6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Scott
M y phone exploded with a flurry of text messages from Morrie, each one capitalized and containing more emojis than I’d ever seen in my entire life. I grinned as I read through them, watching the excitement unfold as he found the snack, followed by the little trinkets I’d left in his bathroom for him. It wasn’t much, but the little waterproof foam reindeer, snowflakes and Santas I’d found when I’d run to the grocery store a couple of blocks away from Morrie’s house while he was sleeping were perfect for playing with on the walls of his shower. The rubber duckie I’d left sitting on the bathroom sink was less practical for a boy without a bathtub, but I hadn’t been able to resist when I’d seen the reindeer antlers attached to its head. I had been tempted to buy a Christmas tree and put it up in his living room, but figured that could wait until he told me he actually wanted one. I wanted to delight and surprise him, not overwhelm him completely and I wasn’t sure he even had space for one to begin with. The living room of his tiny apartment already housed a futon, a coffee table and a piles of clutter that had echoed the clothing strewn about his bedroom. There was something in the way he’d kicked his shoes off and abandoned his coat on the floor in the entryway that had told me he wasn't the neatest boy even before I'd taken a look into the rest of his apartment. Though I was certain the place was clean at its core, the sparkling inside of the fridge and the clean countertops in the kitchen had told me as much, I believed Morrie was a bit of a messy person when it came to certain things.
I scrolled through Morrie’s excited texts one by one as they came in, waiting for him to discover all the treats I’d left behind until the last one came through.
Morrie: I don’t know how to repay you for this.
Frowning, I quickly sent back a message saying that they were presents and that I didn’t expect to be repaid. Three little dots appeared in the chat window, then disappeared just as fast only to reappear again and disappear. I smiled at the uncertainty and indecision, knowing he was likely grumbling to himself out loud over letting me give him gifts. Little did he know, I wanted to give him much more than a few toys for the bathroom. Christmas was one of my favorite holidays and I thrived on not only presents but celebrating in whatever ways I could. There was something magical about the time of the year and I hadn’t had anyone special to share it with in quite some time. With a smile, I quickly sent a message with an offer I hoped Morrie would accept.
Me: Let me give you a Christmas.
Again, the three little dots appeared and disappeared from the chat window. I chuckled softly as they appeared yet again, but this time a message came through.
Morrie: What do you mean?
Me: Let me give you a good Christmas. Presents and stockings and a Christmas tree.
And more, if I could get away with it. The longing on Morrie’s face the night we’d met when he’d been coloring his Santa picture was etched into my mind and I just wanted him to have joy this holiday season like every little boy deserved. I got the impression that Morrie hadn’t had much of a Christmas, at least not in recent years, and I didn’t know the story behind this need to not be touched, but I was more than willing to learn it.
To learn him, if he would let me.
My phone started ringing in my hand and I smiled as I answered Morrie’s call. “Hello Morrie.”
“Hi,” he responded, sounding a bit concerned. “I don’t know why you’re doing this, Scott. I already told you. I’m not what you want.”
“How about you let me decide that, okay? I think I can make my own choices.”
He sighed a bit on the other end of the phone. “I just know how this is going to end up, okay? You’re going to want to give me cuddles and bath time and dress me in cute little onesies and I’m not that boy.”
“Aren’t you?” I responded, remembering the adorable ocean pajamas I’d pulled from beneath his bed and the way he’d snuggled that shark stuffy of his tight to his chest as he’d dreamed. I had a feeling that despite his protests, Morrie would be very much ‘that boy’ if he could learn to let himself be. And learn to trust that I understood boundaries. I would love to hold him close and hug him, but if that truly wasn’t something he desired, I could adapt. I would adapt.
“No,” he responded, though there was hesitancy in his voice.
“Do you want to be?”
Morrie went silent for a moment before responding with a very soft, “I don’t know.”
He sounded so uncertain but there was a tiny bit of longing in his tone that made me smile. “How about we start with a trip to the aquarium and go from there?”
“Okay.” Morrie went silent and I could hear him shuffling around on the other end of the call. Finally, he sighed into the phone. “Why me?”
“Why not you, Morrie?”
If Silas’ mouth opened any wider, he was going to dislocate his jaw. I smiled across the table at him, picking up my beer bottle and taking a long swig as he processed what I’d just told him. We’d both arrived a few moments ago at a little pub around the corner from Silas’ place and while we waited for Russ to join us, I figured I’d fill him in on the details of my moment with Morrie.
