Page 34 of Caught Running
“No!” Brandon exclaimed, startling himself with the vehemence of his answer. “No,” he repeated in a modulated tone. He actually shuffled in place, wishing he could hide, even a little bit, and expressively he closed up. “I just don’t know what to expect,” he said, unable to look up at Jake in case he saw annoyance or amusement.
“Expect?” Jake echoed in confusion. “Out of what?” he asked a little tentatively. “Going out in public?” he asked with a little smile.
Sighing, Brandon shook his head. “No. In public, in school, I get it. I understand and appreciate discretion. I mean...” he fumbled for words. “I don’t know what you want out of this,” he admitted. “It’s disconcerting.”
Jake blinked at him and inclined his head a little, taken by surprise. “Oh,” he responded stupidly. “Well, I hadn’t really gotten further in the thought process than wanting to get you naked, so I guess I’m a little behind,” he told Brandon with a slight blush and a smile to ease the tension he felt creeping back in.
“Yeah, well,” Brandon tried a smile, hoping to defuse the sudden edginess between them. “I’m always overthinking things, brain in overdrive, that sort of thing,” he offered, hoping to play it off, starting to walk toward the car. While he appreciated Jake’s comment about wanting him, he hadn’t gotten a reply to his admission. How could he have said something like that, anyway? Wanting to know what was happening next when they’d only kissed for the first time about ten hours ago?
Jake watched him go down the walk with a frown, but smiled slightly as he had an idea. He reached down, took off his flip flop, and chucked it at Brandon as he walked away, hitting him right on the back of the head.
Brandon’s eyes bugged out, and he whipped around to look at Jake in amazement. “Did you just do what I think you did?” he exclaimed.
“Depends on what you think I did,” Jake shot back with a signature grin as he thumped down the front steps and strolled forward to retrieve his flip flop. “That’s what we do. You think and I throw things,” he explained. “So I’ll make you a deal. You stop thinking,” he drawled, bending to pick up the shoe and wave it around threateningly, “and I’ll stop throwing things.”
The laughter was unstoppable. Brandon bent over for balance he laughed so hard, and when he looked up at Jake’s fake angry face, he just pealed into near giggles until he got short of breath and had to brace himself against the car. “Oh God. Are we total opposites or what?” he asked, calming down enough to get in the driver’s seat.
“Hmph,” Jake offered good-naturedly as he flopped into the passenger side. “Since we’re opening up with our feelings and all, I feel the need to tell you that this is the gayest car I’ve ever been in,” he told Brandon.
Brandon looked at Jake in surprise. “It’s a green Jetta. Why is that gay?” Jake threw his head back and laughed merrily in response. Brandon looked even more confused as he started the engine.
“It’ll be okay,” Jake chuckled, reaching over to pat Brandon’s knee.
“What the hell are you on about? Or are those pills finally kicking in?” Brandon asked suspiciously as he started driving to the Publix he knew was a few miles away.
“Yeah, they are,” Jake admitted with a content nod. “Sorry,” he offered as he looked over at Brandon with a smile.
Brandon chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll have to make an allowance for that,” he said. Then he glared at Jake. “My car is not gay,” he asserted. “It’s practical.”
“It’s practically rainbow-colored!” Jake giggled.
Looking at the hunter green paint, Brandon shook his head in exasperation. “What kind of pills are those?”
“Good ones,” Jake practically purred as he slouched down in the seat. He glanced over at Brandon and laughed softly. “Your car’s not gay, Brandon,” he cooed, “I just like to see you get all ruffled.”
Brandon rolled his eyes, but inside he was grinning madly. “Great,” he said with a faked aggrieved sigh. “And I know I’m easy to tease. So I guess you’ll be seeing me ruffled a lot.”
“Hope so,” Jake growled mischievously as he slid further down in the seat and rested his foot on top of his knee. His foot bounced in the silence, and he idly watched the scenery pass by as the very brief high and relief from his aches hit him.
Slanting a glance to the side, Brandon looked over Jake, seeing the effect of the drugs. He tried to recall what the options could be in the way of prescriptions, but he really had no idea. It had been ten years and so much had advanced since then. He pulled the car into the grocery lot, not bothering to look for a closer spot. “You okay to walk?” he asked politely.
“Yep,” Jake huffed. “Unless you’d like to carry me?” he offered.
Brandon looked at him in disbelief. “Me? Schlep around a lug like you? You’d squash me!”
“Hmph!” Jake offered that with a bigger grin as he opened the door and groaned getting out of the car. “People my size don’t belong in small cars,” he complained as he shut the door.
“So you drive next time,” Brandon said absently, locking the doors before they walked toward the supermarket.
Jake muttered in response and shuffled along after Brandon, trying to get his flip flops on straight as he did so before jogging a few steps to catch up. “You’re a bit of a bastard after you get laid,” he murmured to the man with a smirk as they walked.
Brandon snorted. “Insults won’t get you a repeat.” He grabbed a basket as they walked in, entering the fresh produce section first.
“I suppose you want like juice and milk and stuff, too, huh?” Jake looked around the market in distaste.
“How do you keep your girlish figure if all you eat is pizza, Hostess cakes and Doritos?” Brandon asked, bagging an apple and an orange.
“I don’t eat Hostess cakes,” Jake argued sulkily before smiling again and winking at the man. “I’ll get the liquid stuff,” he offered as he headed off to the left.