Something Like Autumn - Jay Bell

1、Something Like Autumn 2013 Jay Bell / Andreas BellALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.Chapter FiveJaces family lived on the southwe

2、st edge of town, which in Warrensburg wasnt any great distance. Biking into town was possible, he and his sister having done so often enough before they learned to drive. A walk seemed too far, especially in this weather. Jace couldnt remember a single Halloween when it hadnt rained, and this year w

3、as no exception. The sluggish clouds had finally let loose, the slow drizzle becoming a steady downpour. Victor wouldnt be walking home in this. Jace would drive him back into town. Better yet, he had another idea.“Nice,” Victor said as they cruised past a small lake circled by trees.“The yard of my

4、 house runs right down to that lake.”“You guys rich?”“No.” Jace laughed. “Its not our yard. It just sort of feels that way. Theres a valley that a bunch of houses are built along. Anyone can go out back and walk down to the lake. Its small, but you can fish, and there are some woods you can hike thr

5、ough.”They pulled into the subdivision, which was only four or five blocks linked together. His father always joked that some developer had built their neighborhood as an escape from the fast-paced life of downtown Warrensburg.“This is it,” Jace said, pulling into the driveway. “Uh, what do you thin

6、k about crashing here tonight? I could drive you back into town tomorrow when I go to school.”“Think your parents will mind?”“Hopefully they wont notice.”Victor leaned forward, considering the house through the windshield. “Sure. Why not?”Jace shut off the engine, got out of the car, and led the way

7、 inside. The house was dark and quiet. He thought they would make it to his room undetected, but the hall light turned on just as they were at the door. For an older woman, Serena sure had good hearing!“You look even scarier with the makeup running,” she said before noticing Victor. “Whos this?”Jace

8、 made the introductions. Victor seemed comfortable enough, offering his hand and smiling. “Is it okay if he stays over?”“Its a school night,” his mother said. “I thought you were out with Greg?”“No. He had plans with his girlfriend.” Jace put on his best “please please please!” face. “Well go straig

9、ht to bed. Ill be up even later if I have to drive him back into town.”His mother looked reluctant, but in the end she nodded. “Wash that makeup off your face and then straight to bed!”This made Jace feel eight years old, but he was too happy to complain. He showed Victor to his bedroom, which sudde

10、nly felt a little awkward. He didnt have his own television like Greg did, or anything he expected Victor would find very interesting. He had a decent music collection, but they couldnt listen to anything right now.“Uh, I gotta take a shower real quick. Think youll be okay?”“Yeah.” Victor tossed the

11、ir candy on the bed. “Ill check for razor blades or something.”“Okay.” Jace didnt want to leave the room, but once he was in the bathroom, he groaned. He looked like hell. Of course he was supposed to, but hed mostly forgotten how gory his makeup was. Victor had been staring at a ghastly face all ni

12、ght.Jace rushed through his usual shower ritual, dried off, and threw on a clean T-shirt and pajama bottoms. When he returned to his room, Victor was stretched out on the bed, flipping through an old comic book. He had taken off his shoes. The Army jacket too. For the first time, Jace could see a lo

13、t more of his body. Victor wasnt ripped or anything, his build on the thin side, but Jaces interest was piqued.“You a big Batman fan?” Victor asked, setting aside the comic.Jace shook his head. “Just one of those things that Ive had around forever.”“Oh. I always liked the old television show. Cheesy

14、, but fun.”He couldnt remember much about it, unfortunately. Instead, Jace was worried about the sleeping arrangements. He and Greg had grown up together, so sharing a bed didnt seem awkward. And besides, the mattress was queen-size, so there was plenty of room.“My best friend is straight and we sle

15、ep together,” Jace blurted out.“Sounds like you should be on a talk show.”Jaces face started to burn. “Not like that. I mean we share the bed, but if that makes you uncomfortable, Ill take the floor.”Victor grinned. “Its fine. If your best friend can handle it, so can I.”“Oh, okay.” Jace hesitated.

