Chapter 11

It was midnight by the time we stepped through the front door of our own home. In Jason's arms Timmy was unaware of the world as he slept with his fingers in his mouth. I locked the door behind us as he took him upstairs to bed, before making my way to the laundry room where I emptied Timmy's bag of all our wet swim trunks into the machine where the sheets from earlier sat clean and damp.

Leaning against the machine as it whirred and vibrated, the events of the day came back to me and I couldn't help but smile. It had been one of those rare days of absolute relaxation and pure excitement. I'd laughed more in this one day that I had in months and the ever-present smile n Jason's face throughout the day had made everything about the trip feel ten times better and ten times brighter.

Then of course there was Timmy who had been the busybody we'd all been tasked to keep an eye on. He'd played with the two puppies until they'd grown tired of him and hid, then he'd marked up Kyle's yacht with his wax crayons and had robbed bits and pieces of food from everyone's breakfast, lunch and dinner plates. In the open sea, he'd been as comfortable as a fish, as had Jason who, to my surprise was an excellent swimmer.

Good company, good food and a good day. I couldn't have asked for more. I'd forgotten how much fun it had been to just sit and chat with my closest friends, reminiscing about old times and talking about the future. Even now, the thought of my impending return to work filled me with a heady sense of thrill. Soon everything would be back to the way it was; well everything with a few major changes; my hopefully soon-to-be permanent houseguests. What more could I ask for?

"How come you're doing laundry so late?"

I glanced up at the sound of Jason's voice and saw him leaning against the doorframe of the laundry room, watching me with that shy expression I'd long ago grown accustomed to.

"No time like the present right?"

He shrugged. "Aren't you tired?"

"I'm wide awake actually. Timmy nice and tucked in?"

He nodded, then bit his lip briefly before stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm not really tired either really."

I only raised a brow in question. Knowing that he was hedging. I now knew him well enough to know when he was beating around the bush, most likely wanting to ask me something, but hoping I'd magically pick his brain and offer an answer.

I folded my arms before me and waited and as a staring contest ensued between us, he finally blushed and looked away. I watched as he ran his finger over the wooden frame; as though there was suddenly something about the wood that fascinated him.

Still I said nothing. He needed to learn to ask for what he wanted and to lose the shyness when he was in my presence. After all I didn't bite. Not really.

"Do you want to maybe watch a movie maybe?" he asked finally. "...since you're not tired like you said. Or if you're gonna go do work, that's cool, we could maybe watch some other day...or night or whatever..."

He was rambling and it was adorable and when he caught my smile he blushed red.

"I could do with a movie. What'd you have in mind?"

I wondered briefly why he seemed so surprised by my words. His expression was one of such surprise that I wondered if he'd expected me to say no even as he asked.

"Ah...ahmm.. we could watch that movie I got...remember the one you said you wanted to watch?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

And he was gone. I could hear his bare feet on the stairs as he ran up to his room to retrieve the DVD and I pushed off the washer and made my way to the family room, where I flipped on the TV and after kicking off my shoes, flopped down onto the long couch.

Just as I reached up and turned out to lights Jason reappeared, DVD in hand and I watched as he stuck it into the player and grabbed a seat in a chair at the opposite end of the room.

I shook my head. He really knew how to make things difficult for us both.

"Hey Jace." I called softly and he looked at me for the first time since entering the room.

"I think this couch is big enough for both of us, don't you?"

He looked at the couch then looked at me, then with a quick nod, he was out of his seat and onto mine, sitting as far away from me as possible on one end of the couch, but at least it was progress.

As the opening credits flash across the screen, he glanced my way again, then very softly said; "I really like your friends."

"Good. I knew you would."

He nodded. "Yeah especially Kyle; he's pretty cool...and smart...and-"

"Sounds like love. You better be careful John doesn't hunt you down by the time the night's over."

He grinned. "No. Kyle aint my type. I'm just saying he's cool. I aint never met anyone like him before."

"Yeah there aren't many Kyle's around, that's for sure."

Another nod.

"You never told me you had a type." I added and I was pretty sure that if the light was on I'd see that he was blushing.

"It never came up."

"Until now..." I hedged and when he looked at me; those beautiful eyes looking like sin, I wanted to reach over and pull him toward me.

"Yeah...until now..." he repeated, clearly at a loss for words.

"So what's your type?"

This time he tucked his bare feet under him as though getting comfortable in his little corner, but his fingers twisting together in his lap told me he was anything but.

