Chapter Three #3
A lot of the kids who come to us are taken away from their families because they’ve been abused. My parents do a lot of emergency cases, where kids come in the middle of the night.
This new guy, Adam, is coming to us because his parents died and he doesn’t have any family.
Getting ripped out of the only home you know must suck, though I guess there is some relief knowing you won’t be abused any more.
But having your parents die then getting shoved into a stranger’s home? It sucks. It has to.
So yeah, I’m fine going home and helping my parents because this kid doesn’t deserve this shit.
I park in the large driveway and head inside, unsure if Adam is here yet or not. But my question is answered the moment I open the door and I see him sitting on the couch, head bowed, arms resting on his thighs. One black duffel bag is lying on the floor beside his feet.
Even from here I can see how attractive he is—even without him looking directly at me. I see the shape of his nose and jaw, the curve of his shoulder. Fuck, he’s beautiful.
I’ve known I’m into guys for a few years now, but I don’t usually have an attraction to the kids coming to live here. In fact, it’s never happened before—ever. So this is… jarring.
“Hey, honey,” my mother says. I flick my gaze to hers and offer a smile, hoping that my dick will stop inflating now that it knows she’s here too.
Thankfully, it does.
“Hey.”
“How was practice?”
I shrug, dropping my bag to the floor by the door. “Just practice.”
“This is Adam,” she says. “I was just telling him about you, actually. Here, sweetie.”
She moves beside him, offering him a bottle of water. He looks up quickly, ignoring me, but taking the water from her. He twists the cap off and takes the smallest sip before replacing it.
“I was hoping you could show him to his room?” my mother says, looking at me.
“Yeah, of course.”
I toe my shoes off, leaving them in the pile by the door. Our house is clean, but it’s lived in. You can tell a handful of boys live in this house, that’s for sure. There are shoes piled up by the door, sports equipment up against the wall, and a musky scent the moment you walk up the stairs.
“You, uh, ready?” I ask, taking a few steps toward Adam.
He sighs, then gets to his feet. His eyes meet mine, and they widen slightly. He pulls them away just as quickly, grabbing his bag and staring at the floor.
“Come on.”
I head up the stares, hoping he’ll follow. Halfway up, I catch my mother’s soft smile. I give her one back.
“So, this is your room,” I say, walking inside. “You have to share with me, because all the others are taken. I hope you’re okay with the top bunk.”
He looks around the room, taking in every inch. The posters on the walls, the curtains, the stuff along my dresser, the beds. But he doesn’t say anything.
“This dresser is yours, and you can do what you want with the closet. I don’t really use it.”
“I won’t be here long,” he finally says.
“Oh—”
I don’t tell him that’s what they all say, but it’s what pops into my head.
All the kids that come through here are certain they won’t be here for long, yet we have two kids that have been here longer than a year already.
“Well, you can use whatever space you need while you are,” I add. “And if you need anything, just let me know. I don’t mind sharing.”
He stays nothing, just keeps his gaze moving around the room slowly like he’s never seen a bedroom before.
“I’ll leave you alone to—”
“No,” he says quickly, his eyes widening. “Can you… stay?”
“Oh, uh… sure. Yeah.” I sit on my bed, looking around my room too, for something to do. There’s something about Adam that has me feeling weird.
Kids who come through here are always a little awkward, of course. They’re dealing with awful things, being ripped away from their families, even if it’s for their own good. But there is a different kind of sadness coming off Adam, and my heart hurts.
“Do you like video games?” I ask.
His gaze goes to the TV that’s mounted to the wall, then to the small shelf beneath it that’s holding the Xbox.
“I only have an Xbox in here but Henry has a Playstation in his and Mark’s room.”
“Xbox is cool,” he says, putting his bag down before walking across the room and sitting on the floor. I get up to grab the controllers and remote. I get the TV on and start up the console, then sit beside him on the floor. I hand him a controller and wait for the system to boot up.
“What do you like to play?”
He’s quiet for a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“Just… nothing with cars,” he says in a shaky voice.
“Okay, cool. I can do that.” I look through the games I have. “Oh, this one is awesome.”
He looks up at the TV, a curious look on his face.
“I know it looks weird,” I say. “But Castle Crashers is one of the best games I’ve ever played.”
“Okay,” he says. “I’ll try it.”
We start the game, each picking our character. I start a new one, so we can be on even ground. I pick the green guy while he picks a blue one. We’re playing for about twenty minutes when he cracks a smile, and my heart nearly jumps out of my chest.
At one point, he laughs, and I have to take a deep breath to steady myself.
I’ve never had such a physical reaction to someone before, and I don’t really know how to handle it. Especially because we’re going to be sharing a room.
My mother comes in and tells us it’s dinner time, and I ask if she can bring it up to us. She agrees. Some of the other kids come home and pop their heads in to say hi and see what we’re doing.
Adam and I stay up until nearly twelve am playing the game, until he finally says he’s tired and wants to go to bed. I show him to the bathroom so he can shower, and when he comes into the room I’m already changed and in bed.
He climbs to his bunk, the room dark and silent.
Until he says, “Thank you.”
It’s the most heartfelt thank you I’ve heard in all my life.