16、“Are you tired?”“Yeah. Lets call it a night.” Victor stood and started unbuttoning his jeans. Jace forced himself to look away and shut off the light. Then he crawled into bed, keeping his back to his guest. Once Victor was under the sheets with him, Jace mumbled good night, closed his eyes, and rem

17、ained absolutely rigid for the next half hour. Part of him didnt want to accidently brush against Victor and give him the wrong impression, mostly because that would be the exact right impression.Sleep felt far away, so Jace listened to the sound of Victors breathing as it deepened, took in the subt

18、le scent of his body, and felt amazed at the warmth next to him. No wonder Michelle always let guys sneak through her window at night! Once Jace was sure Victor was asleep, he rolled over. In the dim light, he could see Victors bare shoulder, his messy punk hair. He stared at these simple things, ye

19、arning to reach out his hand, to touch him. It wouldnt have to be sexual. Sure, Jace wanted that as well, but even more he wanted to hold another man, or maybe be held. He just wanted to be close to someone.Eventually, eyes burning from exhaustion, Jace rolled back over and went to sleep.* * * * *Su

20、nlight streamed through his bedroom window, bathing his room in light. When Jace woke up, the first thing he did was make sure he wasnt dreaming. Hed had quite a few in the night, none of them satisfying. Most revolved around trying to pull the blankets off Victor, but they wouldnt budge, like they

21、were made of cement. As Jace eyed Victors sleeping form next to him, this frustration remained. Of course now he could pull down the blankets and see what he was missing, but Jace wasnt ready to sink that low.Instead he lay on his back and tried to think of anything boring to get his morning wood to

22、 subside. Algebra, the dirty microwave at Bernies Stop and Shop, Dans ugly face That last one did it. Jace crawled out of bed, grabbed some clean clothes, and hit the shower. Sure hed taken one the night before, but sleeping always made him feel grubby, and last night he had sweat much more than usu

23、al.When he returned to his room, Victor was awake and sitting up, the sheets scrunched up around his waist. Jace had never seen him in daylight before. Nor had he seen this much of him. “Did you sleep well?” he mumbled as he stared. Victor was thinnot surprising if he skipped meals so often. Dark ha

24、ir was sprinkled across the very top of his chest, his torso below smooth until the hair returned in a narrow trail just below his belly button. When Jace realized that Victor hadnt answered, he looked up to find him smirking.“I dont know how to tell you this, man,” Victor said, “but I think you mig

25、ht be gay.”“Ha ha.” Jace rolled his eyes and busied himself with straightening up his room. “Do you want to take a shower?”“Aaaand that confirms it.”“Not with me!” Jace said, body tensing. When he saw Victors grin he relaxed.“Yeah, a shower sounds good. If theres still time.”“There is.” Jace turned

26、his back when Victor started getting out of bed. “Uh, my family usually eats breakfast together. I dont know if youre up for that. I wouldnt blame you for sneaking out.”Victor laughed. “Im good. You know me and free food. I cant say no.”“Okay. Well, there are fresh towels beneath the sink.”“Okay.”Th

27、e room was silent. Victor didnt seem to be moving. Jace could sense him standing not too far away, but he kept his focus on arranging the socks in his dresser.“What do I call your parents?” Victor said eventually. “Here I am in your room, wearing nothing but my underwear, and I dont even know your l

28、ast name.”“Holden.”“Mr. and Mrs. Holden. All right.”The room was quiet again, although Jace was sure he could hear the frantic beating of his own heart.“Jace?”“Yeah?”“Its okay to look. I dont mind.”After some hesitation, Jace turned around. Victor was standing there, the window behind illuminating h

29、im like the sexiest saint ever conceived. Jace noticed for the first time the thin dark line around one of Victors arms. A tattoo? His attention didnt remain there for long. Jace followed the teasing trail of hair down to the maroon briefs. Victor was thin, but this only made his bulge appear all th

30、e more pronounced. Before Jaces tongue flopped out and he started panting, he looked upward, his gaze traveling back to those mismatched eyes.“Anyone would be lucky to have you look at them like that.” Victor smiled, but it was gentle, not mocking or amused. “You remember that.”Jace didnt think that

