A Good Enough Reason (15 page)

“Yes, Mom.”

Stephanie slapped Dale’s arm. “I just want you to be safe.”

He laughed and pulled her closer again. “I know.” Dale kissed her. He kept it short and sweet, even though there weren’t many people left in the parking lot now. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

“Right. I have to go. Have fun.” Stephanie kissed Dale’s cheek before walking to the friend waiting for her. She waved back, and Dale mirrored the gesture.

“Ellis is here,” Seth said from Dale’s side.

“Yeah?” Dale looked around, and sure enough, Ellis was there. He’d stayed out of the way and leaned against the wall, his head tilted down, his glance somewhere on the ground.

“Steph’s not coming?”

“No, she has to babysit some kid.”

“Ask Ellis to come, then.”

Dale thought about it. “You know he’ll say no. He doesn’t like parties.”

“Then bat your lashes at him and give him the puppy eyes.” Seth patted Dale’s shoulder and left him alone to wonder what he’d meant with that phrase. Had Seth seen something? Was Ellis interested in Dale?

Dale shook his head. It didn’t matter. Dale had a girlfriend.

Ellis didn’t look up until Dale was standing right in front of him. His eyes widened, and he gave Dale the adorable deer-in-the-headlights look Dale had seen on him more than once. “Hey. You came.”

Ellis pushed away from the wall, bringing them uncomfortably close. Dale took a step backward.

“I said I would.”

“Did you like it?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t get half of the stuff you guys did on the field, but it was fun to watch, especially when you scored. Well, you and that other guy.”

“Lex.”

“Oh, okay.” Ellis looked down again, then up. “Okay, so, I’m going to head home.”

“We’re having a small party to celebrate.”

“Have fun.”

“Why don’t you come?”

Ellis shook his head. “Ah, no, thank you. I’m not one for parties. Too much noise, too many people. You know.”

“Just come for a bit, then. We’ll have a beer, and I’ll get you home.”

“I don’t drink.”

“I’m sure we can find something else to drink.”

Ellis still didn’t look convinced, so Dale did what Seth had suggested. He took out the heavy guns and batted his lashes. It always worked with his mother, so why not on Ellis?

“Please? I’ll give you a ride home as soon as you ask for it. We don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to, and if you’re too uncomfortable, I’ll take you home right away.”

Ellis bit his lower lip, looked at the people still milling around the parking lot, then at his feet. “I’d rather go home.”

“Please? Don’t make me go alone.”

“What about Stephanie?”

“She has to work.”

“Oh. Seth will be there. You won’t be alone.”

“I want to celebrate with you.” It was truer than Dale had realized, and it worried him. He hadn’t really cared that Stephanie wouldn’t be there, but he desperately wanted to spend time with Ellis. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.

Dale opened his mouth to say it didn’t matter, but Ellis talked before he could.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll come.”

Dale plastered a smile on his face. “Great.”

“But you’ll bring me home when I ask you to, right?”

“Of course. And Seth will be there too, so if you need anything, you can ask him.”

Ellis nodded and followed Dale to his car. Dale was conflicted, but he knew one thing—he wasn’t going to drink one drop of alcohol tonight. God knew what he might end up doing if he did.

ELLIS EYED
the front of the house with worry and anticipation. What on earth was he thinking when he’d said yes? Oh, yeah. He’d been staring at Dale, at the way his lashes fluttered when he looked at Ellis, at how brown his eyes were, that was what. Dale obviously wasn’t good for Ellis’s decision-making skills.

“Are you ever going to get out of the car?”

“Do I really have to?”

Dale chuckled. “Not if you don’t want to, I guess. But they don’t bite.”

A sudden thought made Ellis stop. “Mark won’t be here, right?”

“I don’t think so. He never comes to our parties, and we rarely go to the football team’s. We don’t mix together.”

“But you told me you know him pretty well.”

“Not exactly. Our mothers have been friends since we were toddlers, so we became friends, but it didn’t last long. Mom’s grown even closer to Mark’s mother since they both got divorced. That’s why I know a bit about him, not because we still talk or anything. Now, are you ready to go in, or do you want to stay here and talk about Mark?”

