“Mom caught me with Jacob Banks when I was 17. She told me that since I had chosen to disrespect her, I had no right to live under her roof. She told me I had shamed our family and didn't want to see me anymore.”

Teo’s gaze settled on the wall opposite him, his tone flat as his mind drifted back into the memories.

“I packed my things and thought about what to do. I knew Laurel would take me in, but she was already on her own with Macy, and another person in their house would just increase their bills. So, I tried calling Dad. He immediately promised to pick me up and took me in.”

Teo shifted slightly back, pressing his back against the wall for support and crossing his legs, resting his hands on them. He glanced briefly at Orion to make sure he was still listening, and from the way his brother frowned and looked shaken, there was no doubt he was.

Before he started speaking again, he shifted his gaze back to his comfort spot on the wall.

“At first, it was okay. Dad helped me transfer to a different school and arranged my own room. I thought everything would be fine.” He then remembered an important part that needed to be mentioned. “When you called, I found out Mom had told everyone a different version of what actually happened. You asked me how I could do that to her, whether she didn’t have enough worries, and I tried to tell you what really happened, but you wouldn't listen.”

When he gave his brother a reproachful look, Orion genuinely looked guilty.

Teo waited for what his brother would say, and he definitely hadn’t expected: “I’m sorry,” as if Orion actually believed him.

It encouraged him to continue. “Later, I noticed that Dad had a strange work schedule. Some days he was gone entirely, other days he was home until someone called him and he dropped everything. I didn't understand it. I realized he was doing something not exactly safe when he told me to lock myself in my room and not come out while some men came over to our house.”

Thankfully, Teo had listened to his father then; otherwise, he would have landed them both in big trouble. Bigger than his father's addiction and dealing.

“It turned out Dad was dealing drugs. He got involved with men who did it on a large scale, and they checked on him to make sure he was following the plan. He always had a certain amount to sell for a set price. If he was late, the men would come and warn him that there would be consequences.”

To this day, Teo still remembered how he felt the first time he saw his father lying in the hallway, blood around his mouth, unable to stand. The bruises that adorned not just his father’s body but also his face for weeks were a constant reminder that he didn’t have a typical job like the parents of Teo’s classmates.

“They pressured him more and more, and he always had to sell more. The number would stabilize for a while, and then they’d want him to sell even more. He was under constant stress until it got to the point where he wasn’t just dealing, but he started using himself.”

“Teo.”

Orion hadn’t expected anything like this, even though he knew the police had arrested Harrison, Teo’s father, for possession of illegal substances.

The dark-haired man shook his head to warn him not to continue, because if he started discussing it with him, he wouldn't be able to finish the whole story. He didn't want to repeat it again. It was either today or never.

“He tried to quit. He knew it wasn't good for him.” Teo was approaching the part that could most likely change his brother's view of him, and not for the better. “He asked me to try and sell the drugs he had at home to my classmates. He never wanted to have too much at home because then he felt the urge to take some himself, so while he was selling on the streets, I-I w-was… I was offering drugs to my peers at parties.”

His voice trembled as memories he had buried deep inside resurfaced.

He took a deep breath and continued: “I knew it wasn't right, but back then, all I thought about was that I’d rather they take the drugs than him. They took them for fun, but he had developed an addiction despite trying to fight it.”

One such party had taken place at a cabin where Teo met Rick. Rick hadn't been there with the students, but with some friends at a nearby cabin in the same area, and they had run into each other by chance.

Meeting the older man felt like a breath of fresh air, and for one night, Teo felt free—from his father’s addiction, fear for him, the complicated situation, and the loss of his mother. That one night, he could finally breathe and just be himself.

“You know how it ended. Dad got arrested,” the dark-haired man moved to the conclusion of the story and finally dared to meet Orion’s gaze as he shared the last details. “In reality, I was the one who had the drugs with me that day. They were in my backpack when the police stopped me. Dad came to the station and said they were his. He said he had hidden them in my backpack because he was afraid someone would catch him with them and that I didn't know about it. He took the blame for me, and they locked him up.”

To say that Orion was shaken by what he had just learned was an understatement. As Teo focused closely on his brother’s expression, he noticed that he wasn't the only one whose eyes were glistening anymore.

“They tested Dad for drugs, and when the results came back positive, they did a home search. They found enough to arrest him. It turned out Dad had already been charged with possession with intent to distribute when he was younger. Back then, he got three years of probation and had to undergo rehab, so when they found he had committed the same crime again, they didn’t give him a second chance.”

Teo’s dad was currently serving a seven-year sentence with no parole, but with the possibility of release at 85% completion. With good behavior, he could serve just five years and eleven months, so there was a chance he could be back home in a few months if he applied for early release. However, Teo doubted that would happen, given that he hadn’t forgiven himself for dragging his own son into the situation and forbade him from contacting him.

“I was 19; I didn’t have to go back home, but…” Teo searched Orion’s eyes for a sign of whether he planned to give him another chance now that he knew the full story before continuing. “Your dad reached out to me. He was the one who convinced me to return to Hollybrook and try to reconcile with Mom. So I did. But when I got back, she never brought up my sexuality again, so I didn’t either.”

Yet Teo carried it with him, never speaking about his sexuality or drawing attention to it. He never brought anyone home and never entered a relationship. His only attempt ended tragically short, back when he still lived with his father. He ended it before he could even fall in love, and after breaking his own heart in the process, he promised himself to keep things strictly physical from then on.

It likely would have stayed that way until now, if Rick hadn't appeared in his life.

“I know how Mom is with you and how she's acting toward Rick now, but for me, Dad was the better parent. He accepted me when no one else would and didn't make me feel like I should be punished for something,” Teo admitted, leaving only one final confession: “I tried to visit him after he was locked up, but he banned my visits because he blamed himself for what happened and, in his words, didn't want to ruin my life any further.”

Teo found it hard to come to terms with that. Even though living at his father's house meant living in fear—whether for him or of visits from violent men—at least he could be himself and knew that despite the addiction, his father still loved him for who he was.

“I didn’t know any of this.”

Orion didn't want it to sound like an excuse. Although it was hard to believe, the way Teo had changed during his time away and the fact that his father was in prison were sufficient evidence. He couldn't believe that he hadn't asked even once and had automatically believed what his mother said. He and Teo obviously had the same mother, yet at the same time, a completely different one. It was hard to accept.

The dark-haired man nodded. He said no more, instead waiting for his brother's next reaction.