Chapter Nine: So take a chance and don't ever look back
Adam's POV
Movies, Tommy? Really?
Be cool, Lambert. It's not a date… right?
I sat in the backseat of my dad's car, with Tommy sitting beside me, his head resting against the window of his door. He was still a little out of it from his… extracurricular activities, but I was just glad he was well enough to walk and function and the like. Fortunately, my dad didn't ask questions about why Tommy looked ill. Only asked who he was. I replied, calmly, saying his name was Tommy and he was a good friend of mine, and if he'd be able to come over and hang out for a little while. Luckily, Dad had no problem with this.
I took a glance over at him, seeing the sun hitting his face, his eyes closed and his hood still pulled over his head. I smiled slightly, before looking away again and back down to my phone. Almost three-thirty and no new messages all day. 'Brad and Cass must be busy with their own things right now. Or each other, one of the two.' I thought to myself, gnawing on my bottom lip as the car swerved down several streets.
I stared at my hands for a long moment, letting my mind wander a little bit. Holy shit, Tommy was coming to my house to hang out? And we hadn't known each other for even a month? Balls. True, it was Spring, and Spring meant that the year would soon be coming to an end, but that wasn't the case. I'd never really had any friends other than Brad and Cass, and suddenly Tommy falls into my life. Into a school that barely gets any new people…
He must be scared. All the changes and everyone constantly staring at him and wanting to talk to him? I bit my lip and looked over at him again. His position hadn't changed at all. If he was scared or overwhelmed, I certainly couldn't blame him for it. If I was sent across the country to a new school and life, leaving behind anything familiar, I'd be overwhelmed and out of my mind, too. I looked down at his hand, which rested lazily on the seat between us.
Don't do it, Lambert. Don't you fucking dare.
But it was hard to resist. His fingers were long, toned with calluses that led me to believe he played an instrument of sorts. He didn't seem like the orchestra kind of guy, so I assumed it was something like guitar or bass. The skin was ivory; pale white-wash and glowing whenever the sun slid over it. I turned my head to push my gaze out of my own window and away from the temptation of fitting my fingers between his. He's probably not like that, anyway…
I noticed that we were in familiar surroundings, and that the approach to my house was imminent. Dad turned the wheel left, pulling us down a street that would lead to a right turn, up a small hill and our house would be on the left. I glanced at Tommy again, before nudging his elbow with mine to see if he was asleep. His eyes fluttered open and he sat up, looking around a little as we made the right turn, climbing the hill.
"What?" He asked me, rubbing the sleep and drunkenness from his eyes. I smiled slightly at him.
"Almost home." I told him. He blinked again and nodded once, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He had a pretty mouth…
Stop it, Adam. Just stop it, or you're going to make yourself depressed.
Tommy yawned beside me, stretching his arms a little as my dad pulled into the driveway of our house. I grabbed my bag at my feet, unbuckling my seat belt before opening the door and climbing out. Tommy followed in suit before looking up at our house, his eyes slightly wide and lips gently parted in awe. I smirked a little, following his shifting gaze to the structure.
Two stories, the roof a dark blue in contrast to the pearly-whiteness of the walls. Windows with black frames on both floors, the width of the house gave way to imagination that the inside was just as large as the outside. Two car garage just standing off with a small loft above it; that was my brother's room. The garage connected to the house in both top and bottom floor.
I walked over and nudged Tommy again, and he snapped out of his awe-filled trance; I smiled at him. "Come on," I said, motioning with my head towards the house itself. He followed behind me, his feet making quiet pat-pat's on the concrete. I walked along a small concrete path that ran around the edges of the, unfortunately, small, front lawn up to the polished cherry front door. I turned the knob, pushing it open and stepping inside.
Tommy's gasp was audible, though I don't think he did it on purpose. High vaulted ceilings with light flowing in from the windows. All the floors were a nice hard-wood. Leather couches faced a television center on the western wall; a nice 360 hooked up to it. I wasn't much for video games, that was all my brother (and occasionally my dad). I walked across the living room, dropping my bag on one of the couches and hearing Tommy, behind me, doing the same.
I passed down a hallway, stepping briefly into the kitchen and dining room area— stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, an island for additional work-space as well as serving for a breakfast bar. I turned to a sharp left, climbing the stairs that led to the second floor. Tommy's footsteps were quiet compared to mine; he was still getting used to everything, I imagined. I smiled slightly to myself, climbing the second flight of stairs before reaching the catwalk. There were two ways one could go. Right was toward my parent's bedroom and their bathroom. Left was my bedroom, another bathroom, and a spare bedroom. Half-walls that were the guardrails opened out to the dining room below for easy and open conversation.
I turned left, walking down to my room which was the first, and only, door on the right. My door was littered with posters of musicals and old bands like that I liked, such as Def Leppard, Bowie and Queen; Wicked, Sound of Music and RENT. I twisted the knob, pushing the door open before slipping inside and flopping onto my bed, face down. After a moment, I rolled over onto my back, seeing Tommy still standing in the door way.
