7 Days in November, part 17 (Monday)

Bourbon turned as Bryan’s window slid open. Someone climbed through, moving with practice. They closed the window behind them. Bourbon watched, fully alert, not moving. The person turned and moved forward, stopping in the doorway between Bryan’s room and his bathroom. In the dark, Bourbon could make out Ty watching him.

“Hey,” she said, and moved closer. She looked Bourbon over. “Should I not be here?” Her voice was flat, the same kind of flat she used when people treated her like an idiot.

Bourbon sat up in Bryan’s bed, shirtless, with the blankets pulled up around his waist. He reclined against the headboard, pillows under his back to keep him up. Bryan lay curled up, huddled close to Bourbon.

Bourbon shook his head. “He’s been asleep for an hour. Just sleeping. Nothing else.”

“Any why aren’t you?”

“Been thinking…”

“Mind if I sit down?”

Bourbon shook his head again. Ty sat down next to him.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

“Bryan a lot. And Farly. And you guys, too.” He looked down at his hands. “I think Farly hates me.”

Ty rolled her eyes. “Farly doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t hate anyone. He’s just mad. Prolly scared, too.”

Bourbon nodded. “I didn’t mean to scare you guys.”

Ty pulled her legs on to the bed. She propped her chin up with her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. “We know.”

“I just thought you’d be really happy I’d gotten back together with my old friends.”

“You sold us out,” Ty said, flat again. “We wouldn’t have minded you being with them if they had been nice people.”

Bourbon shrank a little. “Yeah…”

Ty looked down at Bryan. “So… what’s going on here?”

Bourbon sighed and dropped his eys to Bryan. “We’ve been talking all day, and I guess we’re cool now. And then we went back to the Tavlor’s house to get some of my stuff. We had to get Laura to sneak us in, and we got caught by them, you know, my foster parents. And Bryan stuck up for me. I mean, like, he was yelling at them when they started yelling at me.” He shrank away further, his ears drawing back against his head. “Not many people have done that for me. Ever, really. And then, we came back here and talked about Saturday, and he wanted to know why I started drinking in the first place.”

Ty turned back to Bourbon. “Why did you?”

Bourbon shrugged. “It was something to do. And I could do it with my friends, and they seemed to want me around when I did. And to piss off my foster parents, I guess.” He paused. “Bryan said that was stupid.”

Ty nodded.

“But then he told me he wanted me to stop and that he cared about me and… he said he loved me. And, like, I know it’s not the same as the way I love Farly, but…”

“Kinda threw you off…”

“Yeah. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t expecting something like that.

Ty sat up. “I love you, too. I’m glad we’re friends.”

Bourbon looked down at his hands again, holding his breath a little.

Ty smiled. “People don’t say that to you enough.”

“I kissed Bryan.”

The room fell still. Outside, wind pushed its way through the aging trees that lined the streets, and then disappeared. Ty looked at something off the side of Bryan’s bed, her jaw set, her eyes flickering back and forth as she processed. The only sound in the room was the fan of Bryan’s computer, humming away in the darkness.

“Really kissed him?” Ty asked, still watching the spot off the bed.

“Yeah.”

She looked up at Bourbon. “What do you want me to do?”

“It’s not like that. I mean, he was telling me all this stuff, and I was feeling the best I had been in days, and I just… like, did it. I was thankful, I guess.” Bourbon did everything he could to avoid Ty’s gaze. “He wasn’t expecting it. He just kind of sat there for a minute. I said I was sorry, and he said it was OK and that we should go to bed, and now we’re here.” He sighed. “He didn’t kiss back, if that’s what you’re worried about. He wouldn’t. He likes you too much to.”

Ty breathed out slowly through her nose. “You understand,” she said, in a soft, slow voice, “that you’re my best friend and I love you.”

Bourbon nodded, his ears pressed against his head.

“Then you understand that the next time I see you in the daylight, I’m going to punch you in the head.”

Bourbon watched her for a long time, letting the fan on Bryan’s computer be the only sound between them. Then he sagged, as if he were collapsing on himself. He sighed long and hard. “How do I keep doing this? He asked. “I was getting somewhere, and then I keep fucking things up.”

