Roman drove in silence for a few minutes, wanting to say something but unsure of where to start. Eventually he couldn't stand the suspense anymore and decided to try to get Seth to open up to him.
"So...those kids you were with...they friends of yours?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Seth continued looking down as he expelled a sharp breath through his nose and shook his head slowly. "No," he answered. "Just some kids I go to school with." He fiddled with his tie and turned his gaze out the window, watching the cityscape roll by and wishing he could be anywhere else.
Roman nodded, thoughtfully stroking his goatee. He had noticed the grass stains on the front of Seth's shirt when he had entered the car, but didn't know exactly how to broach the subject of how he had gotten them. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're not friends with those little shitheads. I swear, those two punks are probably responsible for half the vandalism in this town."
"Yeah, probably," Seth mumbled, still staring out the window.
Ro bit his lip apprehensively, not wanting to say anything that would sound like an interrogation. "Did you fall down or something? You look kinda...roughed up." He glanced over at Seth, looking down at his shirt.
Seth shifted around in his seat, pulling the flaps of his jacket closer together to cover up his chest. He looked over at Roman, eyes shifting away quickly when he saw him looking back at him. "Yeah. I fell. I'm a klutz, I guess."
"Uh-huh," Ro said, unconvinced. He drove for a few more minutes as he thought about what else to say. Finally, he decided to change the subject, hoping to lessen the tension between them.
"So, did you get a decent lunch today, at least?"
Seth looked over at him nervously, his heart jumping in his chest as he remembered where the money Roman had given him had gone. "Y-yeah," he lied. "Thanks again for that, by the way...you really didn't have to."
Ro glanced over, catching Seth's gaze for a moment and smiling warmly. "Hey, I couldn't let you starve, now could I?"
Seth opened his mouth to reply, but just as he started to speak, his stomach growled loudly, the sound plainly audible throughout the car. He quickly clammed up, his arms wrapping around his midsection in an attempt to quiet his rumbling gut.
"Sounds like whatever you had, you didn't eat enough," Roman joked awkwardly. "How 'bout I take you out for some sushi later? It would give us a chance to catch up a little bit. I feel like we haven't really had a chance to talk since I've been home."
"Um...yeah, sure," Seth said, distracted. The thought of spending time alone with Roman would have usually excited him, but this time he was worried about how he was going to keep up the façade that everything was okay, especially if it happened to come under the scrutiny of the one person he hated lying to more than anyone else.
Sensing Seth's discomfort, Ro reached over and put a hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently. "We don't have to talk about school if you don't want to. I just...I miss seeing your face, is all."
Seth looked down at the hand on his leg, suddenly overtaken by a rush of conflicting emotion that threatened to spill out in tears. He swallowed hard, resting his much smaller hand on top of Roman's and forcing a smile. "I missed you too. More than you could imagine."
Ro continued to drive, not moving his hand away for fear that the moment would end. The two boys sat in silence until they arrived at Seth's house and pulled into the driveway. Finally, Roman slid his hand off of the other boy's leg and put the car in park.
"So, whaddya say I come back and pick you up around 6-ish? I still gotta shower and get ready first...I'm kinda sweaty and gross right now," he said, tugging on the front of his dingy practice jersey.
Seth looked over, his gaze immediately dropping down to Roman's crotch, his large bulge visible beneath the shorts he was wearing. He forced himself to look away, not wanting to get caught staring at it. "Sure...6 is fine, I guess."
"Well jeez, don't sound so excited," Ro said somewhat sarcastically. "You sure you want to?"
"Yeah...I mean, yes. It sounds great," Seth answered, trying to sound more certain. He smiled, looking Roman in the eye. "Can't wait."
"Well okay then. See you in a couple hours, cutie."
Seth blushed slightly at Ro's statement, smiling shyly. "You're a dork," he replied as he opened the door and started to get out.
"Takes one to know one," Roman shot back, reaching over and cuffing the smaller boy on his backside as he exited the vehicle.