Everything had settled down, and Faye seemed to have forgiven him about last week, although she did suggest he sit with Norman to make up for the previous Sunday. Well, not so much 'suggest' as 'insist'. Grumbling, Carter complied, else he'd never hear the end of it.

Women...

He watched as Norman ravenously tucked into a bowl of soup with a cheese roll, gulping it down like he hadn't eaten in a week. Jayden sensed he was being watched, and looked up sheepishly.

"It's been a while since I had a meal this good." He offered with a smile. "Thanks for not kicking me out this time."

"Hmph." Carter replied. Norman finished the rest of the meal in silence, then turned to Blake again.

"Aren't you going to go hand out the food? I'll wait for you here."

"Hmm? Oh. Oh, yeah." Carter left the table, donned an apron, and began handing out the food, again disappearing into daydreams.

Was it possible to feel any more awkward? Norman had said... He'd said 'love you Carter'. Shit. Shit! What the fuck did he do now? Especially as he'd said 'I like you too'. And now he was going to be stuck in a car with him for twenty minutes! Agh, what had he been thinking when he agreed to that? He wasn't gay! He'd never even thought about another guy in that way, for Christ's sake. Jayden wasn't stupid. He'd know he wasn't gay. It had just been the painkillers, that was it. He didn't fancy him at all.

Blake looked over at Jayden, then suddenly remembered his conversation with Ash. 'I think they're kinda sexy actually...' Shit! Why the fuck had he been thinking of Jayden when he said that? He looked back over at him again, then suddenly had a vision in his mind's eye of when Jayden had collapsed, and Carter had been undoing his shirt. He had some pretty nice pecs for a scrawny little thing actually. He thought, grinning.

Wait, what the fuck? The grin disappeared off his face quicker than it had arrived, and he made a strangled noise, tearing his apron off and throwing it onto the chair for the second week in a row. He marched over to Norman, and dragged him out of his seat. "Come on. We're leaving."

"Wait, what? But you haven't finished your shift yet."

"Yea, well I have now. Come on, I said we're leaving."

"But..."

"Do you want a lift or not?" Carter growled. Jayden raised his arms in a peace gesture.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming."

The two of them walked out the building for the second time in two weeks, and Norman followed Carter to the car, the two of them walking in silence.

Opening the car door, Blake got in, and motioned for Norman to do the same.

"Well, are you going to tell me where you're going, or do I have to guess?" he snapped. Jayden looked at him, confused.

"What's up with you?"

"We're not playing bloody twenty questions, now do you want a lift or not?" Carter growled back.

"Okay, okay. 143 Irving Street, it's five minutes past the train station. You'll have to turn right when you get to the..."

"There is such a thing as a sat-nav, you know, Jayden." Carter snapped. "Us non-feds aren't as completely non-civilised as you think, you know." Norman narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever Blake. There's no reason to be a jerk, I haven't done anything to you. What's up with you today?"

"No, here's a question for you, jerk-ass. Why are you going visiting anyway? It's not like an ex-fed is going to have made any friends."

"I thought this wasn't twenty questions?" Jayden quipped back. Carter made a noise like some kind of wounded animal, then blew his top.

"Shut the fuck up, Jayden. You want to know what's wrong with me today? Well you already know, but I'll tell you anyway. I don't know what you thought you were going to achieve in that hospital with your "I love you Carter", but it won't achieve jack-shit. And you know why? I'm not fucking gay!"