Good Enough Chapter 14
#15 of Good Enough
Chapter Fourteen--The Cabin
"Hello?"
"Hey, Amy..."
"Damien? This is a surprise. What demonic force in the universe compels Damien Blackwell to actually come down from his throne to call his lowly sister?"
Damien rolled his eyes, though he was happy to know that his sister's dry wit had yet to fade. It was late on Friday and he was alone in his dorm with his thoughts and his phone. She waited patiently for him to talk and he debated whether or not to actually ask her what was racing through his mind. He swallowed thickly before saying, "I need advice."
"Girl troubles?"
"Kind of."
"That's a yes or a no question," Amy stated. "What's bugging you?"
He steeled himself before saying, "I think I might not be straight." A loud snort in the phone's speaker made him jerk in surprise and he glared at the small device. "You didn't need to laugh."
"I didn't," Amy answered simply.
"Then what was...? Tell me you're alone."
"I'm not."
"Tell me I'm not on speaker phone."
"You are."
"GET ME OFF SPEAKER PHONE!" Damien shouted into the receiver.
"No can do, baby bro," she answered. "I'm driving. Can't hold the phone. Besides, it's just Phil."
"Your boyfriend?"
"I could easily conference Nathan into this conversation."
"Please don't."
"Then talk," Amy insisted.
He sighed as he dove into a long-winded explanation. First, his rough break-up with Anna. Second, his developing feelings for Thomas. And finally, Ozzy's odd offer. By the time he finished his throat felt dry and took a long drink of water. He waited as she digested the information.
"So, basically, you've got long, thick kitty dick in your dorm and you wanna know if you want it?" she surmised.
At once, Anna's boyfriend, Phil, burst into unrestrained laughter and Damien's jaw dropped. "Did you have to say it like that?"
"Not even sorry," she said, "but that's basically what you're wondering about, right?"
"Yes?"
"Look, kid," Phil interjected suddenly, "it don't matter if you after the pussy or the dick. I just say make sure it's wrapped up. You don't wanna catch nothing. One of my buds fucked some stank pussy before and--"
"I don't want to hear this," Amy interrupted. "Look, Damien, have you talked to Thomas about this little crush? I mean, he's sleeping in the same room. Are you going to say anything?"
"Well, I don't know. I don't know what to do," Damien said, too embarrassed to think clearly. "I was going to ask him to go with me downtown..."
"On a date?"
"As friends!"
"What's going on downtown?" she wondered.
"Well, there's a haunted house downtown that I really wanted to check out," Damien explained. "Looks really cool, better than those sucky ones back home."
"So you want your knight in shining armor to go with you?"
"Must you make jokes about this?"
"Yes."
"Should I ask him? I mean, I could ask Warren or James or--"
"Or me," Phil interrupted, "or Amy or Nate or... Anyone! Just nut up and ask! Stop pussing out. Grow a pair."
"As much as I hate to admit it," Amy remarked, "and I really hate it, Phil's right. Ask him. The worst thing he can do is say no."
"And then what?"
"Then make up with that calico and ask her," Amy stated. "Damien, this isn't rocket science so keep it simple. Actually, call her anyway. Make up with her. She didn't seem like an angry type. She's probably just a bit hurt. Have you talked to her at all?"
"No..." "Then call her. If you don't, I'll kick your ass."
"Really?"
"Yes," she said carefully. "Was that my turn?"
"No, go down Capitol," Phil answered. "It's faster."
"No, Capitol's always busy. Damn it," she huffed. "I'll have to turn around."
"Are you home?" Damien asked incredulously.
"Almost. Aren't you on fall break already? First week of October, right?"
"Yeah. But I won't be home."
"Why not?"
"Well, Torrie invited me and my friends to her family's cabin," Damien explained. "Her family has a cabin down south by a lake. We're heading over there."
"Sounds like fun. Take your band with you."
"Not sure if there's enough room."
"Make room. Gotta go, bro, I'm getting lost," she huffed. "Phil's a suckish navigator."
_"I am not!"_Phil scoffed.
