By Any Other Name (14 page)

Skye and Dru were lighting the bamboo torches they had situated to form a line from the deck stairs to the hot tub. They had to add oil to the torches and were almost goofing about with the process. Thom chuckled under his breath.

“It’s good that they’re like that, isn’t it?” Kara asked from behind his elbow where she was peeking out at the duo.

“Yeah… only two weeks and you can see the difference in Skye. It’s great. Gives hope,” he said and glanced at the redhead. “You’re interested,” Thom observed.

“Maybe… but it’s not like he’d…. It’s tricky. And he’s not ready. There’s just something about him, you know,” Kara said, being her honest and straightforward self.

“Yeah, I know. If anything, let him come to you if he wants. Whenever he’s ready,” Thom said, hoping it was the best advice and would make Kara back down enough.

“I’m not stupid, Thomas,” she said in the tone that so reminded him of his mother scolding him.

“No, you’re not,” he replied and wrapped an arm around her before kissing the top of her head.

“So how’s the food coming along?” Dru asked, walking up the stairs.

“Almost done, you guys can get more drinks,” Thom said after checking on the food.

“Okay.” Dru nodded and herded Skye and Kara inside to help with the rest of the stuff that needed to be brought out.

Kara, the official maestro for the music, hooked up her iPod to the dock on the deck, and in ten minutes, they were sitting around the table having dinner and listening to the soft music fill the summer night around them.

Again, the others were drinking wine or beer and Skye had water. He had tasted the wine and hadn’t liked it, nor had he liked the taste of anything else with alcohol in it. He had said he could have a glass of wine or a bottle of beer if he wanted to, it wouldn’t mess with his medications, but he would rather have water. Thom wondered how much of it was born of a fear of losing control. If Skye accidentally had too much, what would happen, and was he scared of it? Being drugged must have left him with a deep fear of losing control like that.

The conversation flowed naturally, and they laughed a lot. Even Skye seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Kara exclaimed as they were finishing their meal. “I applied to the vet school and a job nearby.”

“Wait… which school did you pick?” Dru asked, frowning a bit as he tried to remember what had been discussed before.

“I applied to several, but I only want to go to Texas A&M. My cousin and his wife live nearby. I told you about this months ago.”

“Okay, so would you go if you only get into one, the job or the school?” Thom asked cautiously, feeling the tension from Dru. It wouldn’t be easy for Dru to lose Kara. They had been best friends for a few years now.

“Probably not if I only get the job. But if I do get them both, I’ll go in mid-September.” Her voice got quieter toward the end, as she had picked up the tension from Dru.

“Congratulations, I suppose, if you get them, I mean,” Dru said, and there was a bitter hint in his tone. He avoided Kara’s eyes.

“Skye, would you help me with the table?” Thom asked their houseguest, and they excused themselves to go inside with the plates and other dishes.

Thom placed the plates down on the counter and turned to look at Skye, seeing the tension in the man’s shoulders.

“You okay?” Thom asked quietly.

“I will be. Just took me by surprise… the tension,” Skye said, and for a moment there was a glimpse of a scared young boy in him.

Then it disappeared, and Thom moved closer slowly. He placed his hand on Skye’s shoulder and felt the muscles tremble under his palm. “You don’t have to be scared of anything alone. You know that, right? It’s okay to draw strength from me or Dru.” He spoke quietly, still not quite in Skye’s personal bubble.

Thom had noticed that part of why Skye was cautious around him was the fact that Thom was taller. He guessed that the man who had imprisoned Skye had been taller than him, at least in the beginning.

To his surprise, Skye took in a deep breath and reached a hand toward Thom, tangling his fingers in Thom’s T-shirt near his hip. The grip was tight, Skye’s hand big enough to stretch the fabric of the shirt against Thom’s skin when he took comfort in the simple touch. They stood like that, not moving for a while, and then Skye inhaled and exhaled again, letting go of the shirt.

“Thanks,” he said shyly, blushing a little before turning to rinse the dishes that needed to be put into the washer.

Thom smiled behind his back. “Anytime. You know, he’s not as petty as he sounded back there. He just has issues,” Thom said and made no move to step away from Skye. “Kara has been his friend for a couple of years, and losing her will sting. He doesn’t handle rejection well.”

“Yeah… I suppose I know where all that comes from better than anyone.” Skye’s tone was odd, almost self-loathing.

For once Thom didn’t know how to handle the situation. Maybe it wasn’t his problem to solve in the first place? He could be there, listen and offer advice when he felt like it was the right advice to give, but he wasn’t a trained professional when it came to issues like this. Now ask him about legal stuff, sure….

They returned to the deck to clean the rest of the remnants of their dinner away just in time to catch Kara and Dru hugging.

“Everything okay now?” Thom asked, and both Kara and Dru nodded at him with tears in their eyes.

Thom had always known that Dru had issues and deep-set fears of abandonment. It made him uneasy when anyone he knew moved away or even went on a long holiday, and Kara moving away, especially somewhere as far as Texas, wouldn’t be an easy thing to handle.

“Hot tub time, then. I’ll get us drinks,” Thom said. The others went to change into their swimwear. Except Skye.

