Jess came home today and I’ve never been more relieved to have a Friday off from classes. It’s way different having her back, especially with Emily gone. I haven’t even called to see how she is, but I’m pretty sure Bryan has. He’s just like that. I think Libby’s starting to come around, too. She’s really come alive since Jess has been back. Almost like her old self, except she doesn’t talk as much. Jess on the other hand talks more than I ever remember. It’s good though. She’s trying so hard to get back to where she was. Already worried about hospital expenses and stuff. She doesn’t know about the fund that has been set up for her and Christian. We’ve been kind of scared to tell her since she always was a little weird about accepting help.
Morgan stopped writing as there was a knock on the door. It was just her, Libby and Jess. Legend had taken Christian on some “adventure” to the store - Morgan guessed she finally decided to replenish their groceries.
Jess was lying on the couch with her legs across Libby’s lap.
As they had just gotten back an hour before, Jess hadn’t bothered to change out of her black sweats and red sweatshirt. Her hair was loose and wild, though one side looked a little shorter, as the layer just under the top one had been shaved during surgery. Jess was tired, but seemed content to sit and listen to Libby talk about something in quiet tones.
Libby wore a sweatshirt and jeans, but she had finally gotten out of “her raggies,” as she called them. Now she was wearing a soft yellow sweatshirt that reminded Morgan of a baby chick and dark blue jeans. She’d been in the shower this morning, when Morgan knocked to get in the bathroom.
Hearing the knock again, Morgan shook her head. She hadn’t even gotten a call from anybody waiting to be buzzed in. She looked through the peep hole and smiled.
Coby stood on the other side, his arms full of a dozen roses.
“Hey stranger,” Morgan smiled, pulling the door open. “How’d you get in?”
“I have my ways,” he told her mysteriously.
Morgan thought he looked handsome and worn out. He’d shaved recently, so his scruffy, weeks-worth of beard was down to its usual stubble. His black hair was long and fell in his eyes. He was in a walking-cast now, and had ditched the crutches.
She hadn’t seen him for several days, and knew he had some trouble after the Madness they had when Aaron ordered the pizza. She didn’t know details, but she did know he looked older and stressed. This was the first time he’d been to their apartment since having spaghetti weeks ago. Morgan knew without asking, that he was there to see Jess.
“Wait here,” she told him.
Morgan wasn’t sure how Jess would respond to flowers, or her man. The flowers because she was still sensitive to smell - so much so that she had asked Libby if she could wash her hand lotion off.
Gesturing to Libby with her head, Morgan waited. Apologetically, Libby got up, and laid Jess’s legs gently on the couch. She kissed her forehead, and excused herself.
“Hey, Jess, you’ve got a visitor,” Morgan told her, smiling.
Jess sat up a little too fast, and her head ached, but she didn’t let it show. “Who?” she wondered. It might be Emily. Jess was still sad that she had left, and that Jess hadn’t gotten the chance to say goodbye. But that was life. People left.
Coby came into view, carrying flowers in his arms. He smiled a little. “Hey,” he said.
She looked so beautiful. After many talks and reassurances from Bryan and the other guys, Coby had been convinced that he could face her. He had been so afraid that not only would her appearance have changed dramatically, but she would blame him for not being there. Then they told him she still had no memory of what happened - that she might never.
“Hey,” Jess said back. “Oh my gosh, I missed you.” His name escaped her, but she knew him. She hoped someone would drop the name into conversation so she didn’t have to wonder, or admit she didn’t know.
Coby set the flowers down and sat beside her on the couch. “How’re you doing?” he asked, taking her hand. “Sorry it took me so long to see you.”
“It’s okay,” Jess dismissed. He was here now. That’s what mattered. She squinted at his shirt. “Where’s your other one?” she asked.
“My other what?” he asked, confused.
She fingered the sleeve of his tee shirt, in lieu of the word.
“Which one?” he asked, his skin going warm where she touched it.
Jess shook her head, trying to think. “The one you were wearing the last time I saw you. In the morning after my first class. Your hot mom one. I love hot moms?” she asked, smiling. “I liked that one.”
