"I felt like I really... really fit in, Tommy. It was fantastic!"
"I thought you'd, sorta, grown out of that kind of thing?"
He shrugged, tilting his head in that unsure way he does, but his smile was definite.
Two weeks in and he'd made a whole bunch of friends and as soon as we meet for the weekend he can't shut up about them, while I, if you can believe it, hardly spoke to anyone.
He tells me about their hilarious jokes, none of which I get, as he drives us back to the lair.
"And then Quillan says -"
"Wait, Quillain, Sylvaine, Blaize? Are these their real names?"
"I think they've adopted more theatrical pseudonyms, but that's-"
He rattles on about the 'lifestyle' and I feel as if my stomach's turning. He was enthusiastic, and not about some mythical creature he'd read up on, some villain we could 'vanquish' enthusiastic about these other people.
"You alright over there, Tommy?"
He parked the car on the driveway and turned off the engine, but he only turned to wait for my answer, and of all the things, I can only focus on his eyes. That worried look he gets and God did I feel guilty.
"Yea, Merton, it's great."
"But...?"
He knew me too well, so well that I couldn't lie, that I couldn't bear anyone earning his friendship more than me.
"Tommy, are you jealous?"
"What?! No!"
Then we're silent and for once I can't tell if he's angry at me, or judging me, or laughing at me, without laughing, he sighs and twitches his head once before leaving the car.
"Merton..."
"I get it, Tommy, I do. I can't have any other friends, can I?"
He's agitated, and drops his keys, I catch them and close in on the small square before the lair-door.
"Merton, I never-"
"Tommy."
He closes his eyes and thumps his fist against my chest.
"Until I met you I practically had no friends!"
"Merton, I know but -"
"Now I'm meeting people that like me for me,"
"I like you for you."
"And not to get to you, or eat me, or use me."
"I know, Merton, just -"
"For once, I have real friends and you're jealous -"
"MERTON."
He stopped, surprised and that was it, I grabbed him by the shoulders and I kissed him. Of course I was jealous, Merton was the only person who was always, always there for me and I was frightened these new friends would take that away. I was scared he'd find someone new to hang out with, someone who understood all that geeky stuff, someone who wasn't me.
I was scared we'd drift apart, without him knowing how I felt.
His hands rested on my shoulders and he pushed me back, but gently, and we were still close, he had to tilt his head up to meet my eye and, God, did I love that.
"Tommy... why didn't you tell me?"
I shrugged and he just laughed, sighed and shook his head as he took his keys from my hand. His smile before he turned to open the door was encouraging, to say the least.
"We've a lot to talk about, Tommy."