This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to any person, place, or written works are purely coincidental. It may contain consensual sex between young men. Do not read if you find that objectionable or if it is illegal for you to view this content for whatever the reason.
Copyright 2010 Jaden Lane, All Rights Reserved. Permission to post electronically is given to www.nifty.org and its affiliated mirror sites only. Otherwise do not post, copy, or use this story in any manner without my permission.
Always love to hear from you, please let me know what you think @: phantomscorpio77@gmail.com.
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If You Could Read My Mind
While Neville is finishing up in the bathroom by stealing a swig of mouthwash Brooke steps into Bailey's room to taunt him, "You're so screwed baby-bro! Good luck tonight!"
"I'm sleeping on the pull-out, thank you very much," Bailey snarks back.
"A flagpole's a flagpole, wherever you raise it. He has eyes you know," She laughs.
"Oh my God! You and me? We do not talk about that! You're just as bad as Dad; I can see where you get it from. Twice in one night! Damn you're a mean bitch sometimes," Bailey says, incredibly embarrassed.
Brooke doesn't let up, "Just don't let him see what he does to you!"
"Why don't you leave me alone and go do whatever it is you and Megs do," Bailey says, pushing his sister from his room.
"Maybe later, tonight our plan is to torment you," Megan says having snuck up on Bailey, "You should really take better care to hide that problem you're sporting."
"Not you too? You're all pure evil," Bailey says covering his ears.
Neville apprehensively leaves the candle-lit bathroom and takes his bag all the way downstairs to the storage room that he changes in for work and stows it behind a pile of canned syrup. After checking his coat that is hanging on the back of the storage room door, he climbs back up a couple long flights of stairs. It's not that he doesn't trust the Regan's; all the same his mind can't help but worry that his money remains safe in the so-called secret pocket in his coat. Now that he actually has a little money to buy things like cheap food, toiletries and even basic clothing soon, he is constantly worrying for his money's safety.
He remembers a few weeks back lying to Crystal that he still had his wallet, maybe it's time to take a trip to Walmart and actually buy one. `Yes, a man should carry a wallet,' he figures. A pencil case discarded at the end of school last year is doing fine as his change purse in its hiding spot in his bat-cave, and he doesn't need his own money at work because of the cash register. For his actual money he'll get a wallet just as soon as this storm clears out and life returns to normal.
Stopping in the dark at the top of the steps to admire the home before he walks down the hallway to Bailey's room, he's absolutely in love with the upstairs layout and its 10' high ceilings. In fact while it may have all once been office space dating back to the early 1960's, he really loves what he thinks is an Elizabethan style to the expansive apartment. It is the coolest home he's ever seen, possibly even bigger than the large farmhouse he grew up in, definitely if you count what he guesses to be 15 to 18' ceilings on both the store level and the main floor above the diner and law office.
Peering into Bailey's room, it's no less impressive than he remembers Megan's to be, roughly 20' by 25', half as wide as the home, yet spanning the whole width of the restaurant two floors below. It boasts a fireplace like every room in the home, and when the power is on instead uses a modern forced-air heating system that at some point was installed to replace the hot water heaters. The cavernous bedroom that once was a shared office is complete with an outside door that leads to a fire escape that doubles as a patio.
Seeing Brooke and Megan in Bailey's room he asks, "Party?"
"No, these two hoes are just giving me a hard time, bringing in their passion fruit candles to make things romantic for us. They think they're funny. I think they're jealous that you're not sharing a bed with either of them."
"Oh. I didn't know I was sleeping that way with you," Neville says, purposely trailing off his voice for comedic effect, but inside wondering what the heck is going on. He remembers the candles in Megan's room all matching and smelling of brown sugar and flowers. Much like her perfume and body spray. The same body spray and perfume as Brooke too, he realizes. He figures Bailey's room has a few too many passion fruit candles for them not to all be his.
He is certain that Bailey plays for his team, and gets the distinct feeling that Brooke and Megan are in on it. Yet he doesn't think anyone's on to him. Tonight he's not as worried about his sexuality being a problem however. He's far more worried about someone at some point seeing just how frighteningly skinny he actually is; even though he's managed to beef up a little and his colour has improved drastically over the past few weeks of real food he's been consuming nearly daily. In time he hopes to put a little muscle on his frame too, maybe eventually enough that he doesn't clearly see his ribs and hips. He longs to have back the tone his chest, arms, and shoulders were once promising to show, but he won't let himself so much as hope for that yet.
