Charlie's POV
After working at Jan's skate-shop since I was twelve, it was really starting to get boring. Jan retired after Hans died I guess he decided it was too much for one guy of his age to handle. That meant I had to work long hours, luckily I was able to talk him into hiring Guy. Guy, who was over a half hour late for his shift. There hadn't been a single costumer all day, so it wasn't that I resented that I had to work extra, it was simply I had nothing to do. I was suppose to meet Fulton at the gym, like I had been for about a month at that point, but no Germaine had to ruin that by not coming to work.
The bell on the door at the front of the shop jingled and I looked up from the sports section of the newspaper. My eyes wound up staring directly into a pair of hypnotizing baby blue ones.
"Hi gorgeous." I smiled leaning over onto the counter, "What are you doing here?"
"I got back to the room after practice and you weren't there, so I came down to see when you were getting out." Adam voice was slightly disconnected as I stared at him intently.
"I'm stuck here until Guy shows up."
"Oh, um Fulton called my cell phone on the way over, he wanted to know if you're still going to meet him to work out."
"Yeah, did you wanna go?"
His brow wrinkled as he thought about and my heart thumped. He looks so cute when he does that.
"No, I've got a book report due on Monday, I think I'll stay home and work on it."
"If that's what you wanna do. How about we go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us?"
"I dunno, maybe."
The bell jingled again, this time it was actually Guy, only forty-five minutes behind schedule.
"Hey Charlie, I'm so sorry I'm late. Connie's car got stuck up in Duluth I had to go get her."
"Yeah whatever." I grumbled starting to check out the register for the shift swap.
"Banks, how ya doin'? I haven't seen ya in like a month." Yes, there he goes again, boyfriend-stealing creep.
"Fine and you?" Banksie averted his eyes to the floor.
"Good. Glad you're good too."
Did they not notice I was standing right there?
"Right come Adam, let's go." I took his hand and led him out.
We took separate cars back to campus and he walked quickly, staying a few feet ahead of me. I knew it was because he thought I was going yell at him for talking to Guy. Is it so wrong that I want him all to myself? I mean he'd cheated on me already.
"You do realize Guy's straight right?" That was the first time Adam ever initiated the conversation.
"I was straight too till you came along." I tossed my keys on the end table.
"Oh give me a break. You spend all your free time hanging out with Fulton, who is gay mind you, with a boyfriend that lives miles away. Where as I talk to Guy, who has a girlfriend he practically spends twenty-four hours a day with and yet you can be jealous and I cant."
"I never cheated on you Adam."
"There you go throwing that in my face again."
"You brought it up! I'm merely stating facts!"
"That's it. I'm going out."
"No you're not! We're going to sit here and have a quiet romantic night together."
"Charlie, I'm just going for a drive I'll be back."
'No he's not, he's going to meet up with someone else. He's going to leave you' that's what was going through my head when I grabbed his wrist and bent his arm behind his back as he reached the door. He screamed out in pain, those afternoons lifting weights must have been working. I was able to prevent his escape.
"I said you're not going anywhere. I meant it." As I pulled him back into the room I noticed his hand gripping his wrist. His right wrist, the wrist he screwed up during the Goodwill Games.
It was already starting to turn a very unpleasant shade of purple and the swelling was coming rapidly as well. That wasn't a good thing.
"Oh my god. Are you okay? I didn't mean to do that to you wrist. Can you move it?" My hand went tenderly over the swollen, bruised area of his arm.
"Ow! Please don't touch it Charlie." Banks yanked his arm back and drew far away from me to the other side of the room.
"You can't blame me for this, this wasn't my fault. If you would've just listened to me when I said I didn't want you to leave."
"So this is all my fault then right?" He sniffled and I could tell the pain had him on the brink of tears.
"Most of it yeah. Look do you need anything, a ride to the emergency room?"
