The Carnivore [boyxboy]

Chapter 16

Rory stared at his mom across the dinner table. She went on eating without much notice. Rory took another slow bite of macaroni and cheese. He eyed Kristen’s empty seat—she was on a date with the new boyfriend and out for dinner.

“Mom,” Rory began. “Can Deacon stay over?”

“He just stayed over last night,” she pointed out without looking up. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea to be having a lot of sleep overs during the week… maybe this weekend.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rory hesitated then, scowling. “I mean he needs a place to stay for a while.”

“A while?” she echoed, finally looking up at him with a cocked eyebrow. “For how long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why?” she questioned next, turning suspicious.

Rory took a quick bite of food as he tried to procrastinate. He hoped she would just move on from that and forget, but she stared him down. “Why?” she repeated.

“He’s…” Rory stabbed something absently with his fork. “His dad’s been hitting him,” he blurted out, not any less nervous the third time around. “And social services are involved and they might be moving him away and it’s stupid because he’s almost eighteen.”

She gave him an owl eyed look then. “He’s being abused?” she said, looking down at her dinner with a hard look. “I didn’t think… Does Kristen know? I mean they dated…”

“She doesn’t,” Rory mumbled. “Remember how part of the reason was he wouldn’t take her over to his house?” he pointed out.

“Oh. Shit,” she hissed.

Rory rarely ever heard her cuss either, so he decided to keep quiet then.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she admitted. “With Kristen here, I understand you and Deacon are friends, but it seems… strange, to have him suddenly living with us.”

“Mom,” Rory stressed. “Deacon’s gay.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. She fixed her eyes in on Rory then. “So then you and he…”

“Of course not,” Rory protested quickly, feeling his face turning read anyways.

“It’s okay Rory,” she sighed.

“But then you’re not going to let him stay here,” Rory whined. “Otherwise he might even move schools and goes who knows where.”

She sighed again and rubbed her temples. “How would that even work? He can’t just up and move in, right? We’d have to talk to his… what did you say, social services?”

Rory brightened up a little bit. She was considering it at least.