"I don't know...really smart so they can tell me stuff."

I raised a brow and his fidgeting grew. "That's it?"

"And... brave and...and smart." He said again and when I laughed he only stared.

"But Kyle's smart and brave. Why can't he be your type?" I questioned with a grin. I could practically feel his shyness...or was it embarrassment?

"Yeah, but... Kyle aint..."he trailed off.

"He isn't what?"

He shrugged. "He's just...He's not-"

"Me?" I interjected.

"Yeah." he seemed relieved to finally have an answer, then when he realized what he'd admitted to, I didn't need the light to see how red he'd gotten.

"You're makin' fun of me." he said when I only smiled and I shook my head.

"I'm not. I'm just forcing you to open up for once."

When he didn't reply, but focused his attention on the movie which had finally begun, I used the remote to pause it. When he glanced my way again, it was with a frown.

"Tell me what about me makes me your type."

He hesitated. "Why?"

"I'm curious."

He glanced back at the TV screen and I could see his discomfort. "I don't like talking about this kinda stuff." He mumbled.

"I know, but then you don't seem to like talking about anything really." I told him honestly and he shrugged.

"It's just who I am."

"You want to know what my type is? Or do you want to get back to the movie?"

"He glanced my way "No, you can tell me if you want."

I thought about it for a moment, not in the least surprised by his answer.

"I like men who are beautiful...just like you."

He shook his head. "I aint beautiful."

"I like men who are smart...just like you."

"You know I aint smart."

"I also like men who are responsible, willing to put those they care about above themselves and passionate...just like you."

This time he didn't dispute my words and when I shifted closer, he looked up in surprise. "You want to know what else I like?"

He shook his head. "I like men who know what they want." I told him softly. "Do you know what you want Jason?"

This time his eyes met mine. "Of course I know what I want."

"Then tell me." I urged him. "Tell me what you want."

He shook his head. "I can't."

When I shifted closer he started fidgeting with his hands again, but at least he kept his gaze locked with mine.

"Why not?"

"Because...maybe I just don't know what I want then...I guess I aint really your type."

"No, I think you know exactly what you want."

I reached up to turn on the lights and he blinked in surprise. As expected his face was beet red and when he reached over to turn it off again I took hold of his hands.

"You don't have to be shy with me you know."

"I aint shy. I just don't like talking too much."

"Yeah, because you're shy." I teased.

"Can we turn off the light now?" he replied instead.

"I don't think so." I cupped my hand behind his neck and slowly, I lowered my face to his, by then he stopped all fidgeting and when our lips met for the first time, he sighed. They were as soft and supple as I'd expected and I was careful and patient as I tested the waters. I didn't deepen the kiss, instead I brushed my own over his, slowly...carefully, before I drew back.

I watched his face as I did. His eyes, which had drifted shut, opened slowly and when he realized I was watching him, he bit his lip. I leaned in again, wanting to feel him pressed against me, but froze when I spotted the hickey that had pissed me off only a day before and I pulled away.

It still pissed me off to see it. Despite the reason he'd given for its existence, it didn't change the fact that it was there and it didn't feel right to kiss a man who still walked around with a mark some other guy had given him.

I watched as Jason's hand went to his neck, as though he'd realized why I'd pulled away.

"It's..." he began. "I can get rid of it. This girl I used to know...she just used hot water and a comb and scrubbed it and it just about went away." He explained quickly.

"Don't worry about it." I told him, before turning away and picking up the remote again. When I clicked play, Jason reached up without a word and turned out the light.

I glanced at the wall clock when I woke up. It was 3:16am and I was still sprawled on the couch. I wasn't sure exactly when the movie had ended, but when I looked at the screen, it was back to the start menu. I flipped it off and stretched with a yawn, then glanced to my right, where Jason was curled in deep sleep.

I pushed up from the couch, crossed the room and padded down the hall, where I flipped on the switch in the laundry room. The machine must have stopped hours ago and inside it, the clothes and sheets still lay damp.

I quickly transferred them into the dryer, turned it on and headed back out to the family room.  I couldn't remember when I'd fallen asleep. Hell, I couldn't even remember much about the movie we'd watched. What I remembered though, was the short kiss I'd shared with Jason and how abruptly I'd ended the moment. 

I also remembered the silence that had descended between us when Jason had flipped off the light and how I'd been unable to focus on anything but the feel of his body heat next to me. Beyond that, my mind was a blank, which wasn't much of a surprise, After all, we'd had a long day. Even now, as I shook him awake, I felt dead on my feet.

