Summer Savings [Byler]

Chapter 8

On the walk through the garden back to Mike's house, Will realised he hadn't seen Mike's room yet, or any of the upstairs of the house for that matter, and was filled with anticipation. If his den was that good, how cool would his room be?

They slipped into the house as quietly as possible, walking on tiptoe and making sure not to slip on any of Holly's toys which were strewn about the floor.

Mike led Will up the staircase, silently directing him on how to skip the squeaky steps.

"My mom's a light sleeper," he whispered into Will's ear when they reached the top. "And I don't want her asking me what I was doing outside until midnight, and why I'm creeping around the house. Not that hanging out with you in the garden is bad or- or wrong, or anything."

He shrugged at Will and grabbed his arm to lead him to his bedroom.

As Mike opened his door, Will's mouth opened in a slight "oh" of suprise.

Mike's bedroom had a set of glass doors leading to a balcony on one side of it, with thick, black curtains either side. He had large bay windows with ledgings that could be used as seats, a wide desk filled with comics and books and a radio and paper and notebooks, and his bed was a double, piled high with different mismatched blankets and pillows, and a black duvet and pillow cover set. The rest of his wall space was filled in with band posters and pictures of him and another boy, who Will guessed was Lucas, and a few pictures of him and Nancy. There was also one of Mike and Holly, Will spotted, and couldn't help smiling softly.

He had a few white glossy shelves, holding up potted plants, figurines, and miscellaneous junk, and a closet that had one door open to reveal it's inside was covered in various band and movie stickers.

"Dude, your room is awesome!" Will grabbed Mike's shoulder so the raven haired boy would look him in the face.

"You think so?" Mike grinned back at him, but Will knew he was only trying to be modest.

"Obviously!"

"Uh, do you wear pajamas to bed, or?" Mike asked, looking awkward. Will flushed bright red, and it was clear to see, even in the half-light of the bedroom.

"No! Not like that. Just so you can borrow some. I didn't mean it like that," Mike excused himself rapidly, shaking his head. But Will could see he was biting back laughter as he tossed him a pair of plaid pajama pants and a plain white shirt.

"This is the closest thing to pajamas I have, I just wear normal clothes. You can get changed in my bathroom," Mike held the door open for Will, and flicked the light on for him. In the bright light, it was obvious just how red Will had turned, and Mike had to swallow his laughter once more.

"Thanks," Will murmured sheepishly, heading into the bathroom and closing the door.

Mike took this opportunity to get changed himself, and then dig around to find a sleeping bag, which he laid on the floor next to his bed, and padded with cushions and blankets to make it more comfortable.

Will opened the bathroom door and stepped out, with a yawn, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Uh, I set up a sleeping bag for you, I hope that's okay," Mike indicated the pile of pillows and blankets heaped on the floor.

"Or do you want to sleep in a different room?"

"No. No, I'd rather sleep here," Will sat down on the sleeping bag, until Mike motioned for him to come and sit on the bed next to him.

"You wanna watch a movie then? I have my own TV and DVD player," Mike grinned.

"Uh, sure! What sort of stuff do you watch?"