He was growing impatient. He could feel it thrumming through his muscles. He sucked his cheeks in and rotated left to right, keeping an eye on the people coming up and down the staircase, in and out of the platform doorways -yet none of them looked like Cavan. A chill wind rippled the back of his coat. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled up. Turning around he kept his eyes trained on Platform 3. As if on cue, a new rush of passengers came out of the doorway, all bundled up in black and grey woollen coats. Thick scarves and wind-swept hair breezed past him as he craned his neck to keep an eye out for Cavan. Then he saw it.
The mop of messy brown hair.
Bright green eyes that looked as worried as he felt.
Cavan!
Keeping his eyes on the tall kid, Lucas shoved his way through the throng of people. They glared at him, but he glared right back, his grey eyes making them shrink away and mutter under their breath. "Cavan!" he called out.
Green eyes looked around in recognition. "Lucas?"
Lucas waved his hand, drawing closer to the tall man. "Cavan over here!"
A relieved smile broke over the brat's face as he hurried through the small cluster of people before he reached Lucas. He was grinning so widely that the slap Lucas delivered took him by complete surprise.
"Jesus Lucas what the f-?"
"You stupid brat!" Lucas snapped, all the anger rushing out. His hand stung but he didn't care. "How could you worry me like that? What were you thinking?"
Cavan was silent for a moment before swallowing thickly. Before he could reply, Lucas grabbed the young man's wrist and pulled him into a hug. Cavan blinked through his surprise as Lucas murmured 'stupid brat' and 'dumb kid' into his hair. It shouldn't have made him feel as warm as it did, but after the night he'd had, just having Lucas there was welcome enough. With or without the slap.
Cavan wrapped his arms around Lucas and squeezed him extra tight, making sure he was real. "I didn't mean to spring this on you," he said as they pulled away from one another. Walking side-by-side they made their way out of the station towards the carpark. Cavan stopped, frowning. "Wait, how did you know where to find me? Or even that I was coming?"
Lucas turned and sighed. "Arthur messaged me. As did Bonnie. She told me you'd asked where my cottage was, and we figured it out from there."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, that makes sense," he said sheepishly.
Lucas watched the brunette cower under the weight of it all. It made emotions stir in his chest. "Come on, kid. Let's get into my car. You look shattered."
Cavan smiled gratefully and followed the shorter man towards his car.
They bundled inside, the heating wafting over them as Lucas started the engine. It rumbled to life and within minutes they were pulling back out onto the main road. The clouds were a steely grey colour that hurt the eyes to look at them too long. It gave Cavan a headache. He was still frozen from the long night sleeping in the train station. He'd missed the last train by three sodding minutes, and it had put him in a very bitter mood. Now that he was with Lucas, however, that feeling had been pushed to the back of his mind. As Lucas drove them through the streets, Cavan felt his eyelids drift closed.
He didn't know how long the drive was, but when he opened his eyes, they had stopped in front of a two-storey building made of red bricks and thick black beams around the windows and roof. It looked modern even with the flagstone garden out front and the small plant pots on either side of the door. Even from outside Cavan could tell that the place was Lucas's. It just looked immaculate.
"This is your cottage?" he asked through a yawn as he climbed out and stretched his aching muscles. He could really use a nap.
"Yes," Lucas said, taking his house-keys out of his pocket. He opened the black front-door and led the way inside. Cavan gasped at the rush of warm air that hit him. The place smelled homey and it made his insides twist. Lucas took his coat and scarf from him and hung them up in a small cupboard off to one side.
"So, do I get the grand tour?" Cavan asked with a cheeky smile.
Lucas stiffened from hanging his own jacket. Turning to Cavan he folded his arms over his chest. "No," he said, hating the way the smile dropped from the brat's face. "You're going to go upstairs to the spare room, take a shower and have a nap."
"But I feel wide awake now!"
Okay, that was a lie. Cavan was desperate to sleep on something soft and clean.
Lucas narrowed his eyes, "Don't argue with me, brat. Go upstairs and have a nap. You look wrecked."
Cavan's shoulders slumped. "Fine," he sighed. "Which room is the spare one?"
"The spare room is on the right, with a bathroom next door. You might find a spare toothbrush and a clean towel in there, too."
Cavan pressed his lips together to restrain a smile. "Thank you."
He was just about to mount the narrow staircase when Lucas tapped his arm. Glancing down, Cavan saw the man holding out his mobile. "Type in your parents' number."
"Um … Why?"
"So, I can let them know you're safe."
"No, I don't want you to talk to them! Not like this!"
"Do you want to do it?" Cavan hesitated, the look of fear in those green eyes ... It tore at Lucas's heart. "I thought not. Now, give me their number. I'm not going to cause an argument, I just want to let them know you're safe, so we don't have a man-hunt on our hands, okay?"
