Milo & Judah

Chapter 4 - French Toast

The next morning, Milo woke up to a sweet scent, almost like cologne. Opening his eyes, he realized he was clutching tight to a soft bit of fabric instead of the pillow he'd been holding. He stretched the material out. It was a t-shirt. A familiar shirt.

His eyes went wide when he remembered where he'd seen it. Judah had worn it the day before.

He wondered how he got it. Then he wondered if Judah had seen him hugging it like a security blanket. He looked around quickly to make sure he hadn't been seen. He tossed it on the floor and slowly got up to peek at the top bunk.

Finding the bed empty, Milo breathed a sigh of relief. At least no one had witnessed his stalkerish behavior.

After dressing, Milo went downstairs to the kitchen. Mercer and Judah sat at the bar eating plates of French toast. They both looked up when Milo entered.

"Mom made breakfast." Mercer pointed his fork to the stove.

"Where is she?" Milo looked around.

Usually, Mrs. McBride would be bustling around the kitchen while they ate, offering to refill their glasses or get them seconds.

"Her and Maggie went Christmas shopping," Mercer said.

Milo nodded and headed over, fixing himself a plate and a cup of coffee.

Milo stood at the island counter near the stove, silently eating. He couldn't bring himself to get any closer to Judah.

He listened quietly as Mercer and Judah chatted about the people and their classes back at Northwestern.

"So, where do you go?" Judah asked.

"Milo!" Mercer barked. "Judah asked you a question."

Milo hadn't even realized Judah was speaking to him. He'd zoned out a bit.

Milo swallowed the bite he was chewing, "UC Berkeley."

"That's near San Francisco, right?"

Milo nodded. "Pretty close. About 20 or 30 minutes away. Depending on traffic."

"Have you ever been to the city? I've always wanted to visit. It seems like such a cool place."

"Uh, yeah." Milo muttered, raking his fork through the syrup. "I've been a few times. I mostly stay around campus, though."

"Cool." Judah pressed his lips together, raising his brows extra high in that way when someone felt awkward. He looked over at Mercer.

Mercer, who didn't seem to notice, asked, "Wanna go to the beach?"

Judah's voice went high-pitched with excitement when he said, "Definitely!" His whole face lit up at the prospect.

Mercer picked up both their plates. Halfway to the sink, his phone beeped. He laid the plates down on the counter and pulled the phone from his pocket. Looking at the screen, he grinned. One of his brows arched with intrigue. "Hmm."

Without glancing up, Mercer said, "Give me a second."

"Okay," Judah said.

Mercer started typing as he left the room.

Being alone with Judah gave Milo a small thrill. It also made his palms sweaty. He took a gulp from his coffee to remedy his dry mouth.

"I don't have a swimsuit," Judah said. It seemed like he was speaking more to himself than to Milo.

Then he looked up at Milo. "It never even occurred to me to pack one. I'm not used to warm weather this time of year. I'm from Wisconsin, and you'd pretty much get hypothermia if you even stepped outside wearing something like that. Hell, you might even get it inside."

"Mercer probably has one you can borrow."

Milo took his own plate to the sink. As he rinsed it and put it into the dishwasher, he wondered if it would be too weird if he just went over to stand closer to Judah.

To buy a couple extra seconds, he picked up the plates abandonded by Mercer to rinse and load them, as well. Then he added, "If he doesn't, I'm sure I can find you one."

"Awesome. Thanks." Judah beamed with excitement. "It must be so cool to live so close to the beach."

Gathering a bit of courage, Milo slowly roamed over to stand across the bar from Judah, attempting nonchalance. "Honestly, you get pretty used to it when it's just across town."

"I guess." Judah leaned forward on his elbows. A shaft of light from the window over the sink cut across his face making his eyes look more green than blue. "I still think it's cool. I never even saw the ocean in real life until the trip from the airport yesterday."

Milo bent over the counter. "You're right. It is totally cool. I guess I just take it for granted."

The sides of Judah's mouth quirked up. A dimple appeared in his left cheek. He weirdly didn't have one on the other side. Milo always thought they came in pairs.

Milo thought about running his hand across Judah's cheek. An urge he immediately dismissed.

Judah gasped and reached out to lay his hand on Milo's arm. "Hey, do you think we can go parasailing? I've always wanted to do that."

Milo's heart raced at Judah's touch. He was also struck by Judah's use of we. Was Judah inviting him along?

Mercer hadn't given the impression that Milo was on the guest list. Milo and Mercer had always been pretty close, but they never hung out much in a social setting, beyond the rare occasion of being at the same party. Mercer was never mean or dismissive toward Milo. He was just very popular, whereas Milo wasn't.

Mercer had a ton of friends. He was great with people; he was always going out.

Milo, on the other hand, was more selective of his company. He had a few tight knit friends who he'd known since kindergarten—third grade in Ellie's case. He didn't like being around a bunch of people he didn't know, though he could be quite outgoing with those he did.

Before Milo could get clarification from Judah, the swinging door flung open, startling Milo. He jumped back and bumped against the island.

Mercer looked up from his phone at Judah. "Do you mind if I head out for a couple hours?"

"Uh, sure." All of Judah's brightness faded, though he managed to sound only slightly crestfallen. He glanced over at Milo for a brief moment.

Milo wished he could reach across and take Judah's hand to console him.

"Fantastic!" Mercer grinned, typing something on his phone. "My ex, Alana, just messaged me. She wants to meet up."

Milo raised a brow. "The same Alana who cheated on you two years ago?"

"Yes." Mercer sounded a bit defensive.

"And you actually want to see her?" Judah asked.

Mercer smirked. "I'm only here for twelve days, so I'm not exactly looking for a new girlfriend."

"Still," Milo said. "She wrecked you. You barely ate for a like a week after that."

"Look, she's hot and freaky. That's enough for me." Mercer turned to Judah. "You sure you're good?"

"I think I can handle it," Judah said, with a mild amount of sarcasm that seemed to escape Mercer's detection.

"So, I'll see you in a bit, then. We'll hit the beach another time." Mercer didn't look up from his phone as he left again. A moment later, Milo heard the front door close.

Judah stood and drummed his hands on the countertop. "You wouldn't want to, maybe, go to the beach without him, would you?" He raised his brows, looking so adorably hopeful.

Milo couldn't disappoint him. "I'd love to," Milo said, nodding enthusiastically.