Page 7 of Footlights and Forever

I closed my hanging jaw, trying not to look too deeply into that last comment. I left the room, closing the door firmly behind me to give him some privacy at last before making the short trek downstairs to run his wet clothes through the dryer.

“Do I need to tell you to leave your bedroom door open?” my dad called from the chair as I prepared to ascend the staircase.

“What do you mean?” I grabbed hold of the wooden acorn that adorned the bottom of the stairs.

“I mean is this guy your boyfriend?”

“Who? Austin? No he is not!” My face flushed crimson.

“No offence intended son.” His voice came from his armchair. “It’s just you get this nervous stutter to your voice when you’re talking to him.”

“So what?” I snapped, before remembering who I was speaking to. “Sorry Dad.”

“I only say that because it’s the same way your mother used to talk to me when we first dated.” My heart began to race. “That’s all.”

Dad turned the TV volume up, which was his signal that this conversation had now concluded. Did I really act that way around Austin? Did Austin think I was fawning all over him? Was that why he wasn’t so quick to cover up just now? Give the homo a little of something that he wanted out of pity? I resolved to keep myself more in check. Austin was here for a purpose, to get better grades. I could help him with that, and part of that help was not to ogle him like some kind of moisture-clad sex god.

I raced upstairs, stopping outside my room to compose myself and to knock. If Austin was still naked for any reason, then it would at least give him the opportunity to not be. “Um… come in?” Austin’s voice was more of a question than anything else.

“Sorry,” I said as I pushed my bedroom door open. “Just wanted to make sure you were decent before I came barging back into the room.”

“It’s cool, man. I told you.” He waved me off, shaking his head. My Ethel Merman T-shirt fit him perfectly, his arm muscles slightly bulging at the seams and my sleep shorts perfectly hugging his bubble butt in a way that made me want to weep.

“No it’s not,” I laughed. “Listen, just because I’m gay it doesn’t mean you have to show me some kind of straight boy charity.”

“I wasn’t, I was…” he stammered.

“No seriously.” I fiddled with imaginary buttons on my T-shirt. “I’m still going to help you with your grades; you don’t have to give me any incentive.”

“Dylan…”

“No, I think we should just get things clear right now that I am in no way expecting you to…” I stopped as strong hands grabbed my arms.

“Dylan, shut up.” I brought my gaze up to meet his. The smile on his face put me at ease. “I don’t think you expect me to get naked every time we have a studying session. I just thought since we are both guys that it wouldn’t be such an issue, me changing in front of you. I see now that it’s upset you so I shall endeavor to be completely dressed at all times.”

Well shit.

“Thanks?” I laughed uncertainly.

“Also, just for the record,” he rubbed his palm across his chest and down his abs, “the clothes aren’t lame.”

“They’re just something I had laying around!”

“While that might be the case…” He sat down on the end of my bed. Austin Ridge was on my bed. “Ethel Merman was the definitive Gypsy Rose Lee. I know people love them some LuPone, but its Merman all the way for me.”

“What!” The word was more of an expression of shock than an actual question. “What are you talking about?”

Austin’s face paled. “Please tell me you actually like musical theatre and I haven’t just outed myself to you as a big theatre geek.”

I bit back a laugh. “Austin, you know I am in drama club in school.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “You remember when Garrett and a bunch of you guys decided it would be funny to tie me to one of the columns on the Pygmalion set and smear Eliza Doolittle’s makeup all over my face.”

Austin winced. “Not that it’s an excuse, but you know I didn’t stick around for all that.” No he hadn’t, but what he had done was maybe worse. I’d watched as Garrett and his goons made their way down the aisle towards the stage. I had seen Austin rollhis eyes at Garret, giving him a playful shove before leaving the auditorium. The memory of the guys laughing as they crowded around me, pushing me against a foam white pillar before being secured to it with rope one of them found in the prop corner came unbidden, and acted like a bucket of ice water being thrown over my face.

“Anyway,” I dusted my hands against my thighs, “shall we?” I gestured towards the textbook I had set up on my desk near the edge of the wall under the window.

He reached for my arm, but I moved quickly across the other side of the room. “You know, I have told the guys a lot to leave you alone. You know what those guys are like though.”

“Yeah I do,” I laughed, shaking my head slightly. “I’m not sure you do however.”

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