"Is everything ok, what happened?" Scott got up from his desk and rushed over to Isaac.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just some problems with Derek. Don't Worry about it," Isaac was still trying to work out what had just happened. Derek had thrown him out of his home, had thrown a glass at him like he was a stray animal that had wandered in off the street. In that moment Isaac had flashes of his previous life. He had the instantaneous feeling of being with his father again and fear had gripped him. Once again, Isaac felt worthless and alone. "Could I just, maybe, stay here tonight?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Scott took hold of Isaac's suitcase and laid it on his bed. "Do you need any clothes? These look a little wet," Scott said with a nervous laugh.
Isaac was still standing in the same spot since he walked in. "No, I should be fine. They're not too bad," Isaac said with a small smile. He knew he could count on Scott. When Isaac left Derek's apartment he was lost. He didn't know where he could go. Scott seemed the obvious choice but with the confusion Scott has been causing him he wasn't sure if it would be wise. Scott had an unusual effect on Isaac. He stirred something in him that he didn't think was possible with someone as broken as he was. Is.
"Isaac. They're all wet. I'll give you something to wear while we get 'em dried," Scott walked over to his dresser and pulled out a shirt and some basketball shorts and laid them on the bed. Isaac pulled off his shirt and handed it to Scott.
Isaac looked at Scott. "Thank you for this. I didn't have anywhere else to go."
Scott looked up at Isaac. "You always have a place to go. My door's always open," Scott smiled and left the room.
Isaac pulled on the shirt and shorts. The shirt was a plain white cotton shirt and was a little snug but it fit ok. The black shorts, however, barely reached his knees.
Isaac sat down on the bed. Ever since he was a kid Isaac had trust issues. He kept people at arm's length and never let anyone get close to him. He was so… controlled and alone that he knew nothing else. His father made sure of it. Even after he was gone, that feeling persisted. It was second nature, what else could he do? But there was something about Scott that made him forget about that. He trusts him. He doesn't know why, but he does. It's natural. Scott makes it easy.
Scott returns with a glass of water and in pj's. "I thought you might need something to drink. To relax a little."
Scott hands Isaac the water. "Thanks, my mouth's pretty dry," Isaac takes a sip or two and sets the glass on the side table.
Scott sits down on the bed next to Isaac, "So what happened?"
"I don't really know. Derek just threw me out with some excuse about his sister and how it wouldn't work out with both of us there," Isaac looked down at his hands. "When I tried to get him to let me stay he threw a glass at me."
When Isaac looked back up Scott was looking at him. In his eyes Isaac could see genuine empathy.
"That's horrible. I'm sorry Isaac."
"No, it's fine. I grew up with that kind of thing happening all the time," In that moment, with the rain outside and sitting on Scott's bed, Isaac decided to finally open up. "My father was….. he wasn't the best. Or even average, really. He… he hit me, sometimes." Isaac looked back down at his hands again, unable to look at Scott. "I guess when my brother died he sort of lost it. He became a different person."
Scott put his hand on Isaac's shoulder. "I'm so sorry Isaac. I can't imagine what that must have been like."
Isaac began to feel the sting of tears in his eyes. "He was horrible. When he died I felt almost a… a relief. That must sound pretty awful-"
"No," Scott put his other hand of Isaac jaw and turned his head up at him. "He was horrible, Isaac. I'd be surprised if you didn't feel that way."
A few moments passed as they just looked at each other. Isaac wiped his eyes and cleared his throat, looking away. "I'm sorry that I kind of unleashed all this on you. It's not a very guest-like thing to do."
"Hey, you can always talk to me."
Isaac looked back up at Scott. Isaac's life had been complete hell. He had no one for so long. They were sitting much closer now than when they started talking.
"Thank you," Isaac said quietly. Scott smiled and reached over and hugged him.
"You've had a rough life, Isaac. Whatever I can do to help," Scott said as they started to release each other.
They stayed closer to each other, their faces mere inches apart. Slowly, Isaac leaned in and placed his lips on Scott's, eyes closed. It was a gentle kiss, soft and intimate. After a few moments Isaac pulled away.
He looked down again. "I'm sorry-,"Isaac started to say before Scott lifted his chin again and kissed him in the same soft intimate fashion.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Scott said and smiled a small quick smile at Isaac, their faces still a few inches apart. "Come one, you need some sleep." Scott turned off the lamp on the side table and settle into bed with Isaac.
With that, Isaac wrapped his arms tightly around Scott and drifted off to sleep. At last he felt safe. At last, he felt like he belonged.
Isaac woke as the sun crept through the window. He was still holding Scott in the same position they fell asleep in. He closed his eyes again and just laid there holding Scott, letting the feeling sink in. Last night really happened. A smile spread across Isaac's face.
Isaac moved his lips next to Scott's ear and whispered, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Scott said as his eyes started to sleepily open. "Sleep ok?"
"The best sleep I've had in a long time," Isaac said, smiling again.
Scott turned over so he was facing Isaac. "Good," Scott smiled. "So what do you want for breakfast? I'm sure my mom can make us something good."
"Can't we just lay here for a while? Before we go back to the real world?"
Scott smiled again, "Well we could, but what if my mom walked in? Wouldn't that kind of confuse things? She thinks I'm still hung up on Allison."
Isaac laughed, "What better way to convince her you're not?"
Scott laughed too, "True. But I kind of like the idea of us keeping this a secret. That way it's ours and no one else's."
"So… what exactly is this, Scott?" Isaac felt like he was walking on egg shells.
"I don't know," Scott said with a smile. "But I like it."
Isaac smiled too, "Me too," and kissed Scott gently on the lips.
Once they were out of their pajamas and dressed they walked downstairs to find Scott's mom in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
"Oh, hello boys!" Melissa McCall said as she placed some bacon onto a plate with pancakes and scrambled eggs. "You sleep ok?"
Scott and Isaac shared a knowing glance and Scott said, "Just great, mom."