Alec
Sitting in my office, the sound of Dee moving through the closing tasks just down the hall, I feel more peace than I have since before moving and thinking I could run an entire office myself. The past few days with Dee have been life-changing. I'm ready to get down on my knees and beg that woman to never leave me.
I'll admit, waking up the other day, knowing I'd been a pool of goo in Christopher's hands made me feel many things. None of them were very good feelings, mostly embarrassment and shame. However, when I had to see Christopher just a few hours later when he dropped off Dee to start work, I managed to hide all of that and treat him coldly as before, just with a little bit more civility.
Christopher has brought Dee to work in the mornings, staying just long enough to say 'hello' and leaving. It has been a rather large change into this light and friendly atmosphere. That's the only time I see him anymore. Dee's husband, a large, biker-style man named Jake who frankly, scared the piss out of me at first, comes to pick her up later in the day.
Dee had said she'd only work part-time but on the first day she said that she'll do full-time for two weeks to catch the office "up to scratch" as she put it. She named her price for her work as well and I nearly swallowed my tongue. She's proven her worth and with business being as successful as it's been, I can at least afford her. I was afraid that she was another ploy of Christopher's but if he wanted to get on my good side, he never would have approved the salary.
My stress level has been phenomenal. I can focus on my patients, supplies are ordered and I can find things. It's a freaking miracle.
Dee's even offered to order me food when it gets late in the afternoons. I've turned her down of course, I usually don't eat while working. Back in Madison, I had several restaurants that hit the spot for a usually late-night, after work meal. I haven't bothered much to look here yet, I just keep some staples for sandwiches at home, Dinner usually consists of a couple of them while busy working still.
My sleep has still been lacking, though. Maybe it's because I am going to bed earlier, but I can't seem to get more than a couple of hours. I wake up in the night, unable to fall asleep again. I just get up and work on unpacking a little or entering more files. Then I end up sleeping awkwardly on my couch instead of in my new bed.
Thinking of my bed brings me back around to thinking of Christopher. I wonder if his attitude has really changed this drastically. Perhaps, he's completely done with bullying. Maybe he feel he went overboard or maybe its just boring now.
To be honest, I think his age plays a part. I certainly felt that I had outgrown that type of bullying. I attended a small, elite private high school that my parents insisted on. Back then, puberty was rough on me. I had all the soft cute features and not much else that stood out. The boys then were very cliched and I was the easy mark. I was teased for being feminine, as if I could help what I looked like. I was often targeting by groups of them, they always seemed to work off of each other's gleeful excitement at making me feel miserable.
The most common was being mocked with crude offers of sex, saying they'd be willing to fuck me if only I was willing to do something degrading. It was often to dress girly, or call them 'Daddy'. Being hollered in the hall to wear a wig or stuff "my bra", or even to tuck my parts back were pretty common. Their laughter and rude 'offers' were mainly disgusting but sometimes even scary.
Later on, when I could pick my own college and had a more masculine look to my face, things were better. I made some casual friends, although being teased by peers, colleagues still persisted. Mainly just about being cute. I had enough perspective by then that it stemmed more from being found attractive and a gesture of friendship than the same bullying of my past. Still, I never really formed many bonds with others.
Girls started to find me attractive at that point too. My first girlfriend was a science major that I got to know in several courses together. I loved how independent and straight-forward she was. She was also very straight-forward in dumping me.
I had one other serious relationship, a woman I met during my internship. She was slightly older than me and I felt that we had a lot in common. It lasted slightly longer, but fell apart for the same, rather embarrassing reason. I think my ego was hurt more than my heart but I have avoided any kind of affair since.
Christopher has been the worst case of bullying since high school. His cute comments make me feel instantly outraged and small again. Weak and useless. If his behavior has changed, then that shows he can grow up. Maybe there is some hope to get along after all.
"Alec?" Dee calls from the front, shaking me out of my funk, "I'm off, now."
"Oh, okay! Get home safe."
Picking up my pen, I turn back to work. I'm making a plan for a ferret brought in today. We started him on medication for ferret diabetes, but I wanted to come up with alternative plans for the different ways the disease degenerates.
When I heard a knock on my open door a few minutes later, I expected Dee returning for something. Instead, Christopher stood in the frame.
"Oh, are you picking up Dee today?"
"No, Jake picked her up. I'm here for you."
Feeling a little tension at his words, I hesitate. When Christopher remains in the doorway, making no move to enter without permission, I cautiously gesture to him to come in and have a seat in one of the guest chairs.