"You are. I'll talk to you later, Damien."
"Okay. Tell mom and dad I said hi."
"No, call them. Bye."
"Bye."
"Are you ready to go yet?" Thomas asked early the next morning. October first dawned with a bright morning sky and Damien had woken up very slowly. Thomas was standing over him, dressed and alert, with his bag slung over his shoulder. Damien's bag had been packed as well, a week's worth of clothing for a week at the cabin.
"I'm not... I wanna go back to--HEY!"
The blanket was whipped from Damien's body and he glared up at Thomas. Handsome, definitely, but no less annoying.
"If you don't throw some clothes on, we'll drag you out in your undies, dude," Thomas warned. "And I'm sure you don't want that."
Five minutes later, Damien was dressed and downstairs in the parking lot. Thomas tossed the bags in the trunk of his car, humming a tune that Damien almost immediately recognized as one of Loxosceles's songs. The thought of Loxosceles made him strangely sad and he hurriedly tried to distract himself.
He looked into the trunk and frowned. He counted all of the bags in the trunk.
"Are there five of us going?"
Thomas, distracted looked at him. "What?"
"There's five bags in the trunk," Damien noted. He leaned closer. "I'm seeing more than that actually. How many people are going?"
"Me, Torrie, Ozzy, Anna, you," Thomas said, counting them off.
"Wait, what?!"
"Me, Torrie, Ozzy, Anna, you," Thomas repeated. "Did I miss something?"
"Anna's coming?"
"Well, yeah," Thomas remarked. "We invited the otter and the mouse, but they were going somewhere already for break. And it seemed kind of rude to not invite her too, so she's coming along."
"Is the cabin big enough for everyone?"
"Plenty big," Thomas assured him. "Torrie has two sisters and two brothers. Big family, so yeah, there's room."
Damien was about to reply, but someone ran up to them, hasty and breathless. Anna panted as she came to a stop, her hair in an unkempt ponytail and her glasses slightly askew.
"Sorry, I'm late," she breathed, adjusting her glasses. "Needed to get my laptop."
"No problem," Thomas said. "We're just about ready. Just waiting on Ozzy."
"He's always late," Torrie said, leaning on the car. Her face was down at her phone and her voice detached. "I say we leave him."
"We can't leave him," Thomas noted. "He'll get all pissy and cranky."
If Damien wasn't so focused on Anna, he might've laughed as well, but his desire to talk to Anna was being pushed aside by his inability to think clearly. Words seemed to fail him completely and he noticed that she wasn't looking at him at all. He swallowed thickly before speaking.
"Hi, Anna," he managed in a strained voice.
She looked over at him. "Hey," she replied calmly, though in a very clipped tone.
"You okay?"
"Fine. You?"
"I'm alright... Are you still--"
_ "The prince has arrived!"_
Damn you, Ozzy, Damien thought dimly as Ozzy approached.
The car was larger than Damien actually thought. Seated against the window with Ozzy between him and Anna, Damien was relatively comfortable, apart from the awkward silence between himself and Anna. Thomas, Torrie and Ozzy were in the midst of a relatively interesting conversation about their own experiences in college, living in the dorms and, more than anything, their complaints about homework.
"You two are pretty quiet," Torrie said after nearly an hour on the highway. She leaned over, looking at Damien before cutting her eyes to Anna. "You guys okay?"
She's smiling weird, Damien thought distantly while Anna answered.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. Haven't been sleeping too well lately."
"Why?" Ozzy wondered. "Nightmares? If it's anything like Tommy's--"
"If you don't want to walk the rest of the way, you'll shut your mouth," Thomas interrupted. "Besides, I remember one time when you pissed yourself at a scary movie."
"I didn't piss myself! I spilled my drink!"
"That drink smelled like piss."
"What about when you screamed like a girl during that one storm?"
"That was a fucking tornado!"
Damien listened, stifling laughter at their back and forth. Anna and Torrie enjoyed the childish antics, but the amusement quickly died with a single sentence, spoken with shameless pride.
"At least I'm bigger than you!"
