Status: Updated as soon as possible
A Daydream Away
Chapter 8
Jack's POV
There are many things that I've come to realize I am thankful for. I'm thankful for the people in my life, the roof over my head, and for the opportunity to run such a successful business. But, even with those aspects of my life that I've come to appreciate, I've always felt like it was missing something. Well, until recently, at least.
Over these past few weeks, I've noticed that I am more than grateful for Alex becoming a part of my life. Maybe it was to keep me company in my lonely apartment, maybe this was merely a charity case and it was making myself feel like I was a better person, or maybe it was to give me someone I could connect to on a deeper level.
When Alex told me about his sexual orientation, I felt a strange fluttering feeling in my stomach. It was almost as if I was happy that he was gay. I honestly don't know why. The weirder part, though, was, after I felt the butterflies errupt, a sharp, throbbing pain began to grow in my head and flashes of red and laughing faces flickered behind my eyelids. As soon as it came, though, it was gone. Alex had looked at me strange, but I just waved him off and told him I was okay with whatever he was. Sexual preference doesn't change who you are. After that, we continued living peacefully like before, although my dick jokes have increased by a large amount.
Although I've always been grateful for what I had in my life, and have always tried not taking them for granted, Thanksgiving has never been all that important to me. It was a day where you gathered with your family and ate a shit load of food. I understand the whole Pilgrim and Native American backstory behind it, but I just didn't care, I guess.
My parents did, though, and that was the reason I was waking up at eight in the morning on my day off. They told me that if I didn't come and join the rest of my family, whom I love very dearly but can barely stand, my mom was going to, and I quote, "Come to that quaint little place of yours, bend you over my knee and swaddle your stubborn ass." Lovely lady. I have a feeling I took after her.
I stumbled out of my bedroom, eyes immediately landing on Alex, who had pushed one of the plush chairs in front of the window and was curled up in it, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a cup of coffee craddled in his hands. He had a joyous look on his face, which caused me to ask, "Why do you look so damn happy. It's too early for emotions."
Alex turned his head to look at me, the smile never leaving his bright face. "It's snowing!" He chirped.
I let out a long groan. I really didn't need this shit today. "What's so exciting about it?" I questioned, "It's more of a problem than anything."
"This is the first time in years that I'm not living out in it." He said, face falling a bit. He turned to look back out the window, "I've always enjoyed the snow, and I'm happy I can enjoy it again without worrying for my life." He turned back to look at me, happy smile turning into a sad one, and the site made my heart squeeze. Some of the things this boy said and did made me want to cry. I just mumbled a quick sorry and retreated into the kitchen. Not much of a retreat since my living room and kitchen were just one big room.
I gripped the kitchen counter and leaned forward into it. Over his time living here, I've become rather close to Alex, and the thought of him being out in this made me slightly depressed. I hope I was doing a good thing for him by letting him stay here.
Shaking my head, I remembered the task at hand. I was required to be at my parent's house in a little over three hours, and was asked to make a green bean casserole and a molasses pie. Not to brag or anything, but I can cook. I'm just lazy.
"Can I help?" Alex suddenly asked from behind me, making me jump.
"Uh, sure, I guess." I told him once my poor heart calmed down. I set him to starting the green bean casserole, giving him the piece of paper with the recipe scrawled out on it. I've seen him cook before, and I'd be damned if I was going to let him touch my pie.
We worked in relative silence, the only sound being Alex's soft humming. Even when he wasn't using his voice, it still sounded melodic. He'd also stop every now and then to ask me what he was supposed to do, and I'd relay some of my cooking genius on him and amaze him with my knowledge. Okay, not really. He asked me where a spoon was and how to use the can opener.
Once both of the creations were nestled in the oven, I hopped in the shower really quick, did my hair, and threw on some family appropriate clothing. By the time I was finished, Alex had taken the green bean casserole out and the pie was resting on top of the stove.
"Smells wonderful." I said as I walked over to where Alex was. He hummed in agreement. I looked closer at him and noticed tears in his eyes. My eyebrows knit together in concern. "Hey, Lex, are you okay? Did you burn yourself or something?"
He just shook his head, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeves. "I'm fine." Was all he said. He turned his back to me and I heard him mutter, "I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family."
Shit.
I completely forgot about even asking Alex if he wanted to join us today. He must think I'm the biggest ass hole ever. Here I was complaining about not wanting to go for the past few weeks, and I never stopped to think what Alex may be feeling about the holiday. From what he had told me, he left immediately after he graduated. meaning he hasn't had a real Thanksgiving in about four years.