“You don’t feel comfortable about the tub?” Thom asked casually. Skye was hanging around the kitchen while Thom took the pitcher of sangria from the fridge.

“No… the scars,” Skye said and frowned a bit.

“You might have to let someone see them eventually,” Thom said practically.

Skye produced a hesitant little nod.

“Would it help if either I or Dru saw them alone first? So we would know what to expect and so would you?”

“Maybe… but not yet.”

“How about we do this,” Thom said and turned to look at Skye. “You can pull a clean tank top on in addition to your swim trunks. It will be okay. It’s not completely bare, and not all your scars will be visible, but it’s still a first step?”

Skye mulled over the idea in his mind and then nodded at Thom. “Okay, I can do that, I think.”

“And if we eye you, it’s because you’re handsome, Skye. Not because of the scars. They both think you’re hot,” Thom said, and Skye blushed beet red and shook his head.

“Right….”

“I’m serious, we all think so. You’re very lovely in your own unique way, Skye, and it’s not just the way you look,” Thom said in a serious tone, and then Kara and Dru trotted into the kitchen in their swimwear and took the pitcher and glasses from him.

“Hurry up, we’re going to drink all of this before you even get there!” Kara giggled as they went past Thom and Skye.

“See, this is what I have to deal with.” Thom grinned, making Skye chuckle again.

They went to change, Skye in the downstairs bathroom and Thom in the master bedroom, and then joined the others in the backyard. The night was getting darker but not too dark for Skye, something Thom had taken into account, making sure they ate early enough. Climbing into the tub where Dru and Kara were chatting away, he flashed them a meaningful look. They wouldn’t say anything about Skye’s tank, he was sure, but sometimes Dru’s mental filter misbehaved, especially when he had had a bit to drink.

It all went surprisingly well. There was one awkward moment when Kara went inside to get more to drink at some point and Dru made a comment about doing her if he was straight because she was so hot. Thom saw Skye tense a bit and moved his hand to Skye’s arm under the water to calm him down. It wasn’t that Dru was being mean or insulting on purpose. He was slightly drunk, upset about Kara’s impending move, and jealous to boot. Of which of his friends, Thom couldn’t be absolutely sure. Thom’s friend Oscar had once called Dru “an acquired taste” as a person. Maybe he was, but if you truly understood where he was coming from, if you understood what made Dru who he was… Thom couldn’t think of a reason for someone not to love him.

When it became dark, Thom realized Skye was still having a conversation about music with Kara. He wasn’t scared for some reason, which was another good sign. Dru had curled into Thom’s side and was commenting every now and then but mainly just cuddling.

“I’m beginning to look like a raisin,” Kara said as she looked at her fingertips.

“Hmm, this one seems sleepy. I think we’re better off getting out of the tub and into bed.”

“You can crash on the couch or something if you want to,” Dru said to Kara as they made their way back to the house.

“Damn, I’m hogging the guestroom, so you should have my bed,” Skye contributed to the conversation, looking guilty.

“Hey, that’s nonsense. It’s your room now, not a guestroom,” Kara scolded him in the same tone she had used on Thom earlier. Skye blushed. “I should get home. Justine needs to get inside for the night.”

“Sure, I can walk you there,” Thom said, and Kara shot him a look.

“I’m not a baby, it’s only about a mile.”

“And it’s dark,” Dru piped up.

“Why don’t we walk you? Like… all of us?” Skye said and made everyone turn to look at him.

“Are you sure?” Thom asked, and Dru stepped closer to Skye and placed a hand on his arm. They were sure touching Skye a lot more these days, but at least the man didn’t seem to mind anymore.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d go, but I can’t walk back alone, and I don’t want any of us staying alone here, but she has to get home. And I can’t drive, and none of you are sober enough to do it, so we’ll all walk.” Skye shrugged like it was no big deal.

Thom could tell it was. In fact, it was a huge deal, but Skye was downplaying it.

“Let’s all change into something dry and meet at the door, okay?” Thom said to diffuse the tension that was surely going to build soon.

It was true, though. They couldn’t drive her. She had to get home. It would have been okay for Thom to walk her and walk back in the dark, but somehow that didn’t seem like a good idea either. Besides, Skye didn’t want anyone to walk alone. And the other option was taking Dru with him, and Skye wouldn’t be comfortable in the house alone. Dru would have gladly been left behind, maybe even gone to bed, but again, Thom didn’t think Skye would want Dru to be alone in the house.

When they met at the door, Dru and Kara were getting to the slightly drunk and more than a bit tired mode where they giggled a lot. They began to walk, armed with two flashlights. Dru was waving his around more than pointing it ahead of them, but it was okay; they all knew the way. Thom had offered his flashlight to Skye, but the man had shaken his head and left it to Thom.

Thom felt Skye walking close enough for his body heat to radiate to him. It was strange how comfortable he had become with having a third man in their home. Of course now there was the fact that Thom knew the other two had some sort of feelings for each other. It was just so difficult to be overly concerned right at this moment, because it was clear neither Skye nor Dru had any idea how to go forward with their feelings.