~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Warning: Contains Boys Love and vulgar language.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~


Chapter 19: Delaying the inevitable (Part A)


Cameron collapsed on the couch, sprawled out and exhausted from cleaning. Of course, everything was put back into its rightful place again. Upstairs, the family members that had stayed were settling in for the night.

Cameron yawned and rested his head against the arm of the couch. He studied the ceiling with a heavy gaze. Everything was so quiet now…

Soft footsteps padded across the carpet. Cameron glanced at the doorway just as his dad appeared in the doorway, scratching his back as he did so. “Well, that’s the last of it,” his dad said. “You guys left quite a mess in the basement.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“It is when I’m not around enough to keep this place spotless; messes can grow bigger on their own when you don’t tend to them right away,” his dad said with a teasing curve to his grin. He yawned and leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossing themselves in the casual-but-fatherly way they did when he was preparing himself for a small chat. Cameron let the back of his head hit the arm of the couch and readied himself for said chat.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yup.” There was that usual opening, followed by the same usual roll of uneasiness in his stomach. Cameron wanted it to be over, and it hadn’t even begun yet.

“Good, good. Glad to hear it.” His dad shifted by the door, looking as if he was struggling for the correct words to use. “Cameron, about earlier…”

“Yeah, I know.” Cameron pulled himself up and sat cross-legged on the couch, his hand automatically going to the back of his neck. “It’s not big deal. Shit happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

His dad stood, silent and still, at a loss for words. Then he nodded after a moment, a slight crease appearing between his eyebrows as they knit themselves together. “As true as that is, it happens way too often. I went through the numbers on the phone and wrote down the one she used. I’ll definitely be calling and talking to her about it.”

Cameron’s stomach twisted. “No, don’t bother. What’s the point, right? I mean, she said that she just moved again, so of course they’d be too busy to come…”

“Yes, but right before?” his dad protested, his arms uncrossing themselves as he took a step forward. His voice raised an octave or two, and its insistency quickened the nervous wrenching of Cameron’s insides. “This is getting to be too much. She knows she was supposed to come. That was the plan. For her to just drop that on you and Cheryl without any notice beforehand was just—”

“Dad.”

His dad froze in mid-sentence and stared back at Cameron, his mouth half-open and right in the middle of forming a word. Realizing how defensive he’d sounded, Cameron turned away and studied his socked feet, mentally chastising himself for having snapped like that. His dad cleared his throat, but Cameron’s gaze remained fixed.

“I’m sorry, Cameron. I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

Cameron nodded, his mouth glued shut.

“In any case, I will be talking to her about this.”

Cameron nodded again. He took a deep breath, willing his nerves to cease their restless squirming. This was nothing, absolutely nothing to freak out about. This was nothing new, either. Get a grip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cameron caught his dad crossing his arms again, though the return of the pose did nothing to fix the awkwardness of him just standing by the door.

“Well…it’s getting late,” his dad said. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too much longer, all right?”

C’mon, say something. Don’t leave this off on a bad note. Cameron looked at his dad and offered him the best smile he could come up with. It felt as tired and unsure as the rest of him; worn out and ready for a long rest. “Yeah, I know. Good night, dad.”

His dad nodded, then left the room, his footsteps thudding softly against the floor as he trekked up the stairs and to his room. Cameron remained in the living room, wanting to go to his room as well but unable to summon up the energy to do so. Instead he relaxed on the couch, quietly reassuring himself that the day had gone well—better than well, it’d gone great—and that there hadn’t been something important missing the entire time.

When he became unable to bear the silence all by himself anymore, Cameron picked himself up from the couch and tread up the stairs. He retreated to his cozy room and flopped onto his comfy bed, with the messy covers and strewn pillows just the way he liked them. He buried his face into one of his favorite (and well-used) pillows, and watched the minutes tick by for the majority of the night.


~+~+~+~+~+~+~


Cameron shivered, the hair on the back of his arms and neck standing on end from the unwelcomed cold. He hadn’t bothered to sit down on the frost-sprinkled grass; he didn’t plan to stay too long outside. He wasn’t even technically on the hill, more of just near it. Cameron kicked a small rock by his shoe and watched it skip across the frozen ground before stopping far away, becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the rocks.

