Chapter 7 Good Morning

The sun had returned to the sand and pebbles on the beach with the shadows already getting foreshortened. Chris lay curled behind Darren with his arm over his hip and his face up against his shoulder. Darren was gradually becoming aware of the warmth behind him when the phone beside him gave two short rings and paused. Chris raised himself up to one elbow and peered groggily at the phone on the night stand past Darren's head. The phone gave two short rings again. A glance at the clock revealed it was 10:12 am.

Darren said, "Want me to pass it to you?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's the door, though".

Chris grabbed the phone from Darren who turned to watch Chris. "Hello, who is it, please"?

His expression changed to one of dismay as he glanced at Darren and said, "Oh, Hi Dad. What are you doing here?…Yeah, sure I'm glad you're here. Just give me a minute".

He pressed end and looked at Darren, hesitation on his face. "My father is at the door...now!"

Darren's eyes met Chris' and he said. "What do you want me to do? Just tell me if you want me gone".

Chris looked back at him considering and then he shook his head saying, "No, stay here. I'll get the door. I guess we've been busted. It's not as if my Dad doesn't know I'm gay".

He rolled out the other side of the bed and went to the dresser. Darren admired the view as he bent to rummage for a pair of sleep pants. He quickly hopped into them and headed for the front door beyond the kitchen, remembering to close the bedroom door. Darren took the opportunity to head into the bathroom and quickly showered to get rid of the funk of sex that still surrounded him. Afterward he rummaged in his bag and found a pair of sleep pants and a T shirt and put them on. It was pretty obvious from the fold marks that neither had been slept in, but there was no help for that now.

Their discarded clothes were still in a tangle on the floor. He took a moment to pick up the bundle and sort and fold them into two neater piles.

"Hi, Dad, come on in. What's up? You usually text or call me if you're coming down". They quickly hugged in the dim foyer.

"I did last night, Christopher, as soon as I knew I would be coming down. It rang and then went to voice mail. Is it on silent? I emailed you too when I couldn't get through. I had to come down to pick up some special order stuff we need for Monday. I haven't seen you in a while, so I took the chance of catching you at home. Mom sends her love. Sorry if I woke you up; I know you're usually short of sleep. Were you out late"? He turned to tip up the light switch behind him, still blinded by the California sunshine. "I haven't had breakfast yet and I'm starving. Do you want to go out and get some? Hey, have you got any OJ in the fridge?...Um, what's that on your neck?

Chris' hand went to his neck, recalling his appalled discovery of the vivid welt reflected in the mirror when he cleaned up last night, as he backed away down the hall toward the bedroom. "Sure Dad. Help yourself to the OJ. I'll go get showered and then how about I get breakfast for you? I have stuff here to make waffles, or pancakes or eggs or whatever you want. I'd rather do that than go out. Be back in a couple".

"Sure Son, if that's what you want".

Chris left the room and Tim went to the fridge and poured himself some juice. He opened the dishwasher to put the empty glass in and noticed the dishes still unwashed in the racks. There were two plates, two glasses and two sets of silverware and some serving dishes. Hmm?

He walked over to the deck door, thinking he would check out the deck he had designed while he waited. Near the door he bent to pick up a couple piles of clothes. He found a blue shirt in Christopher's favourite colour and a man's maroon long sleeved cotton sweater that didn't look his style at all. He recognized now that Chris' scent when he hugged him had undertones of sex. Oh man, he was intruding into his son's private life. He knew his son was gay, theoretically, but had never personally encountered evidence of it until now. Just as the urge to run back out the front door rolled over him, the bedroom door opened and Darren walked out, his hair still damp and curling from a recent shower.

He stared, unable to hide his shock.

Darren smiled shyly and said, "Hi Tim. Chris tells me you're his Dad. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Darren", he offered his hand.

"Hello Darren. I know who you are. We do watch the show. Pleased to meet you". Tim shook his hand. There was an awkward silence.

Darren's eyes went to the clothes in Tim's hand. He held out his hand and Tim passed them over, with a blush that looked so much like Chris' he had to hold back a smile, knowing it would have been misunderstood. He took the clothes, opened the bedroom door and tossed them onto the rumpled bed. His actions confirmed Chris and his relationship in Tim's mind. Holy crap, they're sleeping together!

Chris had showered already and was pulling on a T shirt with the sleep pants. He checked the mirror to make sure the welt on his collar bone was covered up and pushed the damp hair hanging down onto his forehead to the side. He looked up to see Darren's reflection in the doorway give him a look with his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his mouth as he rubbed the bite mark under his shirt. Chris shrugged and smirked back at him. Yeah, they were even.

