him from feeling that humiliation, and started eating.
“You can tell her yourself.” Jimmy waved at his friends, who seemed to find something on the other side of the cafeteria suddenly very interesting. Jimmy leaned in and dropped his voice. “She’d like you to come over for dinner tonight. I told her that your—that man might make things difficult if you did, but she was hoping you would. Hoping it might help you make a decision about what she offered last night so that it doesn’t matter what he thinks or does. And I have to admit, she probably wants to get some food into you. My mom likes to feed… like, everyone.”
Simon looked up at him, frowning. “I… I don’t know what to, uh, what I should….” He sighed and set the sandwich down. He propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Being late a second day in a row was just begging for trouble way beyond anything he’d gotten the night before. The shouting alone would be horrible, and Simon suspected The Bastard might find something much heavier than a boot to throw this time.
Was it worth the possibility?
“Look, you don’t have to decide right now. Just have dinner with us. See if my parents are people you can put up with.” He smiled, then bit his lip in thought. “If nothing else, I’d like to introduce them to my first boyfriend.”
Simon blinked. “Your boyfriend? Wait, your… first?”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, I haven’t actually come out to them yet. I… I don’t know how they’ll react. I think they’ll be okay with it. They haven’t seemed homophobic or anything. But anyway, yeah. You’re my first boyfriend.”
Something in Simon warmed at that, overshadowed the fear that had taken such a tight hold on him. “I… I need to ask something, and this is going to sound stupid, so I’m sorry, but I… it’s not because you want to help me, right? This, uh… the… dating thing?”
Jimmy looked completely puzzled for a long moment, as if Simon had just spoken in a foreign language. “Help? What?” He blinked a few times, and then his face cleared. “Oh! Oh no, baby. Uh… can I call you that?”
Simon found himself nodding but couldn’t seem to speak.
Jimmy leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then spoke in his ear. “No, I want you , Simon. I like you . I want to help you because I like you. I don’t like you because I want to help you.”
When Jimmy sat back and took Simon’s hand again, Simon could do nothing but stare at them clasped together for the moment. “I… I don’t think I can. Not… not today. I’m sorry.”
Jimmy looked disappointed, but despite how much Simon wanted to make Jimmy happy—and it surprised him just how much he did, this fast—the fear, the absolute certainty of what he’d face if he came home late again was just a bit more prominent.
Simon dropped his eyes again, focusing on their hands once more, and bit his lip. “Look, maybe this is a bad idea. I… I don’t know if or when I can go out or—”
“Hey, hey!” Jimmy put a finger under Simon’s chin and forced his gaze back up. “No, no, no. It’s… if being your boyfriend means I only see you at school for now, then that’s what I’ll do, okay? We’ll have lunches, right?”
Simon nodded and swallowed around a lump. “It’s… that’s not fair to you, though.”
Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t care about that.” He paused and frowned. “What about your trig?”
Simon sighed. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’ll just have to study more at night, I guess. I mean… he usually leaves me alone after I clean up from dinner and go to my room. Sometimes, if he passes out, I can sneak out, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Well….” Jimmy looked thoughtful. “We could work during lunchtime.” He made a face. “I’m sure there are better things for us to talk about, but….”
Simon nodded. “That’s true. I need to fix that grade or my chances of a
“You can tell her yourself.” Jimmy waved at his friends, who seemed to find something on the other side of the cafeteria suddenly very interesting. Jimmy leaned in and dropped his voice. “She’d like you to come over for dinner tonight. I told her that your—that man might make things difficult if you did, but she was hoping you would. Hoping it might help you make a decision about what she offered last night so that it doesn’t matter what he thinks or does. And I have to admit, she probably wants to get some food into you. My mom likes to feed… like, everyone.”
Simon looked up at him, frowning. “I… I don’t know what to, uh, what I should….” He sighed and set the sandwich down. He propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Being late a second day in a row was just begging for trouble way beyond anything he’d gotten the night before. The shouting alone would be horrible, and Simon suspected The Bastard might find something much heavier than a boot to throw this time.
Was it worth the possibility?
“Look, you don’t have to decide right now. Just have dinner with us. See if my parents are people you can put up with.” He smiled, then bit his lip in thought. “If nothing else, I’d like to introduce them to my first boyfriend.”
Simon blinked. “Your boyfriend? Wait, your… first?”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, I haven’t actually come out to them yet. I… I don’t know how they’ll react. I think they’ll be okay with it. They haven’t seemed homophobic or anything. But anyway, yeah. You’re my first boyfriend.”
Something in Simon warmed at that, overshadowed the fear that had taken such a tight hold on him. “I… I need to ask something, and this is going to sound stupid, so I’m sorry, but I… it’s not because you want to help me, right? This, uh… the… dating thing?”
Jimmy looked completely puzzled for a long moment, as if Simon had just spoken in a foreign language. “Help? What?” He blinked a few times, and then his face cleared. “Oh! Oh no, baby. Uh… can I call you that?”
Simon found himself nodding but couldn’t seem to speak.
Jimmy leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then spoke in his ear. “No, I want you , Simon. I like you . I want to help you because I like you. I don’t like you because I want to help you.”
When Jimmy sat back and took Simon’s hand again, Simon could do nothing but stare at them clasped together for the moment. “I… I don’t think I can. Not… not today. I’m sorry.”
Jimmy looked disappointed, but despite how much Simon wanted to make Jimmy happy—and it surprised him just how much he did, this fast—the fear, the absolute certainty of what he’d face if he came home late again was just a bit more prominent.
Simon dropped his eyes again, focusing on their hands once more, and bit his lip. “Look, maybe this is a bad idea. I… I don’t know if or when I can go out or—”
“Hey, hey!” Jimmy put a finger under Simon’s chin and forced his gaze back up. “No, no, no. It’s… if being your boyfriend means I only see you at school for now, then that’s what I’ll do, okay? We’ll have lunches, right?”
Simon nodded and swallowed around a lump. “It’s… that’s not fair to you, though.”
Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t care about that.” He paused and frowned. “What about your trig?”
Simon sighed. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’ll just have to study more at night, I guess. I mean… he usually leaves me alone after I clean up from dinner and go to my room. Sometimes, if he passes out, I can sneak out, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Well….” Jimmy looked thoughtful. “We could work during lunchtime.” He made a face. “I’m sure there are better things for us to talk about, but….”
Simon nodded. “That’s true. I need to fix that grade or my chances of a
Similar Books