Maxi stood beside him, a small cigarette pinched between his fingers, always within the vicinity of his fully shaped lips. He watched Cameron with faintly amused eyes. The end of the cigarette flared bright red as Maxi took another deep drag, then exhaled a tendrils of smoke. “Cold?” he inquired.

“F-Freezing,” Cameron stuttered back. He wrapped his jacket tighter around him. Even with the uniforms mandatory vest and jacket for the cold seasons, his exposed hands, neck, and face felt like they were freezing. The first few days of the week had been just fine—a little frost here and there, a little cold air when he breathed, but it’d been bearable. Thursday had felt a little worse…but when Friday had rolled around, it’d been as if someone had completely turned off the heat, taken the town’s thermostat and twisted it back to zero.

“You wuss. It’s not that bad,” Maxi laughed. “You've never lived in a place that gets cold, have you?”

Cameron shook his head, teeth chattering every now and then in his mouth; the feeling of them chattering as he spoke felt weird. "Not really. My mom liked to live in warm places, so we never really moved anywhere that got cold."

Laughing to himself, Maxi shook his head and took another drag of his cigarette. Cameron turned towards the other boy while he rubbed his sleeved arms, hoping the friction would help warm himself up. He marveled at how calm Maxi looked standing out in the cold, looking unaffected by the chilly air.

Maxi lightly shook the cigarette, flakes of ashes flittering down, then took his last drag. He stomped out the remains as he savored that last inhale of smoke. “You should try living further north,” he said, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. His overall stance casual and almost bored looking, like he was waiting in line for something.

Cameron asked, “You l-lived further up north?”

A shake of his head. “Nah. Just visited some places during the winter.” Maxi regarded the area around them with a cool disinterest, sniffing sharply before spitting on the ground. Then he turned his cool gaze on Cameron. “You know, if you’re that cold, you could just go inside.”

Cameron shook his head. “Can’t. I'm waiting."

“Waiting? What for—” The dark-skinned boy stopped. Maxi shook his head, his sudden smile anything but happy. “Oh. You’re waiting for him.” There was a slight scoff in Maxi’s tone, and for a moment Cameron thought that maybe Maxi was in disbelief. “You certainly do spend a lot of time with him.”

Cameron remained silent for a moment, unsure of whether that was meant as a positive thing or not. “Thank you?” he said.

“Yeah." A sharp snort, and then Maxi said, as if to himself, "Well, how about that." The metal piercings along Maxi’s eyebrows and mouth glinted in the faint light of the cloudy day, as cold looking at the dull gray area they stood in. Something about his expression seemed strange; Cameron couldn’t put his finger on it.

Maxi shook his head. “I’m heading inside now. I’ve had my smoke, I’m good to go.”  

“O-Okay. See you inside?”

“Certainly.” Maxi sniffed again, but didn’t spit this time. He began his hasty trek for the side door nearest them. “See you inside!” he called over his shoulder.

Cameron stayed put, turning and surveying the view he’d previously been watching. Watching and waiting for Elliot.

Due to the outside becoming colder and colder, the group had switched its hangout spot. From what Cameron knew from Alison’s explanation during third period, their hangout for the duration of the winter was in the art wing of the school. Which was all fine and dandy with Cameron…except that he’d found out at the last minute. If he’d known earlier, he would’ve told Elliot. Except he hadn’t known, and neither did Elliot. Ever persistent, Cameron had decided to wait near the hill for Elliot, knowing that the dirty-blond haired boy would show up any time now. Then they could retreat back inside, into the warmth.

When he’d told Alison and Elena his plan, Alison had made a slight face and asked why Cameron didn’t just go find Elliot at his last period. Truth be told, that idea had occurred to him, but the problem was that he didn’t exactly know what Elliot had third period, or where. Then there was another problem: what if he missed Elliot? It was far simpler just waiting near the hill for him than chancing anything. No matter how much his freezing body just wanted to run and look.

C’mon, Elliot, Cameron thought. What’re you doing, taking your time? Smelling the frozen flowers?