Ozzy had no reply. Several thoughts raced through Damien's mind at the statement. Muscularly, they were similar... Intellectually, Ozzy was smarter than he let on. Then, his thought settled on... oh... An image of a naked Thomas played through Damien's mind and he shifted awkwardly, crossing on leg over the other in an attempt to keep himself under control. Torrie had begun to talk once more, but Ozzy looked down at Damien with a sly smile. He leaned down and whispered to Damien.
"Thinking about that big cat cock?"
"Shut up..."
The cabin was beautiful, to say the least. With two floors, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, Damien was quick to find his way around. He set his bag in one of the three bedrooms up stairs, soon joined by Ozzy who threw his bag on one of the two beds inside. Ozzy smiled over at Damien, a toothy grin that made Damien slightly uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?" Damien inquired.
"Just kind of curious. You've got an old flame and a new passion in close quarters," Ozzy stated. "So what're you going to do?"
"What're you talking about?" Damien asked.
"Anna or Tommy," Ozzy said. "Who's better?"
"Do you need to room with me?" Damien asked uncomfortably. "I mean, you could room with Anna."
"It's impolite to share a room with an unfamiliar lady," Ozzy said. "Besides, now I'm right beside you. So you can ask me anything you want to about him..."
"Please stop. I don't want to--"
There was a knock on the door, but it opened before either of them could speak. Thomas was on the other side, having already changed clothes. He wore swimming trunks with a towel around his neck. Damien's face burned. Those trunks were pressed right against Thomas's legs, accentuating them beautifully. And his... masculinity...
"We're about to head down to the lake in a few minutes. You guys in?"
"Always!" Ozzy said. "Give me a minute to throw my trunks on."
"You coming?" Thomas asked, directing the question to Damien.
"Definitely," Damien answered. "I'll be there."
It was a short, five-minute hike to the lake, visible from the cabin's balcony which was only accessible through the master bedroom, shared by Thomas and Torrie. The view, from what little of it Damien saw, was extraordinary but the lake sparkled excellently beneath the afternoon sun. With impunity, Thomas and Ozzy raced down as soon as the lake came into view, running down a wooden dock to the dive into the water. Anna and Torrie followed closely behind, opting to walk into the water from the sandy lakeshore as opposed to diving from the dock.
Smiling, Damien walked down to the dock, seating himself on the end. He kicked the water with his dangling feet, enjoying the chilled water and the warm sun. A fresh autumn breeze blew from the trees nearby, filling the air with a wonderful, earthy scent.
Then something gripped his ankle below the water. Panic set in almost at once and he began to thrash, feeling a kick connect with something hard beneath the water's surface. Freed by the sudden force, he stumbled upright before stalking, irritably, down the dock. Soon, Thomas joined him over on the sand, laughing haughtily.
"What's wrong? Ain't going swimming?" Thomas laughed.
"Don't laugh, you ass," Damien remarked. "That wasn't funny."
"Aw, what's wrong? Can't take a joke, pooch?" Thomas wondered. He jovially jabbed at Damien's shoulder, but Damien pushed his fist away. Thomas's expression fell. "Dude, what's bugging you? Did something happen?"
"That wasn't funny. You could've pulled me in."
"It was just a prank," Thomas stated. "What? You don't want to swim?"
"I _can't_swim," Damien said irritably. "I've never been able to." Then, dejected, he looked down at the sand, kicking it in a defeated way. "Look, I'll just sit on the dock. You go have your fun."
"I'm sorry... I didn't know."
"Nobody does. Except my family," Damien said. "But the others are waiting for you."
Damien pointed. The others were calling to them, Ozzy waving madly. Thomas ignored them.
"Are you sure? I can teach you."
"Not right now," Damien said. "Go have fun."
It was around four o'clock when Anna joined him on the sand. Damien, leaning back on a towel, had been drifting off for the past half hour and nearly screamed when a sudden, icy sensation struck his chest. He managed to keep the sound to a small yip, but looked up to see Anna laughing over him, a now-empty bucket in her paws.