I was about to ask him if he wanted to join me, not caring whether my family would care or not, when I heard "All The Small Things" playing from my pocket. I snatched my cell out of my jeans and answered the incoming call.
"Y'ellow." I greeted.
"Jack?"my mother's frantic voice sounded over the phone, "Oh thank goodness. Are you still at home?"
"Yes, mom. I'm not late, am I? I'll be leaving shortly." I sighed. From what I could tell, I was ahead of schedule.
"No, sweetie, no. Have you been paying attention to the news? Let alone the weather outside? The snow has caused a crash along the route you normally take to get here, and the roads are closing due to extreme conditions," she informed me, "I know it's a holiday and all, but I'd rather you be safe and in your own home." Before I could tell her I'd be fine, she quickly added, "Your sister just got here, barely made it through all the snow, I'll call you later. I love you, dear, and I'll talk to you soon." I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye when I heard the line cut off.
"Jack?" Alex asked, concern lacing his voice, "Is everything alright?"
I sighed, tossing my phone on the counter and rubbing my forehead with the other. "That was my mom. The condition of the roads is too severe for driving. Looks like I'm staying here." And as soon as I said that, the lights went out. "And it looks like the powers been fucked with."
Alex just looked at me for a moment before taking off. I was worried that he was going to lock himself in his room to stay away from me, since I was acting like I was going to leave him all alone here while I went off with family.
The brunette boy came shuffling out of the hallway, blankets from both my room and his room bundled up in his hands.
Confused, I asked, "Alex? What are you doing?"
He tossed the blankets on the sofa and began moving the furniture around, saying, "When in doubt, make a blanket fort. We will have our Thanksgiving here. Find stuff for us to have and light some candles for light." He ordered me to do.
"Yes, sir." I replied in a sarcastic voice. I got to work lighting some spare candles I had around the house. Once I provided Alex with the light source that he deemed sufficient enough, I began ruffling through the cabinets and the fridge.
After a few minutes, I sighed at the collection I had in front of me. Alex skipped next to me and looked at my haul. "So, what'cha got?"
"A tube of crackers, some peanutbutter," which I saw him slip into his shirt, "Okay, no peanutbutter, some deli sliced turkey, a wonderful molasses pie and green bean casserole made by your's truly, and a bottle of Jack. Sounds like an A-Okay Thanksgiving feast if you ask me."
"Mhm." Alex confirmed, fingers deep in the jar of peanutbutter that he tried to hide from me a second ago.
"So," I chuckled, "Planning on sharing any of that?"
"Nope." and he continued to eat straight from the jar. He snatched the bottle of Jack and sauntered back to the living room, slowly crawling in our blanket fort. He really was like a child.
I gathered up the rest of my findings and placed them on a tray, along with some plates, forks, and napkins, and followed suit. Crawling in through the entrance, I placed the tray to the side and snatched the bottle from Alex.
"Jaack," he whined, "That's my Jack."
"Technically, Alex, since I bought it, it's mine." I pointed out, unscrewing the cap and taking a hearty swig. He continued to complain, saying that he needed it to wash the peanutbutter down.
"I'll give you something to wash it down with." I winked at him. That shut him up and caused his face to go beat red. I let out a laugh and passed him the bottle, to which he snatched from me.
"You're such a dick." he mumbled, the bottle to his lips.
"That's okay, because you like dick."
That caused Alex to almost choke on the gulp he just took, spraying me with the brown liquid as he stared at me with wide eyes. "Hey, bro, not the mess I thought we would be making."
"Dude!" he shrieked, "Would you knock that fucking shit off? For one mother fucking minute."
My joking demeanor fell quickly. I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. "I-I'm sorry, Alex," I said, "I was just-"
"No, shut the fuck up for a moment," he yelled angrily at me, "You know how much shit like that I received in high school? A lot of it."
I didn't want to be compared to people who did it out of malice. It was all just joking for me. I reached my arms out and pulled him into a hug. "I'm really sorry Alex, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No," he sighed, the frustration evident in his tone, "I shouldn't have freaked out. It's just, two of my best friends from school would make jokes like that when they found out. And I would have thought nothing of it, but the way they did it. It was like they were intending to hurt me." I felt him begin to shake against my chest. I just stroked his hair and shushed him.
"Hey, what did I tell you first time we met? I'm never serious." I pulled him back so I could study his face. He let out a small chuckle and leaned back into me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
We stayed in our little fort for most of the night, picking at the food and finishing off the Jack and a six pack that I decided was worthy enough of making this night better.
Alex was now sleeping soundly across my legs. He looked so peaceful, and that brought a large grin to my lips. I bent down and brushed his fringe from his forehead, planting a kiss to the top of his caramel colored hair.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Lex."
