Sin For Me (bxb)

Favor

Thomas

Was it already that time of year?

I stared out at the gravel in front of the church, my eyes wandering between the court yard and gardens. The spring blooms were now nothing but mulch on the ground, overtaken by the lush green of summer.

And that meant it was... time to decide.

I heard the ruffle of footsteps behind me and turned, Father Noah and his black boots dragging on the pavement.

"Happy Birthday, Thomas," He told me with a smile, ruffling my hair. I shrugged it off and looked back out to the courtyard where a wrought iron gate stood.

Father Noah sat next to me, his age showing in his rough plop on the ground. He rubbed his knees with a sigh.

"Hanson made a cake," he offered gently.

I nodded, a smile painted on my face. "That was nice of him,"

He agreed, "We could celebrate if you'd like, I know you usually won't let us, but 18 is a big year,"

18.

I shook my head, "Not much to celebrate,"

An eyebrow on his aged face rose as he stared at me, "You're more than enough reason to celebrate, Tom,"

I couldn't care enough to disagree further, just placed my head in my hands and prayed the day would turn night faster.

"You can stay here, you know, as long as you want," he said, bumping his shoulder into me. I grimaced.

From the corner of my eye I could see the flash of blonde hair on the grounds surrounded by shorter figures.

"He won't stay," I said softly, gently, and curt enough to leave no room for second guessing.

"That doesn't mean you have to leave, you could visit him, and stay," Father Noah implored, an almost desperate edge to his voice.

I looked over at him. "Why do you want me here,"

A sigh and a moment later, Father Noah finally said "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you Tom,"

The sky went dark as a cloud passed under the sun, shading the grounds in deep greens and grays.

"You take care of em, of the church, hell, you take care of me. This place would fall apart without ya," he kept on, his arthritic hands shaking. "But, that's not a reason for you to stay. I only want you here if you want to be here,"

"And what of the rest of my life? What would I do out there?" I added on, "I wouldn't know how to be... like the rest of the world,"

"That's my fault," Father Noah conceded, "I should have exposed you more, brought in more outsiders," he prattled on.

I shrugged, "Never was really interested in anything outside those gates,"

The gate creaked as a gust of wind shuddered the postings.

"There's a lot out there to be interested in," he said.

I turned back to Damien.

"He could show you too, I'm sure he's been around,"

A blush crept on my face, "And what if I lose him?"

"That happens, a lot, all the time, more often than not,"

A bead of sweat dropped down the nape of my neck. Someone called his name from out in the yards, and Damien dashed towards the voice, feet pounding into the grass below. Boisterous laughter followed as he reached who called him, his face lighting up.