Life behind Hazel Eyes - 16. Breakfast Meet and Greet

I woke up in Marvin’s house in a panic. I had to get home before my parents left for work; I had to try telling them I was fine. Or I’d get a hectic lecture about being irresponsible and giving them hernias. I walked to the bathroom, which was a few doors away from the bedroom I was assigned, and once there I took a leak, used Marv’s mouthwash to freshen my breath and tried to convince myself to wake up Marv. I had gathered all the balls I could in order to go to Marv’s room; I wasn’t sure whether he and I were cool after I tried to enter his secret room. I was about to knock at his door but he opened it.

“Morning,” Marv said with a warm smile. I guess the smile answered all my fears.

“Hey,” I said returning the same smile. I was looking at his body; it was fucken amazing! I don’t mean like ‘oh he has a hot body,’ I mean I could fucken use his bloody abs to grate cheese! His arms weren’t the bulkiest, but they sure did look like they could carry me around. The 'v' that pointed to his crotch – OH MY FUCKEN BOY PUSSY! He was so defined that I thought it was ridiculous. I remember thinking his muscles were going to jump from his body to say hello to me, that’s how defined they were.

“I take it you were going to wake me up to take you home?” he asked as I realised that I was in his way and just gawking at him. I nodded to answer his questions; words had escaped me. “Mind if I go to the bathroom first, then take you home?”

“In your underwear?” I asked after I snapped out of my trance. Marvin laughed at me as I stepped out of the way and he went to the bathroom. I walked to go make the bed I had slept in. I knew – okay I lie – I hoped Marvin wouldn’t take a full-on bath or shower. The thought of Marvin fully naked just popped in my mind. I shook my head to get my perverted thoughts out of there. In an attempt to cool down, I reached for my phone, and dialled my home telephone.

“Good Morning.” It was my mother, her voice sounded normal, yet I was nervous.

“Hey Nik-Nak,” I said trying to down play things.

“Damien, it’s your daughter,” she yelled to my father. “We thought we’d never hear from you. Which country are you in?” My mom’s sarcasm was a tad warranted, I think. I guessed they had every right to worry and think I was dead. I had avoided them for two days, and then I managed not to come home and they knew not where I was. I actually turned out to be quiet the horrible child.

“Mom, I’m on my way home. I was at a friend’s place. I’ll explain everything when I get there,” I said, trying to calm her down.

“Well, your father and I weren’t worried at all. We actually have another child here, and he is just so wonderful. You know Matthew is so well–behave, that after he came home last night, he made your father and I coffee and brought it to us in our room.” She sounded pensive to some extent, but I knew this was her way of acting up. Dad gave me lectures and she tried to pretend that she didn’t care.

“Mom, please don’t be mad. I swear I’m on my way. I will explain everything when I get there.”

“How are you going to get here? Your car is in the driveway.”

“My friend, Marvin, is going to drive me over.”

“Hmmm. Marvin. Friend. Slept-over. Drive you home. Hmmm. Well, you know the rules. Oh, and we’ll be waiting.” I was about to say that it wasn’t what she thought, but she hung up. I was dead.

You know that moment when you realize you just fucked up, and you try for the life of you not to let that feeling of regret get to you? No? Yes? Well, I had that feeling. I walked out of the room to find Marvin fully dressed and standing at the door of the secret room. I guessed he was locking it.

“Ready?” he asked. I nodded, and we walked to his car. We drove to my place in comfortable silence; well, it wasn’t that silent since I gave him directions. I tried to convince him to let me drive myself home, but he told me he had to or else he wouldn’t know how to get back. Apparently once he is in the passenger’s seat he doesn’t really pay attention to where he’s going. I stopped trying to convince him, and accepted that he was going to drive and I dictate where to go.

“Sorry about last night, you know with the room and everything,” he said almost in an embarrassed way.

“It’s chill. We all have a right to our privacy. As long as you know I didn’t mean to pry. I just thought…”

“I know. I just overreacted, and I’m sorry.” He glanced at me and I could see the sincerity.

“Don’t worry; it will be my turn to apologise soon,” I said as I imagined the questions my dad would ask.

“Why would you say that?” he asked, confused.

“Make a right and then take a left two streets down,” I said as we entered my neighbourhood. “Well, my parents want to meet you. They have this rule about sleeping over at friends' places, especially if it’s a guy. So, yeah... They totally are going to ask you awkward things.” I looked down and shook my head. I heard him hold back a laugh.