Coby laughed, though his stomach tightened at the thought that she remembered even a portion of the day he wished he could forget. “Well, even if I’m not wearing the shirt, I still love hot moms,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
Jess felt her cheeks burn, smiling. “Well, I’m not looking very hot right now,” she hedged, twirling the end of her hair self-consciously.
“You’re wrong,” he told her, leaning toward Jess and kissing her gently on the mouth the way he’d always wanted to, but never had.
“Hey, Coby do you want--” Libby cut herself off, as the sight of Jess and Coby kissing on the couch registered. “Okay…” she said quietly, scratching her head. She went back to the kitchen, putting the Coke back in the fridge.
“What?” Morgan asked at Libby’s giggle.
Libby moved closer and whispered, “They’re totally kissing out there!”
“What?!” Morgan exclaimed, her brown eyes growing huge.
Libby clapped a hand over her friend’s mouth. “Morgan, shut up!” she laughed.
“She just got out of the hospital,” Morgan hissed. “It’s too fast.”
“Really? ’Cause I think it’s about time,” Libby reasoned, her eyes shining. “Oh, crap, I gotta get ready to go. Leave them alone,” she added, nodding toward the living room.
“Fine,” Morgan snapped. “Tell your brother he can come by and hang out if he wants, while he waits for you.”
Libby excused herself, checking her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She’d been in counseling for about a week. That meant she’d gone twice so far. She had a good therapist, and that relieved her beyond words - knowing that Nate refused counseling, and Morgan had tried, going to one of the ones provided specifically for the victims of what happened. Morgan had come out angry and bitter and far more triggered than she was in daily life. The shrink wanted to know too much, Morgan had insisted, pacing around. For two days, every noise made her jump, and when Christian scared her from behind a door, Morgan had yelled at him. She hadn’t gotten a nice therapist - a Christian one - like Liam found for Libby. She even offered that Morgan could come along, but she had refused. It had taken her days to get right, and she wasn’t about to become vulnerable with somebody who didn’t know what they were talking about.
Liam picked up Libby and they drove together. Libby’s therapist went slow. The first time all she’d done was circle the issues she wanted to address. She ignored sexual abuse and instead circled depression. The conversation they’d had though, had shed some good light on Libby’s real reasons for coming. The second time, she asked for the sheet back, and circled sexual abuse, and beside it, wrote the number two.
This time, she knew, they would probably end up talking about what had happened to her - either as a child or an adult. All the same, Libby was glad her brother had insisted upon counseling. Even the two times she’d gone already seemed to help tremendously. And Liam never pushed or asked what they discussed. He just acted as her chauffer, which she liked a lot.
“There is major lip action going on in our living room right now,” she said, reaching over to turn on the radio.
“Huh?” Liam asked, as they stopped at a red light. None of the girls had boyfriends except Morgan, and Liam wasn’t at the apartment to get his kisses yet.
“Coby came by with flowers for Jess,” she finished excitedly.
“Wait, and they’re kissing?” Liam was incredulous. Coby was notorious for being excruciatingly slow in matters of the heart. This didn’t sound like him.
Libby shrugged. “Well, they were when I went in there anyway.”
Liam smiled, happy to see his sister was coming back to him, little by little.
--
Coby draped an arm around Jess. The kiss had apparently worn Jess out, and she was now asleep on his shoulder. When he tried to move her - worried and not sure about which was the injured side of her head - Jess had protested, swearing at him mildly in sleep. It made him smile. He finally managed to lay her down without too much trouble.
Walking into the kitchen, Coby went to their fridge and took out a can of Coke. “Jess fell asleep,” he told Morgan.
“Go stick a note on the door, so Legend knows to keep Christian quiet when they come in.” Morgan handed him a stack of Post-Its and a pen.
Confused but obedient, Coby took the stuff and scribbled:
Quiet please, Jess is sleeping.
“Told Jess I was sorry,” Coby admitted softly, coming up behind where Morgan stood at the sink, looking absently at a picture on the wall.
