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Riley shook his head. “I’m okay,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Can you drink some more of the soup for me?” I asked. “I know it probably doesn’t taste all that good but—”
“It’s good,” he said. “Can you thank your friend for making it for me?”
“Ford,” I supplied. “And yes, I will.”
He fell silent again but took more sips of the soup. After another couple of minutes, he looked down at Puddles, who was trying to lick his hand at the same time that he was petting her. God bless Walter’s diva of a dog.
“What’s her name?”
“Puddles,” I said.
Riley smiled at that.
“Puddles,” he repeated.
Puddles began thumping her tail and rolled onto her back like the little tramp she was. Riley’s grin grew as he gave her the tummy rub she was seeking.
“She belongs to a friend of mine and Ford’s… he’s recovering in the hospital from a fall.”
“He’s all right?” Riley asked as he looked up at me. I wanted to hug him because this was the Riley I knew… the one who always thought of others no matter what was happening in his own life. If I’d had a particularly shitty day at work, he’d always done his best to make me laugh with a silly joke or some comment about my notoriously bad basketball skills. As much as he and I both loved the game, neither of us were any good at it so we often smack talked each other in the most ridiculous of ways.
“He’s fine,” I said. “He’ll be getting out in a few days. He’s actually going to come stay here with me for a bit till he gets back on his feet.”
Riley looked around the room. “I like your house. It’s creepy but kind of cool.”
It was the opening I needed. “Did you get a chance to see it while it was still light out?” I asked.
Riley nodded.
So he’d been here for a while. I’d gone to the sanctuary right after I’d finished with work so that meant he could have been here for hours… likely had been, since it got dark at five these days and it was after nine now.
“Do you know what time you got here?”
“Um, about three I think.”
So six hours.
Fuck.
“How did you get here? Did someone drop you off?”
Riley clammed up again. He dropped his eyes and focused on Puddles. He seemed uninterested in the rest of the soup so I took the mug from him and set it on the table. He began petting Puddles with both hands.
“I didn’t mean for it to get so out of hand,” he whispered. “I… I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to protect him and so when Dad said your name I just freaked and kept my mouth shut.” Riley shook his head. “I didn’t think. I’m so stupid, I just didn’t think—”
“You’re not stupid,” I said. I took a chance and settled my hand on his back. As soon as I did, he began to cry again. I tugged him against my side and let him get the tears out. Puddles was stuck between us, but she didn’t seem to care.
“Tell me what happened, Riley. How did you get here?”
“Bus,” Riley said after a moment. “I got your address off some papers I found in my dad’s desk… I’d wanted to write you a letter to tell you I would fix everything but Dad walked in and started yelling at me to stay out of his stuff. I told him I’d lied about you. That you hadn’t touched me and that the guy in the pictures… that he was someone who I thought loved me and I loved him too and it just got so messed up…”
Riley’s words dissolved into a new round of tears so I just held him until he quieted again.
“What happened with your parents?” I asked.
“They kicked me out when I told the lawyer it wasn’t you. Dad said he didn’t want a queer for a son and Mom just… she just stood there like I’d…” He shook his head. “I didn’t know where to go.”
“You did the right thing,” I said as I put some space between us and used the blanket to wipe at his face. “You absolutely did the right thing… I’m so glad you came to find me.”
“I’ll tell the truth, Cam. To anyone you want. I’ll make sure they know none of what I said happened. I’ll take a lie detector test or sign something or go to court… I’ll make it right!”
“Shhh,” I said as he got himself all worked up again. “You don’t have to do any of that. Everything is okay now, I promise.”
“The lawyer said my parents wouldn’t have any choice but to drop the case. He even said you could… you could sue them for defamation or something like that. I don’t have any money, but I can get a job and start paying you back for everything—”