“How old are you?” he asked in a joking manner. “They allow you to make decisions about their restaurant, but they need you to clock in at home?”

“Shut up! I guess they worry about their flamboyant child not coming home. Shit happens, and I can’t imagine how hard it would be for them if I got killed because I was ‘out’ in the wrong part of town.” I looked up and signalled for Marv to take a right.

“Then why not hide it? Why not bulk up and be manly?” he asked. I would’ve taken offence if it was someone else, but somehow I knew he meant well.

“Imagine having to hide who you are just so others would be more comfortable with whom they want you to be. That would allow ‘them’ to sleep at night, but not me. I’d feel like a caged bird. And do you know why the caged bird sang, Marvin?” I was trying to sound playful and nonchalant.

“I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?” he was playing along with me. He caught on to what I was doing.

“Because he was two doors away from his home and the gate wasn’t open for him to get in.” I said as I pointed to where we were going. Marvin laughed at my silliness. Once close enough to open the gate with the remote, we drove in and I braced myself. We stepped out of the car and I looked at myself in one of the mirrors; I looked the same as yesterday, just with less baggage under my eyes.

We walked into the house through the main entrance; on a normal day I would have walked in through the kitchen. Alas, I had a guest with me and I had to present myself accordingly. I saw Marvin stare at the house in amazement.

“I’ll give you a tour after your interrogation,” I said, looking at him with a smile. He smiled and gave me thumbs up. I found nothing impressive about my home but that may be because I lived in it. Anyway, we walked in and Marvin still had this amused look on his face. I led us to where I heard voices: the dining room I would’ve been surprised but I knew they were waiting.

“Look who finally made it,” I heard my mom say, still mad at me.

“Morning Mother,” I said as I walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She tried to dodge it, but she didn’t put up much of a fight. I then moved over to my dad, “Daddy.” Instead of trying to dodge it he gave me a kiss on the forehead.

“Morning son,” my dad responded before looking at Marvin.

“Mom and Dad this is Marvin. Marvin, this is my mother Amanda, and my father Damien,” I said as I made my way to get myself seated. I pointed at a chair so that Marvin could sit too.

“Nice to finally meet you both, Mr and Mrs Lucas,” Marv said as he walked over to shake both of my parents’ hands, and then he made his way to end up seated next to me. I won’t lie, I was nervous. I hadn’t done this with anyone, not even Brian. They always treated him like Donald’s nephew, and when we started getting close and I had to tell them we were dating, but that they couldn’t tell anyone because he was in the closet, they just treated him like a close friend. I guess it had been too late for them to pull the whole, ‘what are your intentions with our son thing’.

“Nice to meet you too, Marvin,” my mom replied in a warm tone.

“Would you like some tea or coffee? I’m sure you had a late night, and then to wake up so early to drive Mikhail home...” My dad shook his head as he finished his sentence. I was convinced these two were playing good cop bad cop. But who was good who was bad? Because to me both of them were bad.

“Yes sir, Mikhail had a rough night. Your son had to drive me to the hospital after I ate something I was allergic to. I would probably be lying in a puddle of my own vomit, dead, if it weren’t for him. Taking him home is just a small way for me to say thank you to him. You two really raised a nice young man.” I almost died at that response. It sounded very pageantry; like it was prepared by some Miss World contestant. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, it was better than what I would’ve said, but I hadn’t expected it from him. I never took Marvin for the eloquent-gentleman type, maybe it’s because when I’m around him he’s always ‘kicking’ it with the boys.

“Oh dear, how did that happen?” my mom asked, concerned.

“Well, Mikhail and I were out having dinner, and I had forgotten to ask him what was in the main that we ate, and it turns out mussels were in there hiding waiting to attack.” He let out a nervous giggle at the end, and I joined him for a laugh.

“What about that tea or coffee, Marvin?” my dad asked. It was odd – why was he so adamant on coffee?

“Yes, please sir, I would love a cup of coffee,” Marvin replied with the utmost respect, as a matter-of-fact, he was so respectful and composed, that he was nothing like the guy I saw at clubs or at dinner.

“Mikhail, go make Marvin coffee.” I had heard my dad, but I didn’t understand.

“Excuse me?” I asked with a most shocked expression.

“Go make your friend a cup of coffee, son,” he said in a serious tone.