“Did she tell you you’re full of shit?” Morgan asked plainly, turning around. She hated that he blamed himself, when he had done the only thing there was to do.
He nodded. “Yeah. Not exactly that, but she told me not to worry about it,” he shrugged, grabbing a dill pickle out of the jar on the counter and crunching it. “Also didn’t remember my name until she heard Libby say it.”
“Yeah, that happens.” Morgan smirked at him. “Was that before or after you kissed her?”
“After,” he admitted, smiling. He turned as the apartment door opened, and Legend, Christian and Liam all came in.
Legend steered Christian toward the kitchen and away from his mom sleeping on the couch. She felt bad. He was so excited for her to be home, but Jess needed her rest.
Christian stomped his foot, but brightened when he saw Coby in the kitchen eating a pickle. He ran and jumped into his arms, asking for some pickle even though Christian didn’t like them. Coby was having one, so that meant Christian wanted one, too. “I wanted to feed the ducks some bread, but their pond got freezed,” he told Coby sadly, crunching on the pickle and making a face.
“Get anything good at the store?” Coby wondered, looking in the grocery bags.
“Did you get the stuff for my meatloaf next week?” Jess asked, coming in unsteadily.
She knew her balance wasn’t great, and she probably would have done better with someone steadying her. But Jess wasn’t about to rely on others her whole life. She was tired, but could never sleep when she heard Christian was home. She had missed so much time with him already. He was wearing the orange shirt she had bought for him to wear on Halloween to school, since they weren’t allowed to wear costumes, and these adorable blue overalls Libby had seen at a garage sale, practically new.
“What meatloaf?” Legend asked.
“The meatloaf I’m making,” Jess answered testily. Monday Madness at her house meant that she cooked. End of story. She’d be damned if she was going to let them change things on her.
“Libby and I can put something together,” Morgan offered.
“I can help!” Christian offered, “Me and Legend got stuff for cookies. Homemade ones, Mom. Not the store kind,” he assured her, knowing how much she liked using the mixer.
“That’s great,” she said, forcing a smile at him.
Liam came up beside Morgan, studying her carefully before taking her hand. She squeezed it, and he was grateful. When she moved to stand in front of him, and put his arms around her, Liam couldn’t contain his smile.
“Where’d Libby go?” Coby wondered, opening a bag of chips and eating one. He ignored Legend’s light swat on his arm, and offered one to Christian.
“Counseling,” Liam said, enjoying that Morgan was relaxed against him. “I gotta pick her up in an hour.”
“Mom, I wanted to feed the ducks, but they flew away,” Christian told her seriously. “It’s too cold for them, Legend said.”
Jess nodded. Her head was aching. What she really needed was to lie down, but couldn’t bring herself to. Her apartment was full of friends she hadn’t seen together in one place for so long. She propped an elbow on the counter, leaning her chin into her hand. She fought to keep her eyes open.
Wordlessly, Coby set Christian down and swatted his butt, sending him off to play. Then he went to Jess, scooping her up easily. She was never big, but she had lost a lot of weight in the hospital. Now, he was sure, she weighed next to nothing. Coby didn’t say anything as he carried Jess to the room she shared with Christian and pulled the covers back. Tucking her in, Coby kissed her forehead lightly.
“I love you,” he whispered, and left, closing the door behind him.
--
A week went by, and the following Sunday, they decided to try church again, like they used to. Only this time, it was an unspoken agreement that they would all go together. Aaron called Gabe, and asked if he could possibly speak with the pastor - to have him keep their visit low-key. He knew that Jess hadn’t been home long, and none of them did well with the crazy amount of attention this, and Buddy, had received.
Gabe had obliged easily, asking if they needed anything else. When Aaron said no, Gabe said he, Belle and Elise would save them all a back pew. In case they were late, he said. But Aaron knew it was Gabe’s way of helping them all keep a low-profile.
His brief call to the girls’ apartment to tell them when they should leave was chaotic. Christian had answered the phone, which should have been Aaron’s first clue that things weren’t going as planned.
