "Copied from internet all by myself."
Juice's lips curled up. "So much for the romance." He stuck out his tongue.
"What? If I had to come up with a poem all by myself it would have taken me a week and I'm sure it would have consisted of two very cheesy lines. It doesn't hurt to borrow someone's talent. It doesn't make the words any less true."
Juice rubbed his hand across his mohawk. "I miss you. Ain't that stupid? We've been apart so many times."
But it was different now; there were more miles between them than ever and Raine was about to meddle in a gang war. He understood.
"I miss you too." They had been forced to say goodbye too soon after his accident. They'd needed more time together. "But once I'm back, I'll take you to the arcade hall," he promised, thinking back to the time Juice described his perfect date. "And after that, we're going to watch your favorite movies. Naked."
"Well that sounds great," Angel's voice came from the doorway. Raine glared at him, annoyed that he had sneaked into the trailer so quietly. He returned his glance back to his phone and saw Juice's face pale.
"You know the word privacy?" Raine wondered.
"Not in my own home," Angel smirked. "Now, show me your secret lover. Or isn't she wearing any clothes?"
Raine ignored him and looked at Juice. "I talk to you later."
Juice nodded. He didn't say a word, as if he was afraid that his voice wound betray him. He ended the call.
Raine put the device away.
Angel sat down at the end of his bed. "She a lil shy?"
"He. I'm dating a guy."
His friend stared at him, his eyes wide. "Huh? What... Serious? I didn't even know you were bisexual."
"Neither did I. Until I met him."
Angel seemed to need a few moments to let it sink in. "Wow. Okay. I get why it's all so mysterious then." He kept staring at Raine in disbelief. "A man? Damn — now I'm even more curious. How long are you together?"
"I met him about eight months ago. We were both stuck in an elevator in the hospital. After that day, I didn't see him in weeks until we ran into each other again. We tried to be friends for a couple of months, but both of us wanted more. Around six weeks ago we've decided to give our relationship a chance."
"Wow. This all sounds fucking serious man." Angel lifted the corner of his mouth, slapping his shoulder. "Well congrats! I can't wait to meet him! A guy who messes with my homie's head! Has to be a special one, huh?"
Raine bent his knee. "You already met him. At the fundraiser."
Angel frowned his eyebrows, thinking, ultimately pulling a face. "I saw you for only a couple of minutes. You were with that Son... who you knew from back in school."
He took a deep breath. He had to tell it now. "That wasn't entirely true." He hesitated, he wasn't sure what else to say so he just gave his friend a meaningful look.
Angel jumped up. "Are you fucking serious Raine? A Son?  You fuckin' a Son?"
The volume of Angel's voice made him cringe. "If I wanted everyone to know I woulda told you about him in the clubhouse," he answered annoyed.
Angel sighed, running a hand across his face. "Damn it brother. What do you think they're gonna do if they find out?"
Raine shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it is, it will be worth it."
His friend stared at him, shaking his head. "This is makin' no sense! What's wrong with the rest of the male population? Why —"
"I love him." It sounded determined; like an undisputed fact. A little softer he repeated: "I love him, Ang, and I know he loves me too. We tried to ignore our feelings but they were too strong. This isn't just a fling, it's not a distraction. Even Rosa could see it. She made me make a promise that I wouldn't give up on him if I found out I truly loved him. And I do. God — I love that guy so fucking much. I would die for him."
Angel snorted. "Well maybe you will." He sighed deeply. A little gentler he added: "But love can't be stopped, as it seems. I wanna be happy for you, Raine." He bit his lip. "I really do. But I just can't see how this will end well."
Raine bent his head. "I know," he muttered. "I know, Ang. But I can't give him up. His love fills the void mom and Rosa left behind. I need it. I need him." He looked up, but he didn't feel ashamed of his words. "I need him more than I need the club."