There are many things that I've come to realize I am thankful for. I'm thankful for the people in my life, the roof over my head, and for the opportunity to run such a successful business. But, even with those aspects of my life that I've come to appreciate, I've always felt like it was missing something. Well, until recently, at least.
Over these past few weeks, I've noticed that I am more than grateful for Alex becoming a part of my life. Maybe it was to keep me company in my lonely apartment, maybe this was merely a charity case and it was making myself feel like I was a better person, or maybe it was to give me someone I could connect to on a deeper level.
When Alex told me about his sexual orientation, I felt a strange fluttering feeling in my stomach. It was almost as if I was happy that he was gay. I honestly don't know why. The weirder part, though, was, after I felt the butterflies errupt, a sharp, throbbing pain began to grow in my head and flashes of red and laughing faces flickered behind my eyelids. As soon as it came, though, it was gone. Alex had looked at me strange, but I just waved him off and told him I was okay with whatever he was. Sexual preference doesn't change who you are. After that, we continued living peacefully like before, although my dick jokes have increased by a large amount.
Although I've always been grateful for what I had in my life, and have always tried not taking them for granted, Thanksgiving has never been all that important to me. It was a day where you gathered with your family and ate a shit load of food. I understand the whole Pilgrim and Native American backstory behind it, but I just didn't care, I guess.
My parents did, though, and that was the reason I was waking up at eight in the morning on my day off. They told me that if I didn't come and join the rest of my family, whom I love very dearly but can barely stand, my mom was going to, and I quote, "Come to that quaint little place of yours, bend you over my knee and swaddle your stubborn ass." Lovely lady. I have a feeling I took after her.
I stumbled out of my bedroom, eyes immediately landing on Alex, who had pushed one of the plush chairs in front of the window and was curled up in it, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a cup of coffee craddled in his hands. He had a joyous look on his face, which caused me to ask, "Why do you look so damn happy. It's too early for emotions."
Alex turned his head to look at me, the smile never leaving his bright face. "It's snowing!" He chirped.
I let out a long groan. I really didn't need this shit today. "What's so exciting about it?" I questioned, "It's more of a problem than anything."
"This is the first time in years that I'm not living out in it." He said, face falling a bit. He turned to look back out the window, "I've always enjoyed the snow, and I'm happy I can enjoy it again without worrying for my life." He turned back to look at me, happy smile turning into a sad one, and the site made my heart squeeze. Some of the things this boy said and did made me want to cry. I just mumbled a quick sorry and retreated into the kitchen. Not much of a retreat since my living room and kitchen were just one big room.
I gripped the kitchen counter and leaned forward into it. Over his time living here, I've become rather close to Alex, and the thought of him being out in this made me slightly depressed. I hope I was doing a good thing for him by letting him stay here.
Shaking my head, I remembered the task at hand. I was required to be at my parent's house in a little over three hours, and was asked to make a green bean casserole and a molasses pie. Not to brag or anything, but I can cook. I'm just lazy.
"Can I help?" Alex suddenly asked from behind me, making me jump.
"Uh, sure, I guess." I told him once my poor heart calmed down. I set him to starting the green bean casserole, giving him the piece of paper with the recipe scrawled out on it. I've seen him cook before, and I'd be damned if I was going to let him touch my pie.
We worked in relative silence, the only sound being Alex's soft humming. Even when he wasn't using his voice, it still sounded melodic. He'd also stop every now and then to ask me what he was supposed to do, and I'd relay some of my cooking genius on him and amaze him with my knowledge. Okay, not really. He asked me where a spoon was and how to use the can opener.
Once both of the creations were nestled in the oven, I hopped in the shower really quick, did my hair, and threw on some family appropriate clothing. By the time I was finished, Alex had taken the green bean casserole out and the pie was resting on top of the stove.
"Smells wonderful." I said as I walked over to where Alex was. He hummed in agreement. I looked closer at him and noticed tears in his eyes. My eyebrows knit together in concern. "Hey, Lex, are you okay? Did you burn yourself or something?"
He just shook his head, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeves. "I'm fine." Was all he said. He turned his back to me and I heard him mutter, "I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family."
Shit.
I completely forgot about even asking Alex if he wanted to join us today. He must think I'm the biggest ass hole ever. Here I was complaining about not wanting to go for the past few weeks, and I never stopped to think what Alex may be feeling about the holiday. From what he had told me, he left immediately after he graduated. meaning he hasn't had a real Thanksgiving in about four years.
I was about to ask him if he wanted to join me, not caring whether my family would care or not, when I heard "All The Small Things" playing from my pocket. I snatched my cell out of my jeans and answered the incoming call.