Bailey snaps him out of his introspection now that Brooke and Megan have buggered off, "Don't mind them. They just tease me about how good of friends you and I are becoming. Don't worry, you get the bed, I'm using the couch. It pulls out into a bed."
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Bailey didn't need the talk from his parents. They know how bad he feels for causing them to move and start over new. The fact that he's worked no less than 5 hours a day, every single day since they moved, helping set up and operate the diner as self imposed punishment tells them this. Yet in his isolation they've only seen Bailey get close to Neville and Josh. The second week of school Cathy and Jonas saw Bailey interact with a few boys and girls in Josh's circle, but that died down as he slowly withdrew from the group to avoid them getting to know him too well and learn his sexual orientation and his criminally deviant past. Instead he dedicated more and more time to the family business.
Concerned that Bailey is building up to ticking-time-bomb status, Jonas summons Bailey away from Neville and the girls to give him a quick hand downstairs. The request is actually a well planned father-son chat with a legitimate cover. In the storage room of the diner, a flashlight in one hand, Jonas produces a key ring in the other hand.
"Before I forget, the storm's supposed to end tomorrow. After we throw some salt down I want you to help carry some wood inside," Jonas says opening a locked door that leads to the basement.
"Sure Dad," Bailey accepts.
At the bottom of the steps Jonas leads Bailey over to an empty shelf that looks like something you'd find in a root cellar, "We don't want to be sitting on a fire box, but it would be nice to not have to keep running outside in sideways falling ice pellets for more wood. I figure that this shelf will work perfect."
Not that Jonas needs validation from his teenage son, Bailey nods his approval, "Yeah, sounds good."
Jonas flicks off the flashlight, "Now, about you and Neville. What's going through your mind?"
This catches Bailey off guard, "Huh? What?"
"You like him," Jonas starts.
"Yeah, we're becoming alright friends. Can you turn the flashlight back on? This is creepy," Bailey tries to avoid the subject.
"It's just a basement," Jonas counters.
"Yeah, but one I don't know. C'mon, turn it back on. I'm going to start panicking," Bailey confesses while turning back to the stairs and focussing on the doorway atop them that opens to a room he by now already can find his way around in the dark if he has to, having memorised it's layout.
Jonas flicks the flashlight back on, "Back to Neville. You keep the door open, you sleep on the pull-out. If he has feelings for you, take it slow and easy. If there's something there, there's something there. He seems a good enough kid, but he's one hell of a mystery, and he never offers anything to dispel that mystery."
"He's really poor, we know that. Most kids at school look through him as if he's not there, talk behind his back, or outright pick on him. He just ignores it. I'd be a lot more worried if Josh didn't say he's a good guy, But Josh really thinks he's alright, and Josh is normal. As normal as they get at our school that is."
"Yes, and then there's the fact that Neville seems to perhaps be gay too and you two have found each other like magnets. Your mom and I see you look at him. It's much the same way as you and Jeremy. If you two start getting closer, you need to talk to us about it. We all know this doesn't seem the place to flaunt it any more than back home in Moncton proved to be."
"Fine, I'm busted. Yeah, I like him that way too. I just can't read him. And I'm not about to start anything with him just yet if he even feels the same way about me. I think we all can see his heart is set on Josh," Bailey says, thankful that Brooke pointed that out to him.
"Ha, Josh! I don't think either of you are going to get anywhere with that one. He needs to calm down every time a girl from your school or a hot woman walks in the door," Jonas laughs.
"No kidding. Don't worry Dad, Nev and I won't be getting it on tonight," Bailey promises.
Jonas explains, "I'm just making sure of this. You've worked yourself hard since we moved here, you haven't socialized all that much. I'm just checking that you aren't about to overload."
