Direct Confusion - 13. Chapter 13

Waking up snuggled against Erin is more wonderful than I ever expected, even though we are both dressed, our clothes crumpled and rather uncomfortable. It is strangely early, but Erin smiles and mutters that he always gets less sleep when he drinks and getting up at half past seven is pretty normal for him after a party. Even my parents aren’t up yet.

Abandoning our shoes and belts we sneak down the stairs and through the house. There are a couple of people asleep on the sofas. The place isn’t too messy considering how many people were here. I start to collect abandoned red solo cups and Erin kisses my cheek before vanishing to find the bathroom. After we clean around a little bit, we sneak into my room. Everyone is right where we left them.

“You wanna wake ‘em?” Erin is grinning hugely, watching his twin sleep on. There is an evil glint of sibling disruption in his eyes.

“In a minute, I wanna feel clean and superior first.”

I have a fast strip-wash while Erin uses my spare toothbrush, then brush my own teeth and change into jeans and a bright red t-shirt. Erin and I are close enough to the same size, so he keeps his jeans but pulls on one of the baseball style tees we were given at training camp last year. I love that he is wearing my name across his shoulders.

“You look gorgeous.”

Erin surprises me by blushing a really rather attractive shade of deep pink. After the things he whispered in my ear before we fell asleep I had figured he’d lost the ability to be embarrassed. He bites his lower lip and I reach out for his hand.

“I still want to take you on a real date.”

“Yes please.”

“Tonight.” Erin looks definite. “We’ll go tonight.”

“My parents said I couldn’t have you sleep over on a school night.” I sigh.

Erin grins and pulls me against his side. Just right now, I really like that he’s taller than me.

“My parents have no such rule.” His smile becomes huge as he turns away to shout. “RISE and SHINE CAMPERS!” A chorus of unstable groans erupts. “BREAKFAST!”

“Oh god…” Jameson is the first to make actual words. “I will actually kill you if I open up my eyes and we’re in a fuckin’ field.”

I frown.

“Jame never got over going to summer camp in seventh grade. He’s not a morning person.”

“What died in my mouth?” Jim wakes with a grunted sort of snarl. “Aww fuck off Derrick.”

“Bollocks,” is Derrick’s opening comment. “Where’s my girlfriend?”

“And these are my friends.” I say, waving my hand as though Erin doesn’t know them. “Charming aren’t they?”

“Coffee!” Jameson demands in a clear and slightly angry tone. “Now.”

Erin smiles at me, and laughs. Already I can tell it’s going to be a good morning.

*

We make coffee and Erin begins to excavate eggs and bacon from my fridge. I had no idea there was even any fresh food in there.

“I may have sent supplies round with Jameson yesterday morning.” He admits as I begin to cut a large loaf of fluffy bread into thick slices. “I have this thing about breakfast.”

“I though he said you were baking?”

“I was.” Erin pulls a cling-wrap covered plate of chocolate chip cookies from the cupboard and places them between us. “The white ones are raspberry and macadamia nut.”

“You’re insane.” I smile and kiss his shoulder as I pass. “I’m gonna go take coffee and cookies to mom and dad. Be back in a sec.”

“Morning honey.” I roll my eyes as I enter my parent’s bedroom, using one foot to open the door. At least she has still managed to avoid calling me anything cutesy in front of Erin. “Oh look, he brought food.”

My father appears from behind his book.

“We were wondering when it would become safe to come out.”

I hand over coffee and cookies with a smile.

“Erie’s making breakfast. Everyone else is in the late stages of being dead.”

“So when I come down in about half an hour I’ll find you all cleaning up right?” Mum arches an eyebrow at me.

“Yes mom.” I kiss her cheek. “Gotta go.”

