Forward (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Fifteen

Mr. Bradford was picking Kalen up late. James's parents usually went to bed early, since they both had to wake up early in the morning for work, but they made an acception for Kalen, both of them staying up an hour later than they typically did before giving their goodbyes, nearly two hours before Kalen was supposed to be picked up. James watched from the couch as his mother pulled the boy into a tight hug and thanked him for being so pleasant. Similar words left his father, though they were accompanied by a handshake.

And then they were left alone, just the two of them, and Kalen was leaning over the back of the couch to address him. "I have to gather my things upstairs. Want to keep me company?"

"Of course," James said after a pause, in which he considered Tyler's words from earlier. He was still having a bit of trouble agreeing with them, and he questioned if being alone in his bedroom with Kalen was the best way to process, but those golden eyes often had him making decisions he probably shouldn't. 

And so he found himself following Kalen up stairs, his eyes roaming the boys body in brief moments of weakness.

They didn't speak until they were inside the room, with the door shut behind them, despite the fact that James's mother had warned her son against situations like this. Immediately, Kalen crossed the room and dropped down onto James's bed. James, looking around, noted that the other boys stuff was all packed up and neatly arranged in a pile by the door. His eyebrows raised, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Is it weird that I'd rather stay here than go home?" Kalen inquired, staring up at the ceiling. With a small sigh, James slowly crossed the room and took a hesitant seat on the corner of his mattress. "Your family is so put together compared to mine".

"Put together?" James repeated, surprised and Kalen raised his head a little to look at him.

James hadn't heard anyone describe his family as put together in what must have been years, and he was almost certain that wasn't because people just weren't vocalizing their opinions. Just months ago, his family had been broken completely, and they were still in the process of being reconstructed. They were not put together, not yet, and Kalen describing them as such ad James wondering what the hell the Bradford's were like behind closed doors.

"Yeah," Kalen confirmed. "I mean... you guys are happy. You can all be in a room without any yelling".

"You were all in the same room at your father's dinner and I didn't hear any yelling," James pointed out. Kalen huffed lightly.

"That's because that's not really us. That's a polished version of us that our father has been shaping for years. The real us involves a lot of cigarettes, alcohol, and pettiness. It's exhausting.

"Well..." James trailed off, unsure of what he was going to say, but Kalen sat up and looked at him with interest. "I guess there's more of you than there are of us, so that makes sense.'' Kalen hummed and then laid back again. Whether or not he was satisfied with this answer, James couldn't tell. "You know you can come back any time right? You're always welcome here".

"Yeah," Kalen agreed half heartedly. In response, James shifted to knock his knee into the other boy's leg. "I know I can come back, it's just... won't it be weird if I do? I can't suddenly start spending all of my free time at your house".

"Why not?" James suggested, and Kalen's eyebrows raised. "Your brothers like me".

"Three of my brother's like you," Kalen corrected. "And that's not my point. I'm not worried about my brothers, I'm worried about my father and-" he cut off, his eyes falling shut. "And what he must think".