“Morrie. Like, the Morrie from the club?”
“Yes, that exact Morrie.” I’d just dropped the news of running into Morrie outside of his place and followed that up with the tentative agreement Morrie had given to at least consider letting me give him a Christmas.
“Wow,” Silas breathed, offering a slight chuckle and shake of his head. “Never thought I’d see the day that Morrie would agree to meet with any Daddy.”
“I may have come on a bit too strong,” I offered, with a bit of remorse. “I’m sure I overwhelmed him with the treats and all. I just couldn’t resist. You should have been him, Si. Wobbling on his feet in that horrid apartment, looking like he’d run a marathon and a half. Even you couldn’t have denied him a little bit of joy.”
“Hey,” Silas protested, with a grin. “I give joy. It’s just different than yours, that’s all.”
“Fair enough,” I laughed. I glanced up as the front door to the pub opened, Russ walking through and stomping snow off his shoes. “And that’s the end of that conversation.”
“You think he’ll ever come around?” Silas eyed Russ, raising a hand in greeting as our friend searched for us in the small crowd. We’d chatted a bunch of times about Russ and his curiosity in the Red Door. That two of our group were members was no secret between the three of us, but Russ seemed to grow uncomfortable every time it was brought up, though he hung on every word. I secretly believed he had a bit of a Daddy hiding inside him, and Silas agreed though, he’d decided our mutual friend was more of a Dom.
“I think he might,” I offered, watching Russ make his way over to us.
Silas hummed under his breath like he was considering that for a moment before he caught my eye and nodded. Russ swung himself into the seat and ordered a beer from a passing waitress before knocking his knuckles on the table and looking between us.
“Did I break up a conversation or something?”
“Nah,” Silas offered. “We were just talking Christmas.”
Russ nodded. “Gonna be a quiet one this year. The old bag of shit next door finally kicked the bucket so I can decorate without being screamed at that my lights are too bright and my Santa is too ugly.”
I snorted a laugh. Russ had mentioned problems with his neighbor a handful of times and while I never delighted in someone’s death, the loss of his neighbor wasn’t one I would mourn. “Are you going all out?”
Russ nodded as the waitress slid a frosty bottle in front of him. “I sure am. You?”
If I could get Morrie to agree, I had planned that I’d decorate my home as much as I possibly could. I didn’t have the front yard plans like Russ did, but I could picture lights strung on the roof and a living room with a tree covered in bows and snowflakes. “Thinking about it.”
“Waiting for someone to agree to help,” Silas added, giving me a knowing grin. I kicked him under the table and he scowled at me, though his eyes were still shimmering with laughter.
Russ looked between us, then sighed. “A boy?”
“A boy,” I responded, with a nod. “A snarky, grumbly boy who lives in a shithole.”
“I can’t believe you’ve only been here for what? Three weeks? And you’ve already met someone.”
“The club,” Silas offered. “It works like that sometimes.”
I stopped myself from piling on more information, but I could probably have talked more about Morrie. He was a puzzle I hadn’t figured out just yet, but I knew I would. Searching for what worked for a particular boy was always something I’d delighted in. Uncovering the layers of who they were and what they wanted was a lot of the joy in being a Daddy for me. Silence crept between us and I leaned back in my seat, taking another sip of my rapidly warming beer. The pub was small and comfortable, but the heat the fireplace in the corner was throwing off was almost unbearable and I was sweating in the blue sweater I’d chosen to wear. Still, it was better than being frozen, I supposed.
“What about this boy do you like?” Russ asked, turning to look at me.
I exchanged a surprised look with Silas, then turned to face my other friend. “He’s interesting. He doesn’t smile easy, but I can just see what he’d be like if he’d let himself be who he is and that intrigues me. I can’t really explain it, other than when I saw him I knew I wanted to get to know him.”
Russ seemed to accept that answer, nodding his head and turning his attention back to his drink. Silas and I exchanged another glance, raising eyebrows at each other and adding a small shrug or two to the mix. As the talk at the table picked up again, the topic of the apartments I’d bought came into play and I entertained myself with watching Silas’ reactions as Russ filled him in on what he’d seen inside the buildings.
I could only imagine what they’d say if they’d seen the building Morrie lived in. The two of them would probably stage an intervention of sorts if they’d been with me to witness the decrepit halls and terrifying tenants, knowing that I fully intended to buy them. The single mothers and fathers, the young people with no other place to go and one particular boy who didn’t smile as often as he should were well worth the cost of repairs, I was sure of it.