“Hello?” Christian asked, hoping he got the phone in time and the person didn’t hang up.
“Christian?” Aaron asked.
Stopping short, Christian thought. His mom told him never say who you are until you know who’s calling. “Who is this?” he asked.
Aaron smiled. “Christian, it’s Aaron. Can I talk to one of the girls?”
He looked around. Morgan was brushing her teeth at the kitchen sink because Legend and his mom were still in the bathroom getting ready. Libby was probably sleeping. “They’re all busy. Girls are kind of crazy in the morning.” Christian said seriously.
“Who is it?” Morgan asked around her toothpaste.
Christian ignored her. “Can I take a message?” he asked importantly.
Aaron laughed. “Sure. Just tell them to be ready to leave in a half-hour. Nine o’clock. Can you remember nine o’clock?”
“Nine o’clock. Got it,” Christian told him and hung up. Turning to face Morgan, he told her importantly. “Something about a half in hour and be ready at nine o’clock.”
“Says who?” she asked, pouring him a bowl of cereal. He wasn’t even dressed yet. They had to get a move on.
“Aaron says,” Christian said absently. “Thank you,” he said, as she set a bowl of Count Chocula in front of him. He remembered picking it up from the store with Legend.
Morgan nodded. “Okay, well that means we don’t have much time, so hurry and eat so you can brush your teeth and put some clothes on.”
Christian got to work, eating all the marshmallows really fast.
Moving down the hall, Morgan stopped at Libby’s bedroom door and opened it. “Lib, wake up. Church,” Morgan told the lump under the covers softly. She knew mornings were still hard for Libby - that if she could - she still tried to sleep past the time when everything happened.
“Just go without me,” Libby mumbled, burying her face in the pillow.
Morgan peeled the covers back gently, surprised to see that unlike her, Libby actually slept in long pajamas. “Everybody’s going,” Morgan insisted quietly.
“Jess, too?” Libby wondered. She wouldn’t stay home if Jess was going. Libby rubbed her red-rimmed eyes tiredly - the startling pale blue color always caught Morgan off-guard. Her brown hair was matted, and her skin looked pale and dry.
Morgan nodded. “Go eat some breakfast with Christian. See if you can motivate him to finish fast. And race him to see who can get dressed first,” Morgan suggested. “I’ve got to finish getting ready.”
Libby swung her legs over the bed, glad to have things to occupy her mind. If she had to be awake this part of the day, she preferred to be busy. Walking past the bathroom door, she heard Legend and Jess bickering.
“If I wear it down, it’ll get in my face,” Jess protested, trying in vain to clumsily gather her own auburn mane into a ponytail.
Legend sighed. “Seriously. If you wear your hair up, you’ll have a headache,” she reasoned. It had been enough of a struggle helping her friend dress, as Jess hadn’t yet regained the fine-motor control needed to button and zip things. Make-up had been another challenge. Now they were onto hair.
“I already have a headache,” Jess snapped. “Give me that hair-cruncher,” she said, gesturing to the elastic ponytail holder on the sink.
Against her will, a giggle escaped Legend.
“What?” Jess demanded, narrowing her eyes. It took a few moments to realize that she must have misspoken. “So I said it wrong, so shoot me…” she grumbled.
Legend’s hand stopped inches from the scrunchie Jess indicated. She stared at her friend, feeling like she’d been slapped in the face. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she turned to leave, but Jess took her arm.
“Hey,” Jess said apologetically. It always took her a few minutes to remember that she had been shot. And that Legend had been the one under the table with her. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she explained. Jess tried to relax, knowing that Legend was only trying to help. She took her friend into her arms and gave her a hug. “I’ll wear it down,” Jess conceded.
Tears ran down Legend’s face as she buried her face in Jess’s shoulder. “You told me to get behind you,” she managed, pulling back to look into Jess’s eyes. “That was it.”
Jess nodded. It sounded right. “I would again,” she told her certainly, as Christian knocked on the door loudly, reminding them of the time.
