The Coil (32 page)

So he was hesitant now, with Jamie kneeling close to him, to move even a fraction. He was left speechless, however, as Jamie reached forward with one hand to touch the beaded necklace around his throat.

“You like my necklace, little man?” he asked as softly as possible, feeling somewhat privileged to be the subject of Jamie’s close attention.

Jamie nodded and then pulled his hand away. “You sleep over sometimes.” He spoke quietly, still so shy around Mattie.

“Yeah,” Mattie answered quietly. “Is that okay?”

“My dad makes my lunch.”

“I know. You like your grapes, don’t you?”

Jamie nodded. “He lets me pick my grapes, and he tucks me in, and he writes stories in his books.”

“Your dad’s real special.”

Jamie nodded. “He’s my dad.”

“Yep.” Mattie hesitated a second. “No one’s ever going to take your dad away from you, okay, Jamie?” When there was no answer, he bit his lip, and then dipped his head to catch a glimpse of those chocolate brown eyes. “I’m your dad’s special friend, Jamie, which means I might be here quite a lot. But if you ever want it to be just you and your dad for a little bit, you just let me know. Okay, little man?”

Again Jamie reached to touch his beaded necklace, and he held still. The door behind creaked open further, and he felt downright proud to see the at first stunned, then delighted smile spread across Simon’s lips at the sight before him.

“Will you bring your bunny with you next time?” Jamie asked, and both Simon and Mattie laughed.

“How about we go have supper at Mattie’s home one night next week, hey?”

Jamie turned to look at his dad and then climbed off the bed. Simon rubbed his hand over the top of Jamie’s head when Jamie made to squeeze by. “I want you to go start getting dressed, okay? Then we’ll drag Mattie out of bed for breakfast.”

“Okay.”

Mattie pushed the bedsheets away and stood to stretch. Simon’s arms circled around his middle, and he hugged him back for a second, then pulled away with a playful slap to Simon’s ass. As nice as good morning hugs were, he had to piss.

He headed into the bathroom to take care of business, and when he came back into the bedroom, Simon was perched casually on the side of the bed, waiting for him. He offered Simon a cheeky wink as he strode past to retrieve his jeans off the floor, but Simon’s hand caught his and tugged. He landed in Simon’s lap with an “oof.”

“Hey now.” Mattie chuckled, quite happy to be manhandled. “You have some sort of objection to me wearing clothes today?”

Simon pressed a kiss to his neck, smirking. “Not so much an objection as a preference.”

“Well, as nice as lazing around in my shorts sounds, I think modesty might be called for here. You know, with a certain little someone running around in cowboy pajamas and all.” He stood, snagging up his jeans.

“Want me to iron them for you?”

“Nah, they’re fine.” Mattie cut a glance to Simon, who was still perched on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands. “What’s up?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve got something to say, but you haven’t found the right words yet. I can see it in your devilishly handsome face, Mr. Castle.”

Simon snorted. “You’ve pretty much got my number.”

Mattie sat on the bed beside him, pulling on socks. “I had your number from day one.” He yanked on his T-shirt and then looked at Simon. When Simon said nothing, he nudged him with his shoulder. “Come on, we talk about everything now, remember? Spill.”

Simon smiled and nudged his glasses up along the bridge of his nose. “Jamie was talking to you.”

“
Yes
,” he drawled.

Simon raised his eyebrows, as if the point he was making was obvious. “Unprompted, Mattie.”

“Well, I’m pretty interesting, you know. Little guy probably couldn’t help himself.”

“I’m serious, Mattie. That’s a big thing for him. He doesn’t even do that with my mom yet.”

Something puffed up in Mattie’s chest. “He sees more of me then he does your mom, that’s all.” And it was true. If it wasn’t three or four evenings and mornings a week, then there was the diner. “He’s getting used to me.”

“It’s a big deal, Mattie.”

“Even Sarah said that he’s coming out of his shell more. He’s opening up, being more social, and that’s thanks to you, by the way. No one else.”

Simon stared at him for a moment, and when Mattie was about to speak again, a slow smile slid across Simon’s lips, and he shook his head. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Mattie’s cheek.

“Love you,” he said simply, and stood, leaving a mystified but nonetheless pleased Mattie sitting on the bed.

