Concrete - 4. Breakfast

Adam shuffled closer. He didn’t know if he believed Jamie or not, but he was ready to go. And this seemed like it might be okay.

They got in the car together and Jamie lit another cigarette, then backed out of the lot. “So, you and Gordon, huh?” he started, blowing smoke out the window. “Cute pairing.”

Adam gazed at the boy across from him. He was obviously older, and covered in tattoos, but he was very attractive with his blue eyes and his blond hair. He had a handsome face and a strong body. Adam was very taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t know how much you’ve seen of him, but Gordon isn’t the best-looking guy around.”

“I know. I’ve seen him on video chat.”

“You’re…attractive,” Jamie said, glancing at Adam from the corner of his eye. “I just don’t get what you see in him.”

“A way out,” Adam said sadly. “My parents…they’re traditionalists. I don’t think they’re going to take well to me coming out.”

“That must be hard,” Jamie said. “I live with my mom, but I don’t tell her any of my business.”

“I don’t either. My parents just know things.” Adam hugged his backpack. “I can’t believe someone hasn’t told them about me yet.”

“What do you mean? Did you come out to someone?”

“I did.” Adam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Sorta… But it wasn’t my fault!

Jamie furrowed his brows. “Um, okay?”

“I guess I should explain.” Adam sighed, looking out the window as they drove along the coast. The water was choppy today. “I tried to kiss Carter Flynn,” he whispered. “He’s the hottest guy in school. I should have known better, but he was flirting with me!”

Jamie smiled devilishly. “You got the hottest guy in school to flirt with you? Way to go!”

“No… it wasn’t like that,” Adam said, frowning. “See, there was this big party at the end of the summer and everyone in our class was invited. I went with Katie as her wingman. She was going to ask Xavier Lee to dance, but she was nervous to do it. It took a while, but she finally worked up the courage. I saw it happen. I was so proud of her…”

Jamie blew a neat column of smoke out the window. He looked bored and Adam sped up the story.

“I-I’d been drinking. We’d all been drinking,” he said and Jamie smiled in reply. “One of the older kids got their hands on some liquor, and he spiked the punch.”

“Fun.”

“Anyway, I was sitting by myself, watching Katie and Xavier dance by the pool, when Carter Flynn sat right beside me.” Adam tingled a little with the excitement of the memory. “I haven’t spoken more than five words to him since freshman year, but that night, we must have talked for an hour.”

A bit more interested, Jamie met Adam’s eyes, and Adam felt the same sort of warmness in his belly that he’d felt that night talking to Carter Flynn. Maybe they’d just met, but Adam thought Jamie was even cuter.

“So, I was stupid and drunk,” Adam said, smiling a little at his own misfortune. “Carter was whining about his girlfriend never wanting to have sex, and I thought maybe I could show him a better time. I kissed him. And it’s like the whole world went still. The music stopped. People stopped dancing. Everyone was looking at us. Carter kissed me back for like one second, then everything started moving again. Carter yanked away and started laughing at me,” Adam said, subtly shaking his head. “I ran home that night. Five miles… I’d never been so embarrassed.”

“Wow. That was a pretty bold move,” Jamie laughed.

Adam laughed with him because it was funny now. “He was really hot. I was just confused.”

Jamie snorted.

Adam fell quiet again as he looked out the window. They were driving into the New Haven downtown area, and he looked at the little homes and shops as they passed.

Slowly, his eyes crept back to Jamie. The other boy had a strong neck and jaw and Adam studied the golden stubble along his cheek as it caught the morning light.

Jamie glanced over and caught Adam looking. He smirked. “Enjoying the view?”

“I was just checking out your tattoos,” Adam said, blushing. “Who’s Harper? Your girlfriend?”

Jamie flicked his cigarette butt out the window, then looked down at his right bicep. The name Harper took up a large swath of the skin there and below it, a beautiful dark haired woman with glowing green eyes. “Harper’s my daughter. I had that done right after she was born.”

Adam pouted a little. It seemed Jamie was straight after all… “Who’s the woman, then?”

“My ex,” Jamie laughed darkly. “She had the prettiest green eyes. It was her best feature and she was kind enough to pass them on to Harper, too.”

“What does your current girlfriend think about you having another woman on your arm,” Adam asked grumpily.

“Well, I’m single at the moment,” Jamie said. “I have been since I came out of jail.”

“Jail?” Adam’s dark eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, Gordon didn’t tell you?” Jamie said coolly. “Yeah, I spent six months in prison.”

“H-how old are you?” Adam asked, gaping at the other boy.

“That’s the first time anybody’s ever asked me that after I say I’ve been in prison,” Jamie snorted. “Twenty three, by the way.”

Adam shivered all over. Jamie was six years older than him. He didn’t know why, but it turned him on a little.

“I went in when I was twenty two,” Jamie said. “They brought me in kicking and screaming,” he laughed. “I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.”

“What did you do?” Adam asked curiously. “You didn’t hurt anyone, did you?”

“Naw, they pulled me over and found a bunch of weed in my car,” Jamie said casually.” I was transporting it for a friend, but I took all the blame… I don’t tattle.”

“Must not have been a very good friend,” Adam scoffed. “He should have tried to save you!”

“That’s not how it works in the real world, kid,” Jamie said sadly. “He was my best friend since high school, but he hasn’t even come to see me since I’ve been out. He doesn’t want to be associated with me now that I’m being monitored by a probation officer.”

“You’re on probation, too?” Adam nervously licked his lips. That had been a lot of information. He honestly didn’t know where to start.

“Yeah, but I think you asked about my tattoos,” Jamie said sheepishly, slowing the car and pulling into a parking deck across from the Marriott. It was true! They were actually staying in a hotel! “I suppose the lady on my arm could be Harper, if she dyed her hair or something. I wish I could get rid of it, but that costs money.”

“They say you should never get a lovers picture or name tattooed on your body,” Adam quipped. “You’ll live to regret it.”

“She’s the one who paid for most of these tattoos,” Jamie said sliding smoothly into a parking space, then cutting the engine. “Like it or not, Becky was an important part of my life. I didn’t get out of that relationship scar free, that’s for sure.” He pulled the keys out of the ignition, then got out of the car, pocketing his cigarettes for later. “Come on. We’ve gotta cross the street.”

Adam followed him immediately. He skipped around the car and drew close to Jamie’s much taller body. He knew it was silly, but he felt safe next to the other boy. He wanted to walk even closer, but he didn’t.

They exited the parking garage, then crossed the street at a jog. Adam shrugged his backpack over his shoulder and hurried after Jamie. His shorter legs made it harder to keep up, but he was determined not to fall behind.

They went inside and Adam looked up at the huge chandelier. “Wow. So pretty.”

“Come on, kid.” Jamie took Adam’s wrist. “This way.”

Adam looked down at their bodies touching. Jamie’s hand was much larger than his, and so much more powerful…

“Table for two,” Jamie said, pulling Adam to a stop. Before them stood a hostess and she guarded the golden archway leading into a room of glass tables. There was a bar in the back, too, and Adam hoped they wouldn’t ask for an ID.

“Right this way, sir,” the hostess said, then she grabbed two menus and led them into the empty room.

Luckily, they were seated far from the bar, and nobody asked for their IDs. Adam set his bag under the table and got comfortable at the small, round table, directly across from Jamie. There was a small vase with flowers in the middle. It was all very clean and nice to look at.

Adam opened his menu and looked at the breakfast section. The Belgium waffle sounded good to him. He decided on orange juice and bacon as his sides, then set his menu down for the waitress.

Jamie browsed his menu a bit longer, but eventually he set his aside, as well, and looked up.

They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment, each of them studying the other in the warm lighting. Adam couldn’t help himself. He didn’t care if Jamie was straight or not, he decided he was seriously hot.

Finally, Adam broke the silence. “So, I’ve got to ask you something.”

Jamie’s voice was husky. “Yes?”

“Hi!” The waitress appeared, bubbly and bright, even dressed in her all black uniform. “Could I get you drinks to start?”

Jamie looked up at her, his brow furrowing with some unknown emotion. “I think we’re ready to order.”

The bubbly waitress took out her pad and pen and paused to write.

“I’ll have the breakfast skillet and a coffee,” Jamie drawled, then the waitress turned to Adam.

“The Belgium waffle for me,” he said. “Bacon on the side, and some orange juice, please.”

“Okay, sounds good,” the waitress said as she wrote. “I’ll get that right out for you.”

When she disappeared, Jamie dropped his elbow on the table and leaned his chin against his hand. “What were you going to ask me?”

“Oh.” Adam blushed a little. “Maybe it’s rude to ask, but Gordon wouldn’t tell me… how much did he pay you to drive up here?”

Jamie’s dark brows pulled together. “That is kind of rude.”

“I’m sorry.” Adam ducked his head. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s alright,” Jamie said, then, “He said he’d pay me eight hundred dollars.”

Adam’s whole expression changed. “What?”

“Well, I still have to give two hundred of it to my mom for the car, but still, six hundred dollars is a good chunk of change.”

“I don’t understand why he’d pay you so much. That’s ludicrous!”

“Not really,” Jamie said. “Technically, it’s illegal for me to be here. If my probation officer finds out that I left the state, I’ll be in big shitting trouble.”

“Why do you like breaking the law so much?” Adam asked, his face draining of color. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“Sure, I am. But my daughter needs a new bike,” Jamie said. “I’ve got no other way to make money. It was hard to turn this down.”

“Maybe you should just get a job,” Adam said. “You know, a real one?”

“The only place that would hire me right now is McDonald’s,” Jamie scowled. “And guess what? I don’t want to do fast food again. I hate it.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Adam said. Last semester, he and Katie had talked about getting part time jobs at the Dairy Queen, but Faith and David didn’t think it was proper for Adam to work while he was still in school. “When did you ever work fast food?”

“Senior year,” Jamie said. “But then I met Becky and she got pregnant pretty fast. She convinced me to quit, and I was more than happy to just do what she said.”

“So, she had money then?” Adam grumbled.

Jamie paused as the waitress came back with the drinks. He pulled his coffee close and wrapped his long hands around it. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” the waitress said, then backed away with a smile. “I’ll have the food right out!”

Jamie smirked after the cheerful server. “Yes. Becky had money. She was almost twenty years older than me. When we met, she already had a career and a house…”

“Where is she now?” Adam asked. “You said she was an ex, right?”

“Right.” Jamie chuckled. “Well, you certainly are getting to know me.”

“Sorry.” Adam flushed a delicate pink. “I’ve never been out to breakfast with a complete stranger before.”

Jamie smiled and he was super gorgeous when he did. He had nice teeth and Adam appreciated it. “We should trade questions. It’s only fair. I’m not learning anything about you.”

“I’m game,” Adam said sweetly. “What do you want to know about me?”

Jamie gave him a long, pointed look. “How old are you really?”

“I…um…” Adam turned beet red. The lie was stuck in his throat.

“Ta-da!” The waitress reappeared with their food. “Told you I’d be right back.”

Jamie watched her boredly as she set their plates in front of them. He took a sip of his coffee, then pushed it away. “Thanks. I think that’s all we needed.”

“No extra napkins or little cups of syrup?”

“No, thank you.”

The waitress finally got the hint she wasn’t wanted, and she backed up and slid through the empty tables.

“Ready to answer the question now?” Jamie asked when they were alone again. “Or are you still thinking about it.”

“I’m eighteen.” Adam frowned. “Of course, I’m eighteen. I’m an adult.”

“Of course you are.” Jamie smiled as he cut into his breakfast skillet. It looked good, but Adam was craving something sweet. “Now, what was your question? Where’s Becky?”

“Yeah,” Adam said, starting in on his waffle. “If she’s the mother of your child, then why do you refer to her in the past tense.”

“Good catch,” Jamie said. “It’s because she sold her house while I was in jail, left my kid with my mom, and moved down to Florida. I haven’t seen her in a year.”

“Wow,” Adam said around a bite of waffle. “Why did she do that?”

“I’ll answer, but then you’ve got to do two of my questions next.”

Adam nodded vehemently. He wanted to know.

“Well, I guess we were having problems even before I went to jail,” Jamie said slowly. “I really don’t want to go into it, so don’t ask, but we were close to separating. She just made it happen with the worst timing possible.”

“What a bitch,” Adam said.

“Yeah. That’s what I said, too,” Jamie laughed.

They fell quiet for a few minutes while they ate. Adam was wondering what kind of problems Jamie and his ex had had. He’d totally forgotten he had to answer two questions.

“So, what grade are you in?” Jamie asked casually.

“I’m a junior.”

Jamie looked up suddenly. “I was seventeen when I was a junior. What happened? Did you fail a grade?”

“I ah… started a year late,” Adam lied.

“Sure, you did. A little bookworm like you?”

“I write my own books, you know,” Adam said lightly. “Books of poetry.”

“Hmm.”

“I brought a couple changes of clothes, some toiletries, and my notebook. That’s all,” Adam said. “Just the things I couldn’t live without.”

“Pfft, I brought my phone, and my cigarettes,” Jamie said, then he reached into his back pocket and came up short. His face fell. “Oh, shit. I left my phone up in the room.”

“I left my phone in my room, too,” Adam said. “Turned off, with my goodbye note.”

“No. This isn’t good,” Jamie said. “Gordon’s probably trying to call me right now. Poor idiot’s going to lose his mind when he can’t get ahold of either of us.”

Adam sighed. He’d been so excited to meet Gordon this morning, but already the feeling had faded. He really wasn’t looking forward to seeing the older man.

“Come on, we’d better get upstairs,” Jamie said, digging into the last of his meal.

Adam stuffed two more bites of his waffle in his mouth, then choked it down with orange juice. “I’m done.”

Jamie waved the waitress down, then pulled out his wallet to pay. Adam was a bit surprised when he pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it to the girl.

“He really did pay you eight hundred dollars,” Jamie whispered when the girl stepped away to make change. “I can’t believe it…”

“He only gave me half so far,” Jamie said. “So you can relax.”

“Yeah, but I owe him so much money now,” Adam whined. “I have no idea how I’ll pay him back…”

Jamie caught his gaze with his stunning blue eyes. “You don’t have to worry about paying him back. This is all on Gordon. You don’t owe him anything.”

“Thanks, but that’s obviously not true,” Adam huffed.

Silent this time, the waitress returned with the change. She’d brought little chocolate mints as well, and Jamie promptly took one and popped it in his mouth. Once she left again, he spoke. “Listen, if you ever want to come home, if you ever feel uncomfortable, or scared, or you just get bored, I want you to tell me,” he said adamantly. “I’ll find a way to get you out of Gordon’s. I’ll get you home.”

Adam swooned a little. “R-really?”

“Really. I promise.”

“Why would you promise me something like that?” Adam nervously licked his lips. “I thought you were Gordon’s friend.”

“I am, but that doesn’t mean I support what he’s doing,” Jamie said, pushing his plate away and standing in one neat movement. “I think you’re in for a major culture shock.”

Adam stood a little more clumsily. He grabbed his bag, then nearly tripped on it as he pulled it out from under the table. “What d-do you mean.”

Jamie smiled. “I don’t think you’ll like the Village much. Even I think it’s the shits.” He left a tip on the table, a single twenty-dollar bill, then led the way out of the room.

Adam followed Jamie like a puppy, across the lobby and to the elevators against the far wall.

Jamie pressed the call button then folded his arms as he waited for the elevator to come down. Adam stood to his left, gazing up at him with appreciation. Jamie had a spider stuck in a web tattooed on his left shoulder. It was really cool, and Adam stared at it in fascination.

“Checking out my prison tats?” Jamie drawled.

“Did that one come from jail?”

“Most of the ink on this arm is from there,” Jamie said coolly. “It’s how I coped with being inside.” When the elevator arrived, Jamie grabbed Adam’s hand and led him inside. “Come on.”

Adam looked down at their hands, cupped palm to palm, and he smiled hugely. “You’re holding my hand.”

“Oh.” Jamie let go at once and pressed the button for the top floor. “Sorry. You’re just so tiny and childlike. I’m treating you like I treat my five-year-old daughter.”

Adam pouted. “That was my next question. How old is your daughter…”

“I think we’ll have to play that game a little later,” Jamie said. “I don’t think Gordon will be interested in us getting to know each other.”

“How close do you live to Gordon?” Adam asked quickly as the doors opened and they were deposited on the top floor. “You know, since you’re my protector now.”

Jamie laughed and nodded Adam down the hall to the left. “We live in the same trailer park, so within walking distance.”

“Good,” Adam muttered. “That’s a relief.”

Jamie snorted, then stopped in front of the fifth door down. “Here we are.”

As he got closer, Adam could hear wailing from inside. He met Jamie’s eyes and frowned. “What’s that?”

“The sound of a bitter man who just woke up with a hangover,” Jamie drawled. “Come on. It’ll be okay.” He slid the key card into the door, then opened it to more wails. “He just needs us to comfort him.”

“Jamie?” said a high, whiny voice. “Is that you?” A man in a baggy t-shirt and jeans stepped into the hall. He was barefoot and his long hair was in a tangled mess at the back of his neck. “Oh. And you brought Adam. How nice.”

“Hey, Gordon,” Jamie said, edging past the other man and entering the lounge area. “When did you wake up?”

“About an hour ago.” Gordon tried to straighten his long, black hair. He was smiling at Adam, and it made him feel weird. “Right at nine o’clock when my phone alarm went off. I tried to call you like immediately.”

“Sorry, I forgot my phone,” Jamie said, and Adam followed him, sliding past Gordon to do so. The older man followed him with his dark eyes, and that made Adam even more uncomfortable. He was just…staring! He wasn’t even trying to engage him in a conversation! “I figured you were trying to reach me.”

“Uh, yeah. I called at least forty times.”

“Great.” As soon as Adam reached Jamie’s side, Jamie turned and disappeared into the bedroom. “Let me go find it…”

Adam hugged his bag to his chest. He could feel Gordon’s eyes on him, but he kept his gaze locked on the bedroom, waiting for Jamie to come back. He needed him to come back. This was so ungodly awkward—

“Here it is.” Jamie strode out of the bedroom, phone in hand. “It fell next to the bed last night. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t in my pocket.”

Adam relaxed as soon as Jamie was back in the room. He released his bag and looked up at Gordon. He felt he could face him now.

“I didn’t give you that phone so you could lose it,” Gordon said tightly, his eyes still locked on Adam’s face, and Adam’s cheeks quickly filled with heat. “Treat that thing a little nicer next time. Or else I’ll take it back.”

“Fine.” Jamie rolled his eyes. “Fucking Indian Giver.”

“So…what happened?” Gordon asked, looking pointedly from Adam to Jamie. “You obviously found him.”

“Yeah,” Jamie said. “I drove to the spot you had me look up on Google Maps. It was easy.”

Gordon looked longingly at Adam, and finally, spoke directly to him. “I’m sorry I missed you this morning. I…slept in.”

“I heard,” Adam said. “Jamie said you were nervous about today.”

Gordon smiled, and his teeth were brown. Nothing like Jamie’s. “Nervous doesn’t even cover it.”

Adam wrinkled his nose. “Your friend also told me how much money you spent on this trip.”

Gordon laughed and the sound of it was loud in the room. “I hope he didn’t. That was supposed to be a secret.”

Adam folded his arms. “He told me.”

“Oh. Well. Fuck.” Gordon’s smile fell away.

“I told you I didn’t want to do this if it cost a bunch of money,” Adam said. “I don’t want to feel indebted to you. I just want us to be on a level playing field.”

“I know you said that,” Gordon said. “But this was the best option, clearly, so I paid for it.”

Adam cracked a smile, glancing up at Jamie. “Clearly.”

Slowly, Gordon frowned.

“So, hey, man. I didn’t mean to steal your date away from you,” Jamie said suddenly, and then reached up to squeeze Adam’s shoulder. “I picked him up, fed him some breakfast…he’s ready to go.”

“Go?” Adam asked. “I thought we were heading back to Ohio.”

“I thought we’d stay in the city for the day,” Gordon said. “We can leave tonight.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

“I thought we’d buy you a new phone today, since you had to leave yours behind,” Gordon said, beaming. “We can shop around, grab lunch, maybe see a movie…”

“Is Jamie coming?”

“No,” Gordon said at once. “He probably needs to get a nap in if he’s driving us home tonight.”

Unfortunately, that made sense. Adam nodded his head in agreement.

“Cool. Let me get a shower first,” Gordon said, then he grabbed a duffle bag from behind the couch and danced into the bathroom.

“Yeah. I so need a nap right now,” Jamie scowled after Gordon. “Fucking asshole. He doesn’t want me to come.”

Adam giggled. “He’s jealous of you.”

“No shit.” Jamie started picking up little bottles of alcohol on the coffee table. It looked like Gordon had had a fun night. “Just take a seat. I guess I’m supposed to clean all this up.”

Adam threw himself back on the white couch and looked up at the TV. Project Runway was on...