You feel like Home (boyxboy)

t w e l v e

[ s a w y e r ]

Like the gentleman he was, Masen walked me home. With one last smooch and the promise to see me tomorrow, he went back. I missed him, already.

The smell of pasta hit me as soon as I entered the house. "Sawyer, sweets, is that you?" Mom yelled as I was halfway up the stairs.

"Yes." I hesitated, clutching the drawing from Masen in my hands.

"Dinner is done, come eat!"

"I'll be down in a minute." I wonder if they even knew that I left. I didn't tell I was going before I did, so they probably didn't.

When she didn't say anything back, I continued to my room. I set the drawing in the back of my closet for now, not wanting to risk my parents seeing it, yet. I'd have to find a better place for it later. I was probably gonna tell them, soon. Well, I'd probably tell my mom. Maybe.

I double checked I had no hickeys and went down to dinner. "There you finally are." She smiled. "What did you and Masen do all day?"

Ah. So they did know.

"Played games mostly." I lied, easily, but the pit of my stomach was doing flips when I thought of what we'd actually done. And honestly, I couldn't wait to do it again.

She was looking at me, but in reality, I think she was staring at the sweater - probably trying to figure out where it came from. She didn't say anything about it, though.

"So, Sawyer, our wedding anniversary is this weekend." Dad said.

"That's right." Mom looked over at him, lovingly. "We're going to be gone for the weekend, so you'll be staying with grandma."

"With grandma? I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself! I'm sixteen, not six!"

"I don't know if I quite trust you alone just yet." She said.

"It's only a couple of days! I know the number for 911, plus Masen's dad and brother are right next door. If anything did happen - which it won't - I can go to them." Besides, I wasn't gonna be completely alone. I was sneaking Masen in the second they left.

"Oh, c'mon, Bianca." Dad said. "Sawyer's right. We have to stop treating him like he's a baby."

"But he is my baby!" She whined. "Even when you're old and grey and I'm dead and gone - you'll still be my baby!"

"Mom!"

After a minute of looking at me, she let out a defeated sigh, her shoulders sagging. "Fine. You can stay. But! You have to check in with grandma in the morning and at night, still."

"Deal!"

[ m a s e n ]

Like clockwork, right at nine on the dot, I could hear tires crunching over gravel as dad pulled into the driveway. It was another minute or two before he actually came in, though.

"How was work?" I questioned, muting the tv. I wasn't even really watching it, just using it for background noise while I texted Sawyer.

"It was fine." He said, uninterestedly, as he took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie.

"I'm gonna stay at my friend's house this weekend."

"Make sure you tell Matt. I'm not gonna be home, either."

"Wow. Big shock there." I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Masen, don't start with me. I'm not in the mood to deal with your attitude when I first get home."

"But it's the truth! You're never home anymore!"

"You know what, just go to your room." He waved me off, walking into the kitchen.

Gladly.

"Knock, knock." Matt's voice came through my bedroom door.

"Go away." I stared at the ceiling.

He came in anyways. "I heard all the yelling, you wanna talk?" He pulled the chair from my desk to sit in front of my bed.

"Not really, no." I looked over at him.

"It'll make you feel better."

"I highly doubt it'll do anything except raise my blood pressure."

"Have you..." He hesitated, knowing this conversation was about to be a field of landmines if he said one word wrong. "...just tried sitting him down and talking to him?"

"Hah! That's a laugh and a half." I rolled onto my stomach.

"I'm being serious, Mase."

"Yeah, so am I." I waved him off. "Even if I did get the chance to talk to him, it wouldn't make a difference. He doesn't listen to anything I have to say. It's not like he cares."

"He does care, Masen."

"Well, not enough." I sat up. "If he did, he'd make a better effort. Ever since - "

"Don't." He cut me off. "Don't go there, Masen."

"But I'm right, and you know I'm right."

"Right or not, don't bring her up, or into this." He furrowed his brows and frowned. "Everybody grieves things, differently."

"I want to be alone."

That wasn't true at all.

I wanted my mom.