“Come on, it’s time to be out of bed, lazybones,” he called from the hall, and then: “What do we call Mattie?”

“Lazybones!” Jamie shouted, and then giggled.

Mattie laughed and stood to go join them for breakfast.

T
HE
ten minutes where he would walk with Simon and Jamie in the morning was arguably one of the best parts of his day, with him heading off to work and Simon taking Jamie to school. When they reached the park, their paths split. Mattie would carry on to the diner, and twenty or thirty minutes later, Simon would arrive with his laptop, ready to work. But the ten minutes spent walking toward the park together? It was wonderful. It was family time.

“Can we feed the ducks?” Jamie asked.

“Maybe after school, before we go to the diner, okay?”

“Okay,” was the disappointed reply, and Mattie couldn’t help but shoot Simon an amused look.

“Do you want to have mac ’n cheese later?” Simon counteroffered.

“I want a sandwich.”

“All right then.” Simon chuckled fondly.

“Mattie cuts the crusts off.”

Mattie felt a pang in his chest and glanced at Simon to see if he’d noticed too. One look and, yes, Simon was grinning.

“Yes, Mattie does.”

It was the first time Jamie had actually used his name.

“Well, this is me.” Mattie tilted his head toward the sidewalk that would lead him to the diner.

“See you soon, don’t forget to ask about shifts for… you know.” Simon grinned and pecked a quick kiss on his lips.

“Oh, yeah, yeah of course. Have a good day at school, little man.” Mattie stood a moment and watched as father and son walked away through the park.

H
E
ENTERED
the diner in a damn fine mood. Until he spotted Ty, of course.

“Hey,” Ty greeted.

“Hey.” Mattie set his backpack on the counter and looked at Ty, feeling dumb and guilty. “How’s it going?”

“All right, I guess.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

Silence ensued. They stood there in the empty diner, staring at each other awkwardly.

“This is fucking stupid!” Ty practically yelled and then took a step closer to shove him. “Be my friend again. Now.”

Mattie actually laughed, slightly incredulous. “
You
stopped talking to
me
, remember?”

“I was being a good friend by being pissed at you.”

“Ty, you
said
—”

“I
know
, I know,” Ty grumbled.

Mattie sighed. “I’ve got something really good going on for me right now, Ty. I don’t want to give that up. You said you’d support that.”

Ty sat himself on a stool. “I know, but that was before I saw that fucking letter. That was before you
got into art school
.”

The letter. The letter offering him a place at the Art Institute of New York. With financial aid, even. The letter daring him to reach for everything he’d always wanted for himself. The letter he could not bring himself to throw away and that travelled with him everywhere in his backpack.

“Just tell me that you’re sure. Tell me you’re 100 percent certain that you’re doing the right thing.”

“My feelings for Simon and Jamie are the one thing I am certain of, Ty. I’m not leaving them.”

Ty’s shoulders slumped. “Fine, I guess. I suppose he’s really happy with your decision, then?”

Mattie looked away, shrugging. “He doesn’t need to know.” He cut a glance back at Ty and sighed at the totally disapproving glare his friend was leveling him with.

“You’re not even going to mention it to him?”

“Nope, my mind’s made up. There’s no point.”

“You know, here I am, blaming this guy for everything, and he has no idea. What, are you afraid that he’d be mad, or…?”

No. Simon wouldn’t be mad; that wasn’t what he was afraid of. He was afraid of the exact opposite. “He’d never be mad. There’s just no point in discussing it. I have what I want, Ty. So please, just… drop it, okay? Let it fucking be already.”

Ty sighed. “Okay, this is me, dropping it once and for all.” He waited a heartbeat. “Even if it is the wrong decision.”

Mattie reached into the glass counter and threw a croissant at him. Ty ducked out of the way with a laugh, holding up his hands in surrender.

“Okay, okay, enough.”

Mattie shook his head and unzipped his backpack. “Hey, do you think you could swap a shift with me next week?”

“Uh, um, um….” Ty squinted, obviously shifting his schedule around in his head. “Yeah, should be able to, why, where you off to?”

“We’re taking Jamie to the zoo.” He grinned, excited.

Ty even managed to offer a reluctant smile in return. “Yeah? That’s kinda cool, I guess.”

“Aw, you want to come too?” He laughed.