"Y'ellow." I greeted.
"Jack?"my mother's frantic voice sounded over the phone, "Oh thank goodness. Are you still at home?"
"Yes, mom. I'm not late, am I? I'll be leaving shortly." I sighed. From what I could tell, I was ahead of schedule.
"No, sweetie, no. Have you been paying attention to the news? Let alone the weather outside? The snow has caused a crash along the route you normally take to get here, and the roads are closing due to extreme conditions," she informed me, "I know it's a holiday and all, but I'd rather you be safe and in your own home." Before I could tell her I'd be fine, she quickly added, "Your sister just got here, barely made it through all the snow, I'll call you later. I love you, dear, and I'll talk to you soon." I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye when I heard the line cut off.
"Jack?" Alex asked, concern lacing his voice, "Is everything alright?"
I sighed, tossing my phone on the counter and rubbing my forehead with the other. "That was my mom. The condition of the roads is too severe for driving. Looks like I'm staying here." And as soon as I said that, the lights went out. "And it looks like the powers been fucked with."
Alex just looked at me for a moment before taking off. I was worried that he was going to lock himself in his room to stay away from me, since I was acting like I was going to leave him all alone here while I went off with family.
The brunette boy came shuffling out of the hallway, blankets from both my room and his room bundled up in his hands.
Confused, I asked, "Alex? What are you doing?"
He tossed the blankets on the sofa and began moving the furniture around, saying, "When in doubt, make a blanket fort. We will have our Thanksgiving here. Find stuff for us to have and light some candles for light." He ordered me to do.
"Yes, sir." I replied in a sarcastic voice. I got to work lighting some spare candles I had around the house. Once I provided Alex with the light source that he deemed sufficient enough, I began ruffling through the cabinets and the fridge.
After a few minutes, I sighed at the collection I had in front of me. Alex skipped next to me and looked at my haul. "So, what'cha got?"
"A tube of crackers, some peanutbutter," which I saw him slip into his shirt, "Okay, no peanutbutter, some deli sliced turkey, a wonderful molasses pie and green bean casserole made by your's truly, and a bottle of Jack. Sounds like an A-Okay Thanksgiving feast if you ask me."
"Mhm." Alex confirmed, fingers deep in the jar of peanutbutter that he tried to hide from me a second ago.
"So," I chuckled, "Planning on sharing any of that?"
"Nope." and he continued to eat straight from the jar. He snatched the bottle of Jack and sauntered back to the living room, slowly crawling in our blanket fort. He really was like a child.
I gathered up the rest of my findings and placed them on a tray, along with some plates, forks, and napkins, and followed suit. Crawling in through the entrance, I placed the tray to the side and snatched the bottle from Alex.
"Jaack," he whined, "That's my Jack."
"Technically, Alex, since I bought it, it's mine." I pointed out, unscrewing the cap and taking a hearty swig. He continued to complain, saying that he needed it to wash the peanutbutter down.
"I'll give you something to wash it down with." I winked at him. That shut him up and caused his face to go beat red. I let out a laugh and passed him the bottle, to which he snatched from me.
"You're such a dick." he mumbled, the bottle to his lips.
"That's okay, because you like dick."
That caused Alex to almost choke on the gulp he just took, spraying me with the brown liquid as he stared at me with wide eyes. "Hey, bro, not the mess I thought we would be making."
"Dude!" he shrieked, "Would you knock that fucking shit off? For one mother fucking minute."
My joking demeanor fell quickly. I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. "I-I'm sorry, Alex," I said, "I was just-"
"No, shut the fuck up for a moment," he yelled angrily at me, "You know how much shit like that I received in high school? A lot of it."
I didn't want to be compared to people who did it out of malice. It was all just joking for me. I reached my arms out and pulled him into a hug. "I'm really sorry Alex, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No," he sighed, the frustration evident in his tone, "I shouldn't have freaked out. It's just, two of my best friends from school would make jokes like that when they found out. And I would have thought nothing of it, but the way they did it. It was like they were intending to hurt me." I felt him begin to shake against my chest. I just stroked his hair and shushed him.
"Hey, what did I tell you first time we met? I'm never serious." I pulled him back so I could study his face. He let out a small chuckle and leaned back into me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
We stayed in our little fort for most of the night, picking at the food and finishing off the Jack and a six pack that I decided was worthy enough of making this night better.
Alex was now sleeping soundly across my legs. He looked so peaceful, and that brought a large grin to my lips. I bent down and brushed his fringe from his forehead, planting a kiss to the top of his caramel colored hair.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Lex."