Is it Hot in Here... Or Is It Just You?(ManxMan)

Chapter 16: Stuff happen.

"Me?" I asked Josh, unsure of what I just heard.

Josh nodded silently.

Fuck.

"Josh uh I..."

"You don't like me back do you?" He looked down dejectedly.

"No! I uh I am uhm just confused right now. Yeah, I am confused." I nodded, trying to keep my internal panic out of me voice.

My only real friend.... and even he didn't want to be my friend though...

"Oh!" Josh looked up with hope in my eyes.

"That's okay. Take your time to think about it and get back to me alright?" He gave me a genuine smile, and I couldn't help but go along with his words because I didn't want to crush him by saying I was 100% straight, immediately and probably lose my only real friend.

He beckoned me to enter his car and I slowly entered, still mulling over everything that happened.

For the rest of the ride, Josh seemed blissfully unaware of my inner turmoil, In fact he looked quite at peace and whistled some tune absentmindedly.

"How are you so happy?" I asked, curiosity overriding the urge to not complicate the awkwardness of the situation.

"I don't know Matt. I feel like a huge burden is off my shoulders... I just feel relieved." He smiled softly, his eyes still on the road.

I sighed.

Maybe I'll feel relieved once I tell Sam too...

~*~

Josh dropped me off at my home and left but I started to walk towards the grocery store, wanting to get some fresh air as well as stock up my fridge with fresh food and junk maybe.

Just as I complete my shopping and finish the billing, I bumped into someone and fell down embarrassing my already low self esteem.

"Oh honey I am sorry" I heard the familiar voice say as I am helped up.

"Hey it's you!" The man who helped me up grinned at me.

"Me?"

"Yeah you, silly! It's me Cam!" He chuckled, but I shook my head. His voice did seem pretty familiar though.

"Camilla de Cayn Cadaver?" He flipped his non-existent hair way from his face, and that's when it all clicked in my head.

"Oh it's you!" I smiled, half parts confused and half parts shock at how different he was from his alter ego.

"Matt is it?" He asked.

"Yup, that's my name, last I remember.." I moved to the side as other customers left the shop.

"So grocery shopping I take it? How's Luci? Still annoying you, or are you back to normal?"

"I don't know... I have seen him like twice since the club I guess." I scowled.

"Ah it was unpleasant I take it?"

"That would be an understatement." I nodded.

"Well all I can say is that you will get used to it. It won't be easy, but I guess whatever you are fighting for might be worth it?"

I nodded, thinking of Sam. She was definitely worth it all.

"Alright I must be on my way." He waved goodbye and left.

I left the store, clutching my bag close to me as I walked home, when I heard whimpering and cries for help coming from an alley.

I quickly jogged upto it to see another Spawn sitting on another woman, seeming to suffocate her, her eyes had rolled back in and she was writhing in pain as the monster seemed to be feeding of something from her. The familiar nails scraping against metal sound droning in my ears, almost deafening.

I decided to risk it and threw a beer can at it.

It stopped whatever it was doing and looked at me, it's dark red eyes glinting in the evening light like rubies and blood.

It spit something in my direction and went back to it's feeding.

I looked down at my legs to see what looked like black goo on my shoes, effectively stopping me from moving.

"Hey! Stop!" I tried to stop it by bringing it's attention back to me but it didn't even look back.

Suddenly, I heard the clang of metal against metal and saw Cam sitting at the shoulder of three monster hitting it with something in his hands. He jumped off promptly as it fell on it's back.

He used something to wipe the black goo off the woman and told her something before he set her free and finally made his way towards me.

"You knew how to fight them?"

"Yeah. I guess they freak you out?"

"I hate it you know? Like someone could have just died in front of me but all I could do was stare at them! Like what if someone I know is going to be their next target? Would I just stand there helplessly and let it all happen? If I did, then there would be little difference between me and the devil." I huffed out what had been lurking around in my head for almost the entire day.

"Well you can learn to fight them I guess?" He looked a bit hesitant but then seemed to steel his resolve and nodded before leaning in closer and whispering: "I could teach you how to."

"You could do that?" I asked my eyes widening.

"Yeah. No big deal. But you can't tell anyone that you are learning. And you need to practice regularly so whenever you are free, you will have to come to my place to practice. Do you trust me?"

I looked at him. Really looked at him. Cam looked like a normal dude you wouldn't look at twice if you walked across in the street. His blue eyes blonde hair cliched combo ensured that and so did his normal clothes. No sign of the fiery drag queen I had met the other day. Hell I had hardly known him and yet here was asking me if I trusted him enough to learn to fight monsters...

"Ok let me just rephrase that. Come home tomorrow around 7. Don't tell anyone associated with the devil about this. And you can make your decision then. Sounds okay?"

I nodded dumbly, still thinking about it all again.

What did I get myself into?