9. Moving In

I stay up all night, mostly from pain and discomfort, but also from slight excitement. Neither Rebecca nor I have been in Caine’s house before because he mostly hangs out in ours. I imagine it as plain and simple, with just a touch of Caine’s own personality. He never mentioned a pet, so I imagine him alone; a small \ living room with a television, a couch, a coffee table, and many rooms; a large kitchen filled with lots of food, beautiful counters, and a nice, working stove; ooh, with a dishwasher; maybe two bathrooms; large ones with a bath tub with really hot water; a large basement with gaming systems and a stereo; and a laundry room with a washing machine and a dryer. I haven’t had things like that in years. I guess, compared to other people, it’s just the norm, but for my mum and me, it would be a dream come true.

My mind wanders a bit further.... I move in with Caine permanently and mum would finally have her own room. She could sell all of the old stuff and get herself a nice, comfy bed that doesn’t give her back pains and she’d finally be happy. She’d have the house all to herself and maybe she could even save up money for a better place when she doesn’t have me to spend money on anymore. Sure, she’d never be happy to see me leave her, but I want that for her. I want her to be able to have a better life than what we have. Maybe I can talk to Caine about it; get myself a job and help pay bills and stuff; be his roommate. As the idea forges itself into my mind, I finally drift off with a small smile.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Jared, wake up! Get up, come on!” Rebecca is standing by my bed with ‘I’m Sorry’ balloons and a stuffed panda (my favorite). Groggily, I stare at her in mock anger for waking me up. “So, I bought these for you because I feel absolutely terrible that I am leaving you right now,” she sighs, sitting carefully on my bed, placing the items on the floor.

“It’s alright, Becca. You need to go because this is your dream school, okay?” I reach out my arm for a hug, still unable to move much. She obliges by leaning her head on my shoulder. “Just make sure to video chat every day or I’ll come drag your ass home, got it,” I add, joking to lighten the mood.

“Yeah of course I will. You get better, and if you need anything, no matter what happens, I will drop everything and come home, okay?”

“I know you will. I’m gonna miss ya,” I sigh, squeezing her with my good arm.

“Yeah, same; how long until you get the casts off?”

“About two more weeks for my leg and maybe four or so for my arm was what the doctor had said,” I explain, waving said arm in the air.
“Well it won’t be too long then; how long for bed rest?”

“I should be fine around the same time my leg cast is removed. I hope so at least.”

“Neat-o; and, you’re living with your new boyfriend,” Rebecca questions, wriggling her eyebrows inappropriately.

“Yes, and no; stop that,” I demand, without much venom.

“Yeah, okay, I won’t say anything,” she laughs, patting my arm.

Shocked, I gape at her. Usually she’d banter with me continuously, but since my past came out, she’s been a bit more lenient. So, instead of pointing it out, I change the subject. “I am really gonna miss you,” I sigh, biting my lower lip.

“Yeah, me too,” She reaches out and pulls me into a side hug, “so, it’s about time for me to go. I’ll call as I land.”

“Yeah okay, you better,” I smile.

“Later,” she gets up and leaves and it leaves me feeling slightly empty. I hear her and mum talking for a little bit before the front door opens and closes. I could use a smoke now, but, keeping my promise, I stamp the feeling down. My mum comes in to check on me a bit later.

“I am going to work, do you need anything before I go,” she asks me, stopping at the doorway.

“No, mum, I’m okay. Caine will be by to pick me up soon, too,” I reply, taking in her expression. She looks wary, but accepting.

“Okay, well, call me when you get settled in, okay?”

“Of course, mum. Oh, hey, I wanna, ah, there’s something I wanna talk about first...” I stammer, mentally preparing myself.

“Okay, what is it,” she asks, sitting on the bed beside me.

“Well, I was thinking, maybe I can move in with Caine, permanently...not as a couple, but just as a way to give you the house to yourself, you can move out of the living room and I can get a job and stuff. I know it’s kind of soon, but, I feel like it’s time. And I’ll visit you every day, of course,” I explain nervously.

“Sweetie, are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“Yes,” I answer, “yeah, it is.”

“Okay, then if it’s truly what you want, I can’t stop you. You’re a grown man now, so you can make your own decisions. But I sure will miss you.”

“I’ll be here every chance that I get to see you mum,” I promise as she hugs me and stands to leave.

“You better boy. Now I’m leaving so let me know if you ever need me.” With that, she walks out the door as well. I decide to call Caine, just to chat and fill the silence, until he comes to save me. He answers on just the second ring.