"Jason." I shook him gently.

"Hmm?"

"Go on up to bed." I told him and he rolled out of the chair, looking disoriented and probably half asleep as he did what I asked.

I stood there until I heard the door of his room open and close, before I lowered myself back into the couch to wait for the dryer to stop. One again, I couldn't say exactly when I fell asleep.

...............................

"Alright now say Lows."

"Lows."

"Good, now say clothes"

"Cose." It was a losing battle with little Timmy this morning as I tried to help him pronounce his words. Some days were better than others.

"Okay, say CL."

"CL."

"And say CL-othes."

"CL-othes."

"Good boy Timmy. Now say clothes."

"Cose."

I took a breath. "Alright, let's try another word. Ahm...how about Oatmeal."

"No omee." He fussed.

"I'm not giving you oatmeal. I just want you to say the word oatmeal"

"Omee."

"Okay, say Oat."

"Oat."

"Nice, now say meal."

"Meal."

"Now say Oatmeal."

"Omee."

Yes today was definitely one of those days. For the thirty minutes I'd sat here with him, he hadn't learned how to pronounce a single word properly. I was sure he'd start to fuss in a few minutes. There was only for so much time that I could hold his attention.

"What about ice-cream. You love ice-cream."

"Timmy have icee?"

"Yeah, but first can you say ice?"

"Ice."

"Now say Cream."

"Cwee."

"No creammm."

"Cweammm."

Good, now say Ice-cream."

"Icee."

"No ice-cream."

"Ice-cweam."

I sighed. "Close enough. Good try babe, come on let's get you some ice-cream." I pulled him up and when he took my hand I led him into the kitchen and sat him on the counter where he waited patiently for me to pull out the ice-cream container and fill his cone with the cold treat.

 When I was done, I set him down to stand on the floor again, before handing him to cone.

It was late afternoon. I'd woken up on the couch pretty late this morning, to the sound of Jason working on the patio outside and Timmy having his breakfast cereal on the chair beside me. 

I hadn't had a chance to talk to him about what had transpired the night before. In fact, I'd only really caught a glimpse of him outside this morning, before Timmy had decided I needed to play with him. It was only half an hour ago that I'd finally gotten him to leave the toys for a while and pronounce his words.

 I rummaged through the fridge and Timmy followed me from the fridge to the counter and back, as I gathered lunch ingredients.

Already there was a sprinkling of chocolate ice-cream all over the kitchen floor as the thing melted, so I wrapped a hand towel around his cone before handing it back to him.

"You want to go back to pronouncing your words when you finish your ice-cream?" I questioned him as I put together a couple turkey sandwiches for lunch.

"No."

"No? Not even for me?"

"No Micha, Timmy haf seep."

"Sleep." I corrected, but he only nodded.

"Are you tired?"

"No." he shook his head, dispersing the cream across his cheek.

"Then why do you need to sleep?"

"Here." He held out the dripping ice-cream to me and I took it. "Timmy dirty now."

When I re-wrapped the cone with a fresh hand towel, he took it from me.

"Fuck!" we both glanced up at the sound of Jason's curse.

"Fu-"

I covered Timmy's mouth before he could get the rest of the word out, then pointed to the ice-cream in his hands, before uncovering it. "Eat it before it melts." I told him.

Some words he didn't need to learn how to pronounce.

I strode across the room and opened the back door to see Jason flashing his hand, a string of low curses falling from his lips.

"You alright?"

He turned to look at me, before he glanced back down at his hand and flexed his fingers.

"I accidentally hit my thumb with that damn hammer." He explained miserably.

"Maybe you should just take a break." I told him. "You've been at it all day."

He looked at his thumb again, turning it this way and that, before he bent to pick up the hammer which had fallen at his feet and deposited it into the tool box by the shed.

"I think I gotta ice it." He said seriously as he walked over to where I stood and it was just as he was about to pass by me to head inside that I saw it- a nasty bruise running across the neck.

I stopped him with a hand to the shoulder, then without thinking, titled his head so I could inspect it.

"What the hell happened to your neck?"

He shrugged, before pulling away from me. "I was trying to get rid of the mark." He explained and for a second I didn't have a clue what he meant, until the previous night drifting back to me.

That damn hickey.

"Jesus Jason, I told you to forget about it."

"I told you I saw someone get rid of it before."

