Chapter 27: Trust

I wake up to a knock at the door. I stayed over again, despite Darla offering to drive me home (apparently they don't let him drive when he's not in a good mood, which is fair, but he also didn't seem particularly upset yesterday). I pull the covers up to my chin for no real reason despite feeling kind of embarrassed at the idea of him seeing me wearing his clothes in his bed. It seems like it should be more awkward than it really is, and I respond according to the potential awkwardness of any situation, rather than the reality.

"Come in," I call quietly, feeling very awkward because it's not even my room. The door opens, and he pokes his head in, smirking.

"Morning, Todd. How'd you sleep?"

"Really well. Thanks for letting me sleep over again."

He waves dismissively. "We're having crepes for breakfast, which means you need to come down and make decisions on what you want for toppings. Also, my mom wants me to ask if you want me to drive you home today or if you want to come with me to school tomorrow and just go home like normal after that."

I think about that. I want to stay here, honestly. But I also need my backpack, and I'm not completely sure if I want to go to school wearing his clothes.

"You can think about it. I'm sure you're still waiting for Raymond to come, since I said I'd call him if you stayed. Anyways, the point is: come down for breakfast within the next like, ten minutes."

I take three. He's already sitting at the counter, holding a phone to his ear. He spots me and gives me a smirk, patting the stool beside him. I sit, not sure if I should be listening to his conversation or not.

"Yeah, no, I was going to call you yesterday. I have a surprise for you." Pause. "A good one, promise." He takes the phone away from his ear and gives it to me, smirking. I hold it up to my ear warily.

"Hello?"

"Todd?! Is that you?!" It's Raymond's high, clear voice.

"Yeah. Hi, Raymond."

"He brought you to his house a second time! Oh, this is incredible! He never gives me the opportunity to style anyone but him more than once, and I get bored of his face sometimes."

I glance up at him, wondering if he heard. He glares at the phone as he leans in a little.

"I'm still sitting right here, Raymond, I can hear every word you say. Be mindful of who pays your rent."

"You wouldn't replace me and we both know that. And do you really believe you're my only line of income?"

He rolls his eyes and makes a face.

"Todd? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"I'm glad he's finally decided to settle down, and I'm glad he chose you for that. I'll see you later! Oh, I have so many ideas- alright, bye now." The line terminates, and I give the phone back to him. He's smirking a little.

"See? You're Raymond-approved. He's going to come later, after at least one tutoring session."

"What subject?"

"Philosophy. Sharla gets priority, to go over my notes from the project. Then after that, I'll have- well, the rest."

"Which are?"

"Astronomy, Performing Arts, and Interesting History."

It's impossible not to smile. "What's 'Interesting History'?"

He flashes a toothy grin. "History that's not boring."

"Alright, boys, come build your crepes!" his dad interrupts. I slide off the stool and push it back under the counter, then remember something and turn to him.

"Name?"

He considers that for a second, before meeting my eyes again with a small grin. "Henry."

Both his parents freeze and stare at him.

I blink, looking from him to them and back. He rolls his eyes.

"Guys, you're being very obvious."

I'm so confused. What the heck is going on? Why are they both looking at him like he grew another head? He just said his name for the day was-

Oh.

Oh.

I look at him, not sure if I'm allowed to ask. He's still giving his parents a look, and they're still kind of staring at him. He looks back at me and sighs.

"Sorry, they're not very good at the whole concept of being subtle."

I blink at him, my mouth opening before snapping shut again. I nod dumbly. He rolls his eyes (though he is smirking a little bit).

His dad moves forward a little, gesturing to himself. "Does that mean- can I..."

He sighs. "Fine. Todd's smart anyways, I'm sure he's figured it out by now from your very obvious staring."

His dad smiles and turns to me, putting out his hand to shake. "Henry Sr. Pleased to finally introduce myself to someone."

I shake his hand, still kind of in a state of shock. If I hadn't figured it out before, it's clear now. I look at Henry Jr., grinning. He rolls his eyes again and gestures to the plate of crepes.

"Can we eat, or is everyone just going to stand around staring at me until the food gets cold? And if the latter, can I at least eat while you all look at me?"

His parents finally seem to snap out of their trance, though Henry Sr. still looks elated and Darla's eyes are glassy as she smiles at her son. Henry Jr. grabs my wrist and pulls me over to the crepes, sliding one onto a plate and passing it to me while he takes another for himself, then circles around the counter to where the toppings are. I'm still having a bit of a hard time focusing, because he told me his name, his birth name. Does that mean he trusts me? Is it some kind of reassurance that he's not going to randomly drop me? Am I the first person to know his birth name, outside of his immediate family?

He elbows me in the ribs. "Come on, crepes are thin, they get cold fast. Put whatever you want on, and let's go eat."

I scoop on some strawberries and lemon cheesecake filling (the little dish is labelled with masking tape. It's nice because I would've had to ask otherwise). While I'm taking some chocolate, I glance at him. He's watching me, and I grin.

"Can I call you Junior?"

He snorts. "Absolutely not. Henry, period."

I can't stop grinning, now. He told me his name.

"You're taking forever, just fold it already."

I make a face at him but do as he says, and he produces a bottle of whipped cream from nowhere and shakes it, looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "Want some?"

I nod, and he grins, creating a series of fluffy rows across the top of my crepe before doing the same to his own. Once he's done, he gives me a smirky grin and offers me the can. I look at him questioningly.

"I've got plenty already."

He rolls his eyes and tips his head back, squirting a dollop of whipped cream into his mouth before looking back at me and offering me the can. I hesitate, and he grins widely.

"You want to. Come on, do it."

"Fine." I take the can and imitate what he did before giving it back to him and swallowing. I would never be able to do something like that at home. Inadvertently, I look back at his parents. His dad- Henry Sr.- holds his hand out, and Henry tosses it to him. He catches it and puts the cap on, then puts it back in the fridge.

I follow Henry back to the side of the counter with stools, and he shoots me a grin before digging into his crepe. I follow suit, finding it to be absolutely delicious. The crepe is perfectly made, and the lemon cheesecake filling- it's all so incredibly good.

"The crepes are delicious," I tell Henry Sr., and he gives me a grin.

"Thank you, Todd."

Henry elbows me a few moments later, and he's nearly done. "Hurry up, and we might be able to have time for seconds and a round of Mario Kart."

I roll my eyes but listen (I'm definitely not complaining about the idea of seconds. These crepes are fantastic. Henry Sr. is an amazing cook). Once we've had seconds, he grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the kitchen towards the basement.

"Come on. I bet I can beat you at Mario Kart one-handed."

"No way. I beat you when you were playing with two hands."

He waves dismissively. "I was going easy on you. It doesn't count."

"Oh yeah? You seemed pretty upset afterwards."

He smirks. "I felt betrayed."

"So, if I win this time, you're going to knock me over and sit in front of me again?"

"Don't even think about letting me win."

"So you'd punish me for your own lack of skill?"

"Ouch. But fine. I'll only interfere with your game if you use a blue shell at the finish line."

I grin. "Deal."

Bonus update for Bell Let's Talk Day! Mental health is extremely important. It's essential to break the silence surrounding mental illness in order to promote awareness and acceptance so that change can happen. #BellLet'sTalk

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE CHAPTER??? Thoughts on Henry telling Todd his birth name? What do you think that means for them? And Henry's dad finally getting to introduce himself to someone? Let me know in the comments!

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