Connections

“Home sweet home,” Andy proclaims as he unlocks the door. He lets it swing open so I can enter first, so I do.

The living room I enter is furnished with a black sofa against the right wall with a TV directly adjacent and a large matching ottoman in between. There’s a small side table beside the sofa on the side closest to the door, where I see a little bowl that Andy sets his keys after entering behind me. I shut the door.

Giving me a brief tour of the small house, Andy shows me the kitchen and little connected dining room. In the dining room is a small fireplace, and the mantel holds several different trophies and awards Andy or BVB has won. As we walk down the hallway, lined with magazines and more BVB accomplishments, he points out the laundry room and the hall closet where he stores his towels and toilet paper and things like that. Next to the guest room, appropriately, is the guest bathroom that has a single sink and a little water closet with a shower. There’s two rooms at the end of the hallway, the one to the left, the guest room, and the one to the right, his music room. The guest room has a door that attaches to the bathroom and a decent-sized closet and window. The music room has one guitar, one bass, an electric keyboard, and a desk upon which rests a fancy Apple computer. There’s numerous boxes, which Andy explains are all of his Batman collection. Even still, there’s figurines and comic posters that decorate the space.

To the right a little past the rooms is Andy’s room, or more technically the master suite. He has his own bathroom with two sinks and a big shower, which he says I’m “certainly entitled” to use. He has a queen-size bed he hasn’t bothered to make, not that I blame him. He’s decorated the room in various posters and banners from what I assume are his favorite bands. He also tells me if I don’t have enough room for all of our stuff in the guest room that I can keep some stuff in his. In the back of my head, I know that the room and house is a little big for a bachelor, but I dismiss it. Maybe he just wanted to have a house two sizes two big.

The guest room has a dresser along the left wall that holds a small TV, a full-size bed in the corner of the right and back wall, and the closet sits next to the entrance to the bathroom. Andy offers to help me move our stuff in, but I tell him that I can do it after such a generous offer and already helping me pack. When he gets tired of protesting, he says he’ll go out and get lunch instead.

When I’m in the house by myself, I let out a big sigh and sit on the bed. Looking around, I register that this decision is real, that I’m moving in with possibly the sweetest guy I’ve ever met and that Davey and I are going to be away and safe from Sloane for at least a little while.

Fuck, I don’t know how much more dumb luck I could be given. I fell into this sense of calm after Sloane backed off for a few weeks, but I should’ve known better. Even with putting a hat on Davey’s head and letting him wear whatever he wants, me walking around with a little boy is still conspicuous to her. Who knows how many times she’d probably seen us walk to my car? I was lucky she decided to break in when we weren’t there, or Davey might be...

I bite my lip and cut the thought off. While I stupidly let myself fall into a false lull of security, I wouldn’t do that again. I had to start taking this more seriously. I needed to look into what my real options were, or maybe even consult with a police officer who would listen to my case. If I could just show them the evidence of Davey’s abuse, like the pictures I took, maybe they’d understand. Even if I went to jail for technically kidnapping him, maybe Grandma could then make a plea with the evidence to take custody of Davey. It’s a stretch, but if Davey being safe means I go to prison I’d deal with it. I’m never letting Davey go back there.

A headache starts forming in the back of my head, and I rub the nape of my neck to maybe pressure-point it out. My whole case depends on people accepting the pictures I took of him and him testifying for himself, both of which are sat on shaky ground. I should’ve taken him to a hospital and gotten a rape kit done, but what did I know? I was worried about him being traumatized and didn’t know for sure then if he was sexually abused or not. The responsible adult side of my brain argues, knowing it would be a substantial solid foot for me to stand on, but how could I have really known? I force myself not to feel guilty despite myself.

I’m going to have to leave Andy entirely out of it, regardless of what he says. He’s a famous musician whose career is growing exponentially by the day. Being caught up in a scandal as big as this would basically decapitate all of that quick as a guillotine. I can only hope that when I beg him to play dumb he agrees. I don’t want to hurt any of the boys with this, particularly him. Not when he’s helped us so much, and not when Davey loves him so much.

And now what do I tell Davey? Grandma is already dropping him off sometime this afternoon after I explained everything to her and her reluctant agreement. She hasn’t told him anything, at least that I know. She wouldn’t intentionally scare him, though. I guess I could tell him that the police want us to steer clear until they know who broke in, or maybe that Andy suggested we stay here until Davey feels comfortable enough to return to the apartment. Regardless, it’s another lie I have to feed him and the feeling makes my stomach churn.