He’d be there. Cameron was certain of it, as Elliot had told him he’d be there Friday. So far this week, Elliot had been pretty busy, not just with the Student Council but with school work as well. Any moment when Cameron saw the other boy was immediately taken advantage of, but so far he’d only been able to see him at school. Elliot had made it outside for lunch hour one day that week, but other than that, their time together was limited. The last thing Cameron wanted was to miss spending any free time with the other boy on account of switching lunch hour spots. As if he was going to let something like little mishaps ruin something he’d been looking forward to all day.

Was it just him, or was it getting colder by the second? Cameron began to hop from foot to foot, desperate for movement and warmth. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was, but he didn’t feel like staying outside and attempting to convince himself otherwise.

Another minute passed, much too cold and long for Cameron to endure. Without another thought he sprinted into movement, hurrying down the same path he’d been watching for the last little while. He’d only just rounded a corner when he stopped, spotting Elliot strolling along the gravel road that circled around the back of the school. Cameron huffed, a tad impatient. Still, he was relieved to see the other boy.

“Hey, stop dawdling already! Hurry up!” Cameron called out, smiling when the other boy glanced up, seemingly pulled out of his thoughts. His insides squirmed in their delighted way as he caught the faint smirk that graced Elliot’s lips.

“What’s the hurry?” Elliot called back.

“I’m freezing, that’s what!” Yet despite that fact, he couldn’t help grinning like a giddy idiot as Elliot walked closer. “Change of plans,” Cameron explained while they walked side by side. “Well, more of a change of hang-outs, but same thing.”

Elliot arched an eyebrow, his expression curious but cautious. “Where is it this time?”

“The center of the earth.”

Elliot almost missed a step. He shot Cameron a look that said “you’re not serious.”

“Sorry. Lame joke,” Cameron said with a small chuckle. “It’s actually the art wing now. Everyone else is already there, waiting for us.” He exhaled a dull white cloud of warm air. “I hope it’s warm there.”

Elliot shook his head as they approached the nearby door. “It’s not that cold out. You make it sound like hell froze over or something.” He grabbed the metal door handle and yanked the door open, not once flinching at what Cameron assumed was freezing to the touch. He shivered at the thought and thanked Elliot as they walked back inside the school.

Cameron breathed deeply, letting out a relieved huff as he relaxed his uncomfortable muscles. They hadn’t been in the school any longer than a minute, but he was already beginning to feel warm again; much more pleasant than the chilly winter outdoors.

He turned to Elliot while they sauntered down the lone hallway, passing students that stood by their lockers. “Do you know where the art wing is?”

Elliot glanced at Cameron. “You don’t know where it is?”

“Well…not really. I do and I don’t?” Cameron scratched the back of his head, seeking the correct words to express what he meant. “I know where it is…but I don’t know where this hallway is. I don’t think I’ve been down here. Although, knowing me, I probably have and don’t remember it all that well.”

Elliot sighed, though Cameron caught the tiniest smile gracing his lips…he caught himself staring once Elliot started speaking again, and quickly faced the rest of the hallway again, hoping that the flush in his cheeks was just from the cold.

“I think this is part of the science wing, so it’s just a few hallways to our right,” Elliot spoke, unaware of Cameron’s gaze. “Trust me, you can’t miss it.”

They walked down a few different hallways—the science and math wings, as Elliot told him—until they turned down one hallway and seemed to enter a different sort of world altogether. Unlike the rest of the school, the walls were covered from top to bottom in murals. Each one jumped out and grabbed Cameron’s interest as they walked along. One of them featured twisting black figures shaped like anonymous people, playing golden instruments to a sunset background. Another mural featured a young girl dressed in a lacy white dress, having a tea party with an enormous spider. His eyes didn’t rest on the glorious murals for too long, however. There was always something new and interesting to look at, and Cameron was eager to look at everything it all at once.

“Did your friends say where exactly they’d be?”

“Huh?” Cameron tore his eyes away from a mural that depicted a polar bear reaching for a falling star. “Oh. Not really. They pretty much just said that they’d be here somewhere.”

Elliot hummed, eyebrows knitting together. He took a sweeping look around, his expression deepening. “This is more the music section…maybe they’re in the next hallway?”

“Couldn’t hurt to check,” Cameron agreed, curiosity leading his gaze as they continued walking. He was amazed to see that a few people—people he wasn’t sure he’d even seen before—lounged around the hallway. One boy, with striking navy blue dyed-hair, sat in a corner with a new-looking guitar, gently strumming the strings with patient fingers.