"That was not funny! Why do you people insist on pranking me?"
"I just wanted to get your attention," she said. She seated herself beside him and looked into the water. The water clinging to her fur made her glisten and her eyes appeared to sparkle. "Are you okay on the sidelines? Don't you want to get in the water?"
"No, I'm okay," Damien said, surprised at how calm she seemed. He searched her voice for anger, resentment, anything to say she didn't like him. "Are we okay?"
"There _is_no 'we'," she answered and her tone became darker. "Damien, you really are adorable but... Listen, I might've overreacted to hearing all of that. And I might've been overthinking about the song. But I was hurting--I was jealous. I admit it."
"But I shouldn't have written a song like that about someone other than my girlfriend," Damien confessed. "My first girlfriend and I fuck up royally."
"Not royally. Just fucked up."
"I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Damien said. "Are we even going to be friends?"
"I'm willing to try being friends again," she said. "I've missed you, Loxosceles, the band. I want to be friends again. Do you?"
"I do."
"Then let's start as friends first," she suggested. "And who knows what'll happen? Maybe we'll be friends, maybe more... but let's start small with a sand castle."
"A what?"
"A sand castle," she repeated. "There's plenty of sand. Want to make one with me?"
Damien smiled.
"Sure."
The sun had set an hour ago and now, beneath a quarter moon, the campfire cackled and popped. Four of them sat around the dancing flame while Ozzy stood and gestured dramatically, telling a story that was just as disjointed and awkward as the same movements he was making. More than once, they had interrupted to ask questions, but the answers only raised further inquiries.
"And that," he finished after five minutes of the awkward monologue, "is how I saved Christmas!"
"Christmas?" Torrie said in confusion. "Weren't you talking about Thanksgiving?"
"I thought he was talking about Easter," Thomas confessed.
"Nobody knows what the madness means," Damien said.
"But everybody loves to say what it says," Anna finished. Damien looked at her and chortled.
"What does that mean?" Thomas wondered.
"It's a line from one of our songs," Anna stated. "He wrote it but madness describes Ozzy to a T."
"A capital T," Damien smirked.
"So, who has the marshmallows?" Ozzy asked, sitting down. "I'm ready for a marshmallow roast and s'mores!"
"They're back at the cabin," Torrie noted. "I'll go get them. Damien, can you give me a hand?"
"I'll go," Thomas suggested.
"I want Damien to come with me," she said. "My dad has a guitar here. I figured maybe he could give us a performance."
"Sure," Damien remarked, standing and stretching, I can do that."
The walk back had been strangely quiet and by the time they got back to the cabin, Damien was sure that something was wrong. He followed Torrie inside and as soon as he closed the door behind him, she turned, glaring daggers at him that made him feel strangely small, even though she was no taller than himself.
"How'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make up with Anna," she explained. "I figured she'd want nothing to do with you after that little issue you two had."
"We weren't talking for a while but... I'm glad you invited her," he admitted, though he spoke carefully, watching her intently. "Gave me the chance to make up with her."
"I didn't invite her," she stated. "I didn't even invite you."
"But why--?"
"_Thomas_invited you and your little band," she explained, "so I went along with it. That's what you do when you've got someone worth keeping. You keep them happy." She stalked off to the kitchen and called out in an eerily cheery voice. "There's an acoustic guitar up in the master bedroom beside the dresser! I'm not sure if it's tuned or not!"
October 1st, 20--
Well, today's been a long trip and fun in the sun, but it's alright. I enjoyed myself a lot! I made a sand castle, sung at a campfire, had s'mores... I've never felt like this before. It's weird. These guys--I've known them only a few months but I feel like we've been friends forever!
The cabin is amazing in every way. The views are fantastic, the inside is awesome and the lake is beautiful--and it's still manly to say "beautiful", no matter if Nate says it's gay. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay... right?
Anna and I made up--we agreed to be just friends. That's it, but that's better than nothing. At least she's talking to me again! We made a few crappy sand castles and stuff, and at the campfire, we song a few songs. Well, she did most of the singing while I played on a guitar. It's been a long while since I've played an acoustic, but it's a good feeling to be able to play unplugged instead of always needing the extra sound.
