"So...?" Joey prompted, putting a bowl of chocolate pudding on her lunch tray.
"What?"
Jack asked.
"What happened? I saw you and Joshua coming
into school this morning after Andie's hospital appointment."
Joey explained with a coy smile.
Before coming to school that morning Jack and Joshua had taken Andie back to the hospital to see Doctor Pickett after last night's revelations. He'd had to leave her there but everything had been going well when he'd left.
"Nothing happened, Jo, I'd been running on so much adrenaline that I almost burned out. Joshua was just there too; there are no dirty little secrets here."
Joey shot him an unbelieving look as the pair of them sat down.
"It's the truth!"
"You seriously expect me to believe that you've had your boyfriend stay over twice now and absolutely nothing has happened?"
"Correct."
"You could at least have the decency, then, to tell me what happened to mean that nothing happened."
"He was the perfect gentleman. We talked and then he'd sleep on the floor. Sorry to disappoint you."
"There is no disappointment; I'm happy for you, Jack." Joey smiled.
Jack continued eating, but Joey watched him for a bit longer.
"You want to know everything, don't you?"
"Oh yes." Joey said, putting her hair behind her ear.
As Jack thought of how to start a slight smile played on his face, which made Joey grin expectantly bringing Jack out of his trance.
"What?" Jack asked, innocently.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
Jack blushed slightly before explaining, "When I think of him I remember the evening of the party at Jen's house and finding him on my doorstep. He was soaked through and looked so innocent and vulnerable and also so strong. I wanted, still want, nothing more than to protect that boy standing on my doorstep but at every turn it's like I'm finding new depths of strength in him and he's the one protecting me."
"How...poetic," Joey said, mesmerised by her friend's words.
"Sickening isn't it," Jack smiled. "And it's all the other things I'm learning everyday too. I mean how often do you find a ice-skating, Hans Andersen reading, alternative music fan who you feel is finally someone on the same wavelength?"
"Hans Andersen?"
"When we were at his after we went ice-skating he read me 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', it was his favourite story as a kid."
"Still is," Joshua said, sitting down next to Jack. The two boys hugged tightly and then sat together with their fingers linked.
"So other than my nostalgia, what are we talking about?"
"That about covers it." Joey replied.
"I was just telling Joey about last night and how nothing kinky happened."
"Guilty as charged; not one for the kinks."
"So very glad to hear it," Jack smiled and squeezed Joshua's hand.
After
lunch Joshua walked Jack to class, making a stop off at Jack's
locker. When the door was opened a note fell from the inside of the
grate and fluttered to the floor. Jack bent to pick up the computer
typed note from Mr. Ames:
There
is to be an extra rehearsal of the final 3
scenes this evening in the auditorium at 8. I
would be very grateful if you could all attend
and apologies for the short notice.
Thanks,
Mr. Ames
Jack slipped the note into his pocket and took out his books for the afternoon. The two boys went there separate ways.
After school Jack took the Saab and went to the hospital to pick up Andie. When he arrived he found his sister giving a statement to the police. Jack found it unnerving that the police were becoming such a constant presence in his life right now, but he took comfort in the fact that they included a familiar face in Doug Witter.
As he entered the relatives' room he shut the door quietly behind him but both Andie and the cop looked in his direction so he apologised as he sat down and listened to Andie finish answering the cop's questions.
"I never saw his face, like I said, he knocked on the front door but when I opened it there was no one there and he grabbed me when I turned round to go back into the house."
"What about when he was keeping you in the motel room?"
Andie shook her head. "He kept it really dark and was careful to stay in the shadows whenever he took the blindfold off. I'm sorry I can't help you any more, officer."
"You've been more than helpful, Andie, please don't worry," the officer stood up and put his pad away. "That's all for now, thank you for your time, Andie."
Andie smiled as the officer left and then went straight over to her brother and hugged him as tightly as she could without irritating the new dressings on her wrists.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay here with you today, Andie."
"I know, you said so this morning, but I've had so many people talking to me all at once, if you'd been there too you would have just been another face in the crowd," she smiled reassuringly. "I was fine, Jack."
"Are you ready to go home?"
"More than ready," Andie smiled.
Jack smiled in return and led her by the hand out to the car.
"Are you going to alright at home on your own? Because we've got another rehearsal this evening but there is no way I'm letting you go after the last few days you've had!"
"Yes, an eighteen year old can spend an evening alone in her locked house. I know you're worried about me Jack, but I'll be fine. I may play the terrified mouse every now and then, but I'll never be okay unless I'm pushed to be."
"All the same, I've told Grams and she's just a phone call away."
"Thank you."
Jack just smiled as he unlocked the car. As soon as she got in Andie pulled open the glove box and pulled out an Alice band, which she wasted no time in putting in her hair.