They didn’t stay long, though. Cameron tore his gaze away and followed Elliot around yet another corner, turning onto another mural-filled hallway. A few people lingered around the hallway, but at the very end of said hallway were his friends, sitting and relaxing against the wall in their usual fashion.

Cameron hurried down the hallway to meet his friends, Elliot following behind him at his own pace. Elena looked up first. A tiny smile crossed her lips, her brand of greeting, before she turned back to the fat paperback novel she was engrossed in.

Alison and Maxi looked up at the same time, their expressions matching in friendliness as Cameron flopped down beside them against the wall.

“Cam-cam, my man! How’s it been? Seems like it’s been forever since I last saw you,” Maxi teased, swinging an arm around Cameron’s shoulder and rocking him to an unheard beat. He still smelt of the pungent smell of cigarette smoke, but at least he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood anymore. Cameron grinned back and shook Maxi back, forcing the other boys arm off of him.

“Fine, be like that,” Maxi teased. Then his eyes traveled upwards, resting where Elliot stood a little apart from the group, arms crossed as he stared back. “Aw, c’mon Elly. Sit down already. You’re breaking our hearts, being all stand-offish like that.”

Cameron glanced up at Elliot, puzzled as to why Elliot was still standing. Whatever the reason, Elliot sat down beside Cameron and made himself comfortable. Cameron couldn’t help but grin like a giddy idiot, happy to have the boy as cloe as he was.

“Some spot,” Cameron said. He took another look around the place that he assumed would become their hangout for the winter. “What made you guys choose this place?”

“Relatively quiet. Not too many people come down here,” Alison explained. “We used to hang out down here last year, too. Didn’t get too much trouble from the teachers.”

“Not to mention a very nice scenery,” Maxi quickly added, gesturing to a group of girls that sat at the other end of the hallway. Both Alison and Elena rolled their eyes at the comment. Cameron blinked.  Something told him that Maxi wasn’t talking about the murals on the walls.

“You always have to say stuff like that, don’t you?” Alison chided, provoking Maxi into turning to her and asking what she'd meant by that. Cameron hummed as the two went off into their own private tangents. Sometimes thir passionate conversations were amusing, and other times it was hard to tell what they were really talking about. He’d once tried to follow their jumpy debates, against Elena’s advisement, and by the middle of it he didn’t know what it was that they were arguing over anymore. He wondered whether or not they knew what they were trying to argue about, either.

Cameron leaned back against the wall and turned his attention to Elliot at his side. He tilted his head, studying the others somewhat relaxed composition. The slight bags under Elliot’s eyes caught his attention; he looked tired, not as if he’d missed sleep, but was overworked.

Cameron pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “Tired?”

Elliot gave a slight jolt, as if realizing that someone was talking to him. He gazed at Cameron before giving a nod. “Yeah, a little.” Elliot ran his fingers through his dirty-blond hair, one corner of his lip pulling to the side. “Winter break’s coming up, and the teachers are just piling up as much work as they can before it’s too late.”

Cameron nodded. “I hear you. One week I’m just happy that I’m catching up on my work—” as well as getting a cute boyfriend who liked him back; a marvelous event indeed, “—and the next thing I know I have even more essays and stuff to write.”

“You’re lucky it’s just essays. Just wait until next year. It gets worse.”

“So they tell me,” Cameron said with a groan. He didn’t really have anything against school work, but like any other student, there were things he’d much rather be doing than sitting in one spot for lengthy periods of time, writing down thoughts and facts. Like hanging out with his boyfriend, for one. Cameron’s lips pulled into a tiny pout. He couldn’t help the slight disappointment that coloured his voice as he asked, “I take it you’ll be busy this weekend?”

Elliot nodded, not at all looking pleased by the fact either. “A little. Can’t get too behind.” Another quick, rough rake of his fingers through his hair, his expression scrunching up as he added, “Not to mention some Christmas shopping…”

Cameron hummed in agreement, then rested his head on his knees. He’d been glad to have even just the lunch hour with Elliot—and he was still glad—but in retrospect, it didn’t seem like enough. It never was. But what could they do? With the end of the semester and their exams approaching, the student body was completely caught up within the rushed deadlines and workload that they’d created. With all of that extra work, and even more piling up as the days passed, there was little leisure time left over for anything else. A very discouraging predicament; Cameron couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped him. Schoolwork belonged in the school, not in his social life, the same social life he wanted to use to spend time with Elliot and his friends.

