CHAPTER 8
Irene Sanders was a proud woman. She was proud of her own accomplishments at work. She was proud of her husbands bravery and her sons brains. She was proud of her heritage and her fathers wisdom and her mothers unique abilities to sense trouble. But she was mostly proud of the fact she watched her son battle a disease at 14 and survive to be a better, stronger person. She was proud that he got help.
But sitting outside her sons bedroom, listening to his whimpers as he slept, she wasn't proud. She was angry. Angry she had failed him, angry he had failed her. She didn't blame him but he had promised never to go back. She was angry her husband cared more about his work then his family and angry her mother and father were not their when she needed them. They had flown back to San Francisco barely a week before and had left her to deal with the problems that strained the family alone. She knew no matter how much she pretended, Greg's problems were far from over. She also knew something had happened the day before to make him physically sick. Before he had left the party she had made him dinner and he barely took a few bites. She knew he wouldn't touch breakfast. He never did when he was like this, and it broke her heart.
She walked into the bedroom and stripped her clothes off before having a quick shower. After putting on jogging bottoms and a plain white vest top she made her way silently to the kitchen in hopes of not waking up her son just yet. She needed a coffee before she dealt the aftermath of whatever happened last night. She settled onto a stool at the island in the middle of the large kitchen and sipped her tea as she waited for her toast to pop. She heard shuffling behind her and felt the gaze of the only other person in the house.
"morning Greg" she said sweetly as she watched him grab a cup of coffee. 'no breakfast though' she thought silently to herself as he sat opposite her. She watched him as he drank, noticing the bags under his eyes and how pale his skin was from the lack of nutrients. her mind wondered off as she starting thinking about how long he had been throwing up his meals. She thought back to the times he had skipped breakfast claiming he and Nick were 'grabbing something on the way to school'. She realised it had been a few weeks since she had seen him devour a whole meal, and it worried her because she knew from previous battles with his eating, that it wouldn't take long for him to fall. she was startled out of her own miserable thoughts when Greg's face swam in front of hers. He looked amused, which made her feel a tiny bit better then before.
"hello!?! You still with me?" he asked
"huh? Sorry…spaced out there for a second" she replied
"yea I noticed. You okay mom?" he asked with a slight smile, one that really didn't look genuine to her but she appreciated the effort nether the less.
"yes sweetie im fine. Are you?" trying to not to show her worries.
"im fine, why would you ask?" he asked as he sat back on his perch opposite. He didn't make eye contact, but just stared at the counter top and sipped his coffee.
"well, you kinda hauled ass up the stairs last night, and seeing as Nick was supposed to stay over and he wasn't with you, I guessed something had happened. Everything okay between you two sweetie?" she asked placing a hand on his left, which lay limp on the counter top.
He stared at their hands before looking up at her with a crestfallen expression and shrugged, not really wanting to talk about his and Nicks fight or the fact that Ecklie had told him Derek might be dropping into Las Vegas that week. Though whether or not Ecklie was being honest wasn't decided yet, but Greg had a nasty feeling that it was, seeing as the older boy had managed to find out about his past.
"what does a shrug mean?" she pushed for more information.
"we had a fight. Last night at the party. I just left him there. I don't think he trusts me, and he thinks I don't trust him" he said quietly, hoping if she didn't hear then she would drop it. It didn't work.
"sweetie, im sure he doesn't think that. Couples fight, its part of the relationship process. Your father and I fight all the time but we still love each other. you've known each other a few months, your still getting to know each other, you cant expect to have a perfect relationship straight away. Why do you think he doesn't trust you? Is there another boy involved?" she asked softly.
"I guess you could kind of say that…" he didn't want to lie but he wasn't ready to tell her about Derek, it was his problem to sort out and not hers.
"honey, if you care about him, talk to him. Forget the other boy and concentrate on Nick. Explain how you feel and get him to do the same, then you can decide where you stand. Now eat some breakfast and cheer up" said laughed, trying to lighten the mood for him, but he stood up, put his cup in the sink and mumbled that he was going to Nicks and left. She picked up the phone and dialled the number she knew so well as tears fell again.
"papa jeg nød du" she wept as her father answered
"hva saken pumpe?" he asked quietly, having just woken up and not wanting to wake his sleeping wife.