Cavan sighed and took the phone. He typed in the landline to his parents' house and handed it back to Lucas. "There you go."
"Good. Now, upstairs, shower and nap. There's no rush for you to come back down. Take your time."
"But … don't you want to know why I -?"
"Take your time, Cavan," Lucas insisted. "There's plenty of time for us to discuss things later, when you're more rested, alright?"
A swell of adoration rushed through Cavan. It left him feeling warm and excited and oh, so eager to rest and hang onto that feeling whilst he slept. "Okay."
He watched Lucas for a moment longer before the older man clearly got a little uncomfortable and nodded before turning to walk down the hall. Cavan watched until the older man had turned out of sight before making his way up the stairs towards the spare room. Once there, he barely had time to kick off his trainers, jeans, and hoodie before collapsing into the bed and moaning loudly as the plush duvet engulfed him.
Chapter 19
Friday PM
Cavan felt a lot better when he woke up.
Perhaps it was due to waking up in a warm room in a plush bed, with the curtains drawn against the bleak sky outside and a small lamp lit from the other end of the room. Turning over onto his back, he stretched out across the mattress and let the fragments of memory align in his head. The fact that he was now curled up in Lucas's Lincoln cottage was something he hadn't originally planned for his Easter break; however, it wasn't an unwelcome adventure.
The room was so pleasantly warm, smelling ever-so-slightly of cinnamon. The duvet was like a marshmallow melted over him. It was so luxurious! Craning his head to the side, he took in his surroundings; dark wooden beams lined the ceilings, the side-tables matching with gunmetal lamps with black shades. The bed itself had a dark frame, with a deep, berry-red duvet cover. It almost looked like blood -or cherry sauce!
There were no pictures on the walls.
Lucas clearly wasn't the sentimental type.
Shifting up on the pillows, Cavan raked a hand through his hair. Through the narrow gap in the curtains he could see that the sky had grown dark. It must be quite late. Nerves knotted inside him. He wondered if Lucas had called his parents at all? And what they'd said, if he had? Cavan bowed his head, feeling ashamed that he'd disturbed Lucas's time of relaxation for a matter, which seemed trivial at best. He'd acted like a spoiled teenager and run-away from home. How pathetic was he? He tugged at the covers, dragging his knees up to his chest. He hoped that Lucas wasn't going to be mad or lecture him.
'You have to face him some time,' the logical part of his mind said.
> His shoulders sagged.
There was nothing for it.
His stomach growled, effectively deciding his fate. He was hungry, dying of thirst and had been asleep for the better part of the day. He needed to be a responsible grown-up for once and deal with the consequences of his actions.
Sliding over to the edge of the bed, he dropped his legs onto the floor. He was surprised to feel a thick, plush rug under his feet, cushioning any creaks that may have occurred. As silly as it was, he didn't want to alert Lucas just yet. He wanted those few, extra moments to himself to gather his, still sleepy, thoughts. The landing wasn't wide beyond his bedroom door, but it was carpeted, unlike what he'd seen of downstairs. All the wood was varnished a deep, dark colour. Not quite black, but it was rich and warm.
Glancing across the hall Cavan stared at an identical door to his own. This one was ajar. Nudging it open with his foot, he poked his head around the door-frame. This room was pristine, as though no one had stepped foot inside for ages. However, a few details betrayed that Lucas had indeed been living there; the last Harry Potter book on the nightstand with a glasses case on top, and a small case propped up underneath the window. A slightly sweet scent hung in the air, like raspberries.
Cavan milled down along the landing until he reached the top of the stairs. He only got about halfway down when he heard -voices? Or more specifically, Lucas's voice talking on the phone to someone. Cavan bit his bottom lip as he crept down a couple more steps to get within earshot of the phone call.
~0~
Lucas stared at his phone for a long-time. It was like he was awaiting the thing to sprout teeth and snap at his fingers. He felt as though he was putting off the inevitable. He needed to call Cavan's parents, it needed to be done sooner rather later to put their minds at ease that, at the very least, their son was safe. Although he couldn't deny that his apprehension was mostly due to his dread at having to explain such a delicate situation to his parents. He had no real idea of how Cavan's parents would react. Would they be angry? Would they shriek? Would they demand to get the police involved? Were the police already involved, regardless of the facts?
He'd get no answers without calling that number.
He wasn't usually nervous. A part of him wanted to interact with Cavan's parents the right way, the proper way. A formal introduction, preferably over dinner or something to that effect. Not calling them up to let them know that their run-away adult son was safe-and-sound with his much older, not really, boyfriend.
No, he didn't foresee this going well.
His fingers hovered over the keys for a little while longer before he finally pressed on the 'CALL' button. The dial tone was loud and alarming in his ears. Finally, someone answered. A man.
