Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 7: Cornered

"We had fun. A summer to remember."

☆

Jasper hears a strange silence as he heads down the stairs and approaches the kitchen. As he opens the door, he sees his mother and Molly at the table opposite, both clasping onto mugs, staring back at him. He furrows his brow at them. "Were you listening?"

"No!"

"No, well we could hear talking, but not the exact words." Molly gives off a guilty smile.

Jasper flops down on the bench seat opposite. "Well we're both still alive and I guess we have said all we needed to say."

Molly gets up from her seat. "Let me get you a drink." She says, feeling a little guilty for trying to eavesdrop.

Jasper looks at her at the stove. "Is there cake too?" He says, maybe taking advantage of her guilt just a bit.

"There's always cake Jasper, especially at the moment." She laughs as she heads for the fridge in order to locate a piece of the last practice cake she had made.

"Did I hear cake?"

They all turn to see Thomas enter the kitchen. He has on a change of shorts and a t-shirt with a horse on it.

"What are you wearing?" Molly laughs in amusement.

Thomas looks down at his t-shirt, pulling a little at the fabric as it clung to his body, maybe it was a little small. "What do you mean? This is my favourite top." He is rather offended. He glances up at Jasper who was smiling at the spectacle.

"It's two sizes too small." Rosie adds.

"What do you think Jas?" Thomas questions as he plonks himself in the seat next to him.

Jasper catches himself smiling and soon wipes it from his own face, now choosing to focus on the plate of cake being put in front of him. "You look like an idiot." He deduces as he picks up the cake and takes a healthy bite.

"I am an idiot." Thomas says, but the humour seemed to be absent from his voice. It causes Jasper to turn and look at him with his mouth full of cake. "I am an idiot for holding onto something I love for so long that I can't let it go, hoping that when I do wear it again, it will be as it was before, but sadly it isn't quite the same." Jasper just stares at Thomas as he tries his best to swallow his mouthful, which felt like it was lodged in his throat. Thomas turns a little more to face the male on the bench. "So tell me Jasper. Is it time, should I really throw it away?"

The kitchen goes quiet, with Molly busying herself with getting Thomas his cake and Jasper's mother taking the empty mugs to the sink. It leaves Jasper and Thomas looking at eachother once again. Jasper slows down his chewing he knows exactly what Thomas is implying and the reply should be simple. Yes, get rid of the t-shirt, but Jasper seemed to be stalling. The cake in his mouth, a barrier to the answer of the question.

"....And then, Jasper escaped out of the bedroom window." Jim says with a hearty chuckle as the farmhouse door opens, with him and Beth walking through it.

"What are you two talking about?" Molly wonders, but she knew the tale well. It was the famous Internet story."

"Jim was telling me about how Jasper cannot live without his wifi. So true!" She laughs as she sits opposite Jasper and Thomas. "You two sounded like you both had an amazing summer." She smiles at them both.

Jasper suddenly feels a little sick as he looks at his uncle. "What else have you been telling her?"

"Oh don't be too hard on him Jasper." Beth reaches across the table to pat his hand. She then turns her attention to Thomas. "You two were partners in crime."

Thomas chuckles as he glances at Jasper, still looking uneasy. "We had fun. A summer to remember." He pats Jasper on his shoulder.

"Then you must come to our wedding." She says. The words cause Jasper to choke on his cake and Thomas to suddenly sit up straight.

Thomas glances at Jasper's choking response. "I...I'm not sure..." he begins.

"Oh come on. Jasper had written you an invite and everything...though I don't know where it got to." Beth smiles.

"You wrote me an invite?" Thomas says with a curl to his lips. "Aw Jas." he pinches one of Jasper's cheeks.

"Get off!" He pushes Thomas' arm away, again taking in the small t-shirt he had on. He looks up at Thomas' face. He swallows hard. "That looked good on you once, but you need to move on." Jasper turns away, not wanting to see the consequences of his words written on Thomas' face.

"Aw, I love your banter. You must have been so close. That's settled then." Beth grins at their interaction, but Jasper feels anything but settled. He feels caged, backed into a corner. With Thomas on one side, with his t-shirt analogy and Beth with her insistence, plus his uncle telling tales of who knows what. Right now Jasper wished he could escape though that bedroom window once again.