Read Online Rainbow Hill by Alex Carreras - Free Book Online

already knowing the answer. He knew that sometimes he saw the darker side of life a little too often, but being responsible for the ruin of what Ethan was now calling the Oak Hill project, the demise of Frank’s liver, and not to mention the very possible and highly probable financial ruin of his own father, a father who’d personally asked for his help, was something he didn’t want to regret while taking the last few remaining breaths on his death bed. And as for Quinn, Ethan didn’t see much of a downside for him, with the exception of watching Frank drink himself to death.
    Ethan brought the phone to eye level and decided to text the one person he could speak frankly with and would never judge him…at least not too harshly.
    Finding Nikki’s name, he tapped out the first thing that came to him.
    Good seeing u 2day. Can’t wait 2 spend more time 2gether.
    In less than a minute, Ethan’s phone chimed. He peered down and a smile came to his lips.
    Ditto. And welcome home , accompanied with a smiley emoticon with the tongue sticking out.
    Home, Ethan thought, looking around at the room that should have appeared familiar but felt oddly foreign instead. He considered the place he shared with Randall in the city home, but now, even there felt foreign too. But with his mom gone, and Randall doing whatever he was doing with the gay Latin community of the Greater Washington DC area, both places made him feel empty and sad, not exactly the feelings a home should evoke.
    He brought the phone back to eye level and decided to call Nikki. Before he could press the call virtual button, Nikki’s face flashed across the screen. She was a welcomed distraction from his insecure thoughts.
    “What’s up, girlfriend?” he said in a hushed tone, considering the other inhabitants of the house in case anyone was sleeping.
    She spared the formalities, getting right down to business. “Have you had sex yet?”
    “Many years ago.”
    “You know what I mean, smart ass.”
    He played dumb. “What are you referring to?”
    “Don’t play coy,” Nikki spat back. “And don’t forget who you’re talking to. I held your hand after Ned Carson dumped you for Anthony Spagelli because he put out and you didn’t.”
    “I broke up with him. Not the other way round. And Anthony Spagelli is a man-whore with no morals.” He made a derisive noise in the back of his throat. “Is he still hanging around these parts?”
    “Nope. He’s down in Florida,” Nikki shared. “Heard he hooked up with a much older man, and he’s dripping in gold jewelry and designer duds.”
    “That sounds about right. How about Ned?”
    “Rumor has it that he’s landed in rehab for the fourth time. Or is it the fifth?”
    “Who’s your source? Because when we were together, that guy never did anything stronger than Mountain Dew.”
    “His sister, Priscilla.” Nikki’s tone was haughty. “She loves to gossip, and she doesn’t care who about.”
    Ethan remembered her. She was always holier-than-thou and the first to offer a blowjob in the back of the school bus. Sanctimonious slut .
    Thoughts of his past breakups and rehashing unpleasant memories began to make Ethan’s stomach ache.
    “So?” Nikki said impatiently.
    “Do you understand what platonic means?”
    “Do you understand what fibber means?” Her tinkling laughter tickled Ethan’s senses, causing him to share in the laughter.
    “Look,” he began, “I’m not going to say that it’ll be easy but I can’t have sex with Quinn. My life is complicated enough and doing that with him would definitely be a complication.”
    “Listen, I don’t mean to pry—”
    “You?” Ethan teased. “Of course you don’t.”
    “I’ll ignore that last comment,” she returned, continuing. “And no matter how much you profess, I know something is not right with you. Normally by now, you would’ve mentioned Randall, good, bad, or otherwise, but you haven’t said boo.”
    “I haven’t had the time, so