"How do you remember where you keep those? I swear it must be like a squirrel's nuts... little stashes everywhere and you only remember some of them each winter." Jack joked as he started the car. The two of them laughed as they pulled out of the car park.
Jack hadn't felt right leaving Andie alone in the house she'd been abducted from and so had called Grams when they'd got home. Grams hadn't been busy and so readily agreed to look after Andie for the evening.
On the way to school Jack stopped to pick up Joshua who had no way of getting to school that evening. Jack locked the car and slipped the key into his pocket, touching the note that was already there, which reminded him that the rehearsal started at 8. Jack looked at his watch; it was still only 6.30. He shrugged to himself and rang the doorbell and smiled as the chime played a tune that Jack new but couldn't name.
Joshua was at the door in seconds. "You're late," he chided.
"I waited for Grams to come to look after Andie, I just wish I could have."
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
"What?"
"It's Latin, it means 'who guards the guards'."
"Is there anything you don't know?"
"How they get the jelly in jelly donuts."
Jack couldn't help but laugh. Joshua just smiled at him.
"I like that sound."
For the second time that day, Jack blushed, "Do you really think of me as a guard?"
"Well, you're always seem ready to sacrifice anything to be there and protect the ones you care about. Like with Andie yesterday and this evening."
"I just do what I can," Jack suddenly felt self-conscious.
"But like with Andie this evening, you've got to know when to pass the baton. You can't always be there for everyone, Jack." With that Joshua put his hand on Jack's shoulder.
Neither boy said anything for a few seconds until Joshua spoke up once again.
"Sorry, I'm so rude; would you like a drink, Jack? I make a useless host."
"Water would be good."
"This way," Joshua let his hand on Jack's shoulder slid down to his hand and he led him into the kitchen.
"Joshua?"
"Hmmm...." came the reply from the head inside the refrigerator.
"How much did you overhear at lunch today?"
"Of the conversation between you and Joey?" Joshua handed a bottle of water over to Jack.
"Enough," Joshua gave a knowing smile.
Jack knew the other boy was playing on his curiosity. "How much is enough?"
"Enough to be able to tell you that I'm only as strong as you let me be. I thought I'd found the same strength you described to Joey in you too. Now I think that there's a strength in us." Joshua smiled again, taking the bottle of water back from Jack and placing both bottles side by side on the kitchen work surface. Then Joshua stepped in closer to Jack, close enough that Jack could feel Joshua's breath on his chin when he spoke. "And it's because of that strength that I know I can do this."
Jack was looking into Joshua's hazel eyes and so he didn't see the movement, only felt the hands on the sides of his head, cupping his jawbones and curved around his ears. Then it happened. At first both boys closed their eyes as Joshua's lips were barely making contact with Jack's, but Jack felt Joshua's lips part, just slightly, and come forward for more contact. It was so gentle and so loving that Jack gave in straight away, wrapping his own arms around Joshua's waist. There was no force in the movement, not even the slightest tug, but Joshua automatically pulled himself even closer to Jack. His right hand moving slowly from the other boy's cheek and down over his shoulder, Jack could feel his fingers moving through his hair so slowly they were almost caressing it. Joshua's hand traced the line of Jack's shoulder blade, moving down under his arm to the side of his torso and finally down to his waist, where it slowly slid back round to the small of Jack's back. Joshua's bare feet were toe to toe with Jack's shoes, and both boys were arced toward one another, meeting at the stomach. Then Jack's right hand reversed the movement of Joshua's, moving from his lower back and slowly travelling up to between his should blades, where it rested as the kiss deepened. The sides of their noses touched as Joshua's tongue moved forward toward the front of his mouth and his once again parted lips, Jack put up no resistance to its entrance but instead greeted it with his own and both took their time. Their tongues rolled and rubbed smoothly around and over one another, a slow and mild dance. There was no hunger in the kiss for anymore than for it to continue.
Jack enjoyed feeling the air move along his cheekbone whenever Joshua exhaled through his nose, still side by side with his own, and everytime he did so he understood exactly what Joshua had meant, there was a strength in the two of them, together.
Finally Jack's hand began roaming once again, coming up over Joshua's shoulder and slowly down his upper arm, the feel of his bicep as his hand moved off the sleeve of his T-shirt causing him to exhale along Joshua's cheek, causing the same feeling of electricity he himself had felt everytime the air had stroked his own face. Though it slowed even further Jack's hand did not stop, moving over the elbow and back up the forearm where his fingers curled between Joshua's. Joshua's tongue withdrew as he understood that, unfortunately, the kiss was about to end. Both pairs of lips closed and were pulled back till there were once again just touching, where they paused before finally both boys lent their heads back just enough to open their eyes and look at one another.
Jack was positioned so he could see the night sky through the window behind Joshua. "When did the sun go down?"
"It hasn't," Joshua replied, smiling as he looked into Jack's eyes.
To Be Continued...