Bailey gets a little dramatic, "Geez, I'm not about to snap. I'm coping just fine. Two months with that court-ordered therapist was a waste. Don't stress, I'm not about to kill anyone or rape Neville. Not at least until the judge's office finally sets up my fantastically fun community service for me here. Then all bets are off. "
"Good then. Here, these are the master keys, they work on all the main doors here, in the lawyers and the vacant music store on the other side. Do not lose them. Assuming there's no school tomorrow, get Neville to grab some wood down here with you. From the garage, not your pants," Jonas quips and hands Bailey the key.
Embarrassed at the barb, Bailey takes the key and turns for the stairs, "Oh my God! Dad!"
As much as he professes otherwise, Bailey does have a sneaky plan for Neville.
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With Brooke and Megan out of his hair, Bailey sets his plan in motion after propping his door open, "Why don't you get comfy, I'll have this made in no time."
Aquiesting to his friend, Neville climbs up onto the high sleigh bed and gets under the covers.
Going through the motions for show, Bailey pulls out the bed and dresses it, doing everything but setting the loose support in place at the head of the bed. The one thing that Bailey keeps secret is that when he pulls it out into a bed, one side collapses if he doesn't prop the bar back into place. The rest of his family know this easy fix to the broken pullout, but Neville sure doesn't. He'll just tell his parents it got damaged worse in the move.
Without saying so much as a good night, Neville is fast asleep by the time Bailey has the second bed ready, which is only a matter of minutes. It's quite the opposite of his intention; he figured he'd wait until Bailey was asleep before he even contemplated sleep for himself. The luxury of the sheets, the fluffy duvet that immediately starts to incubate his body heat, the heavenly pillows on the extra deep mattress and box spring; all conspire to lull him instantly into the best sleep he's had in years. His last coherent thought he registers is that this must be what it's like for the Care Bears to sleep on a cloud-bed.
Going to grab a pillow to throw on the pull-out before he even gets to his charade, Bailey realizes Neville is already asleep. Stumped, he sits down and studies Neville. Sitting Indian-style on the foot of the bed, Bailey tries to decide what to do, but he's deeply conflicted.
Neville is an extremely light sleeper by habit now, with so many factors normally keeping him from being comfortable. Curled up contently in Bailey's king size bed however, he appears completely dead to the world around him as Bailey looks on.
Bailey tosses the pillow back onto the bed, hoping to wake Neville in the process. Awake but with his eyes still shut, Neville pulls the pillow towards himself and hugs it. To Bailey it just looks like he's adjusting in his sleep, although it seems to raise a smile out of sleeping Neville. Bailey tries pulling the pillow free, tries nudging Neville awake, and even tries tickling Neville's feet. Not ticklish, Neville actually stretches his foot in response to the attention, much like a cat Bailey notes. He could let Bailey know he's alert, but the bed is so comfortable and the foot massage so soothing that he just wants to enjoy it all and fall fully asleep for real.
Even though it's the one he favours for his head at night, the pillow isn't really an issue. Bailey had four in total, so he lets Neville continue to hug it. After adding some wood to the fire and blowing out all the extra candles Brooke lit in his room, Bailey tries to poke Neville awake one last time. Feeling how little there is to Neville under the oversized sweatshirt and track pants he stops right away. Hopping into bed with Neville was his ultimate plan all along, although now he can't shake the worrisome image in the back of his head of sex with a skeleton. Not that his intentions are to go that far tonight, he realizes Brooke was right; Neville needs some fattening up.
"I'm getting in bed with you Nev, the pull-out won't stay up," Bailey says as he slips under the covers, more to assuage his own guilt at not giving warning, thinking Neville won't hear it anyway, but just the same, he's said it. Somewhere between fully alert and mildly asleep Neville does hear it and subconsciously turns so that while he's still maintaining the fetal position. This way hopefully Bailey will spoon him if he chooses.
Bailey however leaves a void in the bed between them. He still not convinced that his dad and sister are right in thinking Neville is gay or looks at him `that way' if he is. He's thinks it might be a part of the shroud of secrecy that Neville seems to want to keep tightly under wraps. He is however aware that Neville does idolise Josh, and maybe covets him.
More than anything Bailey would like to initiate a sexual relationship with Neville. His problem despite his sister egging him on is that his family is now a mere 6 weeks into their new lives because he screwed things up royally for them. With that in mind he sexually frustrates the heck out of himself by not giving in to the urges to touch Neville. With Neville only a foot or so away from him he can't even indulge himself like his teenage body is used to on a nightly basis.