It sounded like a good plan to Ellis, or at least a better one than actually going inside. He could hear the loud music thumping even through the closed windows of the car, and the last thing he wanted was to actually get closer to its source. There was a reason Ellis didn’t like going to parties and had few friends—he was an introvert. He liked being around people, but only a few select ones, those who understood him. He hated crowds and loud music.

“El?”

Ellis looked at Dale. “Fine, let’s go.”

Dale bounded out of the car and to the front door, looking like an excited puppy, while Ellis was doing his best to plaster a fake smile on his face. He wasn’t sure it was working, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t know anyone inside the house anyway, and Dale and Seth already knew he wasn’t enthusiastic.

Dale opened the door without knocking. A rush of music and heat, and the smell of beer and too many bodies assaulted Ellis. He gritted his teeth and followed Dale.
Small party, my ass
. There had to be at least fifty or sixty people around the house, some dancing in the living room, some standing and talking in the hallway. Most of them had red cups in their hands, and Ellis didn’t have to ask to know what they were drinking.

He followed Dale through the house, trying not to lose him without actually grabbing Dale’s T-shirt, or God forbid, his hand. Dale smiled and laughed a lot as they went. He also waved and said hello to what had to be every single person at the party. And what was Ellis doing? Nothing. He kept his eyes on the strong back in front of him and ignored almost everything else.

It wasn’t an easy thing to do, not with the way people were pressed against each other, but he managed. He let Dale guide him until they reached what looked like an office, only with a lot more chairs than necessary. There were already several people in the room, and Ellis vaguely recognized most of them as some of Dale’s teammates. Seth was there too, and there was a girl sitting on a guy’s lap and making out with him like there was no tomorrow. Everyone else in the room was ignoring them, so Ellis did the same.

“What took you so long?” one of the guys asked.

“I had to convince Ellis to come.”

All the eyes in the room—except the ones belonging to the kissing couple—instantly went to Ellis. Seth was the only one who seemed happy to see him, obviously. “El! I didn’t think you’d come!”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us.”

“You couldn’t resist the puppy eyes, huh?”

“Err….”

“Don’t worry, no one can.”

Dale sat down in one of the free chairs, and Ellis hurried to do the same. He idly listened to the conversations going around him, which of course were about either soccer or girls, two subjects Ellis knew little about and had no real interest in.

Someone offered Ellis a beer, and he declined. He was mostly ignored after that, so he took his phone out and started typing the next chapter of his fan fiction story in the note app. It wasn’t his favorite way to write, but he didn’t have his laptop with him, or even a pen and paper.

He got lost in his little world, and the next time he looked up, Dale was gone. “Where did he go?” he asked the only person left in the room.

A beaming Seth answered, “Bathroom. To pee.”

“Too much information, but thanks. Are you drunk?”

“Ah, no. Just a bit tipsy.”

Ellis looked pointedly at Seth’s hands. They were holding one of the red cups. Seth looked at his hands too, then back up at Ellis. “Don’t worry, it’s water. Want to taste?”

“Ugh, no. I believe you. Where did everyone go?”

“No idea. This is a party, you know. They’re probably having fun somewhere.”

“And you’re not?”

“Who said I wasn’t?”

“I thought it was implied.”

“Nope. I don’t mind babysitting you. I like you.”

“I like you too, just, stick to water from now on, okay?”

Seth sounded almost normal, but he was being awfully affectionate. “Sure. I’m going to go get a refill. Do you want something?”

Ellis hesitated. Was he thirsty enough to want to risk drinking something God knew how many drunk people had touched? “No, thanks. I’m fine.”

Seth nodded happily and stood up. Ellis was relieved to see he managed to walk without stumbling and was steady on his feet as he closed the door and left Ellis alone.

It was awkward. He didn’t know the people who owned the house, and it made him feel out of place. He stood and walked to the french doors. They opened on an illuminated backyard, and despite the cold, Ellis stepped outside.

He took a deep breath of the night air and felt better. The garden was less personal than the office, and Ellis felt more comfortable being there, even though it was cold. He leaned against the wall next to the window and tried to ignore the music and laughter coming from inside. He didn’t have much success, but then it was so loud he was surprised no one had called the cops yet.

“What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s cold but not freezing.”

