Meant to be Broken [boyxboy] [Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter Sixteen

They met at the mall again the next weekend, Tomi again getting a ride from Kiona and Shauna. As soon as Ives saw him, he was heartbroken. Tomi looked even worse than the week before, despite the fact that he brightened at the sight of Ives. The circles around his eyes were more pronounced, and he looked like he'd lost weight over just one week. Ives didn't want to let him go when they hugged.

But he got a real shock the next afternoon when Tomi called him.

"Are you okay?" Ives asked immediately.

"Yeah," Tomi answered, but he didn't sound very okay. "Tomorrow is my birthday."

"I know." Ives had been planning to call him first thing in the morning to wish him a happy birthday.

"Uh... my mom wants you to come to dinner at my house," Tomi told him, his voice strained, but by what emotion, Ives had no idea.

Ives found himself at a loss for words for a moment. "What?" he finally questioned.

Tomi took a deep breath. "She says she wants to apologize."

Ives wasn't sure he believed him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Tomi answered. "I guess she's been talking to Seth's parents a lot."

"What about your dad?" Ives asked curiously.

"I actually think he's taking it better than Mom," Tomi said thoughtfully.

"He's not the one who came home early and walked in on us," Ives pointed out.

"True," Tomi agreed. "But he's never usually as uptight as Mom is about anything that happens. I think he keeps her from going insane on us."

"That's probably a good thing," Ives stated.

"So, you'll come over tomorrow?" Tomi asked, sounding nervous.

Ives swallowed a sudden wave of anxiety. "I'll be there," he promised.

At exactly 5:30, Ives pulled into the Miliani driveway, feeling more nervous than he had felt the first time he'd met Tomi's mother. It felt like there was much more riding on his shoulders this time, most notably the ability to see Tomi more than just when his friends can bring him to a public place to meet up.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the birthday card he'd run to the grocery store for the night before, and trudged up the snowy driveway. Tomi answered the door when Ives rang the bell, and Ives noted decidedly that he still looked like utter hell. Afraid of being too forward, Ives held back from touching him and simply handed over the card as soon as he got inside. Noticing Scout whining to be petted, Ives scratched him behind the ears. Across the room, he saw Timmy, the elusive Miliani feline, making his exit. The cat clearly didn't like strangers.

"I was planning on actually getting you a gift, but I wasn't expecting to see you today and I didn't have time to get you what I wanted to get you last night after you called," he explained to Tomi about the card, embarrassed.

Tomi took the card and nodded. "I know, it was last minute. I'm sorry." He held his free hand out for Ives' coat, and Ives handed it to him.

As Tomi was hanging up the coat, his mother walked into the room. She saw Ives standing awkwardly by the front door and gave an obviously forced smile. "It's nice of you to come," she told him.

Ives could tell she was trying to be polite. "Thank you for inviting me."

She motioned to the living room furniture. "Come in. Please."

He walked over to the couch and sat down, his hands tightly clenched in his lap. Mrs. Miliani sat on a nearby love seat and faced him. Meanwhile, Ives was terrified to see Tomi leave the room.