Neville on the other hand is not all too clear where he stands on things. He wonders, `Why are we in the same bed? Are we going to have sex tonight? What's your motive Bailey? You are even cuter without a shirt on, I thought you had a bit of a belly when you moved here but I don't see one now. Hey, I'm giving you a standing ovation, you just can't see it! But if we do something, where do we go from there? I'm not exactly in a position for a boyfriend. You'll start asking all the questions you've steered clear of so far. Where do you live, can I come over, why do your bones poke out of your body, stuff like that. Things I just can't give reason to discuss.'
Bailey's mind refuses to slow and allow him sleep. He concentrates on his friend who is mere inches away, quirky with an acid tongue somehow mixed with a lonely and caring heart. Every time Neville speaks his words command Bailey's attention and the sound of his voice makes Bailey's heart flutter. Unable to fall asleep even when he hears Neville's breathing steady to a constant, deep and slow rhythm, Bailey takes two pillows and heads for the pullout bed after all. It's either that or molest his friend while he sleeps because Neville has wormed his way to a place in Bailey's heart that hasn't been reached before to this point in his life.
In the morning both are disappointed that they wake in the same places that they nodded off in; in separate beds with a span of wooden floor between them. Thanks to the substantial physical void between them in the room there is no further void between them as friends. They're both carrying secrets and stories of their past that are not out in the open for each other. Getting together would just highlight that they both have things they don't want ever coming up.
Waking to the power still out, but the storm dying off for now, Neville doesn't comment on sharing the bed for a brief period of time last night. He does wonder why Bailey got in bed with him and why he ended up in the pull-out bed. Relieved that nothing happened between them, he's equally disappointed. At first he wasn't sure Bailey was all that good looking, cute yeah, but didn't do it for him. Lately he's well aware that Bailey does in fact do it for him. He lusts for Josh, but he feels funny inside over Bailey. Neville recognises it as the same feelings he last felt when he and his classmate Steve were becoming acquainted with each other the spring semester of grade 9 back in Halifax.
He's almost willing to give getting close to another boy a second chance. Nearly two years have now passed since he and Steve shared their last kiss. Neville's also minutely aware that above his punch-drunk feelings for Bailey, every impulse in his hormonal teen-age body yearns for sexual fulfilment with another guy. Josh is a wet-dream come true for Neville, but Bailey is starring in more and more of his recent erotic fantasies, and doesn't have the same problem of being heterosexual like Josh does. Seeing Bailey all sleepy-head with bad bed-head sets his mind that he's got to find a way to let Bailey in.
The door is now over closed more than halfway for privacy, but still held open by a rubber stopper. Neville just thinks Bailey did it, while Bailey knows one of his parents checked up on them, and satisfied that they were sleeping separately, closed the door over. Not closed, merely over, so that it makes a statement while blocking a clear view from the hallway.
Propping a pillow against the headboard and sitting up, Neville decides it's now or never. His hands are cold and clammy but he is set on getting up, walking across the room and thanking Bailey proper with a kiss. His heart is thumping inside as he gets out of bed and crosses the room. Lifting the sheets, he slips in beside Bailey. Bailey pulls away slightly, set on avoiding whatever Neville intends to do.
Having gotten this far, Neville loses his resolve. Instead he speaks, "A blanket on the floor would have been good enough for me. It's your cloud-bed; you should sleep in it. I'll use this."
Bailey nods. He wants to hug Neville, but fights off the urge and gets off the considerably thinner mattress and slips into his own bed for another hour of lounging. His thoughts never stray far from Neville who is again curled up like a cat as he sleeps. After a shower he drops his towel in his bedroom and dresses, wishing Neville were awake to check out his merchandise. Once he's woken Neville and hears the shower running he brings up the remaining laundry that Neville left behind a couple days ago. Bailey folds the clothes in the basket and arranges it so his favourites are all on the top as Neville enjoys his second brief but relaxing shower under a steady stream of warm water.
He's disappointed that Neville comes back from the bathroom dressed, "I brought the rest of your stuff up if you want to change. I'll be down in the kitchen making some pancakes by candlelight. We can have a romantic breakfast before anyone else joins us!"