"dens Greg papa , jeg dont vite hva å gjøre , han ikke spising og han ser ut så trist. jeg nød du" she said through the tears as she held her head in one hand and the phone in the other. She was lost. She didn't know what to do but she just knew Greg needed his grandfather. It was Olaf who had helped him though the first time and he needed that special support again.
"vi vil være på neste flyreise ut pumpe." he said as he woke his wife and got out of bed to get his things together.
"takk skal du ha papa" she said softly as she tried to clam herself down.
"alt for du kjæreste" he replied before hanging up and throwing his suitcase on the bed. Olaf Hojem never wasted time when it came to his precious family.
Irene placed the phone back onto the holder before cleaning up the breakfast things. She needed to talk to her father and husband before she even thought of tackling Greg himself.
When Greg got to Nicks house he started wondering whether or not the older boy would even want to speak to him. He felt like turning around and heading back home before they had another argument, but luck wasn't one his side as Nicks older brother Tom pulled up in his car. He got out and nodded a greeting, as Greg walked up to the porch to say hi. Tom turned around and smiled. 'that's a good sign' Greg thought as he returned the gesture.
"you okay? Nick told me about last night" Tom said. He liked Greg. Although he was young, he was very smart and honest and Tom knew Nick could do a lot worse. Greg paled at his statement and said "what did he tell you?" hoping Nick hadn't spilled anything to obvious about Derek or the eating comments Ecklie had used.
"well he just told me you guys had an argument about something. Apparently it was pretty awkward. He didn't tell me what it was about if that's what your worrying about. He was pretty upset though" he tried to be as honest as possible but he knew he couldn't tell Greg that Nick had actually told him about Ecklie and this Derek boy. He knew Greg would get mad, and he knew he'd have the right, but he also knew Nick would need someone to talk to and being his brother made him the best for the job. Being the eldest meant that all of the Stokes children ran to him with problems, because their parents weren't as easy to talk to.
"how upset?" he asked shyly.
"pretty. But im sure if you go upstairs and talk to him instead of running away he'd be a lot better" Tom smiled.
"having 6 younger siblings really paid of for the mind reading didn't it?" Greg grinned as he entered the Stokes house.
"something like that. But seriously Greg, just suck it up and talk. He's feeling pretty guilty too so just go make out with him or something" he laughed as he walked of towards the kitchen.
When Greg got upstairs he listened intently at the door, trying to figure out what he might be walking in on. After hearing nothing and wondering if Nick was even in, he knocked lightly on the door. He heard a muffled 'what?' and slowly entered.
"hey" he offered weakly. Nick was lying on the bed, facing the wall. He just wore jogging bottoms and no t-shirt and Greg knew if the situation was better, he would be all over his boyfriend.
"hmm" was all he got in reply, so he walked silently over the bed and laid down behind Nick, stoking his back with his fingers. He felt Nick shiver slightly before he turned around and looked Greg in the eyes. Both boys had pain, sadness and relief there. Relief that they were together and not ignoring each other.
"Nick we need to talk…im sorry about last night. I know your just trying to help me, but you have to understand that its hard for me to even think about my past let alone talk about it. I just wanna forget it. Move on" he said quietly as he stroked Nicks right cheek.
"Greg…I…look, I just want to let you know that no matter what im here for you. I don't like the fact that Ecklie's in on his big secret of yours and I feel like your keeping me on the outside, and I know that sounds selfish but I want to know because I don't want you to go through this alone. Im sorry I pushed you last night babe, but I worry about you" he replied.
"I know that Nicky, and im glad you care about me that much, because I care about you to. Its just…I don't know, im scared. Im scared of Derek and im scared of you and im scared of myself" he whispered as he laid his head on Nicks chest and cuddled up to him.
"scared of me? Why?" Nick asked shocked.
"im scared of Derek coming back, im scared you'll leave and im scared that im going to go down a road I don't want to go down. One im already heading down actually." Greg said as a tear hit Nicks bare, tanned chest.
"I wont leave you G. I'll never leave you" Nick reassured as he finally held Greg tightly to himself.