Downstairs my friends have turned into zombies, and the smell of Erin cooking bacon draws them gently groaning from wherever they spent their night. Jameson takes his food without opening his eyes and drinks coffee like a weird caffeine dependant vampire. Derrick tries to snuggle his girlfriend, but Cherrie informs us that she is going for a shower “by myself, thank you” and vanishes upstairs long enough for me to wonder if there will be any hot water later. By the time my parents make an appearance, mostly everyone is in some sort of upright position and the inside of the house is pretty clean. Jim and Derrick both have recovered enough to start helping with the tidying up process, and we start sending everyone else home. There are four sets of keys in the hallway waiting for their owners to come back and fetch them. I am generally amazed by how well I feel, considered that I slept for about six hours sitting up in the hallway, and pretty pleased that I didn’t drink too much or make an awful fool of myself. Its midday before the place is clean and tidy enough to pass for normal.

“So I’ll come pick you up tonight?” Erin stands in the hallway with his hand pressed in the small of my back, our hips just touching. “Like seven-ish?”

“Where are you two going?” Jameson reappears from my bathroom looking like his usual sleek self.

“I’m taking Luke on a date.” Erin replies quickly. I might have imagined it, but I would swear that Erin glares at him.

“Ohhh…” I have never heard anyone make such a camp noise in my entire life. “Luke and Erie are goin’ on a date!”

Erin lets go of me, and within two seconds he and Jameson are wrestling good naturedly on the floor. The slimmer of the Parker twins is stronger than he looks, and pins Erin down with his knees on his brother’s triceps.

“Ow, fuck! You’ve got pointy knees Jame.”

Jameson tickles him before jumping up with a grin.

“And what if I needed the car?”

“Jame…” Erin growls.

“I’m sure I won’t.” Jameson winks at me as he walks away. “You boys have fun!”

Derrick blinks as Jameson exits, and then turns to me.

“That boy is gonna get himself in trouble one of these days.”

“I’d best be getting off.” Erin kisses the space where my neck and shoulder join. “You want your shirt back?”

“Keep it.” I smile, feeling suddenly possessive. I do realise that my boyfriend has to leave if he’s to be able to pick me up later for our first proper real date, but it doesn’t mean I actually want to let him go. “It looks good on you.”

“Everything looks good on Erie.” Jameson dangles the car keys in the doorway. “C’mon lover boy.”

“Bye Luke.” Erin kisses me very quickly, and jogs after his twin. “You are not driving!”

Once the door slams, I turn to Derrick, Jim and Cherrie, who now looks lovely and perfect, her hair clean, fluffed and styled.

“I have a date…”

“Shopping!” Cherrie claps her hands gleefully. “I finally found an excuse to teach you boys how to dress well.”

“Oh I’m so outta this one.” Jim throws up his palms in self-defence. “Uh-uh. I don’t have a date, and I ain’t your boyfriend. Take those two!”

Cherrie smiles at him, her newly applied lip gloss glinting.

“Maybe if you dressed better you would have a date. You boys all look so good in your letterman jackets, but you do wear ‘em an awful lot.”

“Deal.” Derrick is quick to agree. I can see why, because Cherrie wiggles her hips and kisses him smack bang on the lips. When they separate, his face looks the way I feel when Erin is standing just a bit too close. “C’mon Jim. Be a sport.”

“Not a chance. Bye chaps.”

Derrick rolls his eyes as Jim departs.

“Come on, we’ll take the Merc. It’s still fully functioning after I let Jameson drive it, but he ain’t ever getting behind the wheel again.”

Cherrie is in her element at the mall, and in truth I really enjoy spending time with her. Derrick helps to talk her back from the more extreme make-over ideas, but its good fun. I actually do care about how I dress myself, and I go clothes shopping rarely enough that it still feels like a treat. Added to that, Cherrie has a great eye for picking out things which makes subtle but delightful statements.

“Those.”

“Cherrie, the man must own a dozen pairs of blue jeans.”

“Not like these. Do it.”

I take the stonewashed denim from her.

“Cher, these aren’t even my size.” I reach out to the shelf to put them back but she slaps my arm. “Ow.”

“I will never understand the appeal of boys in baggy jeans. Just try them on.”

I vanish into a cubicle and reappear two minutes later wearing the new jeans.