Actually meaning it and hoping Bailey catches on that he's not balking at the offer, Neville smiles, "Sounds good."
Bailey's not sure just what happened there, afraid to believe the excitement he detected in Neville is over the romantic candlelight part, but deciding he only caught the breakfast pancakes part. They don't call him Pancakes for nothing after all. He wants to stay and watch Neville change, but he sure his friend will wait until there's no audience.
He does return a minute later and knocks lightly before swinging the door open. Catching Neville barefoot and topless in jeans he asks, "Blueberry still?"
Neville jumps and makes a startled noise, not realizing that the door was going to swing open without him saying to come in. Hurrying to hide his body, Neville dresses in only a t-shirt for the first time Bailey's ever seen. While Bailey is happy with his quick peak Neville is embarrassed, "Uh yeah. Please. If it's not too much of a bother."
"Just wear the T-shirt Nev, you don't need to layer. You look fine," Bailey says. He tries to smooth things over with a hug for emphasis and is rewarded with a euphoric high from the contact.
"Well we both know that's a lie. No, I'm a bone rack. Plus I'm cold even if the fireplaces are all going," Neville says before Bailey hugs him a second time and leaves.
After the door is closed again Neville tries to figure out just what is going on, `Romantic breakfast? Touching me last night, massaging my foot and getting in bed with me for a while? Hugging me for no reason just now? Even after he saw how ugly my body is he had a good grip and his fingers again massaged me? Bailey my boy, I do believe you like me!'
Neville takes the bright blue snowboard company branded t-shirt off that he took out of the hockey bag of a kid from somewhere in the United States. Moments later he puts it back on over a dark blue long sleeve shirt with a similar brand name printed in white down the arms that he stole from another out-of-town kid that was here for this year's Christmas tournament. Not a combo he'd put together on his own, but it seems someone matched them up for him in the laundry basket. Slipping his feet into socks with holes in them from his big toes, he notes that he's all blue today; navy socks, powder blue boxers and faded blue jeans to go with the double-blue tops. Looking in one of Bailey's mirrors he smiles and decides he likes the blue on blue effect.
The only thing out of place is his faded black Boston Bruins hat. Setting it down on Bailey's bed he walks over to the dresser with a mirror attached and looks into his reflection. He just caught a glimpse of himself smiling in the mirror mounted on the back of the door and liked it. He can't remember the last time he saw what he looks like smiling. Looking back to the product in front of the mirror that brought him to it in the first place he picks up a jar of molding paste. His tight-spun golden ringlets are back a month after the last trim he did on his hair.
With the zeal of a child he's quite pleased with the results. He slaps on some of his friend's deodorant as he didn't bring his own, hoping it won't go noticed. Picking up each of Bailey's colognes, Neville smells them despite an impending case of the sniffles. When he lands on the cologne that drives him a little crazy every time he smells it next to him in class he sprays a few squirts of it on himself. Even through a stuffy nose he instantly realizes one squirt would have sufficed. This will be noticed. Putting everything back in its place as he chastises himself for the cologne, he figures he better get moving.
Staring at himself in the candlelit bathroom mirror after washing the residual hair paste off his hands he smiles again and thinks to his reflection, `Kid, today I'd do ya!' A quick swig of mouthwash later and he's on his way downstairs to find Bailey.
The boys have breakfast together while the rest of the family is just waking up or getting ready for the day. By the time they finish the winds are picking up again outside and the freezing rain has come back in full force for one last hurrah. Megan again joins the boys late for breakfast while they sit and plan out their day, as clearly there is no school due to the continued power outage.
Commenting on Megan's negative remarks to everything he says, Bailey goes where he shouldn't, "By the way Nev. Mark today on your calendar and count off 4 every weeks. Learn to avoid Brooke and Megs when you get to those dates. See how she's still in her pyjamas? She shouldn't even get out of bed on days like this."
"What," Neville asks out of naivety.
"What the douche-bag is telling you is that I'm PMS-ing today. Unlike you boys who all of life's problems can be swept away in the form of a two second orgasm after a few minutes locked away in any bathroom, we get to deal with this shit."
"Ew," Neville says before catching himself.
"You said it," Megan agrees, tossing a stale piece of her chocolate-chip muffin at Bailey.