“But you know…”

Cameron raised his head, as well as his hopes. He caught the tiny glances Elliot cast down the hallway as he spoke, but he also caught the familiar determination. “Yes?”

“…My parents aren’t still home, and we have a whole weekend to write essays,” Elliot explained, his voice noticeably low, as Cameron noticed that it tended to do whenever they spoke about anything private out in public. “I don’t think we have to waste it all on work. Right?”

Cameron’s heart fluttered in his chest as it occurred to him what Elliot was getting at. “No, we certainly don’t,” he agreed, suddenly feeling an uncontrollable giddiness. He shifted his weight to the side, leaning in to press against Elliot’s side with his. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Elliot’s eyes darted everywhere, as if looking to see if anyone was listening, until he cleared his throat and nodded. “Do…you feel like stopping by my place after school?”

“Yes,” Cameron answered, much too quick. His breath stumbled, his body struggling to keep his exhilaration under control. He smiled at his small blunder, wondering if he came across as too keen, or if that could even be considered negative. “I mean, sure. Of course. What time?”

“What time’s good for you?”

Skipping the rest of the day to go straight there sounds good to me… “Anytime, really. I kinda just have to drop my things off at home, change out of this uniform,” he pulled at the vest he wore and made a face, “but that shouldn’t take long.”

The dirty-blond haired boy nodded, his teeth pulling at his bottom lip, worrying it in a way that looked endearing and cute. But as if Elliot could hide that smile! Cameron could see it tugging at the other boy’s corners. He really did wish Elliot would just let himself smile more often; where was the harm?

“Okay. Cool,” Elliot said, sounding pleased.

Maybe this weekend won't be so bad, Cameron thought with a grin. It didn’t matter anymore that he had several essays to write, extra busywork for grades, as well as a bunch of exam study packages to go over. Hanging out at Elliot’s after school was going to be awesome. He just knew it.

Now if only he could master time travel and somehow fast forward through the rest of the upcoming boring classes that afternoon…


~+~+~+~+~+~+~


Time travel was, naturally, out of the question. However, the afternoon classes did find their own ways of picking up the pace and hurrying for the end of the day. Cameron hurried out the front doors of the school only minutes after the final bell rang. Elliot was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t matter. He’d see Elliot soon enough.

Cameron drove home as quickly as possible. His fingers rapped against the steering wheel at every stop sign, and he waited as patiently as he could muster for any pedestrians to cross. When he finally arrived home, he snagged his messenger bag into his arms and exited the vehicle, nearly tripping over his own two feet as he hurried for the front door of his house.

Taking off shoes by the front door seemed too arduous a task when he was just going to put them of again in a minute anyway, so Cameron didn’t bother. He was just climbing the stairs when he heard Cheryl’s voice call out a greeting.

“Hey! Hi! S’up?” Cameron called back, still rushing to his room. Gotta change, gotta get all cleaned up, then gotta go—

“Whoa, what’s the hurry?” Cheryl called up the stairs, the voice getting closer as she followed him up onto the stairs. Cameron paused in his doorway, one foot in the hallway, the other in his room. He bounced on his feet, torn between just rudely fleeing into his room and pretending he hadn’t heard her, and staying put and putting any curiosity his sister had to rest before it could become something he could do without.

One look at his sister's arched eyebrow and the determination glimmering in her eyes, and Cameron resigned himself to his fate.  He couldn’t understand why his dad and Cheryl were so adamant about greeting someone when they got home; mom and Christine never bothered. A few months of living there, and it still felt weird to have family members immediately inquire about his day not even a minute after he walked in through the front door.

Turning to face her properly, Cameron said, “Nothing, really. Just meeting a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah.” He hoped his smile didn’t feel as stupid and obvious as it felt. “A friend.”

Cheryl hummed. “Okay.”

Exhaling with relief, Cameron turned to enter his room. He was just about to close the door behind him when Cheryl’s voice stopped him again.

