12

Spencer Cypress

The fireworks lit up the sky beautifully. The sound was loud, and I had prepared by offering ear plugs to people who wanted them. While I've never been a true fan of this day, being in the countryside alongside folks who do love it is a different experience.

Halfway through the show, I began to worry about Graham. I assumed he had gone to check up on Juniper or go to the bathroom. But he had been gone for a long time.

I stood up from my chair and passed through the crowd. Before entering the house, I came across Harry Fraxinus, who I had met at the bar a while back.

"Hey, Spencer! Great party!" He called out. He had a slight slur in his tone.

"Uh, thanks." I replied. He grabbed my wrist and brought me closer to him.

"You probably suck some good dick, right?" Harry asked me. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. I placed my hand on his chest and lightly pushed him away.

"I'm gay, not desperate. And besides, I'm dating someone." I told him. I tugged my arm away. Luckily, everyone was distracted by the fireworks to notice.

I left him there and entered the house. Despite the booms of the fireworks, the house felt silent. I looked all over the first floor but found no one. Then I checked upstairs, scanning every empty room. The only one left was my bedroom.

"Graham? Juniper?" I called out. My room was empty. The one thing I noticed was off was the bathroom door being closed. I was sure I had left it open.

Stepping up to the door, I opened it slowly. In the bathtub was Graham clutching onto Juniper. He had his head down onto the dog's fur. Juniper looked over to me and began to wag his tag.

"Graham! Are you okay?" I approached and kneeled next to the bathtub. I placed my hands on Graham's shoulder and began to shake him.

He was shivering. His knuckles were white from how hard he was grabbing his own shirt. I began to grow worried that something terribly wrong had happened to him.

"I'll call 911! Just hang on, Graham!" I said. I pulled out my phone. Before I could begin typing the emergency number, Graham grabbed my phone and made me drop it.

"Spencer..." He muttered. He was finally looking at me. Graham's teary eyes were red. This was my first time seeing him like this.

"Oh, Graham! What's wrong? Tell me." I said.

Graham grabbed my face and brought me in for a kiss. His kisses were harsh. I could feel his nails start to dig into my skin on my cheek. And he bit my tongue multiple times. I tasted his tears during our kiss.

"Graham," I pulled away. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He wiped his tears away.

"Please don't ever leave me, Spencer! Don't cheat on me and break me, please!" He begged.

"I won't, I won't." I repeated. I leaned on the tub and managed to get Graham to lay his head on my shoulder. Juniper licked Graham's face.

The fireworks kept going off. Each time, I noticed Graham jump from the loud noises. I wasn't sure what was wrong. All I knew was that he couldn't be alone and I wanted to care for him.

"Spencer," He muttered. "You said you won't hurt me, right?" He asked for reassurance.

"That's right, Graham. I'm a man of my word." I replied. He broke into a few more sobs.

I stayed like that for a while as Graham held onto me. I played with his hair and tried humming a song to distract him from whatever thoughts he was having that were plaguing his mind.

Because from watching him react, I knew it wasn't a physical pain he felt. It was a mental one that felt like it was physical. I knew all too well how that feels.

With a ragged breath, Graham sat up in the tub. I gave him toilet paper to wipe his tears and snot from his face.

"Are you feeling better? I can still call the ambulance to check up on you." I said.

He shook his head. "N-No, I'll be fine." He replied.

"If it's the fireworks, I can call to have them turned off."

"Don't! I don't want my problems to spoil everyone's night." He said.

Graham finally looked at me.

"Thanks for being here with me, Spencer." He told me. His hand rubbed on the nail marks he left on my face. "I'm sorry for that."

"It's fine." I replied. "I know you didn't mean it."

Graham looked down at his hands as if he was observing them.

"I'm not a violent person, am I? Please answer me, Spencer." He said.

I patted his hair. "No, Graham. You're not a violent person. Quite the opposite, you're the sweetest person I have ever met. You're kind, generous, selfless, and more." I explained.

"I'm not sure if I believe you." He muttered.

"Look at Juniper. He loves you and you're such a good owner to him. And me. You've treated with open arms and have been such a great neighbor. I mean, you introduced me to your friends and even made me almond milk from scratch." I said to him.

He nodded his head. "Thank you, Spencer." He replied.

When the fireworks began to pick up, I hugged Graham closer.

"I used to date this girl," Graham said.

"Uh," I stuttered.

"We had been dating since senior year of high school. And during college, we still dated by long distance. I thought our relationship was perfect. I would've done everything for her. The least I expected was for her to be loyal.

"Well, years ago during the Fourth of July, I..." Graham broke into a few more sobs. I held him closer. "I caught her and my brother in the bathroom."

I brought more toilet paper to clean his eyes from his tears. My heart broke for him. I never knew that he carried this baggage with him.

"Graham." I said to him while caressing his face. "It's all in the past. Those people will never hurt you now."

His fingers began to grab onto my torso. Graham brought me closer to him and almost refused to let me go.

"Don't hurt me, Spencer. I don't think I can be hurt again." He told me.

"I won't, Graham. I will never hurt you. And if I do, I'll give you permission to punch me in the face." I replied. He looked up at me with a serious look. "Nevermind. But my point still stands. I won't hurt you."

"I trust you, Spencer. I hope you'll understand why you'll never meet my brother."

"Fuck your brother and your ex. They aren't allowed to get to know you. You're too valuable and special for them. Please remember your worth, Graham."

He kept holding me. The fireworks kept going off outside. The light from the window was different in colors. I pulled out some earplugs and opened the packaging.

"I'm going to place these on. Is that okay?" I asked him, knowing that the booms of the fireworks were bothering him.

"Yeah," He muttered. I placed the ear plugs in his ear.

I stood up after having to pry his hands off me. Holding out my hand, Graham grabbed it, and I led him to my bed. I allowed him and Juniper to sleep in it and covered him with a blanket. The curtains were closed, and the nightlight was left on.

"Stay here for the night, Graham." I said, knowing he couldn't hear me. But I kissed him on the forehead and slowly exited the room.

As soon as I closed the door, I leaned back on it and stared at the wall in front of me. Looking back now, Graham had never spoken about his family. I only found out about his sister on the night we went out drinking.

He has a brother, which I just learned. Graham and his brother are not on good terms. And from the text his sister sent him, which I assume Graham is still close to, he also doesn't have a close relationship with his parents.

Could the betrayal Graham experienced be the reason he was hesitant to date me? He must've been worried that I would betray him like his ex did.

Graham, a man I assumed of, was much more complex than I could imagine. In reality, this man had been showing me how multifaceted he actually was.

My phone let out a notification. It was from the pyrotechnicians who alerted me that the final act would begin soon. I left for outside and rejoined the crowd.

The finale was spectacular. It was amazing, but I had wished Graham would've joined me. But I knew that it wasn't comfortable for him.

People began to leave past midnight. I thanked everyone for coming. Some stayed behind to clean up.

"Great party," Freddie told me.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Where's Graham? I haven't seen him in a bit." He asked.

I closed the bag of trash and slung it over my shoulder. "He had an upset stomach and decided to turn in for the night." I replied.

"Ah. It would've been nice to see him enjoy the fireworks. Every year he bails on us." Freddie said. "Well, I gotta go. Nice job, city kid. You should definitely host next year." He patted my other shoulder and smiled at me.

It was well into the early morning when everyone had left and the backyard was somewhat clean. I yawned and ended up crashing on the living room couch. All I wanted was to sleep.