As always,
ENJOY!
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"Hey," Drew said, coming in and closing the gate behind him. On his back was a full backpack and in one hand were my shoes and socks.
"What's going on?" I asked, frowning. He turned around and I blinked, stunned. A black eye was forming under his left eyebrow, he'd just been punched in the face.
"My parents kicked me out, can I crash here for a bit?" he asked, his shoulders slumped and defeated.
"Um, yeah," I replied, still shocked. Drew walked up the side of the house and came over to me. I sat back down on the porch and he sat beside me.
"What happened? You don't have to talk about it," I said, biting my lip. I wasn't sure what exactly he wanted from me.Was he just here because he hadn't told anyone else yet about being gay so couldn't explain why his parents had kicked him out?
"It's fine. I was just sick of them treating me like I was broken or something, you know? Mum kept going on that you'd made me sick and I needed to see a doctor and get help. Dad didn't say anything, but today he snapped and hit me, and I decided that was it," Drew explained.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stayed over," I apologized. He shook his head.
"No, it's not your fault. I was always going to be gay. You just helped me come to terms with it better," he said. He smiled, nudging my arm with his. I smiled back, though I still didn't really feel it.
"There's also something else that... that I've come to terms with," Drew continued.
"Oh?" I asked, not looking at him.
"Yeah, um... you know when I said I wasn't going to date for a while?" he prompted.
"Yeah," I sighed. Holding tighter onto my mug. Here it comes, the official rejection to make it official.
"And you said what if I missed being with the love of my life, or something," he continued. My heart flickered.
"Yeah?" I sighed again, louder and a little more urgent. Drew dropped my shoes at my foot and reached out, taking one of my hands from my mug and holding onto it, entwining his fingers with mine.
"Well... I came to realize over the past week that there's a reason I care about you so much. I'd been blocking out being gay for so long I'd refused to see it. And I distanced myself from you because I didn't want to admit it. But when I realized I was probably gay, and then kissing you last Friday finally confirmed it..." My knees were beginning to shake, and it wasn't just because it was cold. But I still couldn't look at him. My mum was the only good real thing in my life, and I'd learnt never to expect anything else good from the world. I had a few online friends who kept me somewhat sane, but they were always going to be miles away, and I'd accepted that. I'd established I was probably never going to have areal boyfriend, and I'd acknowledged that it wasn't just because I was gay that I was so different from everyone else. I was weird, and I was okay with that. I had to be.
"What are you saying?" I asked Drew, because I couldn't handle the suspense.
"Aaron," he said softly, lifting his free hand up slowly towards my face. He cupped my cheek gently and turned my face round to his so that he could look me in the eyes. "I want... I want to see if we can try and make this work. I wouldn't want to look back and realize I'd missed out on you." My heart was doing a salsa against my rib cage.
"Huh?" I asked, feeling faint. I was dreaming,right? This wasn't actually happening, right?
Drew smiled. "I'm going to be busy at Uni studying like crazy and commuting from here and back, though I'm not sure if I will now I've left home, but... what I mean is, I want to try dating you."
"Me?" I asked. Drew laughed.
"Yes, you," he said firmly, but still laughing.
"You're sure? Me right? As in me, the person sitting opposite you?" I challenged. Drew sighed in exasperation, then lent in and kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back for a moment,then pulled away.
"I'm questioning your sanity right now," I told him.
"Question me all you want, I don't mind. Just tell me one thing... do you want to date me?"he asked. I saw a flicker of worry and self doubt cross his face and genuinely realized he actually did want this with me and was worried I might actually reject him. A grin spread across my face.
"Yeah, I want to date you," I confessed. Drew sighed with relief and then smiled.
"Thank god, after all that you had me worried for a second," he laughed.He made me feel... wanted? It was a feeling I was not used to at all.
"What about school?" I asked, letting the euphoria fade and reality sink back into place. Drew bit his lip, thinking fora moment.
"The library is open to all years, so we could sit in there during break 1 and 2. And then we can come home together. If your mum lets me stay that is. After a while I'll have to find my own place I guess," he suggested. After he said that I think it finally, properly, actually set in how serious he was about this.
"You really mean it? You'd be willing to give it all up?" I asked. Drew's face went blank. He reached out with both hands and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug against him.
"I know you've had it hard, and it's not fair that anyone should have to go through what you have. And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more in the past. But yes, now I'm willing to give everything up to give us a chance. My feelings for you are real,and I'm actually a little scared how strongly I care about you, but I'm in this 100%, if you are," he told me, holding me close. That dreaded lump was back in my throat as I squeezed Drew to return his hug. I buried my face in his neck and breathed him in.
If I'm dreaming, don't wake me. My love has finally come to me.
"What's all this?" mum's voice came from beside us.We both pulled back with a start to see my mum standing in the open back doorway, her hands on her hips.
"Um..." I tried.
"Hi," Drew smiled shyly, waving to my mum. She surveyed our embrace and Drew's full backpack and grinned.
"Aaron, can you set the table for three tonight?"she told me and headed back inside to the kitchen to start dinner. I turned to Drew and smiled.
"That means she's okay with you staying," I explained to him. He nodded once in satisfaction.
"Okay, phew," he smiled. I stood and so did Drew,and he followed me in as I took returned shoes and empty mug inside.
"If you're going to have sex I don't want to hear it,do it quietly," mum said as we walked inside. I went bright red.
"Mum! No!" I shouted, panicking and dropping my shoes to the floor. I slammed my mug on the counter and gave mum a look of disgust. She only laughed in return.
"If your boyfriend is going to stay I'm going to set some house rules," she insisted, smiling ear to ear like some deranged person, which she was.
"Okay, but do you have to be so gross?" I hissed.Drew was smiling this whole time, finding my embarrassment amusing.He'd always liked and gotten on well with my mum. Thankfully he was used to her weirdness, or it could have been a lot worse.
"Rule 1, silence in the bedrooms. Better?" she offered. I sighed, fuming, but nodded. "Good. Rule 2, you'll both let me know when you're not going to be here, especially for dinner so I don't have to cook," she continued. Drew and I both agreed.After a list was compiled I took Drew's bag to my room while mum made him set the table. I could hear them walking from my room though.
"Do your parents know where you are?" Mum asked Drew.
"Yeah, dad saw me come over," Drew replied.
"Okay, good. Well you're welcome to stay forever.Forever isn't required of course, but it's accepted. You're eighteen now, right? You're old enough to make your own decisions so I'm not going to badger you. And if you and Aaron break up down the track you will still be welcome here as long as Aaron allows it. Also, please use protection, I don't know how much experience you have had in the past, but Aaron's never had a boyfriend before and I don't want him getting hurt or being pressured into anything," she told him. I raced back into the dining/kitchen.
"Mum, stop!" I pleaded. Mum raised her eyebrows at me.
"I'm your mother, I'm just looking out for you. You're only 16 for crying out loud. You're practically still a baby," she went on from the stove. Drew just chuckled as he finished setting the table.
"Don't worry, Mrs T, I promise I wont do anything to hurt your son," Drew reassured my mum. She smiled back to him. Ugh,and I was feeling so happy a few minutes ago.
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Mouki out~