31、 would be a problem. He wouldnt forget a single detail of this moment. Ever!Victor asked him where the bathroom was, then excused himself. Even though Jace had found sexual relief in the shower, he had no doubt he was up for another round. Rather than risk getting caught, he sat on the edge of the b

32、ed and considered the implications.Was Victor simply being nice? Or was it more than that? His package had been impressive, and yet Victor hadnt been hard. If he was interested in Jace, wouldnt he have been? Surely Victor now knew Jace was interested, since like everything else, his thoughts and fee

33、lings seemed completely transparent to him.A smile crept over Jaces face. Whatever it all meant, having a nearly naked man let him stare was pretty damn awesome. His good mood remained intact, even when Victor returneddressed in yesterdays clothingand they joined his family at the breakfast table. H

34、e imagined Victor squirming in discomfort, eager to escape back to the wild world he came from. Instead he was right in his element. Victor ignored the surprised or curious stares and happily chatted with all of Jaces family, even Michelle, whose jaw was practically resting on the table. Of course V

35、ictor was still weird. He began telling them of the chicken farm a family friend owned, about the battery cages and miserable living conditions of the egg-laying hens. By the end of breakfast, most of them had uneaten eggs on their plates, except for Jaces father, who happily gobbled up the leftover

36、s.When it was time to go, Michelle allowed Victor to ride shotgun while Jace drove. “I insist,” she said. Having overcome her surprise, she donned a patient expression. Despite it, Jace knew shed be grilling him the second they were alone.“You can let me out here,” Victor said once they were downtow

37、n.Jace pulled over, watching Victor in the rearview mirror. He had a lot of questions, but he couldnt ask most of them, especially in front of his sister. “Are you coming by Bernies tonight?” he asked.“If youre working. Sure.”Thank you, sweet baby Jesus! Jace practiced restraint, managing a fairly d

38、etached, “Okay. Cool.”“Everything,” Michelle said as they pulled away from the curb. “I dont care if you have to drive in circles for the next three hours. Im not getting out of this car until I know everything.”Jace laughed and filled her in on the basics. He didnt tell her about the strange moment

39、 in the woods last night, or Victor in his underwear this morning. Those things were private, treasures he would hoard greedily, like his fictional black widow did jewelry.“What do you think?” he asked when finished with his story.“Well, its obvious you like him. So much for the slow realization fan

40、tasy.”“No kidding. If you werent in the car I probably would have proposed.”Michelle giggled. “I cant believe Mom and Dad let you have a boyfriend over.”“Its not like that,” Jace said. “Were just friends.”“Yeah, for now.” Michelle considered him. “So is Victor”Jace sighed. “I dont know. How am I sup

41、posed to tell?”Michelle shrugged. “Just ask him, I guess. You said hes totally cool with you being gay, so I dont think hed find the question offensive.”Jace mulled this over as they pulled into the school parking lot. Why not? When Victor showed up at Bernies tonight, hed simply ask him.* * * * *Ja

42、ce and his sister rarely ate together, despite having the same lunch period. As close as they were, they remained siblings, and this meant getting sick of sharing the same roof. So when Michelle approached his table, Julie blushing along behind her, Jace knew he was in for an awkward conversation, e

43、specially since his sister seemed amused.“Hi,” Julie said, practically squirming as she sat down.“Hello there!” Greg replied, happy to flirt with any girl.Julie barely looked at him. Instead she stared at Jace, not saying a word. Okay, maybe he could understand why Victor had him so figured out, esp

44、ecially if Jace behaved anything like she did. He felt like offering her a napkin in case she drooled.“Julie here has something to tell you,” Michelle said.Julie blinked. “I do?”“About Victor.” Michelle said helpfully.Jace perked up. “Really?”“Oh my god, I cant believe I forgot!” Julies shyness melt