“Well?”

“Oh honey…” Cherrie looks delighted with herself. “You look like a walking felony.”

“Jees Luke…” Derrick gapes. “Even I think you’re hot in those.”

Confused, I wander barefoot to the floor length mirror. The jeans fit, like actually fit, and the fabric clings to my thighs without feeling tight while still falling neatly past my ankles without looking baggy or skinny. The waistband sits right across the points of my hip bones and they feel really comfortable. I turn and grin at the shape of my ass. Somehow these jeans make by butt look awesome.

“See, if you actually buy jeans which fit properly, rather than being shapeless and two inches too big, you get much better results.” Cherrie goes to snuggle against Derrick. “Aren’t you boys glad you have me?"

Derrick and I both end up buying shirts and sweaters to add to our winter wardrobes, and then Cherrie spent half an hour choosing between two very similar shades of pink at an expensive makeup counter. Derrick huffs and wanders off to go browse toiletries he doesn’t need. Cherrie smiles at me.

“Don’t tell him, but I bought new underwear. I’m trying to find a colour that matches.” She shows me the picture from the catalogue on her phone, and we decide on the slightly darker shade before joining Derrick.

“You gonna shave off all your hair too?” I knuckle by best friend’s skull as he stands in front of the men’s grooming section looking blank.

“What? No.” Derrick rubs his hair. “Cherrie would kill me.”

“That I would. We all done boys?”

I grin

“Just need one more thing.”

“Why are we in the sports warehouse? I thought we were getting you date clothes.” Cherrie frowns as she follows us. Derrick seems much more at ease here, because it’s probably the only store in the mall we ever really spend any time in. We tend to bring most of the team in for the Christmas sales to buy new boots and pads.

“We are.” I walk right over to the water sports section and begin to flick through a rack of swim shorts and speedos.

“Huh?”

“I don’t wanna know do I?” Derrick puts a hand over his eyes. “Thank fuck I wear board shorts.”

I pick out a red speedo with bold white seams and a half inch thick white waistband. They look almost like underwear, and they feel incredibly smooth under my fingers.

“You’re going to wear those all evening?” Cherrie queries. “Derrick’s right, you really have got it bad.”

The speedos are expensive, and I am more than grateful that I spend almost every spare minute of the summer working and saving, rather than shopping and spending. On the way back to the car I compile my new outfit in my head and hope that I look as good as I hope I will.

“So where are you guys going?”

“No idea. He didn’t say.”

“You staying at his?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Cher, hun, can you give us a mo’? Guy stuff.”

“Uh-huh.” Cherrie swings her hips as she walks away and we lose her to the window display in one of big designer shoe stores. I look sideways at my friend.

“It’s about Jim.” Derrick takes a deep breath. “Look, don’t be mad at him, but this relationship between you and Erin is moving pretty quick for him, and he’s not doing so well.”

“He didn’t like that I invited him to the sauna did he?” I scuff the ground with one trainer. “Goddammit!”

“Hey whoa.” The thing I have always loved about Derrick is that my being gay has never made him second guess whether or not he should touch me, and his arm around my neck and shoulders is strong and supportive. “I’m talking him through it, but yes, it bothers him.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. I think secretly it’s because he’s the only one of us without a date and it pisses him off, but he won’t admit it.”

“Jim always did fancy himself,” I mutter. I feel a little heartless, because I do really like the guy, but his fidgety un-acceptance is starting to irritate me. “Never mind.”

“Just maybe don’t grope your boyfriend at training tomorrow eh?”

“Der!” I punch his arm, but he punches back, harder. “I tear my guys up just as badly as you do if I catch them being distracted during training. I’m not gonna flaunt my powers as captain in front of them. That’s just rude.”

Derrick smiles.

“I was hoping you’d react like that. I knew you still had your head in the game.”

I roll my eyes at him.

“Who could ever doubt it? Race you to your shiny car; winner gets to drive.”

“Oh fuck that!”

We run and weave through the parking lot, laughing.