The Sub Club (18+, bxb, mxm)

Chapter 12 Through His Eyes

Chapter 12 Through His Eyes

Tommy

I look around the room as Payton and I sit at the special Holiday lunch on campus for the students who hadn't gone home or away for Christmas. I let out a sigh. I know, it was my choice to stay in Chicago, but even though Aunt Camille offered to stay home, put up a tree and make a big meal, I know she really wanted to go on that cruise with her boyfriend. Since she met Stu she had finally slowed down a bit and was having some fun. She had worked so hard for so many years building her business, but now she had a very good and capable staff and it was time for her to live her life, have some romance and be pampered by someone who loves her.

"I'm surprised Ashton didn't show up," Payton comments. "You know, with all this food. It's actually not bad either, all the stuff from most traditional Christmas dinners."

"Maybe he's having Christmas with one of his friends from High School," I suggest. "The food is fine, but it's still kind of depressing. All the lost souls who have nowhere to go." Looking around it's a lot of the foreign students who maybe couldn't afford to fly home for the holiday break, or people with no families, a category I somewhat fit into, or people who just don't like their family. I look at Payton with his eyes trained on his e-reader. "Good book?"

He looks back up, "Mhm," he says nodding, then looks guilty. "Sorry Tommy." He puts it down and sits up straight. "So do you regret not going home for the holiday?"

"No, not at all. You know, Christmas hasn't been one of my favorite holidays anyway, since...you know." I don't need to say the words for him to understand. Aunt Camille tried to make the Christmases after my parents died as festive as possible, but it was never the same. Of course, I always put on a good face for my Aunt. "Do you regret it?"

"No, I mean, I feel guilty yes, but I don't regret it. After Thanksgiving I just couldn't do a family holiday again this quickly. I...I just would have snapped."

I let out a big laugh thinking of a meme I'd seen recently, "What do you get when a redhead goes off the deep end?"

"I don't know what?" Payton asks cautiously.

"A ginger snap!"

"Haha, very funny," he replies, trying to sound annoyed but I see the smile curling at the sides of his mouth.

"So, Tai texted me and the club is open for members only tonight, we have to go!" I say excitedly.

"I don't know...I was thinking about taking a nap and not waking up until New Years," Payton mutters.

I look up just as a few of our classmates are headed our way with trays. "Just think about it," I say, "We'll talk later." I look up just as Alena, Sven, Tricia and Marco pause at our table. "You guys want to join us?" I ask.

Payton is quiet for the rest of our meal as I chat with the four other freshman from our program who have also stayed in Chicago. He doesn't know them as well as I do, but he's always been shy and I've always been the one introducing myself to new people.

"Let's go for a walk, I ate way too much," I suggest as we leave the dining hall.

"Alright, but I still get my nap after," Payton replies, "Christmas dinner then Christmas afternoon nap, it's the only tradition I'm not letting go of this year."

"You'll get your nap boo!" I assure him.

"Okay bae," he says with a smile.

We decide to walk off campus to see all the decorated storefronts. Pretty much everything is closed so there won't be a lot of people. It's cold, but we both have our winter coats and gloves on, so it's not bad. Payton has the hand knitted hat that his grandmother sent him for Christmas. She made me one too, but I don't really like to wear hats unless it's really cold. They just mess with my hair and I hate hat hair.