I force myself to leave those thoughts and instead start unpacking our stuff. While Sloane cut up the clothes he had in the closet, he fortunately had some I’d lazily left in the dryer. Grandma said she’d help me out if I need to get some more, but I don’t want to insinuate to Davey that Grandma needs to give him clothes because he doesn’t have any. I put all of his clothes in the small dresser and hang my stuff up in the closet. So that I have a better way to keep Davey’s chin up, I dug out my old Nintendo 64 from storage and I set that up so he can play it when he gets here. I even fish through one of Andy’s boxes of Batman paraphernalia and grab a poster that I hang above the bed with some tape on the back of it. I hope he doesn’t mind.

When our room has been set up, I aimlessly walk around the house. I look at each BVB accomplishment in the hallway, impressed at the amount in such a short amount of time. There’s several different magazines with Andy’s face on it, and I laugh at some of the sillier faces he makes.

When I get to the kitchen, I see that there’s a few dishes in the sink. Deciding to be helpful, I start running hot water and find a sponge and some dish soap to clean up. I’m halfway through cleaning them up when Andy returns with a couple Del Taco bags in his grip.

“Oh, Mina, you don’t have to do my dishes,” he says as he sets the bags down on the dining room table. He walks over to me as I finish and jokes, “Just ‘cause you live here doesn’t mean you need to be my maid.”

I just shrug at him. “Andy, you’re letting Davey and I stay here for free. I can help out with a chore here and there.”

He rolls his eyes, but he drops it and instead gestures towards the table with food. We sit down together and eat, him a bean and sans cheese burrito and me a cheese quesadilla and fries, which we share. I tell him about grabbing a poster, which he doesn’t mind, and he says I can decorate the room however we want. We talk about dumb small-talk things for a while, but I start realizing I can’t help myself. I want to ask him why he has such a big house for being one dude.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking,” I say, taking a break to sip my soda, “why does the most eligible rockstar in the scene right now have such a huge house and not a more appropriate bachelor pad?”

He chuckles as he finishes the burrito. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he answers, “Well, when I bought this house I wasn’t the most eligible rockstar in the scene. In fact, quite the opposite. I was in a pretty serious relationship.” He pauses to take a brief look around. “At the time, it wasn’t so big.”

Immediately I wish I could swallow my own tongue. Of course he would’ve had a girlfriend, I mean just look at him! I start picking up the trash around us and stand up. “I’m really sorry. I should’ve figured that out,” I say, almost rushing to the trash can so I don’t have to face him.

I hear his chair squeak against the tile floor. “You wouldn’t have known, Mina. And you’re right, it did seem a little big for me by myself. I’ve been debating moving out for months now. In hindsight, it was a good decision not to, considering our situation.”

I stay at the trash can, not facing him. He doesn’t even like this house, but staying here gives me and Davey a better opportunity. Slowly, I turn but watch the floor. “Um, I’m sorry,” I mutter.

Andy walks to me, so I force myself to look up. He shakes his head as he tells me, “Don’t be. I don’t regret staying, and I’m glad I’m here to help you both out. If I really wanted out, I wouldn’t have told you guys to stay.”

I nod at the logic, but I still feel sort of bad for bringing this up. I look away and mumble, “This means a lot to me, Andy.”

A hand on my chin turns me back to face him. He leans in so our eyes can lock. “It’s no issue, Mina. I want you to be safe.”

I know he means you guys to be safe, but the way he says it makes my heart melt a bit inside my ribcage. I lick my lips, as they suddenly feel dry. “Thank you,” I murmur.

He nods, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, we remain so close that I can feel his breath again. This time I don’t have any fight in me as I feel our bodies moving instinctively closer. His soft pink lips aren’t parted this time, but I can still just, almost reach...

Knocking at the door startles the both of us. I almost groan until I remember that I’ve decided to remain objective since Andy is Davey’s best friend. Clearing my throat, I mumble, “That’s probably my grandmother.”