But Torrie--she hates me for some reason. Ever since we got here, she's barely spoken to me, just glared. What'd I do? Did I offend her or hurt her or something? I don't get it. And she said the only reason I'm here is because Thomas invited me. I'm lucky that Thomas invited me, but... I know she doesn't want me here.
--Damien Jaime Blackwell
P.S: I never realized before just how sleek Thomas's fur looks. I'm almost jealous that his looks better than mine. Or maybe it's just the muscles...
Enjoying the great outdoors was something not entirely new to Damien, but definitely unfamiliar. Throughout the next day, they spent the majority of the time hiking through the woods around the cabin. From flora to fauna, the entire forest was teeming with life, all of which Anna was eager to photograph and Ozzy was eager to see up close, including a single incident where he got himself bitten by a spider. Despite the small panic, the day was enjoyable nonetheless.
For Damien, the greatest part of the day was simply enjoying his friends' company. Anna was eager to show him what she would find or to use him as her model for her photos. Ozzy, despite a consistent drip of innuendo, was no less enthusiastic about his presence. Thomas had even lifted him onto his shoulders to get him closer to a butterfly, emerging from its chrysalis, which Anna had wanted to keep.
Yet it was sundown when Damien became most aware of how strange Torrie had been acting. At first, she had simply been quieter than normal. Then, she tapped Damien on the shoulder, smiling as she did so.
"Hey, I wanna show you something," she said. "Come on, it's incredible."
She started to pull him away from the group, but he paused. "What about--?"
"It's our secret."
"I don't like keeping secrets from my--"
"You're already keeping a secret from Thomas," she hissed in a dark voice. "And I won't tell him if you come with me. Hey, guys!" she called. Ahead of them, the group paused. "We'll be back. Just going to the bathroom."
"Just use the trees!" Ozzy suggested.
"Ew," Thomas said, just seconds before Anna said, "That's disgusting."
"No, that's nature."
She led Damien away from the group and towards the cabin, but turned suddenly, moving towards the lake. She stepped out onto the dock and Damien hesitated. He watched her carefully before taking his first step onto the dock, which creaked beneath his weight. Yet the creaking, exactly as it had been yesterday, seemed louder, more ominous. She came to a stop at the end of the dock and glared back at him.
"Why can't you stop flirting with my boyfriend?" she snapped suddenly.
"What?"
"Stop it! I'm tired of trying to compete with you!" she griped.
"I'm not competing! I'm not flirting!" he countered defensively, taking a few steps away. But she stalked closer, walking around him to block the end of the dock. "I'm sorry. I really don't know what you're talking about!"
"Bull! He might be blind, but I'm not." There was something wild in her expression and even her hair seemed to stand on end as she walked him backward. "I'm not going to tell you again!"
"I'm not flirting with Thomas," Damien said, mentally counting the steps in his mind. He needed to stop walking backward--the dock wasn't infinite. "Please. I don't want to talk about this."
"I'm not talking, I'm telling! You"--she poked his chest--"need to stop! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes! No! I don't know what's going on!"
She huffed. "I don't care what's going on in your little faggot mind, but you're going to back off _my_Tommy! Get it?!"
"I'm not--"
His foot slipped and he fell backward. He was falling, dropping... He reached out to grab something, but the air refused to solidify, Torrie's reaction was too slow, the dock too far and--He was under, below the water. His garbled screaming was loud in his ears, his fur and clothes growing heavier as he sank deeper.
I'm gonna die, he realized. I'm gonna die... I'm gonna...
He woke to shouting. Steadily, the world came back together as he coughed, water splashing out of mouth, Ozzy's paws on his chest. Ozzy looked at him in relief, sighing heavily as he leaned backward. The yelling didn't stop until Ozzy's voice broke in.
"He's back! He's okay!"
"Damien!" Anna gasped--she dropped beside him. "Oh God... I was... It was almost like when you got shot...Thank God you're okay..."