--
Church had gone well, aside from Jess’s passionate protest against wearing the rehab belt around her waist that was meant for someone to hang onto, to steady her balance. What was the point of getting dressed up, if she was going to ruin it with an ugly blue belt? It didn’t even match. And her balance was much better.
Still Legend, Morgan and even Libby told her that with the crowds and the distance, it might be better, just to be on the safe side.
Still Jess resisted, grateful beyond words when Coby offered to act as her escort, though he was still in a walking cast himself. He walked with his arm around her protectively, both going at an appropriately slow pace. But it made Jess feel like she was special to him.
The group of them got a few curious glances, but mostly, people respected them and kept their distance, only welcoming them, and thanking them for coming. Afterward, Liam, who was quite moved by the sermon on the importance of the church body connecting with one another - called an impromptu Bible study - inviting everyone to his place.
“Our place might be better,” Libby suggested, as Jess swayed a little bit beside Coby.
“No, Liam’s is fine,” Jess insisted.
So they all drove over, ducking out of Gabe and Belle’s invitation to go somewhere for lunch.
--
Nate had all but forgotten Christian was with them until he caught the little boy eyeing the stack of DVDs by the television. Nate didn’t think they owned anything rated-G. Not that they watched anything dirty - they didn’t. You just didn’t normally keep kid-movies around unless you had a kid yourself, or one that visited often. Christian wasn’t over much.
Looking around, as everyone got settled in the living room, Nate’s eyes fell on their single calculator. “Here,” he handed it to Christian. “Play with this.”
He got comfortable beside Libby as Liam started to talk. “I just thought after the sermon today, that we really haven’t connected much.” He was quiet a moment. “So no speech from me this time. I just thought we could use this time…like, if you have something you need to say to anybody privately, or as a group, we could do it now.” Liam closed his eyes. He didn’t know why this was so uncomfortable. Usually, he was all about leading, but for this, he felt unsure.
Liam looked across the room at Nate. “You cool with that?” he asked quietly.
Nate nodded, like a deer in the headlights. He hated to be put on the spot.
“Cool. And, hey. I’m sorry.” Liam told him honestly his cheeks burning at his own self-righteous behavior when he called Nate out on being gay. “Really.”
“Thanks,” Nate managed. He couldn’t quite believe that all this time later, he would get a genuine apology from Liam about the last Bible study.
No one moved at first, sensing Liam‘s mood. He wasn’t the only hesitant one.
Jess’s attention was drawn to the corner of the room where Christian sat, intently pushing buttons on the calculator. “Hey, baby, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Paying the bills,” Christian answered without looking up. He pushed lots of numbers and frowned. “Why is the shopping bill always so much?” he asked, looking to his mom.
Laughter and snickers were heard around the room - breaking the tension.
From the floor, Morgan raised her hand. This needed to be said sooner or later, and as long as they were all there, it was as good a time as any.
When there was silence, she spoke ignoring the slight anxiety that rose in her. “If we could not have pizza at Madness anymore, that’d be awesome.” she admitted quietly. “And if I could get a memo when coffee’s gonna be made, too?”
Heads nodded, and thankfully, no one laughed. They knew without asking, because of Morgan’s serious demeanor that her request was heartfelt. And though some were curious, no one asked for details. This was Morgan. If she wanted to include them, she would have.
“Sorry, Mo!” Aaron called. He knew now that his menu choice was the reason for Morgan, Libby and Nate’s shake escape.
“It’s cool, Aaron. Thanks,” she said, relieved.
Jon got up then and snagged Coby from beside Jess, taking him to his room. He needed some guy time.
“How are you, man?” Coby asked. He hadn’t spoken to Jonathan in a long time, and felt bad for it.
Shrugging, Jon ran a hand down his face self-consciously. “Just thought someone should know. Ashley and I are done.” he admitted, avoiding Coby’s eyes.
Coby was speechless. “The ring was practically on her finger,” he managed, shocked.
Jonathan nodded. “I know.”