Bailey has a slip of the tongue as he gets up from the table in the diner, "We're out of here. You or Brooke need any firewood in your room? I mean rooms?"
"Yeah. We do. And he probably knows so don't get all jittery. You go do your manly things and I'll just clean up after you two again," Megan dramatically states.
"Thanks be-otch," Bailey laughs.
Neville reaches for the plates, intending to clean up for himself and Bailey, but Megan's hand clenches his narrow wrist and stops him. Inhaling deeply, she is now certain the cologne is coming from him. She lets go of his arm with a smile and shoes him away, "Go! I've got this. Really."
Many quick trips later to the garage for wood and then downstairs with it, Neville finally asks the question he couldn't answer on any of the dozen trips, "What should I already know?"
Bailey stops before heading up the stairs again. Turning to Neville with the flashlight he can see the question is sincere. He answers, "I'll show you. You are open minded aren't you? I mean, I think you are. Enough anyways. Let's just get one more load first."
"I'm way open minded," Neville says, happy that he sounds almost flirty.
When they make it back inside Bailey shucks his shoes off this time, so Neville copies him. Heading upstairs with the wood, they drop a log or two off at every fireplace and build the fires.
When they get to Brooke and Megan's room Bailey comments, "Last bedroom in the house. You've seen them all. Here we go, here's your answer."
Neville is still at a loss as to what he's supposed to be discerning, "Uh, sure. What?"
Bailey prods, "Notice anything about this room?"
"Yeah. It's both Megan and Brooke's room but there's only one bed. They're girlfriends," Neville states.
"See, you did figure it out. It's our big bad family secret here in Charlottetown. Back home it wasn't a big deal. Here it's mostly like no one's ever seen a gay person before. When'd you clue in?"
Neville's honest, "Maybe a little when you all laughed at me when I suggested I shouldn't be left alone with Megs like a month ago. Maybe the rest last night."
Bailey checks, "You don't care?"
"Doesn't involve me in the least. Even if my opinion wasn't positive it wouldn't matter. They have their shoes to walk in, I have mine."
Bailey's confused, "What shoes?"
"You know, don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes. Even if I did walk a mile in their shoes it's not my place in the world to judge them for that. They're both way nice to me and everyone they come in contact with so that's all I get to judge them on. Ultimate judgement falls on far greater forces than me."
"I didn't know you're religious. You don't wear a cross or anything," Bailey comments.
"Yeah. I stupidly forgot it beside the bed one night somewhere, and now it's gone from me," Neville truthfully states, referring to his childhood bed that he was woken by his mother in the last time he slept in it, right before he got kicked out.
Hoping to get Neville to open up and maybe confirm or deny his sexuality Bailey asks, "So what shoes do you have to walk in then?"
Changing the subject, Neville's looking for an excuse to spend the day with the Regan's again. In between wiping his nose on his sleeve he eagerly suggests, "Hey now that you're parents said we can't open the diner today, let's go explore that stuff in the basement!"
Hearing this as she passes in the hallway, Bethany's eyes widen with excitement. She's wanted to explore the things she saw in the basement since they moved in, and so she tags along with the older boys as they look over what appears to be things left behind from when the main floor space used to be a dress shop or tailor shop. Bored of the machines they find bolted to the floor, Bailey wants to get out of the darkened space and back upstairs where at least the grey skies still casts some daylight now that the storm has ended. His fear of dark and unknown places is matched by Neville's sense of adventure, and Bethany's subtle mocking of his phobia. The fear that is gripping him loses out because he's excited by Neville's excitement. Wanting to gratify Neville just barely trumps the panic he's fighting to keep at bay.
At a locked door that leads to the basement under the law office Bailey suggests, "I think these keys are for the whole triplex. Let's check it out and see what else we own!"
The three explore the next two basements that appear to have together been a five lane bowling alley in better days. They surface upstairs to ground level in the empty music store and ransack the few milk crates of used CD's left behind but don't find anything they like. Upstairs above the music store are two levels of what they're guessing used to be a failed night club, bar, pool hall, or some combination there-in. Now Bailey knows why his parents were so excited to get the entire building for so cheap; the rest of the space has so much potential, even if currently the only tenant is an old lawyer.