He grumbles something as he walks away, but I stay put. What just happened? It’s getting harder and harder to resist the mutual attraction we have, and while I know he’s not doing it on purpose a little irritation stirs in my gut. I wasn’t lying to him when I told him I’d date him in a heartbeat if Davey wasn’t apart of my life, but he is. Davey comes first, now and always. Until his safety is guaranteed, I can’t let myself get distracted. Even if Andy is one fine distraction.

I shake my head and take a big breath, steeling my decision of romantic celibacy. Instead, I focus on Davey as I hear him and Grandma enter, and I walk from the kitchen to greet them. Davey instantly runs to me and I squat down to hug him. He squeezes me tight, and while he isn’t crying I know he’s a little upset. This is the first time he’s spent a whole night without me, and I’m sure he was just as nervous as I was. When he pulls away, I push his hair out of his face and smile at him. “Hi, lovebug.”

“Hi, Mina,” he says, and I’m glad to hear some happiness in his voice. I pick him up as I stand, and we both turn to face Grandma and Andy as they’re introducing themselves. Andy, the perfect gentleman, has already taken the bag that Grandma brought with Davey’s stuff from her. Once introductions are made, I tell her, “Andy’s one of the guys I work with at the studio. He basically insisted that since we can’t be at the apartment right now that we stay here.”

“We’re staying here?!” Davey asks, looking right at me.

I force the sour words off my tongue. “Yeah, the police don’t want us interfering with their investigation, so we have to stay here for a while.” I shoot a quick glance at them, securing that this is the story we tell him. Their eyes meet mine with affirmative gazes.

“No way! That’s so cool!” he says, squirming so I can let go. I set him down and he bounces excitedly around because he gets to stay here with, essentially, his idol.

“Mina, can I talk to you for a minute?” Grandma asks.

I nod and shoot a look to Andy, who’s already on it. “Davey, wanna’ see your room?”

Of course this gets Davey’s attention, and he bursts with energy at the idea that he gets his own room in Andy’s house. We watch them as they walk down the hall, and once they’re out of earshot Grandma turns to me. “Mina, tell me this isn’t just some guy you’re seeing.”

I shake my head as I turn to her. “No. Quite the opposite, actually.” I cross my arms and look down. “I’m not seeing anybody until I know that Davey is safe here with us. He’s my number one priority.”

“Good,” she says. I look back up at her as she continues, “Davey was a nervous wreck last night knowing you were at the apartment. He had to sleep with me last night.”

I nod, completely understanding. “Even after you bought him his own bed he still slept with me sometimes.”

She smiles at the thought, but it fades quickly. “What are we doing now?” she asks.

I let out another big sigh, knowing the plan is nothing short of shaky. “I have to look into lawyers and what we can do legally. I was so focused on Davey finally settling in that I let myself slip, and I can’t let that happen again.”

“Particularly not after what Sloane did. She means business, Mina,” Grandma warns.

“I know, I know,” I breathe. “If I thought we’d be safe with you we would figure it out together there, but she knows our name. Please be careful, and make sure your number isn’t listed or--”

“I’m off the grid,” she says. “After your dad was convicted, I took my number and my address and made them private.”

“Sloane could know what car I drive and follow us there,” I say. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“With all due respect, Mina, it’s not your job to protect me. That’s my job for you guys,” she tells me.

I blink hard, looking away. “I know,” I mutter. “This is the safest place I can think of right now, Grandma. She doesn’t know Andy or that I know Andy. Until I can figure out what our plan is to get custody, this is the safest place for him.”

I know she wants to argue, but fortunately for me she lets it go, knowing I’m right. She brushes a strand of hair out of my face, which she’s always done to comfort me. I almost lean into her hand from the need for comfort. “Okay,” she concedes. “But please, keep me updated every single day. And I want to see him on weekends still.”

“Of course, of course,” I dismiss. “Andy knows how close we all are, that won’t be a problem.”

She solemnly nods, but after a brief pause she chuckles. “I can see why you’d gravitate to Andy.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not gravitating,” I state. “He’s my friend, and Davey loves him. Andy treats him like a little brother. I trust him, that’s all.”

She laughs and rolls her own eyes. “Okay, Mina. But keep it that way.”

Notes

Hmmmmmmmmmm, let's see if Mina can keep it that way. I mean, she's facing this:







Lmao these gifs got bigger and bigger and I find that funny.

Let me know if you're enjoying the story! And what do you think will happen next?

~Niki X,,,,,,x