“So what’s her name?”

Cameron froze on the spot, one foot still in the air, stuck in a comedic fashion. Déjà vu entered the scene, Cameron vividly recalling his sister having asked him a similar question awhile ago. He glanced at his sister over his shoulder. “…What do you mean, ‘her’?”

“Well, you’ve been a bouncing ball of energy for a little while now. You’ve been smiling a lot—not that you don’t do that already—but there’s been quite a bit of it lately. You’re always very happy. And just now you were speeding to your room.” Cheryl shrugged her shoulders, as if the disastrous question wasn’t as impossible to answer as she thought it was. “I figured that maybe you’d met some girl.”

“Oh. Well…” She’s onto me! Her observant ninja-mind skills are at work! “Her name…” Cameron lowered his foot to the floor as his hand reached behind him to rub at his neck. “Her name…is of no importance.”

The soft, playful expression quickly left Cheryl’s face, which was then replaced with a stern disbelief. “What?”

Damn! “No, no! I didn’t mean it like that,” Cameron hastily replied, cursing himself for having worded that wrong. “What I meant is that her name is important, but it’s not important enough to tell you—no, wait! I said that wrong. What I really meant is—”

Cheryl held up a hand; Cameron took that as his cue to close his mouth before he verbally dug his figurative grave any deeper. “So, let me get this straight,” she said. “You meant that it is important, but you don’t want to tell me yet…?”

Cameron nodded. He didn’t know how exactly he’d screwed up such an easy thing to say, but at least Cheryl got what he’d struggled to get across.

Cheryl hummed to herself again, processing the statement. A soft, teasing smile graced her lips; the sort of smile Cameron knew meant much more than let on. “I get it,” Cheryl crooned. “Too embarrassed to tell your sister about her. All right, then. Keep your secrets. You’ll have to introduce her to us eventually.”

Have to…? Was there a rule book somewhere in the world that dictated that? Cameron breathed long and slow. He had to? Maybe not now…but Cheryl had a point. A slight grimace pulled at Cameron’s mouth. What stifling obligations. He could only imagine what Cheryl would say if—when—she found out that the “lucky girl” kinda lacked in the female category. Cameron shifted his weight from side to side, eyes glued to the floor. “So, if we’re done…”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure,” Cheryl replied. She dismissed the rest of the conversation with a wave of her hand, then turned to go back down the stairs. “I’ll tell dad you’re out with a ‘friend’ when he comes home. Have fun.”

Any invisible chain that kept him bound to the conversation snapped from release, and once again Cameron bounced into motion, slamming his bedroom door closed. He tossed his messenger bag to the floor, and his fingers fumbled as he undressed himself with an eager hastiness. It didn’t end until he’d pulled on a comfortable pair of black denim jeans (after he made himself to take off his shoes, since they were in the way) and a Red Hot Chili Peppers band t-shirt. Cheryl’s words replayed in his head as he dressed, but he didn’t let the way Cheryl said “friend” linger in his mind too long. He couldn’t let that bother him; it’d drive him crazy.

By the time he was dressed, he shoved his shoes back on, laced them up, then left his room with only the bare essentials in his pocket. He grabbed his jacket from the hallway closet, then left the house.

As soon as he was in the car and on his way to Elliot’s, it was as if any of the slight anxiety his conversation with Cheryl just dissipated. What could any of that matter, anyway? Stuff like that was far off—so far off, it was barely tangible. He’d deal with it later.

A few minutes of driving while the current CD in his car blared through the speakers, and Cameron was there. All of the excitement and giddiness from earlier returned in an overpowering, crashing wave, once again reminding him of the entire flurry of emotions that always seemed to accompany any time spent with Elliot. Cameron got out and locked the car, an extra bounce to his step as he headed for the front door of the fancy house.

He pressed the doorbell, the sweet ringing of it echoing within the house, only slightly dulled by the glass door. He waited on the front step. Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been here… his heart fluttered wonderfully as he wondered what could happen within the private walls of the house. Last time had been a bit of a thriller, and now that they were boyfriends…

The front door opened, ending Cameron’s train of thought as Elliot appeared in the door way. They stood still, exchanging similar glances before Cameron smiled and walked in through the door, shrugging his jacket off.