"Did you need something? Wait, what's that?" Christopher walks over but stands in front of the desk to pull a bag out from behind him and place it on top of the most unoccupied corner It looks like some kind of insulated bag, but that fact that he brought something, anything, sharpens my suspicions.
Christopher chuckles, either ignoring or oblivious to my accusing tone. "It's food."
"Why? Did Dee tell you I haven't eaten yet?" A slight twitch around his eye convinced me I was onto the truth. We've been getting along, but I will have to watch her.
"She might have mentioned that you eat after work, that's all. I thought you'd like these dishes, that all. My mom made them, along with my....aunts. It's really good, I wanted to bring it to you."
"Why?"
"I don't know, why wouldn't I. If it bothers you, just consider the same as food from your mother." Christopher answered, busy unzipping and unpacking containers. They still have steam and there is quite a lot of food piling up on my desk.
Tossing my pen down, I fully scoot back, crossing my arms. "Why?" I drag out the syllable pointedly.
Finally catching my tone, Christopher looks up. "What's wrong with that? I never pass up food."
Running my eyes up and down him, I know that underneath his tee shirt and tight-flipping-pants he barely has an ounce of fat on him. Dammit, I want to say something rude. Something about his clueless grin when he talks to me makes me want to do something. If I were a cat, I would want to rake my claws over him. Just a feeling of something like that.
"If I treat it like food my mother sent me, I'll throw it in the trash."
Surprise, and then compassion, cross Christopher's face. "You don't get along with your mother?"
"Is that any of your business?" I snap back.
Breathing out a breath, that annoying smile returned to his face. "Okay, then how about considering this an apology from my mother, for her stupid son."
A brief laugh escapes me against my will. Along with it went some of my animosity, as if my body lost the will to argue with that statement. Christopher quickly opened one of the containers and pulled a fork from the bag, handing both over to me. The smell was warm and fragrant, the steam carrying a delicious aroma. My stomach let out an expectant growl; my body continuing to betray me.
"Fine, I'll try it." Grabbing the fork and food, I gave into my empty stomach and took a bite. And had to bite back a groan! Fuck, it was good. Damn.
As I kept eating, Christopher's smile grew annoyingly wider. He just opened more containers and pushed them towards me.
"Don't look so smug!" I tried to snarl, but it came out very garbled with all the food in my mouth. Turning my attention to the dishes in front of me, I couldn't stop from trying each of them. Spinach and sausage lasagna, pot roast along with mashed potatoes. Damn, was that fried chicken, too? Cornbread as well as biscuits. Some kind of soup that looked mouthwatering. "Why is there so much food?"
"We...just eat a lot at home. Do you like it?"
Nodding, I take a bite of the best cornbread I've ever had. This isn't fair.
For a while, Christopher takes a seat and watches me try not to stuff myself like a turkey. His stupid grin is easier to take on a full stomach, at least that's something. When I feel myself slowing down, Christopher breaks the silence.
"Alec, I really am sorry that I didn't respect your wishes. I got really carried away with my own thoughts. I'm so very sorry and I hope that we could start over?"
My thoughts from earlier come back, that Christopher isn't really as bad as I pegged him to be. Swallowing the current bite, I nod. "I think that would be fine. Maybe in the future we'll find something to be friends about." I'm still not sure what me and this college student with the body of a Greek god would find in common, but we are going to be neighbors now.
"Alec, is there any chance, no matter how far down the road it is, that you could ever see me as more than a friend?"
"Dammit!" I set down my fork for the first time since picking it up, my appetite more than sated. "Not this again!"
Christopher surprises me, coming around the desk only to kneel down on one knee next to my chair. I'm forced to turn and roll back a little bit, but he doesn't try to reach out to me. He brought his height closer to my level.
"Please hear me out. I definitely handled everything wrong and I should have told you this in a more upfront manner. I really like you." His words have me shaking my head instinctively but he keeps going. His eyes are staring directly into mine; I've never seen him look this serious before. "I like you, as a man attracted and interested in another man."
I want to push my chair back further, or push him away. The food in my stomach seems to thicken, weighing me down. I manage to choke out, "H-How? How could you like me, I've been mean to you from the start. It's impossible."
"You weren't mean when we first met, you were actually worried about me."
"That's just because I mistook your psychotic tendencies for dehydration. That's it."
"But, I already know you're a good person,"
"I date women." I've never been unclear about that. He flinches a little, but persists.
"I know, just like I know that I can't change who I am. I'm still hoping that you could get to know me. Just give me a chance.
Please, Alec."
A/N: Hi! Another chapter! Yes, I am still planning on writing this book. I have a lot of ideas for this story but not a lot of time, energy or motivation. I'm sorry for that. Thank you for those that continue to read :)