God, Ellis Loves... Part 5
“…How long are we stayin’ here?” he asked then, wanting to say something so Nick could feel the vibration of his voice on his fingertips.
“We’ll leave Monday.”
The mechanic tilted his face upwards. “Figured you’d wanna leave tomorrow.”
“Yeah, well, you said you’d be in Chicago by then so this’ll get us in on Tuesday. Besides, it’ll take that long to apologize to Annalynne.”
“Why?” Ellis pressed his hands against the spot just above Nick’s nipple, smoothing the curls there. “If I forgave ya she’s gonna, too.”
“I don’t think it’s going to take a long time,” Nick informed him. “I came by here first today. Figured you were here or at the garage but nobody answered the door. So I walked around to the back to where she was working in the garden, right?”
“So?”
“She threw a fucking rock at my head, Ellis.”
The bed bounced with the redneck’s laughter. “You gotta have some Jedi reflexes then, man! She used-ta play sports!”
“It’s not funny, dumbshit. That rock was the size of my goddamn fist.”
Ellis continued to smile. “She’ll forgive ya tonight when she comes home.”
“I’m sure; there’s not much bullshit that gets by your mom, kid.”
“It ain’t bullshit.”
“No,” Nick agreed. “But what do you want me to explain?”
“Nothin’, s’long as y’explain-ta me.” He waited a moment and then perked himself up on his elbow, keeping his arm along his lover’s chest, as if keeping him in place. “…What were ya doin’ these months?”
“Winning money, drinking, screwing people over,” Nick answered immediately. “Everything I did before. And then you called.”
“Then why didn’tchya come sooner?”
“I already told you I was busy.”
“Nick.”
“I was helping my parents out and being a decent son for once, okay?” The gambler sighed. “Telling you everything-that gonna be some kind of common occurrence now?”
“Yeah.”
Later that night, luckily, both men had been right-the time it took Ellis’ mother to forgive the conman’s disappearance hadn’t taken long, and even luckier she hadn’t had anything nearby she could afford to chuck at the slicked-haired head.
And, as it was often the case with mothers, as soon as Annalynne saw how bright her son’s eyes were, how he hovered around Nick just as he used to, how he continually managed to brush their fingers, she had a complete emotion reversal, resulting in the gambler crushed down into her chest.
The next day the hick’s mother, after helping Ellis pack up the rest of his needed items in one of their extra suitcases from the basement, had spent the day cooking large meals, beginning large conversations, and asking noisy questions.
And the next morning, after another large, early meal, the boys prepared Ellis’ truck to set out on yet another road trip. Nick, who had offered to drive, waited patiently beside the truck as Annalynne clung to her son, ordering quiet common senses and telling him to keep better care of himself so he didn’t need to stop and puke this time.
When she was finished she walked to Nick and enveloped him in a hug as well, telling him to drive carefully, and then when Ellis preoccupied himself with the last of his bags, pulled the conman close by his collar: “You leave him again and I’ll make sure to aim for your kidneys next time.”
Ellis grinned to himself and after circling around to give her a final kiss, got into his truck and buckled in, turning his head to watch his mother’s fading figure out the window.
He waved until she was completely out of view.
Twelve hours later they stopped. Nick ordered a room with one, king-sized bed on which they ate their room service and then retired together. And when they awoke together, close and holding, Ellis decided to pretend he was asleep just a little bit longer.
Their extended rest got them to their destination later than they had expected, past the time for them to catch Nick’s parents eating dinner.
And Ellis was fairly sure that, although they were driving through a nice subdivision, with kids playing and families walking, the apartment complex they pulled up to was not the home of Jeff and Linda.
Nick parked and shut off the engine and when he climbed out Ellis followed.
“What’re we doin’? Yer mom ain’t gonna be mad, is she?”
“Probably,” his lover replied, walking up to the front doors of the building, to where a woman of thirty was walking out. He caught the door just as it slipped from her fingers and held it open for the hick who walked in, hand up to fix his hat.
“What’re we doin’?” Ellis asked as they approached the elevator. He followed Nick into the larger-than-expected box, nicer than it looked from the outside.
“I have some shit stashed here,” Nick said. He pressed the button to the highest floor and crossed his arms over his chest to watch the lights switch between the numbers. So maybe Nick did have friends other than the mechanic-friends who were just as rich as he was considering they owned the top floor to a nice building like this.
He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to meet this friend or not, however. At least, not right now, not when he’d rather spend time meeting Nick’s parents, making things final and ensured.
But when they stepped into the hall, straight towards the white, beautifully designed door, and Nick pulled out a new, silver key that fit perfectly and turned perfectly in the locks, any thought about friends or parents dissolved.
Because when Nick opened the door it was far too apparent that there was nobody home. That the owner hadn’t been home in a couple days. That he’d come back, with one other, to make sure the large, fancy space didn’t go unappreciated.
The door closed behind him.
“…My bedroom’s down the hall,” Nick said, softly. “You can put your stuff in the room next to it, that closet’s empty. Figured I’d send for your stuff and give it to you to make ugly.”
“Ikin sleep witchyou, though?”
“I’m sure I don’t have a choice,” his lover replied, circling around to stand in front of the younger man who promptly jumped against him, arms tight and face beaming.
Because they weren’t going to travel. Because he was going to meet Nick’s parents. Because they had settled.
“…Wekin get a dog, too, right?”