Cameron took in Elliot’s rushed looking appearance. “You’re still in your uniform,” he commented, a little surprised.

“Yeah. I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly,” Elliot said. “I was just about to get dressed when you arrived.”

A light blush reddened Cameron’s cheeks. The image of Elliot getting dressed, tempting and inviting, presented itself in his head. Damnit! If I’d only waited a second longer… “I see…” Or so he’d wished he’d seen. He pushed off his shoes and held his jacket over his arm. With a simple gesture, Elliot waved Cameron off to the hallway closet, where Cameron retired the jacket for the evening.

A moment later, a small meow rounded the corner, Muffin soon following. Cameron cooed at Muffin, kneeling down to scoop the fluffy cat up into his arms. He hoisted her up, chuckling as her paws pushed and pressed against him, seeking a comfortable spot to rest.

“Wow, she’s heavy.”

Elliot snorted. “She’s a little on the lazy side. I think she used to be a vacuum cleaner in a previous life. Doesn’t matter how much I feed her, she still asks for more.” He walked past Cameron and into what the red-haired boy presumed was the kitchen. “Speaking of which, I was thinking of ordering some food before you got here—have you eaten yet?”

Cameron shook his head, following Elliot into the kitchen just a Muffin settled on a position. “Nah. I…kinda hurried to get here, actually.” It was a fact, but an embarrassing one to admit now that he thought of it. However, Elliot didn’t seem to mind as he reached for a black portable phone and began flipping through the hefty phone book on the kitchen counter.

Elliot glanced up at him. “What’re you in the mood for?”

In the mood for? Well… Cameron shook his head, shaking the arousing images from his head. Where was all of this coming from? If there was a way to wash his brain out with soap, he’d do it…if it weren’t for the fact he enjoyed the images a little too much. “Anything, I guess,” he said in the calmest voice he could muster. He looked away, too embarrassed to look at the other boy as he flipped through the phonebook with a serious expression. Cameron shifted his arms a little, his muscles tiring a little from holding Muffin up. “You know, I’m kinda in the mood for Chinese or somethin'. Whaddya think?”

Elliot glanced up once more, hand still after turning another yellow page. He gave a light shrug. “I guess,” he responded. He turned a couple of pages at a time, then stopped. He punched a few numbers on the phone, and as he pressed it to his ear, he asked, “Anything in particular?”

Muffin began to stir in Cameron’s arms, no longer willing to stay still. Cameron attempted to keep her in his arms without her falling. “Nah, anything’s good,” he said. Elliot nodded and turned his attention to the phone as the other end picked up. Cameron busied himself with Muffin, opening his up arms so that she could leap down onto the tiled floor with graceful paws. She landed, shaking her body and fluffing up her fur. Cameron smiled at the cat, entertained. He glanced back at Elliot just as the other boy began to talk to the person on the other end. He listened for a brief moment, awed by the certainness and concise details Elliot was placing into the order. It looked like this could take a while…

Muffin's meow floated by again. Cameron turned back to the fluffy cat and watched her turn around a corner. Where was she going? Cameron took one glance back at Elliot, certain that the boy would be taking his time making sure he got exactly what he ordered, then began to follow Muffin. Surely Elliot wouldn’t mind a little exploration.

He caught Muffin waltzing around the other end of the house, a part of the house Cameron had never seen before. Like the rest of the place, it was neat and organized, and looked like not many dwelled or hung about. It wasn’t long before Cameron deviated from Muffins path and began his own path, wandering around a spacious den with a cozy couch, plush rug, and a fireplace. The den would’ve looked very traditional if it weren’t for the wide-screened computer off at a far corner, looking about as out of place as a spiders cob web would have looked in the clean room.

He couldn’t get over how clean and organized everything was, without a single thing out of place? Who really lived like that? But then he recalled the conversation he’d had a long ago with Elliot, and remembered how the other boy had said that when his parents were home, Elliot would come home to messes all over the place. Cameron frowned, but he quickly shrugged the odd feeling off. He left the room.