Sitting on barstools after Bethany has bored of the adventure and gone back to the family's home, Neville notices Bailey looking at him. He gets self conscious so spins a tale, "I've seen doctors for it. A team of specialists really. There's nothing wrong with me. I don't have an eating disorder or anything like that. I just can't manage to put on much weight, like my body doesn't absorb much from what I eat or something so they put me on a bunch of really expensive vitamins. They say not to worry, that I'll grow out of it in time, or just always be really thin."
At first he's sceptical, and wants to test Josh's theory by asking Neville just how expensive his vitamins are. But he thinks it will come across as bitchy and that's not what he wants. He was looking at Neville a little starry-eyed because this is the first time he's seen his hair done up. He's in love with those golden curls. Bailey's also a little gullible so instead, relieved that Neville's seen a doctor for his problem he tries to deflect the attention, "You're really self conscious of it and I don't care what you look like under your layers as long as doctors say it's fine. I was just looking at your hair, it's really curly. You should let it grow a bit, you'd be really cute with it. Not that you aren't now."
Tripping over his tongue now, Bailey quickly adds, "I mean like people would hit on you and stuff. Not that they wouldn't now. But I don't mean like a fro or anything, just maybe a bit longer than now. I'm just going to shut up now."
"I get you. Don't worry," Neville pats Bailey on the shoulder and squeezes him with his fingers, imitating what Bailey's fingers did to himself earlier in the morning when he was dressing. In his mind he adds, `I really do get you. You want me, I want you. This could be real fun. Just don't push me please. Don't mess this up on us 'cause I really like you!'
Feeling the need to try and explain, Bailey digs himself a deeper hole, "I wasn't hitting on you or anything if it seems that way. I was just saying. You always wear a hat. The curls, they're different, cool."
"You're so lame. Plus I hate the curls, can't do anything with them," Neville says and reaches forward to kiss Bailey.
Bailey's caught off guard by the kiss on his cheek, "Woah!"
Thinking he's read the whole situation wrong after all, Neville again uses his sleeve to catch a drip from his nose before he recants, "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you or anything. I just, you're too nice to me. No one's been as nice to me as you or your family in so long other than Crystal. The kiss doesn't mean anything, just a thank you by mistake. Really. It's kinda gay now that I think of it."
Confused and wishing it meant more than just a thank you, Bailey shrugs it off. Turning from Neville on his barstool so that he doesn't start making out with him, Bailey suggests they get back to his room where they can build the fire and get warm again. All the while he's wondering who Crystal is.
Neville is off the barstool and in action before he even voices agreement. Heat; he longs to sit in front of a warm fireplace. In locking the doors behind him as they go, Bailey discovers that more than one key seems to work on all the doors, like a master key to the building even if the rest of the keys and the locks are all keyed differently. He and Neville make another trip back through all the spaces to test the keys, so that Bailey can point it out to his dad.
Starting up the stairs to the diner, Bailey stops abruptly, "We should probably bring up another piece of wood."
Not that he had to keep his balance, Neville still takes the opportunity to put his hands on Bailey's hips in front of him, making it seem like he's caught off guard. Sneaking a feel of Bailey's butt before he removes his hand and apologises, Neville thinks, `Wood? I got your wood right here in my pants!'
Taking another log up for later, Neville heads up to the fireplace in the Regan's living room a takes a seat cross-legged on the floor in front of it as Bailey attempts to make hot chocolate in the diner over the gas powered range.
Bailey doesn't take that long, but by the time he's upstairs Neville's mood has soured. The beginnings of a cold are annoying him, and his mind is now wrapped around his visitor from the night before. His home is no longer safe, someone other than Davis knows about it. Neville now feels stupid for not dwelling on this yesterday or this morning. Instead of trying to start something with Bailey that he can't see through, he should be focussing on this newly discovered breach in his secret life.
A combination of more hot chocolate and some cold medicine Cathy forces on Neville causes him to doze off on the floor mid-afternoon. While Jonas and his son take the opportunity to test the keys Bailey thinks work on every lock in the building Brooke and Megan rouse Neville and take him upstairs to Bailey's room. The pull-out is back in couch mode, another check by Cathy to make sure that the boys did in fact sleep apart, so Neville lays across it with his head on an arm.