“Me a go tell Veronica,” I said in Patois as I got up off my chair. It was clear I was talking to my dad.

“No. You make it.” My dad met my stare and he had this stern look that I’d never seen. “I dey 'pon haste," he said, and I started to walk away after he told me he was in a hurry. I knew what they were up to, well I thought I knew, and it made me uncomfortable. I shook my head and I looked back and stood still as I was about to walk out of the room.

“Mek mi kibba mi mouth to rahtid,» – let shut my mouth – I said as I shot my parents a look of disapproval. I heard them talking as I walked away from the dining room. I walked into the kitchen and started making Marvin coffee. I would have made him toast too, but I was anxious to get back in that room, so instead I got him cookies.

I had been surprised at the fact that the kitchen was empty, but I wasn’t going to worry about what Veronica was up to, not with Mom and Dad drilling the one person who had no romantic interest in me. Poor guy was probably freaking out. I wanted to rush back into the dining room and rescue him, but his coffee wasn’t ready yet. Two more minutes, or as my youngest cousin would say, two sixties to go.

I walked back to where the interrogation was taking place only to hear a few giggles and whispers. Great, they were being nice. I walked in with a huge smile plastered on my face. The smile was as real as Mary Poppins'.

“There we go,” I said as I gave Marv his coffee and sat my ass down.

“Thanks,” he said with a smile.

“Mikhail, Marvin is such a nice young gentleman. Why on earth have we never met him before?” My mother asked. I could hear a plotting undertone to her voice. I hope she wasn’t going to suggest I go for Marv.

“Because, we are friends and I don’t introduce you to my friends, who are mainly girls.”

“That’s because Miranda is basically family,” my dad chirped in.

“I have other friends than Miranda,” I said, defending myself. I noticed my parents giggle and I turned to see Marvin shaking his head and mouthing ‘he doesn’t’ behind my back.

“It’s okay Princess, we know you are hard to be around,” my dad said as he and my mom shared a look I couldn’t place, before they got up and said they had to go to work. As they were leaving, I remembered something.

“Lunch is at home today; I’m cooking for you and Miranda,” I said casually.

“What’s the occasion?” asked my mom.

“I’m ready to talk about Sunday.” As soon as I said it, I watched my parents share another look and head for the door. Marvin looked at me confused, I told him it was nothing, just what happened at an event. As I watched him finish his cup of coffee, I got the idea to invite Miranda over for lunch as well. Two birds with one stone. I got my phone out and started texting her. It was going to be a long lunch.

“So, what are you going to make everyone?” Marvin interrupted my thoughts as I was looking down at my phone.

“Acorn squash stuffed with bread, cheese, and bacon. I hope I can do it as well as I did last time,” I said as I sent the text message to Miranda.

“Sounds… Nice.”

“Shut up. I know you think I can’t cook, but I’m… OK at it,” I said in a playful manner. His only reaction was to laugh at me. “How about we go put your cup away and I take you on the tour I promised." He nodded and downed the contents of his cup. Marvin was such a sweet…wait fuck, I needed to stop thinking about straight men in this manner. They are the reason I feel like a case NCIS can’t solve inside.

So, I stuck to walking him around; we started at the kitchen, then we went in a random and unsystematic order. He kept chirping in things, and we’d have jokes about stupid things, but we seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. It was so easy to just let go around him. He didn’t ask about Brian, fuck, he didn’t even know him. He just allowed me to live in the present. Maybe that’s why I liked him.

“I love how the house is a classic Georgian mansion. It has so much character to it.” Marvin was getting excited, he kept getting distracted by small details in the house, and I kept thinking it was weird, but shrugged it off.

“You architects have no off button do you?” I asked with feigned sarcasm. “You see a building and you all goofy eyed and go ‘Oh preeeeety’.” I mocked him, landing myself a soft shove. We giggled and we ended up in the garage so I could show him my car. He made fun of me, saying I had a bitch car.

“You should get a real one not this clown car,” he mocked.

“Hey! This is my baby; she could probably drive circles around your crap Jeep.” I retaliated.

“Be careful what you say, we might end up drag racing.” I could see he was challenging me.

“I bet you two milkshakes that your car could never beat mine.” I had said milkshakes in hopes that it would break the topic. I really hated drag racing. I found the whole race in high speeds just to prove a point, well kind of pointless.