“Fuck off.”

“You don’t want to see the lions and tigers and bears?”

“Don’t say it.”

“Oh my!”

“Ugh. You’re pathetic.” He swiped a cloth over the counter. “And everyone knows that the penguins are the best.”

“Loser,” Mattie snickered and reached into his backpack to pull out the crumpled piece of paper that was his work schedule.

“Says the dude with….” Ty leaned over the counter, peering into Mattie’s backpack. “Says the guy with
trash
in his backpack.” He plucked a gummy bears wrapper and a squashed juice carton out of the bag.

Mattie snatched them back, putting them back in his bag. He shrugged. “Jamie has this thing where he likes to put his trash in Simon’s suitcase or satchel. Or in this case, my backpack. It’s cute.”

“It’s weird.”

Mattie pointed a warning finger at Ty. “It’s. Cute.”

Ty laughed. “Okay, man. Cute, whatever.” He slapped Mattie’s arm with his dish towel. “Hey, you want to go see this band play at the Noisy Cricket next week? They’re supposed to be a cross between Nine Inch Nails and the Smashing Pumpkins, what do you say?”

Mattie mulled it over. The Noisy Cricket would usually conjure not so great memories of his first foray into prostitution. And though he doubted he’d ever feel completely comfortable there, he didn’t feel afraid of the place. He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

“Yeah? Great! It’s been ages since we’ve hung out, got wasted, and listened to some truly dire amateur bands. High five!”

“Put your hand down. Now.”

“Fine. Mr. Sensible.”

Mattie waved his work schedule in front of Ty. “Come on. What day do you want to swap?”

T
HE
bell dinged above the door as Simon strode in. Out of habit he glanced at the sandwich bar where the unfriendly guy with the thick, indefinable accent stood in Mattie’s usual spot. A quick search around the room and Simon spotted Mattie, taking a patron’s order. He walked over to his usual booth and pulled out his laptop.

“Good morning, sir. What can I get you?” a familiar voice asked.

“So many inappropriate answers….” He glanced up and grinned, feeling roguish.

Mattie laughed. “Okay, coffee coming up. Let me know if you get hungry, all right? I’ve got a break in twenty minutes.”

“May I suggest you spend your break in my booth?” He winced. “I
—
I wasn’t trying to be dirty or metaphorical there….”

Mattie barked out a laugh and covered his eyes with one hand. He was still chuckling when he squeezed Simon’s shoulder. “I know, honey.”

“Mattie?” Daphne, the waitress, called from behind the diner cash register. “Hon, could you go sign for the delivery out back? I got my hands full here.”

“Sure thing, Daph.” Mattie turned to Simon, winked. “Back in a bit.”

Simon watched Mattie walk through the “Employees Only” door and then turned back to his laptop. He looked up, however, when someone sat opposite him in the booth. He had a sudden sense of déjà vu, seeing Ty sitting there. “Um. Hello.”

“Hey.”

Simon waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. It didn’t take long for things to become awkward. “Um, was there anything else?”

“Yes, but….” Ty rolled his shoulders. “I’m just debating on how much to say.”

“Uh. Okay. Do you mind if I….” He nodded at his laptop. “Just while you gather your thoughts?”

“I guess.”

With that permission, Simon attempted to go on writing. For approximately ten seconds. “Actually, no.” He closed his laptop. “What you’re doing….” He gestured between them. “It’s a little intimidating.”

“I’m trying to think of how to phrase this without biting your head off.”

“That isn’t comforting.”

“You need to let Mattie go.”

Amused up until that point, his smile disappeared and he sat up straighter. “Excuse me?”

Ty sighed and leaned forward across the table, shooting a quick look at the door Mattie had used a few moments ago. “Don’t… don’t you think you’re holding him back?”

He was speechless. He felt as if the rug was being pulled out from beneath his feet. “Mattie and I care about each other very much,” he replied seriously.

“I don’t doubt that, I mean, I know he’s crazy about you and all….”

“And I’m crazy about
him
.”

“Yeah, but… he could be doing so much more with his life right now, you know? Rather than playing happy families.”

“I’m not keeping him against his will,” he bit out.

“No, you’re not. But it’s not like you’ve got his best interests at heart either, is it?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then why haven’t you even asked him about his plan for school, huh?”