Chapter 10

Jerome

       Mae and I stood in our kitchen in the morning, both drinking coffee as we looked in the living room. "Things are changing for you, aren't they?" she asked.

       "What do you mean?" I asked.

       "Jerome, you never let people spend the night here," Mae said. 

       "He crashed on the couch," I said. "I couldn't wake him up and send him home."

       "I know," Mae said. "But it's the fact that you let him come over so late in the first place, even if you were trying to figure out more things about Dirk's group and what we can do about it. So, what changed?"

       I shrug. "I don't know. There's just something special about him."

       Mae just smiled before setting down her cup of coffee so she could look for something to eat. I took one final glance at Nolan sleeping soundly on the couch before I also started looking for something to eat.

       It wasn't long before Nolan began stirring on the couch as he started waking up. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked around before he realized where he was. When he saw me, he asked, "What time is it?"

       "A bit after ten," I said. "You crashed here last night while we were looking up some potential spells I could use against Dirk if it ever comes done to it."

       "Oh, sorry," Nolan said.

       "Don't apologize," I said. "There's nothing wrong with it. You were tired so you fell asleep. No big deal. You want some coffee to wake you up more?"

       "No thanks," Nolan said. "I can't drink coffee anyway. Long story. So, did you find anything after I fell asleep?"

       "No, I went to bed shortly after," I said. 

       "And speaking of finding things, Ryder knows that you're gay," Mae said. "And he's mad that it took himself so long to figure things out. Your family really hasn't figured it out yet?"

       Nolan shrugged. "Some figured it out, some didn't. My mom did, Orchid did, and I'm fairly certain Tulip knows."

       "Why haven't you told the rest of your family?" Mae asked. "The ones who do know don't seem to mind."

       "I know," Nolan said. "It's different with them figuring things out, or someone else telling them. But me actually saying I'm...." Nolan sighed. He couldn't even say it, which made me feel for him. 

       "I know how you feel," I said. "It's not easy coming to terms with it, even when you have a supportive family. Just know that you're still the same person you have always been, and there's definitely nothing wrong with liking someone of the same sex. Just think, you get to be immune to sirens' charms and vampire's enchantments."

       "Female vampires," Nolan said.

       "Well, yes, but some male vampires, especially if they're straight, might not feel comfortable enchanting a guy, so they won't try," I said. "Just don't think lesser of yourself because you're gay."

       "I try not to," Nolan said. "But....I've always been the black sheep of the family. I've always been the one way different from my siblings, and even my parents. I'm not arrogant, I have really bad anxiety, and I don't like the idea of killing someone, even if my life is in danger. My arrows were designed so they can't kill people, no matter where I hit them. It will only stun them. Being....you know, just makes me even more different."

       "There's nothing wrong with being different from your family," I said. "And I've seen how close you and Orchid are, so it's not like you feel left out. Nolan, I promise you, once you say it out loud, you're going to feel a lot better, like a weight was lifted off your shoulder."

       Nolan didn't reply, mainly because his cell phone sitting on the coffee table started ringing. He picked it up, looking at the caller id before answering. "Hello?....Yeah, sorry, I ended up crashing at Jerome's. I just woke up a few minutes ago. Do I need to be at the HQ?....Okay, thanks....Before you hang up, I have a question. Does Dad know about me?....No, I was just wondering....Okay, bye."

       "Do you need to be at the HQ?" I asked.

       Nolan shook his head. "My grandpa does want my siblings there, but my mom said Orchid will call me if I actually need to do something. She said I can just rest because I sounded a bit tired."

       "And what about you asking if your dad knows about you being gay?" I asked. "Does he?"

       "No," Nolan said. "And I think that's good. I'm going to take your advice. Once I say it, it should be easier, so I'm going to come out to my dad first. I just have to keep telling myself I have nothing to be ashamed of and that there's no way my dad will hate me because of it."

       "Well, like I've told you, don't rush things," I said. "It may be easier for you if you just say it out loud, but do it to your own time."

       "I will," Nolan said. "Thanks."

       "So, I have a question of my own about your brother," Mae said. "Is he single?"

       I gave Mae a weird look. "You've been flirting with Ryder this whole time and now you ask if he's single?"

       "What? I need to be sure," Mae said. "Especially with someone that good looking."

       Nolan chuckled. "Yeah, he's single, and I'd say you have a pretty good chance with him. He talks about you a lot. But you didn't hear that from me."

       "I heard nothing from you," Mae confirmed before taking her cup of coffee and heading to her bedroom. 

       I walked over to the couch and sat down beside Nolan. "So, about your weapon being designed so you can't kill people," I said. "Does that ever scare you? What if you end up getting hurt in a really big battle?"

       "That's highly unlikely," Nolan said. "My grandpa never sends me on missions alone. He knows not to."

       "Fair enough," I said. "So, you hungry?"

       "A bit, yeah."

       "Where do you want to go?"

       "What?"

       "I've got no patience to cook," I said. "And I'm in the mood to leave my apartment and go somewhere for breakfast. I'm letting you choose. Anywhere in the world."

       "Anywhere in the world?" Nolan repeated. "Seriously?"

       "Yes, seriously," I said. "That's what my portals are for. There's no fun in being a sorcerer if I don't travel all around the world. So, what are you craving?"

       "I've actually always wanted to try these things called BeaverTails," Nolan said. "Have you heard of them?"

       "Uh, of course I have," I said. "I'm Canadian and practically grew up eating BeaverTails. So, we got a few choices. Whistler, Vancouver, or Montreal."

       "I'm horrible at choosing," Nolan said.

       "Whistler is is," I said. "But we might want to change into something warmer."

_______________

Who remembers when Whistler was used in the original book? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

Now I'm angery because there were no BeaverTails when I went to Whistler. 

Lol, and once again, I complete this right before midnight. I'm being such a rebel OOPS. (the interent blocker still isn't working) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )