Chapter 19
The sound of fabric rustling dragged Nolan reluctantly from his love-drunk sleep.A barefoot Rick was picking through the clothes on Nolan’s bedroom floor.
“What’s going on,babe?”Nolan asked,sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
Rick found the shirt he’d been looking for and stood up.He was wearing his jeans,but they were still unbuttoned showing his white underwear beneath.A slow smile spread across Nolan’s face.He liked the idea of seeing these sexy little surprises on a regular basis.Nolan noticed the serious expression on Rick’s face as the older man pulled on his shirt.
“Rick?What’s going on?Are you okay?”
Rick’s eyes were red and wet.He shook his head.He turned to leave the room,but instead rushed back to Nolan and gave him a desperate kiss.
“I’m sorry,”he whispered before standing up and rushing out of the room.A confused Nolan leapt out of bed and ran after him.Rick had his back leaned up against the apartment’s outer door as he slipped on his shoes.
“Rick,”Nolan said.“I don’t understand.What’s wrong?What did I do wrong?”
Rick shook his head once again and looked over to the kitchen.Cam was standing there,arms crossed,face tight with fury.Nolan looked from father to son,not knowing what to say.Rick wiped at his cheeks as he finished with the shoes and opened the door,exiting into the hallway without a word.Nolan ran out the door.
“Please,Rick,”Nolan yelled,clutching at Rick’s shirtsleeve.
Rick put his hand gently on Nolan’s before pulling his shirt loose.Tears were streaming down his face as he said,“I’m so sorry.I didn’t mean for this to happen.”He looked over his shoulder to Cam’s cold face before turning and shaking off one last grab at his clothing by Nolan before hurrying down the hall.Nolan ran after the quickly retreating form of his lover.“Please come back.”
“Cover yourself up,”Cam said from the doorway,holding out a clean towel for Nolan.Clothing had been the very last thing on Nolan’s mind as he had ran from the bedroom.Blushing,he walked back,took the towel,and wrapped it around himself.
“Cam,I’m so sorry.I didn’t want you to find out like this,but please.You have to understand.”
“Find out about what,exactly,Nolan?”
“About your dad.And me.About me and your dad.We’re…”
“I know what you two were doing.”
“Cam,we are…”
“No.Were.You were.It’s over.”
Nolan closed the distance between them in a flash.“You shut the hell up.It’s not up to you.”His finger stabbed toward Cam with every syllable.
Cam knocked Nolan’s aside.“Get your fucking finger out of my face,dude.”
“Oh my God!”Nolan yelled,grabbing double fists full of his own hair before turning from his friend and walking down the hall.“What the hell!”Nolan began walking toward the stairs before turning back to the apartment.He covered his face with his hands and leaned against the wall.“What just happened?”
“You boys okay?”Mrs.Wallace asked from her open door across the hallway.
“We’re fine Mrs.Wallace,”Cam said.“Go back inside.”
Nolan looked up at Cam,tears streaking his cheeks.
“He don’t look fine,”Mrs.Wallace said.“I’m calling the cops!”
“No need,”Cam said as he rushed past Nolan.“I’m leaving.”
“Cam,”Nolan yelled after him,but he was even faster in his retreat than his dad had been just moments before.
“You sure you don’t need the cops,sweetie?”
Nolan shook his head.
“Did he hurt you,baby?”Mrs.Wallace asked.
Nolan once again shook his head.“Not like that.”He wasted no time heading into his apartment for clothes and car keys.
Nolan had little memory of those first several minutes of driving.He was sobbing one minute and screaming and punching his steering wheel the next.He had made the drive to Sutton’s Mill in no time flat,but Rick’s truck wasn’t at home.Nolan tried beating on the door,but he knew no one was home before he even tried.He went to all the places he knew Rick to go,which was an embarrassingly small list of places,having only known his best friend’s dad for a short amount of time.
“Fuck this,”Nolan said aloud.He needed to talk this out with an actual person and he turned his car around and drove to her as fast as he could.