“So, what happened?” he wondered, sitting on the bed and propping his leg up with a pillow.
Silently, Jonathan gestured to the left side of his face. “She couldn’t even look at me,” he admitted.
“Sorry,” Coby said, at a loss. He hadn’t known Ashley well, but pictured her to have more depth and class than that.
Shrugging, Jon turned to go. “Yeah, so, I just thought…”
“Yeah,” Coby agreed. He got up and stood next to Jon putting an arm around him. “You know, to some girl, that won’t mean shit,” Coby told him seriously, nodding at the scar.
Jonathan looked him in the eye. “I know. But to me, it does.”
“I know,” Coby agreed.
--
Libby happily filled the space on the couch that Coby had left. “Hey,” she greeted, snuggling close, as Jess put an arm around her.
They sat quietly for several minutes. Liam left, to take Christian in the kitchen and make him some lunch. Bryan, Legend and Morgan followed, apparently hungry too. Nathaniel and Aaron remained on the far side of the room. Libby could hear Aaron chattering to Nate about how it was good to hold BS on Sunday, because it fit really well after church. Just a whole day dedicated to it. She smiled.
“What’s up?” Jess asked tenderly, touching Libby’s hair. She had been sticking pretty close since Jess came home, wanting to help or just be near her.
“You still don’t remember anything?” Libby asked suddenly, keeping her voice down, so the guys across the room didn’t hear.
Jess gave her a questioning look.
“About what happened to us,” Libby elaborated. “I mean, do you know what happened to me?” she wondered, though she was embarrassed to hear the answer. It was mortifying to know that the whole TV-viewing world knew that a crazy guy had his hands on her that way.
“I saw what the news said about it,” Jess nodded. “Bad stuff happened to you,” she concluded sadly.
Libby nodded, knowing from her little bit of time in counseling, how much it helped to talk to someone she trusted. “That wasn’t the first time,” she managed, her voice going thick.
“He hurt you before?” Jess asked, alarmed.
Libby shook her head. “When I was little, a neighbor of mine… Well, me and Liam would always go play over there. If the wife was home, I knew it was fine, but when she wasn’t… When she wasn’t… He’d get Liam interested in some toys, and then he’d take me somewhere else and touch me.” She squeezed Jess’s hand. “After the first time, I fought him, even though my mom said to listen and do whatever he said, and he had a gun. I don’t know if it was real. He put it up to my head and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. But it made me not fight back again.”
Jess stared, uncomprehending. “How old were you?”
“A little older than Christian,” Libby admitted. “You know, one of the reasons I admire you is the kind of mother you are.”
Jess waited, stunned. No one had ever out rightly complimented her mothering, except, if she recalled right, Morgan and Nate.
“The way you tell Christian to treat everybody with respect unless someone tries to hurt him.”
Jess nodded. She told him that often - last night, in fact, before he fell asleep.
“I wish my mom told me that,” Libby said regretfully and laid her head on Jess’s shoulder.
Jess blinked as tears fell down her cheeks. “I wish that, too.”
“That’s why I feel safe coming to you,” Libby finished in a whisper, closing her eyes. She was so relieved. Keeping this secret for over ten years had been exhausting.
Jess pulled her close. Now Libby’s clinginess made perfect sense. “You can always come to me,” she said firmly, kissing the younger girl’s temple, trying to erase the memory of the gun that had been pressed there so many years before.
--
Aaron had been silent a while now. Nate hadn’t moved so far, which was good, because Aaron had to talk to him. Pretty much no one knew that he had seen a shrink. His guilt about jumping - about seeing what was being done to Nate and bailing - just got too big to deal with. When he started having crazy thoughts, Aaron sought out an on-campus shrink and talked for an hour, not giving names and minimizing details. But the shrink had told him what Aaron needed to hear. He had to talk to Nate. Tell him what he knew. And after a few late-night talks with Mo, Aaron also wanted to do what he could to lift the guilt Nate might be feeling. Her honesty about feelings she dealt with on a regular basis gave Aaron insight he might have never had otherwise. He knew better than to try and give Morgan any feedback about what she was going through. Aaron knew she wouldn’t hear him. But Nathaniel might. And that was a chance he had to take.