He walked out of the bedroom, stood beside Darren and put his arm around his waist. "I guess you guys have met, kind of? Um, Dad this is Darren. Darren this is my Dad, Tim. Ok… so… maybe you could make some coffee, Darren, if you don't mind. It's in the freezer. What would you like for breakfast Dad"?

"I'm sorry Christopher and um…Darren. I didn't mean to intrude. I think I'll just head out of here and leave you guys… ah… yeah". Tim still was flushed and now Chris was flushing to match.

Darren perched carefully on the arm of the couch, watching them both and again had to hold back a smile at how similar they looked. Now he knew where Chris' colouring came from.

"Dad…ok, yeah, Darren stayed here last night, but please don't leave. It's not as if we wouldn't be making breakfast anyway! Please, you're not intruding".

"I think we'd both like you to stay, Tim, if you will". Darren added.

Tim looked from Chris to Darren. He swallowed visibly and with his eyebrows raised and his head tilted in a way that was again reminiscent of Chris, no, it was actually Kurt when he looked uncomfortable, he nodded.

Darren went to the kitchen, found the coffee and started a pot. Chris asked him to set the table too and as he did, he watched Tim, fascinated at the echoes he kept seeing.

Tim and Chris worked together in the kitchen, obviously not for the first time. They made waffles and eggs and ham and toast and a whole bowl of cut up fruit, laughing and kidding each other, hip bumping each other out of the way. It smelled amazing. Darren had had no idea he was so hungry. Chris' words from the night before saying he would need his strength ran through his head and he smiled. He would have liked the chance to wake Chris himself….Thoughts of how he might have done that were interrupted by his father passing him a plate of waffles. He looked at Darren's preoccupied smile curiously. Shit, he had better watch himself.

They ate far more than he would have thought. Chris was a good cook and now he knew where he had learned some of that. He poured himself another cup of coffee and helped Chris and Tim clean up.

They hadn't said much of importance to each other while he was there so he thought he would go out to the deck and give them a few minutes. He told them as much and went outside. There was a cool breeze blowing inland from the sea that made him wish he had brought a hoodie. He looked for a sheltered spot and found one near the south wall of the deck.

"I'm sorry Dad, if you're uncomfortable with Darren being here". Chris was careful not to apologize for Darren being there.

"You're an adult in your own home; you don't have anything to apologize for. It's just that…its hard for a parent to get used to the idea that their kid has a sex life. But….I thought Darren was straight? "

"Yeah, well that's kind of a weird story. He is, I guess. Would you believe this started out with him method acting as Blaine, who is gay? I guess you could call him bi-curious; he has some pretty casual attitudes to sex. "

"So he's role playing! Wow. Now that is devotion to your craft.'' He looked at Chris with a smile sneaking out the side of his mouth. Chris matched it with one just like it.

"What about you though; does he know how you feel about him"?

Chris' smile froze and he looked at his Dad with a stunned expression.

"How did you see what I've kept hidden from everybody else?"

"Don't forget, Christopher, I've known you a lot longer than they have. I could tell when you kissed in that episode. So, what about your heart"?

"He's straight Dad! I'm going to take whatever he is willing to give me. This is already more than I ever hoped for. I know it has an expiry date and I'll have to deal with that when it happens. Till then, I'm going to love him in whatever way he'll let me".

Darren, tired of freezing his butt off out on the deck, returned in time to hear Chris' last speech. He stood shocked in the doorway. The breeze from the open door finally reached the kitchen and Chris turned to see the distress on Darren's face.

"My god, Chris, why didn't you tell me"?

"Cause you wouldn't have done this then, idiot. Can't we pretend you didn't hear that last bit"? He could feel Darren withdrawing, recoiling from him.

"Damn right, I wouldn't have! This was supposed to be research…. Friends with benefits! How am I supposed to forget it means something entirely different to you"? Oh my god, he's in love with me?

Chris walked to him and took his ice cold hands in his. He looked him in the eyes and said quietly, "It's a little late now, Dare. Can't we just go with it? We are good together, aren't we"?

"I don't know Chris. This isn't... I have to process this. Can I borrow a coat? I'm going for a walk to clear my head". He walked to the closet, grabbed a hoodie and his shoes and walked back out the door.

Chris watched him walk north toward the distant rocks visible from the deck. He turned to look at his father, then sighed and collapsed on the couch in misery, with the heels of his hands over his eyes.