A Grateful Heart (ONC 2023; manxman)✅

Chapter 9

Nothing beat waking up to a naked man beside me. Leaning against me, Teddy curled up under the blankets, his head against my shoulder. If this was a dream, I wouldn't mind living it over and over again. I'd nearly forgotten about Teddy pinning me down on the bed.

Judging by the raucous in the hallway, the house was already awake. "Hey, Eric!" Jimmy called from below. "You up? Is Teddy up there? I hope he's not bugging you again!"

"Yep, I'm up!" I replied before Jimmy pulled the ladder down. "Hey, wake up, Teddy."

Teddy yawned, draping an arm over my chest.

"Jimmy's looking for you. You better go."

He yawned again and groggily sat up, the mattress creaking as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry," he said sleepily, scratching the back of his head. "I shouldn't have slept in your bed."

I kissed his cheek, patting his back. "I don't mind. It's your bed, anyway. I'm just borrowing it."

"Hey, Teddy, get your ass down here!" Jimmy shouted.

"James, watch your mouth!" Mrs. McDonough scolded him. "That's it. I'm done telling you boys what to do. You never listen. You can make your own dinner tonight!"

Teddy shook his head, chuckling as he pulled up his pajama bottoms. "She always says things like that. Don't worry. She'll still make dinner. I'll see you downstairs. I'm gonna wash up." Teddy avoided my eyes, like he was ashamed.

Freezing, I wrapped a blanket around me before getting out of bed. "Wait, Teddy." He stopped at the attic door, staring down at the floor as I approached him. Gently, I squeezed his shoulders while gazing into his dreamy brown eyes. "We did nothing wrong. I'm not your first, so what's the big deal?"

"All my life I've been told homosexuality is abnormal and a sin, that homosexuals are sick and should be locked up either in prison or in a mental hospital. Sometimes I think that's where I belong."

"That's not where you belong. You'll be happy to know it's no longer considered a mental disorder."

"It is here. That's what you don't understand."

"You're right; I don't understand. Would it make you feel better if I told you I had a great time and I loved being with you?"

Teddy cracked a smile. "Maybe."

At the kitchen table, Teddy was back in his usual seat, chewing on a piece of toast. Before I sat down, Mrs. McDonough handed me a bowl of oatmeal. Teddy's cheeks reddened, glancing at me as I sat beside him. Like a waitress, Mrs. McDonough poured me a cup of coffee.

"Did you sleep in Eric's room all night?" Jimmy asked Teddy.

"It's not Eric's room; it's mine," Teddy said. "I was tired of hearing you snore."

"He doesn't snore," Billy said to Teddy. "You do." Billy was right; Teddy snored, but I found his snoring soothing.

"Shut up," Teddy said.

"Well, you do," Billy continued.

"I'm walking Eric to work today," Jimmy said, finishing his piece of toast.

Jimmy's tone and expression made me think that Jimmy suspected something was going on between me and Teddy. I doubted Jimmy knew that Teddy was 'one of those people,' the Oscar Wilde type. If Teddy's parents knew, I was sure he wouldn't be living in the house. This was a strict, conservative Catholic family. If this was 2023, I wasn't sure if they'd accept a gay son.

"I don't need a chaperone," I said.

"I'm giving you a day off from that one," Jimmy said, pointing to Teddy.