“It’s cause-”

“Cause I’m an idiot, I know. You’re not the first person today to tell me.” He sighed again, and Ty thought she heard just a bit of a sob come out. You guys don’t understand how hard it is to be around you sometimes. Like you never make mistakes, or have to worry about failing, or… you never have to worry that… You never wake up worried that everyone’s gone.” Bourbon pulled his mouth shut.

Ty’d never seen this before. Bourbon was always the fighter, always the one to jump in first if Farly needed help. She’d seen him bloodied and bruised, and looking happier than this. Ty leaned in and hugged Bourbon, touching her head to his. “No one’s going anywhere without you. I promise.”

Bourbon nodded. He closed his eyes. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not.” Ty sat back, petting Bourbon’s arm. “Furball was right. About you, I mean.”

Bourbon looked up at her, his eyes watery and tired.

“We broke you. He said you’d be terrified of what we thought of you.”

Bourbon didn’t say anything to this. He played with his hands. After a moment, he said, “my old friends were never like this.” He talked down at his hands. “They didn’t even know I was bi. I could never do this with any of them. It was all sex or nothing. I don’t even really feel good about it.”

Ty pulled her knees up to her chest and her tail curled itself around her legs. “That’s kind of what my old friends were like. I’m glad I got out of there before the sex and drugs part. Also, I didn’t have the heart to tell them that smoking tea wouldn’t get them high.”

“I smoked a lot of tea,” Bourbon said, smiling a little. He still watched his hands. “I can’t imagine you in a group like that.”

Ty shrugged. “I had to find out who I was after my parents died. I was such a girl when they were alive, but it’s cause that’s what they expected me to be. I bounced around, but I never really stayed with a group until I met Bryan and Jon last year. They felt right. They’re good friends, and you and Furball were nice additions this year.”

Bourbon flushed. He bit his lip. “So why are you here? Am I interrupting anything?”

“I’ve been trying to talk to Bryan since Friday night, but there hasn’t been a good time to. I guess now doesn’t count, either.”

“What about?”

Ty fidgeted, folding her legs under herself. She crossed her arms over her stomach and hunched over. “Furball and I hung out Friday instead of going to school. I think he was going to try to kill himself.”

“Yeah?”

“I found a note in his pocket. I’ve been trying to decide what to do.”

“It sounds like you’ve done enough. He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

Ty nodded. “I just don’t want a repeat of Jon.”

“Jon? What happened to Jon?”

Ty sighed. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

They sat in silence again. Ty stared up at the ceiling, Bourbon at his hands, the pressure to say something, anything, building between them.

“He’s pretty adorable, isn’t he?” Ty said, looking down at Bryan.

Bourbon flinched. “I guess.”

“Oh, come on. If he had asked before Farly, you totally would have gone for him. I’ve seen the way you look at him sometimes.”

Bourbon blushed. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s OK,” Ty said, her voice dropping, still focused on Bryan. “I’ve never met anyone like him before. I never imagined we’d fit so well.” She let her eyes follow the shadows on the wall to the distant corner of the ceiling. “I understand what you mean. I have dreams about him, that I’m driving on the highway, and another car hits me, and he ends up in the hospital, or he… I don’t know what I’d do if he left. I don’t know what I’d do if all of you weren’t around anymore.” She leaned in and kissed Bourbon on the cheek.

Bourbon closed his eyes, and nuzzled against her shoulder. She pushed up, her weight lifting off the bed. Bourbon watched her head to the window. “Are we friends again?”

Ty cocked her head. “You going to stop trying to seduce my boyfriend?”

“I-”

“Of course we are.” She opened the window. “Go to sleep.” She climbed out, and the window slid closed.

Bourbon slid down into the bed. He sighed, allowing a little smile, and let himself drift into unconsciousness.

[g]

EDIT 2009/21/04: Hey, guys, it’s Grant. If you’ve made it this far, which is a little well past the two-thirds mark, I have a couple favors to ask:

Wait, come back! I’m not asking for money. Please, hear me out. If you liked what you read, it’d be awesome if you’d either drop me a line and tell me what you think (grantcravens at gmail dot com) or posted a review to Web Fiction Guide (it’s free, you only need to register an account if you’re not already on WordPress), or both. It’d be much appreciated.

<3 Grant