“Still too cold to be standing outside,” Dale pointed out.

Ellis shrugged. “I’m fine here, but you can go back inside if you want to.”

“You don’t like it, huh?”

“Not really. I don’t even know anyone.”

“I shouldn’t have insisted.”

“It’s fine.”

“You said yes to please me, and I left you alone.”

“I’m not a kid. You don’t have to hold my hand.”

“Yeah, I know, but still.” Dale stepped closer to Ellis, too close for him to be comfortable.

He looked up only to find Dale looking down at him. Silence stretched until it became awkward. Ellis was about to ask Dale to take him home when Dale moved.

Ellis gasped at the feeling of a warm hand on his cheek. A thumb traced his lip. He wanted to close his eyes, to fool himself into thinking it was a dream, because then it could go on, and Dale wouldn’t back off.

He looked at Dale, and they stared at each other. Ellis was scared to death of what he thought was about to happen, yet he wanted it so much. Dale slowly leaned toward him, and Ellis’s heart tried to beat a hole through his chest, only to completely stop when warm lips pressed against his.

He opened his mouth, unable to resist, and Dale’s tongue gently met his. They stroked against each other and explored until Ellis was breathless. He put his hands up around Dale’s neck, and Dale pulled him closer, encasing him in his arms.

The kiss was warm and wet with an underlying affection Ellis knew he had to be imagining. He didn’t care much, though, not right now. He knew he’d have more than enough time to analyze every move and angst over it, so he pushed all thoughts away and lost himself in a kiss he’d never thought he’d get.

“No, outside no. It’s too cold,” a girl’s voice said on the other side of the french doors. It penetrated the sensual daze Ellis was in, and he only then really realized what he was doing. He was kissing Dale, star player of the soccer team, straight guy with a girlfriend.

Dale seemed to realize the same thing at the same time. He sprang away from Ellis as if Ellis had bitten him. His lips were reddened, and his eyes were wide with a distinct panicky gleam in them.

“Dale?” Ellis whispered, afraid to even move.

Dale shook his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—I should—we… I have to go.”

He sprinted away, leaving a stunned Ellis behind. “Dale! Wait!”

Ellis finally ran after Dale, but by the time he got to the front of the house, Dale’s car was gone, and so was Ellis’s ride home.

Ellis sat on the sidewalk. He had no clue what had just happened. He’d never thought Dale would do anything like that, but he had. Did it mean he was gay? But what about Stephanie? Was she just a cover, or did Dale really like her? Did it mean he was bi rather than gay? And the most important question at the moment—how was Ellis getting home?

Chapter Eight

ELLIS WAITED
next to Dale’s locker, his heart beating too hard. His palms were damp, and he kept bouncing his leg. He’d thought about the kiss for most of the night. He didn’t know why Dale had kissed him, but he did know he didn’t want to lose his friend over it. It was going to happen if they didn’t clear things up, though.

Ellis’s feelings didn’t matter at this point. For all he might want Dale to be gay or bi and be madly in love with him, he knew it was next to impossible. Even if he were, Dale had a girlfriend, and Ellis refused to be the other woman—or man, in his case. No, it was better for him to try to forget the kiss, but to do that, Dale, too, had to forget about it. It nearly made Ellis wish Dale had been drunk last night, but he knew it wasn’t true. He hadn’t tasted alcohol on Dale’s breath.

Things had been awkward after their shared jacking-off session, and Ellis didn’t like it. They still had to work on their project since it was due before winter break, although it was mostly done.

Someone stopped next to Ellis, and his heart tried to shoot out of his chest when he saw it was Dale. Dale wasn’t even looking at him. He hadn’t said hello, hadn’t acknowledged Ellis’s presence like he normally would have.

“Hi.”

Dale grunted and kept his eyes on his locker. He took a few books out and pushed them in his backpack, then put his jacket in the locker, never looking at Ellis.

“I think we need to talk.”

“’Bout what?”

“Uh, about last night.”

“Nothing to say.”

“But, well, you, you know.”

Dale slammed his locker closed, and Ellis winced at the noise. Dale finally turned toward him, but he kept his eyes somewhere on Ellis’s chest rather than looking straight at him. “Look, just let it go, okay?”