Who Knew?

Chapter 9:

POV- Ruben 

I'm kinda surprised, to be honest, but I'm not totally sure why. I reach over and shake her hand smiling. "I'm Ruben, It's nice to meet you Mrs. Parker. You have a lovely home."

She beams. "Oh, a charmer this one. Please call me Nancy. Are you a friend of Wyatts? On the football team maybe?"

I scoff. "I'm sorry to say that I'm not a sportsball person. I'd much rather curl up and read a book." I glance over at Wyatt who's beat red. His eyes thank me for not mentioning anything about being "friends”. I just smile at him. I don't honestly mind. I know damn well how it feels to not be ready to come out to your parents. I will literally not survive if I do. No exaggeration.

She gasps. "What do you read?!" 

Wyatt rolls his eyes and mouths, 'Now you've done it'. I laugh. "I read a lot of classics like To Kill A Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Pride and Prejudice. I also like old timey romances." 

The excitement in her face continues to build as I continue. She turns toward Wyatt. "Who is this boy and why have you not brought him by sooner?" 

His embarrassment is clear in the heavy blush that takes up his face. He scowls at her and pinches my wet sleeve. "He's mine. You can't have him." 

I smile at his protectiveness, then look back at his mom. I like her already. She's chill but stern, and she's a reader. She also hasn't commented on my bruises, though I saw her eyeing them curiously when we first walked in. She seems super nice, and I can't help wishing I had a mother like that. 

She chuckles. "Alright boys, go get cleaned up. I'll take care of the mess this time, but next time, Wyatt, you get to take care of it." 

He smiles. "Thanks mom." He presses a kiss to her cheek that she happily accepts, and leads me upstairs. 

I sigh in relief when I see that I got his room right. It looks so much different in the daylight than in the dark. The color scheme is different shades of blue and white. A mahogany headboard with matching nightstands, dresser, and desk. On one night stand is just a digital clock and a framed family photo. Jake, Wyatt and their parents, posing together in front of an apple orchard with baskets of apples at their feet. On the other is a couple of books and a glass of water. Hanging above his bed, is a cork board filled with pictures of Wyatt with friends and family. Looking at the pictures makes me smile. Especially the ones where Wyatt is really young.

I point to a picture of two little kids at the beach. One is buried in the sand, and the other is standing on top of the pile of human and sand triumphantly. Both have very ginger hair and one has three times the number of freckles than the other. I grin looking at the two boys. "Is this you?"

He looks over from where he's digging through his dresser, and squints his eyes. "Uuuuh, yeah. That was when we went to Cape Cod when I was four. Jake had let me bury him, it was awesome."

I grin. "You were a very adorable kid." 

"What? Are you saying I'm not adorable any more?" He pouts. Very adorably might I add.

I roll my eyes. "You know damn well that you're adorable." 

He blushes hard, making my smile grow. Wyatt shuts his dresser drawers and turns to me. I shiver hard from the cold clothes and know I'll probably come down with something. He hands me a pair of gray sweat pants. "These will probably fit you. You're a bit taller than me though, so I'll have to scour Jake's room for a shirt. You can hop in the shower while I do that. I think Jake is either still in a coma or just massively hungover still, so I'll just sneak in. Bathroom is through that door."

I go through the door he nods to and into a medium sized bathroom. I strip out of my soaked clothes and hop into the shower, turning the water to scalding hot to hopefully chase away the chills. The hot water burns my skin, and I rest my hands on the wall, just letting the water run over my injuries, cleansing them. When I straighten, my side aches. I glance down at the purple and black bruises that stretch from under my armpit to my hip and across my stomach. 

I sigh and finishing washing up before turning the water off and drying with a towel. The thought of wearing Wyatts sweat pants with no underwear makes me blush hard, but I'm not necessarily opposed, especially since my underwear are drenched. 

It takes me a second to realize that I didn't wait for Wyatt to get me the shirt, and I don't want him to see the bruises. The scars, that mare my body. What would he think? I position the towel and my wet clothes so that they're covering my chest and step back out into Wyatt's room. 

Wyatt is sitting on the floor lounging against his bed, shivering slightly and doing something on his phone. When he sees me, he stands and holds out his hands for the clothes. "I'll put those in the dryer and add mine later." I say nothing and hold the clothes closer to my chest. "Ruben?" I look anywhere but at him. Trying hard to avoid the conversation that is inevitably coming. "Let me see," he whispers. 

I sigh, and bite my lip. My fingers loosen on the clothes and he takes them, dropping them to the floor. I close my eyes, not wanting to see his expression. Wyatt inhales sharply but says nothing. I flinch when I feel his cold hand on the skin of my side. My eyes fly open and I gasp slightly. He doesn't look into my eyes, focusing on my bruises. He runs his figures ever so gently over the skin on my sides. Then, move over to the rigid scars around my torso. He glances up at me before moving around me to look at my back. I hold my breath, waiting for how he'll react to what he sees there. I hear him gasp. "Oh Ruben, It's gorgeous." Spreading across my back, from shoulders to waist, is a huge colorless tattoo of bird wings. I got it done to cover up the big scars. It's a decision that I will never regret. 

Wyatt gravitates directly towards the long raised lines that travel in different directions across my back. His fingers tracing their paths. He presses a warm, close mouthed kiss onto my shoulder. "You are gorgeous," he whispers. 

Shivers roll down my spine, and I turn slowly in his arms. I bring my hands up and hold his face between my palms. I don't know what to say to him, so I put everything I want to say into action. I dip my head down and press my lips gently to his, barely touching like a soft caress. I pull back, and his eyes flutter open. God, he's beautiful. "Go take a shower Wyatt, and make it quick because I don't how long I'll be able to keep my nerve."

He raises an eyebrow. "You wanna talk?"

I nod. "Yeah, yeah I do." 

A/N

Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please comment and tell me your thoughts on the story and Ruben and Wyatt. Sorry, I know I'm starting to sound like a parrot, but I thought I would just put the options out there! Happy reading!