"Hello?"
Lucas felt sweat break out over his skin. He sat up a little straight. The voice down the other end was cold and authoritative. "Hello, am I speaking to Mr. Geisler?" God, he felt like he was speaking at a parents-eve meeting.
"Yes," came the terse reply. "Who is this?"
"My name is Lucas Trunell. I -Your son is safe."
There was a moment of silence. "You're the one he's been seeing, aren't you?"
Lucas froze, gripping the phone. Cavan had told his parents, then? Swallowing thickly, Lucas tried to keep his voice level; "I don't think that's what's important right now. I just wanted to let you know that Cavan is safe. I'll get him to call you first thing tomorrow."
"You will put him on right now!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. Your son had a rough night last night and he's sleeping it off right now."
"Shut your damn mouth and wake him up!"
"Sir, if you would just -"
"Don't you talk down to me, you sick bastard!" the man yelled in his ear. "How old are you anyway? Forty? Older? You keep the fuck away from my son do you hear?!"
"That would he hard considering he's asleep in my bed," Lucas couldn't help but quip.
"I'M GOING TO CALL THE POLICE DO YOU HEAR?"
"And tell them what?" Lucas snapped. He hadn't meant to; he'd meant to be the bigger person but there was something about this man that ripped at his nerves. "That your adult son stormed out because of your attitude. That he went over to a friend's house to feel safe. Doesn't that speak more about your actions rather than your sons?!"
"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO -?"
"Call the police and tell them what you want, Mr. Geisler. They won't do a thing. No laws have been broken and your son can do as he pleases. As long as he doesn't feel safe under your roof and around you, I will make it my duty to ensure that he feels safe with me. Good day."
He wished he had a landline, so he could feel the satisfaction of slamming a phone down. Pressing a red button was hardly a great end to a call like that. Too anticlimactic.
A creak came from behind.
He spun around just in time to see Cavan edging into the doorway. He must have been listening on the stairs. Lucas felt himself flush with embarrassment at having been caught in the act. Swallowing, he glanced at the phone in his hand before looking back up at Cavan. The kid didn't seem to notice that he was only wearing a shirt and a pair of boxers.
"I take it you heard that then," he stated.
Cavan bowed his head, looking embarrassed. "I -caught the last bit of it, yeah."
"I'm sorry you had to hear any of it, to be honest," Lucas grunted, tossing the phone aside. "It clearly didn't go well."
Cavan sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "I'm assuming you got through to my dad then. He's -intense at the best of times." Lucas scoffed but didn't comment. Cavan looked over at the older man and felt warmth bubble in his chest. "Did you really mean what you said to him?"
"Hmm?"
"About you wanting to make me feel safe? With you?"
Lucas looked up at him for a moment before a softness entered his features. "Yes, Cavan, I did."
The brunette eased himself into a nearby chair and dropped his head into his hands. "I'm sorry to have put you through this during your time away from stupid kids."
Lucas gave a small smile. "It's fine. I'd rather you were here with me and safe, than whatever the alternative was going to be."
Cavan looked up at the older man, overwhelming gratitude rushing through him. He felt a yawn ruin the moment and flushed a little as he struggled to contain it. Lucas quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Instead, he straightened up and walked past Cavan towards a room that turned out to be the kitchen. "Are you hungry?" he called over his shoulder.
"Um … sure."
Cavan got up, stretched his arms and legs, and followed Lucas.
The kitchen was as monochromatic as Cavan expected with the black-and-white checked tiles on the floor, the black tiles lining the narrow strip of wall between the countertop and the bottom of the cupboards. However, the colour of said cupboards was what threw him. They were bright lime green and glossed. Cavan felt his jaw drop open as he turned on the spot, taking it all in. Lime green cupboards? That was so … unexpected. The counters had a sleek granite top, the tall fridge was huge and gunmetal grey. The only spots of colour were the glossy green doors.
"Close your mouth, kid, or you'll choke on flies."
Cavan snapped his mouth shut before frowning. "There are no flies, it's too cold out."
Lucas gave him a side-long smirk before returning his attention to what he was doing. After about five minutes he turned back to face Cavan with a tray loaded with sandwiches and some fruit. Jerking his head to the doorway he said, "Go back in there so you can sit and eat. I only just cleaned the floor this morning and I know you didn’t shower earlier."
Cavan obliged, still stunned by the colour-shock.
Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Cavan watched as Lucas deftly wove his way around the coffee table, setting down the tray and drink on place-mats and then moving to and from the kitchen for his own drink and then shifting a few things out of sight. It took Cavan a few moments before he realised that Lucas was ner
vous, and tidying was his coping-mechanism. Reaching out, Cavan managed to wrap his fingers around the older man's forearm, halting him in his tracks.
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