"Damien, I'm so sorry! I didn't know--"
Torrie was in tears as she started to approach, but Thomas quickly stepped between. "You've done enough," he said savagely. "You nearly got him killed!"
"I didn't know he couldn't--"
"What the fuck's your problem?!" he demanded. "If we hadn't come by--"
"I'd have gotten him myself!"
"You just stood there! You didn't give a fuck!"
"I'm sorry..." But her words were now unintelligible, saturated with sobs and tears. She sank to her knees, sobbing heavily. Damein sat upright to get a closer look at her; she looked an absolute mess, frazzled and disheveled as he probably looked now as well.
"Come on," Thomas snarled savagely, "we're leaving."
"Wait, what?" Damien asked.
"I said we're leaving," Thomas repeated, rage clear in every tone, every movement. "And Torrie"--she looked up with puffy eyes--"we're done. Over."
"What? Why?"
"Why? You're fucking crazy!" Thomas bellowed. "You just pushed him into the lake when he couldn't swim!"
"I didn't know he couldn't swim!"
"Thomas, I'm--"
"Let's go. We're going."
"Damien?" Torrie stood in the doorway of the bedroom. Ozzy, who had just slung his bag over his shoulder, stepped between them. She backed away, but spoke in a voice of forced calm, still shaking and fearful. "I... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't know you couldn't--"
"What're you doing?" Thomas's voice broke into the moment and she looked over fearful. "Leave him alone."
"Thomas, she's apologizing," Damien said.
"I don't care! Are you ready to go?"
"...No," Damien murmured meekly. He stepped forward shyly. "I want to talk to her."
"Why?"
"She's trying to say sorry. I'm want to hear what she has to say."
"... Five minutes."
"You can't... Thomas, let me talk to her. It'll be okay."
"..."
"Please?"
"... Make this quick."
Damien stepped out into the hallway, turning to look at Torrie, who took an awkward step back. She swallowed thickly and spoke in a careful voice.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you couldn't swim. I wasn't trying to push you into the lake or anything. I was just... I was angry and... I..." She sniffled. "I don't know if you can forgive me, but I just want you to know how sorry I really am."
"It's okay," Damien said, choosing his words with precision. "I'll live... And I'm sorry if I offended you or anything."
She looked at him with amazement. "I was being petty. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing for you to be so upset about it."
She shook her head. "It's not worth going into anymore. Hope you guys make it back okay. Let me know?" She directed the question to Thomas who snorted indignantly, arms crossed.
"He'll text you," Damien said. "I'll make sure he does."
"Thanks..." She looked down.
"How're you getting back?"
"I don't know. Might not go back," she confessed. "Not after this."
"You ought to come back, at least finish the semester," Damien remarked. "I mean, you're still my lab partner for chemistry." He chuckled nervously, but she didn't even bother to smirk.
"How can you be so calm? I don't get it..."
"I don't want to fight," Damien answered, "so I'm not going to." He extended his paw towards her. She looked at it incredulously, as if it had suddenly grown larger before her eyes. "I'm not saying we're friends. But I want to walk away without being enemies."
She nodded and took his paw.
"Are we really going back?" Ozzy asked as they pulled away from the cabin. Damien looked through the side mirror, just in time to see Torrie close the door. "Break just started!"
"Where else are we going to go?" Anna mused sadly. "Unless your family has some big cabin in another forest with a gorgeous lake and..." She shook her head. "Campus can be fun too."
"Why don't we head to my hometown?" Damien offered. "My parents have been saying that they wanted me to come visit. "And I'm sure there's plenty of room for you guys too."
"How big's your house?" Ozzy asked.
"Pretty decently big," Damien replied. "Do you guys want to?"
A pause hung over them before Ozzy spoke again. "I'm game."
"I suppose we can," Anna said uncertainly.
"Is that where we're going?" Thomas wondered.
"Yeah, I think so," Anna answered.
"Then you"--he nudged Damien--"need to tell me where I'm going."