"No, I've got some Codeine (pain killer for those of you that don't know) left from the last I banged it up. I'm gonna take a couple, if it's still hurting in the morning, I'll see a doctor." His tone was so bland there seemed to be no emotion in it at all, and his features were so stony, he didn't even look like Adam even his bright blue eyes were clouded stormy gray.
"Is there anything I can do?" I really did feel terrible, twisting his wrist like that really hadn't been my intention, and it was an accident. All I had wanted to do was keep him from leaving.
"Yeah there's one thing." He answered popping a painkiller.
"What?"
"Leave, go out for a while so I can try to sleep off this agony."
I nodded all to happy to oblige anything he wanted, if he'd asked for my left leg right then I would've chopped it off and gift wrapped it.
I wandered the campus for a while, there was much I could do or places I could go. I'd left my wallet back in the room so I didn't have my student ID required to access the school activity facilities. My wandering was growing more and more aimless as time went on and before I knew I had left the University grounds. I found myself standing against a fence, watching a group of middle school kids, play roller hockey on a basketball court. The way the Ducks and I had some many times in the passed, but that's what it was in the passed. Things would never be that way again. As I stood there, the face of the young kids faces became those of our friends.
~* Flash Back*~
"Pass it Kenny."
"Here you go Russ."
"Oh great save Cat Lady."
"Thanks Goldberg."
"What do you say we can get a pizza, my treat."
"Good idea, thanks Adam."
"I knew we hung out with you for a reason Banks."
"Gee love you too Conway."
~*End Flashback*~
I shook my head erasing the memory, now suddenly cold. The late afternoon sun was doing little to heat the chilly mid November day and I shivered against the unforgiving brisk Minnesota wind. What I wouldn't have given to have a pair of strong arms encircle me right then, a warm body crushed against my back radiating fever. Though I was kidding myself if I thought for one second he'd be coming to chase after me, professing undying love. He hadn't done that in weeks, in fact he hadn't said he loved me at all in weeks. I was losing him, losing control of my feelings, losing it all. I wasn't about to give him up without a fight, may it be verbal of physical, and I refused to give up. I couldn't just let him go.
After working at Jan's skate-shop since I was twelve, it was really starting to get boring. Jan retired after Hans died I guess he decided it was too much for one guy of his age to handle. That meant I had to work long hours, luckily I was able to talk him into hiring Guy. Guy, who was over a half hour late for his shift. There hadn't been a single costumer all day, so it wasn't that I resented that I had to work extra, it was simply I had nothing to do. I was suppose to meet Fulton at the gym, like I had been for about a month at that point, but no Germaine had to ruin that by not coming to work.
The bell on the door at the front of the shop jingled and I looked up from the sports section of the newspaper. My eyes wound up staring directly into a pair of hypnotizing baby blue ones.
"Hi gorgeous." I smiled leaning over onto the counter, "What are you doing here?"
"I got back to the room after practice and you weren't there, so I came down to see when you were getting out." Adam voice was slightly disconnected as I stared at him intently.
"I'm stuck here until Guy shows up."
"Oh, um Fulton called my cell phone on the way over, he wanted to know if you're still going to meet him to work out."
"Yeah, did you wanna go?"
His brow wrinkled as he thought about and my heart thumped. He looks so cute when he does that.
"No, I've got a book report due on Monday, I think I'll stay home and work on it."
"If that's what you wanna do. How about we go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us?"
"I dunno, maybe."
The bell jingled again, this time it was actually Guy, only forty-five minutes behind schedule.
"Hey Charlie, I'm so sorry I'm late. Connie's car got stuck up in Duluth I had to go get her."
"Yeah whatever." I grumbled starting to check out the register for the shift swap.
"Banks, how ya doin'? I haven't seen ya in like a month." Yes, there he goes again, boyfriend-stealing creep.
"Fine and you?" Banksie averted his eyes to the floor.
"Good. Glad you're good too."
Did they not notice I was standing right there?
"Right come Adam, let's go." I took his hand and led him out.