"don't make promises you cant keep Nicky" whispered Greg, and before he could get a response he kissed Nick lightly on the lips. He moved up a bit and kissed Nick again, this time more passionately. He gently caressed Nicks bare torso as Nicks hands travelled underneath Greg's t-shirt and up Greg's back. Nick nudged Greg's mouth open and slipped his tongue inside, starting a war for dominance. Greg moved his hands up into Nicks hair as he shifted onto Nick more. Slowly, Nick moved his hands to Greg's chest and let his fingers brush the toned abs he found there, receiving a shiver from the beautiful boy on top of him. Greg leveraged himself on his forearms which were placed either side of Nicks head.
"you don't know how beautiful you are G" whispered Nick as he pulled away slightly. He gently turned them over so covered Greg before diving back in for another sensual kiss that made the hairs on his neck stand on end. Nicks hands slowly unbuttoned Greg's shirt and pushed it of his shoulders before discarding it on the floor. Greg took the time to look at his boyfriend and let his fingers trace a path from Nicks abdomen up his chest, ghosting over the nipples, up to his neck before pulling him back down for another passion filled kiss. The kiss got more heated as their bare chest connected for the first time since they had got together. Nick found he couldn't keep his hands of Greg and moved them to Greg's thighs where they travelled up his hips, making Greg moan for more. Nick moved his kisses from Greg's mouth, down his jaw and neck before attacking his slim chest. Now Greg was topless, Nick could tell he had lost a little weight and vowed to get it back as soon as possible…after they were finished.
He let his fingers gently rub Greg's nipples, making him ache up into the touch. When the nubs where hard he slowly licked them and kissed them before gently blowing on them. He knew Greg was sensitive in these areas so he decided to make the most of it. He gently kissed his way further down until he got to the belt of the jeans. Greg tensed slightly as Nick began to unbutton and zip them, but relaxed almost instantly. As Nick pulled his jeans down to his ankles he felt himself become hard instantly. Nick kissed the skin above the boxers a few times before looking up to ask for permission to continue. Greg was watching him, faced flushed, and nodded once before letting his head fall back onto the pillow.
Nick pulled them down before wrapping his right hand around the base and using his left arm to hold down Greg's hips. He stroked Greg a few times, twisting his hand a the end and getting moans of appreciation, before licking the end of the head and around the tip. Greg moaned loudly at the contact between penis and mouth and bucked his hips up, desperate for more friction. Nick held him steady but granted him more mouth as he took in the head, started sucking and licking at a excruciatingly slow pace. Greg tried to buck up more but Nick was to strong and held him in place. Eventually, after Greg pleaded for more, Nick took him fully as far as he could, while his hand still worked the base expertly.
"holy mother of…" Greg breathed as he felt tingles over his body. Nick felt Greg tremble and let is penis fall from his mouth, but continued using his hand as he moved his body up to kiss his boyfriend. Their bodies moved as one as they both grinded together. Greg grabbed the sheets next to him as he ached up into Nick, he was hanging so close to the edge it was almost unbearable. Nick pushed his face into the crook of Greg's neck while his free hand grabbed his hair.
"come on baby….let go for me….please G" he breathed into Greg's ear and not three strokes later, Greg went stiff as his orgasm ripped through his body. He moaned Nicks name quietly into the neck while Nick slowed the pace his hand was going at to a gentle stop. He walked over to his bathroom to grab a cloth and washed his own hands before returning to clean up Greg. When he entered the bedroom again Greg was already asleep, trousers still at his ankles. Nick smiled as he cleaned him off, removed his jeans but pulled his boxers back up. After returning to the bathroom to sort his own problem out, he climbed into bed next to him and pulled Greg as close as possible, who instinctively wrapped his arms around the body under him. Nick made sure the blanket was covering them before falling asleep entwined with Greg.
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Translations:
Papa jeg nod du - papa I need you
Hva saken pumpe? - what's the matter pumpkin?
Dens Greg papa, jeg don't vite hva a gjore, han ikke spising og han ser ut sa trist. Jeg nod du - its Greg papa, I don't know what to do, he not eating and he looks so sad. I need you.
Vi vil vaere pa neste flyreise ut pumpe. - we'll be on the next flight out pumpkin.
Takk skal du ha papa - thank you papa
Alt for du kjaereste - anything for you sweetheart