They hadn't been on the road for too long before the sounds of Ozzy snoring in the back filled the car. Anna had also nodded off, though in a far more graceful, quiet manner. Yet with Thomas driving and Damien still rattled by the day's events, sleep wasn't likely for either of them. As they pulled onto the highway, Damien spoke, but in a subdued tone in an attempt to keep Thomas's very volatile mood from shifting once more.
"Are you okay?" Damien wondered.
"Me? I should be asking you that," Thomas remarked. "That damn bitch could've--"
"Please don't yell," Damien insisted. "I'm okay and she didn't mean to. I'm not condoning what happened," he added hastily as he saw Thomas start to retort. "But... please, can we just forgive and forget?"
"Forgive, maybe one day. Forget, fuck no," Thomas answered. "Do you even care that you could've died back there?"
"Of course I do," Damien said, trying to keep his building anxiety down. He could hear every bit of tension in Thomas's tone, could almost see the tension running through his roommate's veins. "But I just want to have a good break, you know? We've worked hard this semester. Let's enjoy our breaks while we can."
Thomas exhaled sharply. "I just don't want to lose anyone else."
"... You mean your brother?" Damien ventured nervously.
"Exactly," Thomas sighed. He took a deep breath and when he next spoke, his voice began to quiver slightly, though he was noticeably attempting to keep his own emotion in check. "I can't go through that again. First Theo, then my mom... I just..." He sniffled. "Damien, I know this is going to sound weird, but I don't think I can lose you or anyone else right now. Not sure if I can handle it."
"I understand... Are you okay? Do you want me to drive?"
"No, I'm good... I'm fine."
"Okay..."
"I'll just need you to be my navigator. Or you can put it in my phone. Get some sleep if you need it."
"No, I don't mind navigating," Damien remarked. "I'm sure you could use the company anyway."
"You calling me lonely?"
Damien was about to make a remark about his break-up with Torrie, but quickly stopped himself. Something in his mind registered how vindictive it would've sounded. "No, not lonely. But it'll be nice to just chat for a while. If you're okay with that."
"Yeah, no problem. I like our little chats usually."
"Really? Why?"
"Because Ozzy's too much of a moron for intelligent conversation," Thomas said. "He can't even fake-sleep."
Behind them, Ozzy chimed up drowsily. "Fuck... you..."
Damien looked back at him, but the words had been spoken in a very slurred, drowsy way and he was sure that Ozzy was still sleeping. He smiled at the sight of the rabbit's face pressed against the window, a small dribble of spittle smeared on the window. He might've been cute if he was younger.
"Is he still asleep?" Thomas wondered.
"Yeah. But he's drooling on your window."
"Son of a... Let him sleep. He'll clean my car later. So, what'd you want to talk about?"
Chapter 14.5--Otter Problems
James stared in agitation at his boyfriend's suitcase, against the hotel room's wall, opened to reveal just how he had packed. Despite his rough exterior, there was no doubt that Warren was meticulous and careful at times and James could see just how neatly he'd packed for the week. He could also see one of the few things he disliked about Warren: his underwear...
Not that Warren had particularly bad underwear; the brand was good and he did take care of his clothes. It's just that it was not the style James wanted--unlike him, Warren had worn boxers since... as long as James can remember peeking a few looks before they got together.
James wore briefs. Simple, functional, and with the right pair, sexy, and he always kept them looking brilliant. He even "rotated his stock", as Warren would say, every three months to keep them fresh. And he had long since been trying to get Warren to try it. Conventional methods of convincing him failed so James had tried more creative ways to dispose of this little problem. Weird food stains? They looked like a rag when James didn't wear his glasses. Literally ripped? James had needs too. Mysteriously disappearing--it was time to buy new ones anyway.
And now, he could get rid of those boxers and enjoy his mousy boyfriend in something a little more fitting right now, before Warren came back. But...
James's stomach gurgled. Definitely, those burgers had way too much grease on them and he felt sick. He pulled out his phone and dialed Warren's number.
"What's up, otter?" Warren greeted.
"Hey, can you pick up some antacid or something? My stomach feels weird..."
Damn you, fast food, James thought sadly.