We took separate cars back to campus and he walked quickly, staying a few feet ahead of me. I knew it was because he thought I was going yell at him for talking to Guy. Is it so wrong that I want him all to myself? I mean he'd cheated on me already.
"You do realize Guy's straight right?" That was the first time Adam ever initiated the conversation.
"I was straight too till you came along." I tossed my keys on the end table.
"Oh give me a break. You spend all your free time hanging out with Fulton, who is gay mind you, with a boyfriend that lives miles away. Where as I talk to Guy, who has a girlfriend he practically spends twenty-four hours a day with and yet you can be jealous and I cant."
"I never cheated on you Adam."
"There you go throwing that in my face again."
"You brought it up! I'm merely stating facts!"
"That's it. I'm going out."
"No you're not! We're going to sit here and have a quiet romantic night together."
"Charlie, I'm just going for a drive I'll be back."
'No he's not, he's going to meet up with someone else. He's going to leave you' that's what was going through my head when I grabbed his wrist and bent his arm behind his back as he reached the door. He screamed out in pain, those afternoons lifting weights must have been working. I was able to prevent his escape.
"I said you're not going anywhere. I meant it." As I pulled him back into the room I noticed his hand gripping his wrist. His right wrist, the wrist he screwed up during the Goodwill Games.
It was already starting to turn a very unpleasant shade of purple and the swelling was coming rapidly as well. That wasn't a good thing.
"Oh my god. Are you okay? I didn't mean to do that to you wrist. Can you move it?" My hand went tenderly over the swollen, bruised area of his arm.
"Ow! Please don't touch it Charlie." Banks yanked his arm back and drew far away from me to the other side of the room.
"You can't blame me for this, this wasn't my fault. If you would've just listened to me when I said I didn't want you to leave."
"So this is all my fault then right?" He sniffled and I could tell the pain had him on the brink of tears.
"Most of it yeah. Look do you need anything, a ride to the emergency room?"
"No, I've got some Codeine (pain killer for those of you that don't know) left from the last I banged it up. I'm gonna take a couple, if it's still hurting in the morning, I'll see a doctor." His tone was so bland there seemed to be no emotion in it at all, and his features were so stony, he didn't even look like Adam even his bright blue eyes were clouded stormy gray.
"Is there anything I can do?" I really did feel terrible, twisting his wrist like that really hadn't been my intention, and it was an accident. All I had wanted to do was keep him from leaving.
"Yeah there's one thing." He answered popping a painkiller.
"What?"
"Leave, go out for a while so I can try to sleep off this agony."
I nodded all to happy to oblige anything he wanted, if he'd asked for my left leg right then I would've chopped it off and gift wrapped it.
I wandered the campus for a while, there was much I could do or places I could go. I'd left my wallet back in the room so I didn't have my student ID required to access the school activity facilities. My wandering was growing more and more aimless as time went on and before I knew I had left the University grounds. I found myself standing against a fence, watching a group of middle school kids, play roller hockey on a basketball court. The way the Ducks and I had some many times in the passed, but that's what it was in the passed. Things would never be that way again. As I stood there, the face of the young kids faces became those of our friends.
~* Flash Back*~
"Pass it Kenny."
"Here you go Russ."
"Oh great save Cat Lady."
"Thanks Goldberg."
"What do you say we can get a pizza, my treat."
"Good idea, thanks Adam."
"I knew we hung out with you for a reason Banks."
"Gee love you too Conway."
~*End Flashback*~
I shook my head erasing the memory, now suddenly cold. The late afternoon sun was doing little to heat the chilly mid November day and I shivered against the unforgiving brisk Minnesota wind. What I wouldn't have given to have a pair of strong arms encircle me right then, a warm body crushed against my back radiating fever. Though I was kidding myself if I thought for one second he'd be coming to chase after me, professing undying love. He hadn't done that in weeks, in fact he hadn't said he loved me at all in weeks. I was losing him, losing control of my feelings, losing it all. I wasn't about to give him up without a fight, may it be verbal of physical, and I refused to give up. I couldn't just let him go.