When Bailey wakes him an hour later he finds he's been given a pillow and a blanket. His first thought is the night before, when a stranger brought him a pillow and some blankets, "Don't lie, did you bring stuff by my place a couple nights ago?"
Bailey's clearly confused, "What?"
Neville recovers, "Sorry, nothing. Just part of the dream I guess."
Bailey's excited that he's in Neville's dreams, "What did I bring you in the dream?"
Weighing the outcome, Neville's confident there's no harm in telling a half truth, "Uh, it was like a couple nights ago. Someone brought me a pillow and some blankets. But they were fleece and the pillow smelled different than these somehow. I mean they smelled different from my own that is. I guess I must have dreamed that when someone covered me up now."
Bailey's secretly happy inside by Neville's dream. He figures that it's just a dream and that metaphorically offering a pillow and blankets to him in his dream means that Neville feels safe and secure with him. He hopes that extends to maybe confiding in him that he's gay too, and then sharing a pillow and blankets together in bed! That is of course if Neville is gay, which Bailey's mental jury is still deciding on. Brightened by the thought all the same he asks, "So why would I bring you a pillow and blankets a couple nights ago if you already have your own. You went home to and I don't even know where you live."
"I don't know, it's just a dream. Probably because you're nice and do way too much for me. You don't treat me like crap because I'm poor; you gave me a job instead. You don't pick on me; you're like my only real friend. You let me sleep in your bed because my parents aren't here and there's no heat at my place. Makes sense I'd see you that way in my dreams too," Neville suggests before noting, "Hey, the power's back on!"
"Yeah, that's why I woke you. You really zonked out there by the way. Mom's making soup and sandwiches, stuff from the restaurant of course, but she wanted me to ask which soup you want today. Megs say's you have soup every day you work and she's guessing minestrone."
Neville nods a yes, "It is Monday isn't it?"
"Yeah, why?"
Neville explains it as if nothing could be more logical, "Monday's minestrone. Tuesday and Thursday are tomato. Wednesday's broccoli because nothing starts with W. Friday's fowl, also known as chicken noodle. Saturday and Sunday are just soup, so potato if you have it or whatever else I feel like."
"Monday minestrone it is then," Bailey laughs.
After dinner Neville gets antsy, "I should be getting back home, check on the place and make sure the furnace is back on."
"Well it was fun having you over, I really had a good time," Bailey says a little sad. Hoping Neville will stay another night he tries, "If your place is still too cold, come right back?"
"Uh, I'm sure it's fine now, and I have a chapter to read for class tomorrow," Neville says, packing his clothes into his backpack. In the process he stuffs a pair of Bailey's dirty socks in too that he swept to his own pile of clothes last night, hoping it won't go noticed. He eyes Bailey's colognes but knows it will be obvious if he swipes one of the four lined up. He mentally kicks himself for even the thought, `Only the essentials Nev. Only survival items; no vanity stuff.'
"I'll walk with you and if it's too cold still or the furnace won't light we can come back," Bailey suggests.
The offer puts Neville more on edge than he's felt since the arena a couple nights ago, "No! Sorry, I mean it's really fine. Everything will be fine, you don't have to worry. And my place is a mess. I didn't clean it up for Mom and Dad this weekend. I'd be in crap if they saw it, so there's no way I can let you see the mess."
`Back off, don't push too hard,' Bailey thinks to himself before giving in, "Sure. Well, see you tomorrow I guess."
"See you tomorrow," Neville smiles.
Back home in his bat-cave Neville can't focus on the textbook in his lap for the first time in memory. Normally it helps him to get lost in study, but this past weekend has really rattled him. The storm has revealed a vulnerability he didn't encounter the previous mild winter. Someone knowing that he's homeless and living inside the arena also really bothers him. He's going to start looking for a new hiding spot in the arena he decides, `or maybe it's time to move on, maybe take up residence in the abandoned building down the street from the Regan's home and restaurant.' On top of all, his worst worry is that now that he's spent the past 36 hours with Bailey he wants to cry for how bad he misses him already.
[to be continued]
).:.(<<
Dear Readers:
I'm not all that savvy with creating web pages and such, but I have created a MySpace account if you want to follow what I have going on, www.myspace.com/phantomscorpio77. Cheers, Jade.