“I could see behind the desk,” Aaron blurted softly, waiting until Jess and Libby joined the lunch crew in the kitchen.
Nate’s head snapped up, knowing immediately what Aaron was talking about.
“I saw what he did to you, the names he called you…”
Closing his eyes, Nate relived what he heard. He hadn’t been able to get Buddy’s voice out of his head. One after another, he heard gay and racial slurs - felt himself being kissed while the knife hovered dangerously between his legs. Then, he was grabbed. Hard. Nate grimaced and opened his eyes.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry. ’Cause I jumped after you screamed. I jumped out the window.” Aaron studied the carpet. “And I also wanted to tell you…” he trailed off, unsure of how Nate would take what he had to say. “All that crap? It doesn’t make you less of a man.”
At Nate’s disgusted sigh, Aaron challenged him. “What about Mo? You think she’s less of a woman now? Or Libby?”
Nate shook his head. “No, but Morgan did what she had to do,” he protested. “And Libby was scared.”
“The same could be said for you,” Aaron maintained.
Ducking his head, Nate tried to obscure the tears that had started to fall. His shoulders shook as Nate wept silently. He hadn’t expected such love and understanding. He expected repulsion, the attitude that he had it coming - the way Nate himself felt.
Seeing Nate so raw and upset, Aaron took the opportunity to both distract himself and share a little truth and humor. He opened his Bible. “Seeing as it is BS…” He smirked as Nate raised his head enough to see what Aaron was up to.
Scooting over, so Nate could see, Aaron put an arm around his shoulder. He opened his Bible to a random page and recited from memory the verse about if anyone is in Christ, they were a new creation. The old was gone, and the new had come.
Nathaniel was bent double, shuddering. He didn’t think he could stand the love and mercy he was getting.
Aaron set the Bible aside, and put both arms around his friend. “It’s okay, man,” he consoled. He thought of some of the things Morgan admitted to him, some feelings she had, when Aaron simply offered an ear.
“You didn’t bring it on yourself. You didn’t ask for it. It wasn’t your fault.”
Choking back a sob, Nate held onto Aaron so hard he was sure he was hurting him. It was like Aaron could read his thoughts. And he knew everything about what happened to him.
Aaron just held on, more than grateful now that his own father wasn’t in his life. He had been staunchly against his son showing any emotion. Lucky for him, Aaron had been raised by a mother who encouraged him to let his emotions out at any opportunity. That’s why, to this day, he was a crier. And that’s why he felt no shame in Nate letting go like this.
Several minutes passed, and Nate finally pulled back, to see Aaron wiping his own eyes.
“Sorry,” he apologized, looking away.
Aaron brushed it off, “Don’t be, man. I cry at commercials.”
Nate smiled, leaning in to give one more hug to a guy who had given him so much more. His gaze fell on Aaron’s open Bible, on the floor behind him.
“That’s not second Corinthians,” Nate pointed out, remembering the scripture Aaron had recited and knowing it wasn’t in Genesis.
“So? You didn’t notice, did you?” Aaron challenged good-naturedly, patting Nate on the back for a good measure.
“No,” Nate admitted, wiping his eyes. He got up to join everyone else in the kitchen. “But, you know, I do have my own personal BS every day, so I know where scripture is.”
Aaron laughed, putting an arm around Nate as they walked in the kitchen. “You believe me?” he asked seriously, wondering if his words had been heard or had fallen on deaf ears.
“Sort of,” Nate admitted, nodding.
Aaron’s heart warmed. “Well, gotta start somewhere,” he said quietly. He handed Nate a plate, and they both went down the buffet-style line of leftovers.
When they finished, Aaron and Nate joined the rest of their friends at the table. None of them were the wiser about what had gone on.
But that was okay, Nate reasoned.
Aaron knew the truth. He knew all of it, and accepted Nate anyway.
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