A Midsummer Storm

Chapter 8

After a while, Tim's bladder was screaming at him. Each time he tried to get up, Adam would tighten his grip. It made Tim chuckle. The blond didn't want to be near him yet didn't want to be away from him either. Finally, Tim was able to get out from under the blond and leave the bedroom. Rob was just returning with dinner as he was entering the bathroom.

"Hey boss, food's here." Austin called out.

"Thanks. What we got tonight?" Tim strolled over to take his seat.

"Orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, Spicy beef, pepper steak with onion, Kung Po shrimp, curry shrimp with onion. Of course, all that coming with the fried rice, egg rolls, and fortune cookies." Rob stated as he unpacked several boxes of food.

"Smells great." Red sniffed the air, "When are we leaving? Do we have everything finally sold?"

"Everything we've stolen has definitely been sold. I've got all the money, boss, in case you were wondering." Chance looked over at Tim who was eyeing up all the food on the table.

"If everyone can get their things packed up tonight, we should be able to leave tomorrow sometime. The earlier, the better. We'll stop somewhere for breakfast." Tim stated, "The soon we get out of this town, the better off we'll be."

"Understood, boss." Austin nodded as Tim walked into his bedroom.

Sitting on the side of the bed, as he had done several times before, he looked at the sleeping man and felt his heart cracking. Taking a deep breathe he gently shook Adam's shoulder. The blonde curled up into the fetal position.

"Come on, sweetheart. Dinner has been brought. It's time to eat. Can you get up for me long enough to eat and get a shower?" Tim cooed at the blond.

"Huh?"

"Dinner's on the table." Tim smiled, "Can you get up to eat?"

"Yeah." Adam sat up and rubbed his face and aching head before looking at Tim (images of his outburst came flooding back and he quickly looked away).

"Adam, are you ok?" Tim remembered the last time he asked that but still wasn't prepared for the reaction he received.

The blond threw himself into his lap begging not to be thrown out or left behind. He promised not to do it again and to behave himself. It killed Tim and angered him all at the same time as he pulled the blond up off his lap. Adam buried his face in Tim's neck as he cried, arms wrapped around Tim's waist and Tim's left arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"Shh, sweetheart. We're not leaving you behind. You're a part of our group now, love. You go where we go. I told you I'd be whatever you needed me to be. If that was what you needed from me, then so be it." Tim cooed as he rested his head on top of Adam's.

They sat together for a while until Tim made mention that their dinner was probably getting cold, if Austin hadn't eaten it yet. Adam laughed slightly making Tim smile. The brunette stood, pulling Adam with him, then cupped the blonde's face in both hands. Tim wiped Adam's face with his thumbs as he stared into sad blue eyes. He leaned down and gently pressed their lips together. Just a sweet kiss to let Adam know he was, indeed, cared for.

"I thought you two had gone back to sleep!" Chance joked as they left the bedroom, Adam trailing behind Tim.

"No. No, there was...never mind. What's left?" Tim scanned the table.

"A little bit of everything." Rob smiled as he got up to pour glasses of tea for the pair.

"Good enough for me." Tim smiled in thanks.

Most of this food, Adam had never eaten before. Food was passed down to him and he got a little of everything. The group laughed and joked but Tim remained silent as he watched the blond. He was cautiously eating, avoiding eye contact, and not participating in any conversation around him. Much like the very first meal he'd had with their group. Tim sighed. He was doing so good.