Page 16 of The Road Home
"Sounds good to me." Jared pulled up to the window, paid for the food, and handed the bags to Orson. After setting the drinks in the holder between them, he pulled away. "I'm going to wait and eat at the house, but if you want to eat now, go ahead."
"Nah, I can wait too." His nervousness grew at the thought of actually sitting and eating at Jared's house. He'd hoped they'd dive into work and not have a lot of time to talk or interact with each other. Even though Jared had said they were friends, he didn't feel that way. He was just some poor guy Jared felt sorry for and had a few random jobs to have him do so he didn't feel so guilty about their differences in lifestyle.
They drove in silence, and as they did Orson took in everything around them. He hadn't been outside of the main city until now, and while he had no idea where they were headed, he enjoyed seeing the large buildings disappear and cute neighborhoods show up.
"What made you come to Utah?" Orson asked.
"I did some of my residency here. I really liked the hospital I worked at and they offered me a position. I jumped at the chance. I didn't want to end up in a big city like New York or L.A., but I wanted bigger than small-town Montana. It was the perfect fit for me. I don't regret my choice at all." Jared slowed the car as they turned down a small side street. "I bought the house about two years ago. Was tired of living in an apartment." He pulled into the driveway of a nice two-story home.
"It's nice." Orson tried not to feel jealous, wondering if he might have a house like this if he'd done what his parents wanted and stayed in the closet.
"Thanks." Jared opened his car door. "Can you grab the food if I take the drinks?"
"Sure." Orson took the bag as he stepped out of the car. He eyed the large house, again hoping he hadn't made a mistake coming with Jared. Once they were inside anything could happen. So far, he had no reason not to trust him, but he'd read people wrong before. He really hoped Jared was as nice as he seemed, because he really needed a friend and he like Jared so far. It was probably a lot to hope that they could stay friends, and that this could be more than just him helping Jared out, but he still thought about how great that would be.
Jared unlocked the door and held it open for Orson. "Just head into the kitchen. You can't miss it."
As he stepped into the house, he took a second to glance around. To his side was a large living room. It didn't look used, the furniture perfectly placed, the floor vacuumed and void of footprints in the carpet. As he moved on, there was a long hallway going the other direction, and right in front of him was the kitchen. Orson paused as he stepped into the kitchen. It was amazing. It was huge. The one room was at least three times the size of the storage unit he shared with everyone at night. Dark wood and countertops lined the walls, and a large formal dinner table sat to the other side of the room.
"Just set it on the table." Jared came in behind him.
"This is really nice." Orson glanced back at him.
"Thanks. I wish I had more time to enjoy it."
"Do you cook?" Orson set the sack of food on the kitchen table.
"Not well, but I like to try. I keep it simple, but someday I'd like to take the time to learn how to do it better. What about you? Did you enjoy cooking when you were home?"
"A little, but not much. I guess at seventeen you don't really think about it, but now, I'd love to have a chance to make something as simple as pancakes in the morning." Orson sat down.
"Yeah, I think I got so used to eating fast food and frozen food when I was in school that I haven't ever dropped the habit. It's hard when it's just me. Doesn't seem worth it to cook a ton of food and make a mess." Jared set the drinks on the table and sat down next to Orson. "People would probably be shocked if they knew how unhealthy I eat. I preach to my patients about eating healthy, but I do the opposite."
"You aren't dating anyone? No girlfriend around?"
Jared paled, suddenly looking uncomfortable as he reached for the bag and started pulling out the food. "Um, no time to date. I haven't dated since high school honestly. I've focused on my career and just worried about that part of my life."
"How old are you?"
"I just turned thirty last month."
"Happy belated birthday." Orson smiled at him as he took the food Jared handed him.
"Thanks. When's yours?"
"My birthday? It's in April."
"That's only a few months ago, so happy belated birthday to you too."
Orson swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back the unexpected emotions the words stirred inside him.
"Did I say something wrong?" Jared looked at him with a worried expression.
Orson shook his head. "No, sorry. It's just…" He took a heavy breath. "It's the first time anyone has said happy birthday to me since I left home."
Jared reached over and gently laid a hand on Orson's cast. "I'm sorry. It shouldn't be that way."
"It's just the way it is on the streets. We forget holidays, birthdays, and all that stuff. Like I said, I have trouble keeping track of what day it is, let alone what the date is." He stared at Jared's hand where it sat on his cast. It was a simple gesture of compassion, but again, one he wasn't used to experiencing anymore.