45、ed away as she delved into gossip. “Victor Hemingway is a hero! You know who Mr. Collins is?”“Yeah, the health and fitness teacher,” Jace said. The course was a requirement for all sophomores, focusing on nutrition, exercise, and anything else relating to staying fit.“Hes also one of the PE coaches,

46、” Greg said. “I was unlucky enough to have him for both classes that year. The guy is a total jerk. He was always going on about priming the pump. If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to prime the pump.”Jace laughed. “I remember that. What he really meant is that we were supposed to kiss hi

47、s ass.”“Everyone hates him,” Julie agreed. “The guy is a total Nazi. He made so many girls in my class cry.”“I had Mrs. Sheridan,” Michelle said. “Whats so bad about Mr. Collins?”“Hes a dick,” Greg said frankly. “One time he talked about how peeing in the shower isnt a big deal, because urine is ste

48、rile. He asked people to raise their hands if theyd ever done that, which of course was every guy there. Then Mr. Collins told us how disgusting we all were and called us animals.”“Like hes never done it!” Jace said.Michelle snorted. “Hell, even I pee in the shower sometimes.”They all laughed, but J

49、ace had an even worse story that made him somber. “Did he do that body-check thing with you guys? With us he called three people to the front, each with a different build. One was skinny, one fat, and one was some perfect guy on the football team.”“Mr. Collins loves his jocks,” Greg interjected.“Yea

50、h, theyre the only ones he was nice to. Anyway, Mr. Collins praised the jocks body, practically worshipping him before totally humiliating the other two guys. He made the skinny one show his ribs, then measured his arms and compared them to the jocks muscles. The overweight guy had it even worse. Mr

51、. Collins measured his waist, which was bad enough, and then made him lift his arms to point out all the flab beneath. It was horrible.”Julie nodded. “He did that to the girls too. I know some parents complained, but hes still teaching. My dad blamed tenure, whatever that means. Anyway, it was somet

52、hing like that which set Victor off. All I know is Mr. Collins was being his usual horrible self and Victor snapped and slammed him up against the chalkboard.”“Oh yeah!” Greg said excitedly. “I heard about that! He had his arm pressed against Mr. Collinss throat in some sort of Chuck Norris move.”“T

53、he best part is what he said,” Julie continued. “Victor asked Mr. Collins if he went home and primed his pump every night while thinking about students bodies. His face turned bright red, so now everyones sure that Mr. Collins was ashamed of the truth. Hes totally a perv.”O(jiān)r he couldnt breathe. Eith

54、er way, Jace felt a swelling in his chest.“Mr. Collins took time off, didnt he?”“He was being investigated,” Julie said in conspiring tones. “Victor was kicked out of school for assaulting a teacher, and no one has heard from him since.”“Thats not quite true,” Michelle said. “He was in our car this

55、morning.”“No way!” Greg and Julie said in unison.Michelle looked at Jace to back her up.“Yeah, weve hung out a few times,” he said bashfully. “Its not a big deal.”“Whats he like?” Julie breathed, her crush on him forgotten.“Nice,” Jace said.“Nice?” Greg repeated incredulously. “Thats it? The guy who

56、 had Mr. Collins begging for mercy is nice?”“Okay, so hes kind of wild,” Jace said, thinking of how Victor smart-mouthed the potbellied man while trick-or-treating. “But only when provoked. Otherwise, hes nice.”And thats all theyd get out of him. Julie and Greg hammered him with questions, but Jace

57、just shook his head and kept changing the subject until the bell rang. The word “hero” was bandied around a lot.Jace liked that. Victor was a hero.* * * * *The florescent lights hummed, one of them occasionally flickering. In their cold light, even the brightly colored chip bags and candy wrappers s

58、eemed sucked clean of life. Or maybe it was just the foul mood that had followed Jace since yesterday. Victor hadnt shown up last night. Jace had even worked an extra hour after his shift had ended, which wasnt easy since Dan was being especially rude to him. That came mostly from Bernard hanging around the store longer than usual, which Dan blamed on Jace. He was probably right. Bernard only seemed interested in visiting with him, chatting about his son for as long as Jace was willing to listen. That part he hadnt minded. He admired how