Plush, white carpet served for the floor, my bed on the eastern wall. Two windows in the north, two in the west, letting light pour in from both directions. The walls were a soft blue trimmed with a dark navy. More posters of shows and bands and movies. My desk was on the northern wall, my Mac book set up but not turned on. A stereo sat in the north-west corner, playing a Bowie tune on a soft volume. A large closet tucked into the south wall filled with old costumes, coats, shirts and the like. A small bookcase was tucked along the west wall next to an arm chair for reading. The top shelf of the bookcase was filled with folders of sheet music and songs.
"Holy shit, you're loaded…" Tommy muttered and I threw my head back to laugh. His face went scarlet for a moment as he stepped into the room, cautiously at first, before sitting down next to me on the bed.
"Actually no. My grandparents are; they paid off the house." I told him. He glanced over at me, smiling a little and shaking his head.
"My parents and I could never afford a house like this… Too fucking poor in this shit economy." He mumbled softly. I detected a hint of jealousy, and I gently slung my arm over his shoulder, giving him a half-hug.
"Maybe now you're too poor. But just wait. One day you'll be so fucking rich you won't know what to do with yourself." I commented and he smiled, shaking his head a little before resting it against the inside of my shoulder. My heart skipped a little and I had to remind myself to be calm about this. We were just friends, after all.
"Doubtful." He muttered. I sighed softly, letting go and standing off the bed, hands on my hips. He looked up at me for a moment, confused. I smiled.
"Don't dream it. Be it." I said, quoting one of my favorite lines from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was only attempting to make him feel better and I had to assume that it worked because he smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, go preach somewhere else, Frank'n'furter." My eyes widened and I laughed.
"Yay, you got the reference!" I exclaimed and he laughed, too.
"'Course. Rocky Horror's boss, man." I felt my cheeks flush a little and I smiled, turning away and going to my stereo to change the CD. I felt like Bowie melodies were too… Wrong for this kind of a situation. That was sensual music for a very non-sensual environment. But… maybe… No. I slipped a different CD into the drive, changing it to the seventh song before hearing familiar riffs. I smiled, turning and looking over at Tommy, who was sitting, wide eyed, and staring at the stereo.
"Whole Lotta Love? Best song ever!" He was nearly shouting and I grinned, chuckling. True, it was still staying with the sexual vibe but at least it wasn't soft. I wasn't trying to seduce Tommy. Just wanted to be his friend, show that we had something in common with one another.
"Boys?" We turned and looked over at my mom, Leila, who was standing in the door way, her hand propped against the frame. I smiled a little at her.
"Hey, Mom." I said. She smiled back.
"I'm making dinner at seven. Are you boys planning anything until then?" She asked and I glanced over at Tommy. He was still probably hoping to go to the movies. To be honest, I kind of liked the idea myself.
"Well, Tommy and I were gonna go to the movies at some point tonight, but I don't know when." I told her. She nodded once, smiling.
"After dinner, alright?" She suggested and I looked over to Tommy. He nodded once and I smiled.
"Sounds like a plan." Mom chuckled and pushed off from the frame, starting to turn away.
"Keep it down, though. Your brother is doing his homework, and, should you decide to be smart, you'd better work on yours, too." She said before walking away and heading down stairs. I shook my head a little, smiling to myself before catching Tommy's eye. He looked curious.
"You have a brother?" He asked, and I laughed.
"Yeah. Neil. He's a few years younger than us, though." I said, going back to the bed and sitting down next to Tommy. He nodded once, his hands fidgeting slowly in his lap. I looked down at them for a moment, remembering his calluses. "You play?" I asked.
He looked up at me, pondering for a moment before nodding once. "Yeah, guitar. Do you?" He asked? I shook my head. I'd always wanted to but never really got around to taking the time to learn. I'd always spent my time with singing… Singing.
I flashed back to earlier today, when I sang to him in the nurse's office. I smiled slightly to myself. I doubted that he'd ever know about that, considering he was asleep. But… If he had known that I had, then… What would he have thought? My singing Insatiable to him? He'd probably just think of me as a fag and nothing more. I swallowed the lump in my throat before realizing that Tommy was waving his hand in front of my face.
"Earth to Adam." He said under a soft laugh. I smiled, shaking my head a little. "Jesus, dude, you were spacing for like five minutes." He said and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh whatever. I doubt it was that long." I retorted with a smile pulling at my lips. It was strange… Being around him left me unaware that I had braces and that I was a nerd… I felt… Normal…
"Well, you're wrong, cause you were out like a space cadet." I shook my head again, punching his shoulder gently. Who am I kidding? He's a popular kid, good looking as fuck and incredibly awesome. I'm just a nerd… With braces… In theatre…