He retraced his steps down the hallway and paused at the edge of the stairway. Eyes following up the stairs, his mind turned to the curiosity of what resided at the upper floor. Another glance at the kitchen off to the side, where he could still hear Elliot chatting in a formal voice, and his curiosity was given lenience to go find out for himself. It was only fair; he’d shown Elliot the all of his house. A little wandering couldn’t hurt.

The stairs barely creaked underneath his feet, and he walked up and onto the second floor, quiet as a ghost. He looked up and down both ends of the hallway, already able to distinct the bathroom and the hallway closest from the personal bedrooms. Every door was open, and like the rest of the house, the rooms were spotless.

Cameron padded down the carpeted floor, astounded to see the lack of family photos on the walls. Or maybe astounded wasn’t so unexpected a reaction. Maybe that was only to be expected. Cameron could feel his curiosity squirm with the presence of something else deep inside. It was an unpleasant feeling; the very same that had arrived when he’d thought of Elliot and his parents. He wasn’t even sure if the feeling had a name, and that knowledge alone only gave said feeling a creepier, anonymous feeling.

A tiny shiver rippled through him, and at that he willed the pondering thoughts away. He had more pressing things to think about, like where exactly he was going to explore. The open-door bedroom closest to him caught his attention. With a nonchalant shrug he peered into the room.

It didn’t really look that different from the other bedrooms located along the hallway. A large bed took up at least one half of the room, followed by sophisticated looking furniture that any practical person would own. The only divergent factors within the room that gave off the vibe that it was probably  Elliot’s was the desk, covered in text books, stacks of paper, as well as a dark gray lap top. Unless one of Elliot’s parents were doing some studying of their own, this had to be Elliot’s room.

Something about the room seemed almost…off. Cameron stepped further into the room, inspecting with a closer look. Weren’t bedrooms supposed to be crammed with personal belongings? As far back as Cameron could remember, his room had always been a mess, full of trinkets and things he’d collected over the years. Naturally he wasn’t always able to keep them all, what with moving around every so often, but he’d always have quite a bit. Cameron turned a little, finding Elliot’s closet previously from view. There were Elliot's belongings; go figure, they were also organized. Cameron arched an eyebrow. Maybe he’d have to introduce Elliot to a little something called “slacking off”.

Something soft brushed up against his leg, drawing Cameron’s eyes away from the closet and down to Muffin. He smiled down at the cat. “Hey there,” he said. “Didn’t even notice you there. Feelin' lonely?”

He didn’t have time to wait for an answer—if Muffin would’ve given one—as Cameron heard his name being called out from downstairs. Taking this as his sign to leave, he left the room and went back to the stairwell, grinning at Elliot, who stood at the base of the stairs, arms crossed.

“Where were you?”

“Exploring.” Cameron’s grin grew when Elliot’s eyes widened a little. “Your house is a little too clean, you know. Maybe I should get you a bucket of paint and help you decorate.”

“Right,” Elliot said with a snort. “I’m going to let you go crazy all over the walls. Brilliant idea.”

Cameron chuckled. While Elliot looked sardonic as ever, he sure didn’t sound like it. Not as much as he used to, anyway. “Gotta admit that it's at least tempting.” Cameron moved away from the top of the stairs and descended down them. “When’s the food coming?”

“Should be pretty soon now; I finished the call a good ten minutes ago. I’ve been looking for you this entire time.” Elliot’s eyebrows pulled together. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

Cameron paused, taken off-guard by the comment. “Really? Oh well,” he said with a shrug. “In any case, I hope you don’t mind that I looked around a little.”

Elliot’s frown deepened. “So that’s where you were.” A sigh escaped him. “Should’ve known.”

“Aw, what’s wrong?” Cameron grinned. “I didn’t breach some secret Wright household law, did I?”

The frown left Elliot’s face, replaced with guarded wondering. “What?”

“Yeah. A secret Wright household law,” Cameron replied, his mind already jumping light-years ahead of his mouth, though he did his best to keep up with his galloping ideas. “I bet it’s something devilish, like tying up trespassers and hiding them in the dungeon.”

Any caution in Elliot’s expression had left at the silly comment. He shook his head, but went along with it anyway. “Yes, I tie up people who barge around in my house and throw them into a dungeon. You caught me.”

Cameron flashed him a wide grin. “So, what’s your punishment?”


~+~+~+~+~+~+~


To be Continued