Show Me the Way

Chapter 17: Fire and Lies

I tossed the pillow down on the bed, and it hit Ray in the face. He took the pillow and held it up over him, grinning. I fell onto the bed beside him, and he laid the pillow over my head.

I pushed it away, smiling. Ray's face suddenly changed to confusion. He brought the pillow close to his face. "Mikey," he said. "Why does this pillow smell like a guy?"

I blushed. "I don't know," I signed.

"Mikey Way, did you have someone else over?" Ray asked, sitting up. My eyes widened and I shook my head quickly.

"No!" I signed. "I wouldn't do that!"

"Then why?" Ray asked. "It doesn't smell like you, so I know it's not that."

I blushed again. He knew my smell? I mean, yeah, I knew his, but I didn't expect him to know mine.

Ray moved, breaking me out of my trance. "Well?" he asked.

How was I supposed to explain this?

I grabbed my white board. "I may or may not have put your cologne on my pillow," I wrote. I held it up to him, looking at the wall.

"Oh," he said. He took the whiteboard from me. A smile grew on his face. "Aww, Mikey, you missed me that much?" I blushed harder as he pur his arms around me and pulled me back to lay down.

"Too bad this isn't my cologne," he said. "What do mean?!" I signed. Ray started laughing. "It's my friend's," he said. "I've been using it since I ran out of mine."

So that meant he'd been using his friend's cologne since Christmas.

I hadn't been smelling my boyfriend, I'd been smelling some guy I didn't know.

I pushed my face into his chest as he laughed. "I hate you," I signed lazily. Ray lifted my face up and kissed me. "Now Mikey," he said. "It's not right to lie."

I sat up across from him. "Is it right to hide things?" I asked. Ray sighed. "Please, don't do this. Not right now."

I sighed. "Why won't you tell me?" I asked. He shook his head. "Because," he said. "It's just not a big deal. I went home. That's it. Now, are you happy?"

I sighed again as I laid back down.

I wasn't.

And it felt like he was holding back.

Lying.

I'd figure it out one way or another.

~

I rolled over the next morning and was surprised to find that Ray was still asleep. I kissed his cheek and went for coffee.

Gerard was awake, but Frank wasn't. "Morning, baby brother," Gerard said. I sighed a greeting to him and poured myself a mug of coffee.

"Ray's still sleeping?" Gerard asked. I nodded. "Hm," he said. "That's weird."

"I think that trip tired him out," I signed. "And he still hasn't said anything about it?" Gerard asked. I shook my head.

"That's weird," he said. I nodded in agreement. "He said it's nothing," I signed. Gerard gave me a weird look. "Really?" he said. "I think it's definitely something."

I nodded again. "I don't know what to do," I signed. "Me either," Gerard said.

His eyes suddenly widened, and he nearly dropped the cup in his hands. "His phone!"

I smiled and nodded quickly. He was pretty smart sometimes.

We discussed the matter for a little bit, and eventually decided that when Ray got up, we would ask him why he didn't text me at all.

We had to wait for four hours.

Frank had woken up already, and we were telling him about our plans when Ray actually came out of the bedroom.

I walked into the room, which I was sure earned me strange looks from my brother. But it didn't matter. I had my own suspicions.

I walked over to the table beside the bed where Ray slept. His watch was still there, which was great. If it hadn't been, I would've probably given up.

I checked the time on it. It was thirteen minutes behind the time on our stove clock; the one we all followed.

He had been adjusting his watch's time when he was walking inside.

Why would he have had to do that if his home was only across the state?

A hand reached around me, taking the watch. I jumped and blushed, caught in the act.

"You know can just look at the stove clock, right?" Ray asked, appearing in front of me. "And look, I didn't text you because I broke my phone. Don't worry, I'm getting a new one soon, okay?"

"How did you you break it?" I signed. He shrugged. "I dropped it," he said simply.

I tilted my head. "On day one?" I asked. He shot me a dirty look, and I shrunk away from him. I hadn't meant to make him mad.

"Sorry," I signed. I dashed out of the room and curled up in a ball on the couch. I wanted to be alone, but that wasn't really an option. I clutched a pillow against my chest.

"Something wrong?" Frank asked from the other couch. I shook my head, but my nerves were never very subtle.

"What happened?" Gerard asked, sitting down beside Frank. "Nothing," I signed. I glanced at the bedroom door, but Ray wasn't coming out.

I felt someone touch my wrist. I looked at my brother, alarmed. He had just been over there, hadn't he?

"Don't start that," he said, raising his eyebrows warningly. I hadn't realized I'd been biting my nails again. I put my hand back down on the pillow.

"Just tell us what's wrong," Gerard said. I shrugged. "Nothing," I signed again. "Really. I'm okay. I promise."

Just a little bit on edge.

Gerard gave me a weird look, then went to go sit with Frank again. They talked while I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip.

Gerard pulled his phone out of his pocket. He and Frank looked at the screen, then at each other. Frank gave him a look that said 'Don't you dare,' and Gerard gave him a helpless, begging one. Frank rolled his eyes and looked away, crossing his arms while Gerard answered.

Had to be Pete.

"Hello?" Gerard said. "Yeah, hey... Nothing, why?... Sure!... Okay! Later!" He hung up.

"What the hell was that?" Frank snapped. "Relax, Frankie," Gerard said, putting a hand on his boyfriend's thigh. "He just invited us to a party."

"Oh," Frank said. "Then yeah. But can you do me a favor?" Gerard nodded.

"Can you keep your dick to yourself this time?"