"Well clearly you did something wrong." I said, reaching out to tilt his head again for further inspection. The side of his neck was lined with large red welts and had already started swelling."

"Maybe you should ice your neck too." I advised him when he pulled away from me again and I followed him inside.

"Why'd you give him ice-cream so early?" he questioned when he saw Timmy standing by the chair at the counter; a dripping mess of chocolate ice-cream.

"One time won't kill him." I said by way of explanation.

When he went to wash his hands at the sink, I pulled out the ice tray, grabbed a plastic bag and a bowl and dumped the ice into them both.

"Hand in the bowl and the bag on your neck." I instructed when he sat down before it and he did as I asked without question.

When he dropped his head onto the counter with the bag resting against his neck, I went back to fixing the sandwiches.

"You hungry?"

"Nah."

"What did you eat this morning?"

"Nothing... but I'm not hungry." He mumbled back and I grabbed a plate from the cupboard, deposited one of the sandwiches onto it, then poured a tall glass of orange juice and placed them onto the counter before him.

When he glanced up and saw it he frowned, mumbled a quick thanks and started in on the meal like a man starving.

"You done Timmy?" I question the little guy who was more focused on poking holes into the cream than he was with eating it and when he handed it to me, I dropped it into the bin, lifted him up to the sink and helped him wash his hands and face.

When I set him down again he ran from the kitchen and into the family room and I sat around the counter to start in on my own sandwich.

"One more week and your patio will be done."

I glanced out the window. "Just one? I figured it would take at least two more."

He shook his head. "If I keep working at it every day I won't need two weeks." He explained and I nodded.

"It looks pretty damn good. You've done a great job."

He shrugged. As usual, unable to take a compliment.

"I figure I've got a good amount saved up by now. I could get me and Timmy a place no problem and I got enough to pay rent for a good while 'till I find another job."

I should have expected this.

"So you'd leave. Just like that?" I questioned and he couldn't quite meet my gaze. I watched as he hiked the bag higher against his neck.

"That's what we said right? That I could leave when I got enough to take care of us."

Suddenly I didn't the appetite to finish the sandwich and I pushed the plate away from me.

"And you're ready to leave?"

He shrugged. "That's what we agreed." He repeated.

"That's not what I'm asking you." I began. "Are you ready to leave?"

Another one of those annoying shrugs. "I don't know."

I took a sip of my own orange juice. "I've got another job lined up for you if you want it." I told him. "The pay is good."

"You got another patio to build?" he questioned with a small smile and I returned it slowly.

"I know a guy who owns a garage. He's looking for a mechanic and since you're good with cars..." I trailed off, allowing him to accept or decline in his own time.

"I'd get to work on cars?" he questioned and I was relieved at the spark of excitement I saw in his eyes.

"Yup, that's the job description."

"Wow...that sounds..." he paused. "Would I get to bring Timmy there with me every day?"

I shook my head. "It's no place for a kid Jason."

"Then what?" he shifted the bag on his neck slightly. "If I find a place-"

"And that's what I'm saying. You won't need to find another place. You're welcome to stay here."

"So you'd take care of him?"

"Unfortunately no, I'll be back at work in about two weeks, but we could enroll him in a preschool...or he could stay with my mother in the days when we're both at work. She loves kids, it won't be a problem."

"For how long?"

"How long what?"

"For how long would we get to stay here?" he questioned, his eyes tight with uncertainty.

"Why does there have to be a limit?"

He lowered the bag and simply stared at me, brows furrowed and his mouth turned down into a frown.

"It aint like we can stay here forever."

"Why not?"

"Because...." He trailed off and I could see the internal battle he was having with himself as he processed my words. "It just wouldn't be right." He concluded.

"Why not?"

"Because this is your place and...what if you get tired of us or...or you find somebody you like and you want to bring them home with you to live?"

"I won't."

He shook his head, unwilling to accept my answers. "But how do you know?"

"Because I know exactly what I want." I told him firmly. "I want you both to stay here...for as long as you want or for the rest of your lives...which ever works for you." I said honestly.

"But why? You don't even really know us...not really."

When he drop the bag into the bowl with the rest of the ice, I caught sight of the bruises on his neck. Bruises he'd inflicted on himself as he'd tried to scrub away a hickey, just so I wouldn't have to see it again.

I shook my head. He was something else.

I looked up and when our eyes met, he blushed.

"I know enough."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

THANKS FOR READING!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.