Being Wrong | ✓

Part 27

Charlie nodded firmly to himself and left the room.

It was probably better to leave now, anyway. Only his grandpa was up, and he was too busy drinking his morning coffee to make any kind of fuss about Charlie leaving.

Travis answered the door with a smile and no shirt on, and Charlie's eyes immediately tracked down to admire his bare chest. He had more of a proper shape to him than Charlie did. How he came together just seemed right in a way that made Charlie want to reach out and touch the skin around his nipples, find out if it was firm or yielding. He was pretty sure that fell into the same category as curious biting, though, so he fisted his hands in the sleeves of his hoodie and stepped around Travis into the apartment.

Robby was on the sofa eating breakfast, and he wasn't wearing a shirt either. Or pants, though he was wearing boxers. Travis had sweatpants. Robby was more muscular than Travis, but his shape wasn't nearly as interesting. He had hair all over his chest, which was kind of interesting but in an entirely different way. Charlie wondered if you could get lice in chest hair.

"Is your boyfriend checking me out?" Robby asked, his voice still husky from sleep. He didn't look like he'd been up for long.

"I did tell you to put some clothes on," Travis told him.

"Are you going to get a hairy chest like that when you're older?" Charlie asked Travis.

Travis let out a quiet, huffy laugh. "I doubt it. Robby's been a gorilla practically since puberty."

"It's cause I actually have some testosterone in me," Robby said around a mouthful of cereal.

"High testosterone can cause risk taking behaviour and alcohol abuse," Charlie said. "I read that in a book."

Robby raised his eyebrows, but he was smiling. "You calling me an alcoholic?"

Charlie shook his head. "I'm just passing on the book's knowledge."

Robby's smile morphed into a grin. "You're a little shit. I like you."

Next to Charlie, Travis winced. "He means 'little shit' as a term of endearment."

"Oh, I know," Charlie said. "He's like my dad."

There was a stretch of silence, and it took Charlie a few seconds to realise what he'd said wrong. His dad, who they'd all established was pretty awful. It probably wasn't nice to say Robby was like him. It was just that he'd said things like that all the time, and the only way to judge if he meant them kindly was to try to read his mood.

"In that way," Charlie added, several seconds too late. "My dad used to do that thing as well. So I know that Robby didn't mean it in a hurtful way."

"Yeah, see Travis, he gets it," Robby said, though there was something about him that was suddenly less relaxed. "No need to get all defensive when he's not even upset."

"Hmm," Travis said. "Charlie, will you be all right with Robby for like ten minutes while I go take a shower? You can go wait in my room instead if you want."

"I will wait with Robby," Charlie told him and went to sit on the other end of the sofa.

As soon as Travis had left the room, Robby turned to Charlie and looked him over. "I'm pretty sure that hoodie was meant for girls."

Charlie wriggled his hands underneath himself and swung his legs. "Yes, I think so too, though I got it at a second hand shop so it didn't really say. Travis bought it for me."

"He bought you girl's clothes?"

"Yes. It's my favourite, because look how it has cat ears." He twisted his body so that Robby could see the hood.