“Hey, Mikhail. When did you arrive?” I heard someone call out, then realised it was Matt. I turned around to look at him.

“Hey, Matt. I just arrived this morning,” I replied nonchalantly. I caught Matt glance between Marv and I. “Matt meet Marvin. Marvin this is Matthew.” I introduced them hoping Matt would stop giving us glances. They shook hands and said their hellos.

“When are we heading to work today?” Matt asked.

“I can’t; remember today is the day we sabotage a dress Rehearsal. And besides I need to make lunch for the rents and Miranda to tell them about Sunday,” I said contemplating whether the lunch was a good idea or not.

“Shit, I forgot about the dress rehearsal,” he seemed to be in thought for a second; he scratched his head and looked down before he spoke again. “Want me to be present at the lunch? You know, for moral support cons…” He stopped and looked over at Marvin. I’m guessing he couldn’t finish what he wanted to say in front of Marvin.

“That would be great; I could use a friendly face in there.” We both smiled at each other.

“I’m off then, got a date at the skate park with my boys. Check you before lunch,” he said before he walked off into the house, probably to get his board. I turned to find Marv looking at... well nothing.

“Not boyfriends, huh?” he said.

“Not boyfriends,” I replied causally. “Oh! NO! Matt doesn’t…about me. Oh, lord no. Matt is interested in someone else. We just look out for each other after what happened to him,” I said devastated at what he had implied. Good grief I sucked at pick-up signs as to who wanted me and who didn’t. Brian always made things easy for me. He always said things. I never had to think about it, and during Brian I was so in love I didn’t notice flirting until someone was blatant about it.

“Sure, I’m sure you feel nothing. But him… Not so sure.”

“Let’s go get something to drink.” I suggested this hoping to change topics.

“No, I have to go. Besides you have to go get clean and prepare for the lunch your supposed to make.” Marvin had a beautiful smile that made my insides warm. My insides weren’t supposed to be warm; he is straight. He would never… I should not have thoughts.

“Okay then,” I said with a smile and we started making our way to his car. Once there I gave him a hug and said goodbye. Thinking back, I would’ve held him tighter, but I didn’t, instead I went back into the house. Matt had left, and apparently the staff was still nowhere in sight. I wandered around, but I remembered that they did as they wanted after they had finished cleaning up. Speaking off which, I had to get clean, so I headed up to my room and started freshening up.

I prepared for lunch the only way I knew how. Matt came in while I was still in the Kitchen roasting the squash. I looked at him, he smiled at me, and then I told him to get cleaned up before lunch, as he was dripping in sweat. He left me alone after he stole one of my oven baked zucchini fries that I had prepared as a side dish. I was so consumed in my action that I didn’t realise my mom and dad had come back for lunch. For some strange reason they kept riding around together lately, by lately I meant for the past two days. I smiled at them and set the dining room table. I wanted to get lunch over and done with. Matt came down soon after and asked if he could help me with. I really wanted to kiss him for how wonderful he was to me. He treated me like we really were family; I loved his warm heart and the kindness that came from him. He helped with the family and he loved doing the things I didn’t want; I saw that mom and dad really appreciated having them around. I made a note to ask them why they hadn’t had another child, because they cleared loved the idea of two kids.

“Miranda is here,” Matt said with a soothing voice as he grabbed my arm from behind.

“Thanks Matt,” I said nervously.

“Don’t worry Mikhail, I’ll be there and you know how I have your back, big bro,” he proclaimed as he made his way from me to the fridge to get refreshments for everyone.

“Thanks Matt. I’ll look at you when I feel like I need strength,” I said as I turned to start dishing out the food.

I served, and after Matt had come back from providing refreshments, we both carried food out to everyone. We sat in silence and started digging in.

“This tastes real good, bro,” Matt said, breaking the silence.

“Thanks, Matt. I learnt it from Brian,” I said without really realising the looks I got were weird. “Speaking of which, I was with him on Sunday, and he and I talked. A LOT. For once we didn’t laugh.” I laughed out a nervous laugh.

“Want to talk about it?” Miranda asked.

“You know I do,” I actually laughed an honest laugh. I opened my mouth to say more, but I froze. How do I start the story of what possibly could’ve been the end?

Thank you all for reading. I love the fact that you guys are still around.
I promise to post the next chapter soon. Thanks so much to AC Benus for being there for me. You have my eternal gratitude.