“Hey, Jay, I am on the way to your place now. What’s up,” he answers.

“Hi... everyone left and the quiet is suffocating. I just wanted to talk until you got here,” I sigh and stare at the ceiling.

“I see, I’m almost there and you won’t be lonely anymore,” he chuckles.

“Sounds great; Rebecca left about an hour ago, did you get to see her?”

“Yeah, we talked last night after I left your place. Hey, I’m pulling up now, I’ll see ya inside,” he replies before I hear his jeep outside my window.

“K...”

Just then the call ends. The front door opens and closes and after a minute or two, Caine appears in my bedroom doorway. I raise my arm in a wave and he smirks, coming closer. “What’s up, beautiful,” he asks, kneeling by the bed.
“I’m bored...entertain me like a good boyfriend,” I smirk in reply.
“Hmmm, well, I believe it’s my job to scoop you up and take you home now, right,” he asks with a smirk of his own. “Is that entertaining enough?”

“Yeah, I believe so,” I chuckle.

“Good, then let’s go. I can’t wait,” he smiles, reaching out a hand to help me sit up.

I grab his hand and he slips one under my back and another under my knees to lift me up. Completely ignoring the wheelchair, he carefully walks me out of the door and to his jeep. He puts my feet on the ground just so that he can open the door and I can’t help but chuckle. “What are you laughing at? You’re the one being man-handled here,” Caine remarks, setting me in the passenger’s seat.
“True, but it’s kinda funny,” I reply. He nods his head and bounds back into the house to grab the chair from my room and put it in to the back of the truck. We arrive at Caine’s place shortly after.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Caine’s house is amazing. It’s one story, a very light blue on the outside, with a white porch in the front. The door, painted a dark brown, is thick and has stained glass windows on the right and left of it. The inside is just as amazing. There is a large room once you enter the main door leading to all the other rooms. The living room is pretty simple with dark stained wooden floors; a black, leather couch is on the left of the room against a wall with a small flat screen across from it, perched on top of a small entertainment center. He also has an Xbox 360 and quite the movie collection. There are not many wall decorations except a poster here and there. There is a door at the other wall which Caine explains is a gaming room.

He shows me the kitchen next. It’s much bigger than ours with marble-topped counters, a chrome refrigerator, and a small black dishwasher is nestled in between the sink and the stove. There is a microwave on the opposite side of them on top of a shelf with a coffee maker and blender underneath it. His cabinets match the dark wood theme of the house. The floor is made up of a soft cream marble-like style as well.

Exiting the kitchen, we re-enter the main room leading to the front door and then into a doorway leading to the bedrooms/bathrooms. The first two rooms are small, undecorated, plain bedrooms with a queen sized bed and soft blue walls. The floor matches the ones in the rest of the house. The bathroom in between them is the same; plain, undecorated, with just a large shower and white curtain.

My room, the one I’ll be staying in, is pretty awesome. Upon entering, there is a large king sized bed right across from the entrance, covered in dark blue sheets with a black comforter. Across from the bed is a dresser with a small flat screen perched on top of it. The floors are dark wood, like the others, but covered with a black carpet under the bed. There is a dark bedside table with a small lamp.

“Caine, this is awesome,” I sigh, still seated in the wheelchair.

“Yeah,” he chuckles nervously, “I was kinda hoping you’d like it. I, uh, I asked my mom the other day to come shopping with me. It was the first time I had seen her since I left and she helped me pick out a lot of this stuff, so, yeah.”

“You...you bought all of this just...” I trail off, unable to believe it.

“All for you, yeah; I just wanted you to feel comfortable here...is it too much,” he asks alarmed.

“No, it’s awesome. So sweet...thank you,” I smile.

“Yeah, so, I’ll go ahead and help you lie down?”

“Yeah, of course, thanks,” I sigh, wheeling myself to the bed. Caine follows me, pulls back all the covers, and lifts me, setting me down on it. At first, when he turns to leave, I believe he is leaving me alone and my heart sinks, but all he does is grab the television remote and come back, sitting beside me on the opposite side of the bed.

“So, wanna watch tv,” he asks, passing it over.

“Yeah, we don’t much at home...” I sigh sadly to myself.

“Well,” Caine replies, sliding over and slipping and arm under my shoulders, “you can watch as much as you want here.” He pulls me gently to his side and I lay my head on his shoulder.