A Good Enough Reason

by C. M. Lievens

  Ellis slumped on the couch next to his brother and took his phone out of his pocket. “What are you doing here, Damien?”

  “Dinner.” Damien’s eyes never left the TV screen as he answered and shoveled another fistful of chips in his mouth.

  Ellis wrinkled his nose at the sight. “Gross. Are you sure you’re enrolled in college?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “How many times have you been here this week?”

  “Only two including today.”

  “That’s because it’s only Tuesday, dumbass.”

  Damien shrugged. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Suuure. You keep telling yourself that.” Ellis shook his head and let his brother go back to his reality show. He turned on his phone and unlocked the screen, then got into the messaging app and selected Dale’s number.

  Still on 4 2moro?

  Ellis got out of the app and turned the screen off, but before he could put the phone back in his pocket, it chimed.

  Ellis opened it, surprised to see it was Dale. He would have thought the guy too busy with his date to answer right away.

  Course.

  My mom said ok.

  Great.

  She also asked if u wanted to stay for dinr.

  Fine 4 me.

  I’ll tell her then.

  Ellis bit his lower lip. He wanted to continue messaging with Dale, but he didn’t want to disturb his date. Still, Dale wouldn’t answer if he was busy, right?

  What r u doing?

  Bored. To. Death. Steph wanted to see a movie. Chick-flick.

  Aren’t you supposed to make out during the movie?

  Not Steph. She actually wants to see it.

  Sucks.

  Yeah.

  Ellis smiled, and his phone chimed again. It looked like Dale was seriously bored if he’d rather text Ellis than watch a movie with his girlfriend.

  What r u doing?

  Waiting 4 dinr. What movie do u want to see 2moro?

  Action. Explosions. No romance, please. I beg u.

  Damn. I’d already chosen Pretty Woman.

  Don’t even joke about it. Might die from boredom.

  Ellis laughed.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  Ellis glared at his brother. “None of your business. Why don’t you go back to ogling that girl’s breasts instead of bugging me?”

  Damien held his hands up. “Sorry. Touched a sensitive spot, huh?”

  “Nope, you’re just annoying.”

  Ellis’s phone chimed again.

  U still there?

  Yes.

  Really, what do u want 2 see 2moro?

  No idea. Not even sure we’ll have the time between homework and dinr.

  Pity. Was looking forward to it.

  Ellis thought about their last movie watching and how it had ended, then about what his mother had told him only moments before. Maybe not watching anything was actually a good idea, but he didn’t want to let Dale down.

  Maybe we can see an episode of something.

  Good idea.

  “El? Damien? Dinner’s ready. The last one to get here will do the dishes!”

  Ellis jumped from the couch and ran to the kitchen. His brother had to take care of the bag of chips before he could get up because upturning it on their mother’s carpet would be a lot more painful for him than doing the dishes.

  Ellis was already sitting at the table when Damien came in and scowled at him. Ellis stuck his tongue out at his brother and quickly took his phone out again to answer Dale’s last message.

  At dinr now. See u 2moro.

  U abandoning me? Great friend u r, El. ;) See u 2moro.

  “Mom, Ellis is texting at the table,” Damien whined.

  Ellis hurriedly put his phone away and gave their mother an innocent look when she turned away from the counter to glare.

  “Boys, you’re not ten anymore. Behave.”

  Ellis smiled at Damien when she looked away. He should have known Damien wouldn’t let it go so easily.

  “Sooo, who were you texting with? Your girlfriend?”

  Ellis blushed. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, sure. Look at your face, man. You’re blushing like crazy.”

  “Leave your brother alone, Damien,” Ellis’s dad said as he sat down at the table.

  “Listen to your father, Damien,” their mom added. She looked at Ellis. “So, did you ask your friend if he wanted to eat here tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I was just asking him. He said yes.”

  “Perfect.”

  Luckily for Ellis, conversation strayed away from him after that, and no more talking of girlfriends.

  ELLIS GROANED. He should have known both his brothers and his mom would be home the one afternoon he brought someone who wasn’t Matt there. He was lucky that way.

  He glared at the cars parked along the curb. “I’m sorry.”

  Dale gave him a surprised glance. “For what?”

  “Looks like the only member of my family who isn’t home right now is my dad. That means you’ll probably have to face an interrogation that will make the Inquisition look like a friendly chat.”

  Dale laughed. “Don’t worry. It can’t be worse than meeting Stephanie’s family when I picked her up for our first date.”

  Just like always when Dale mentioned his girlfriend, a pang of longing and pain shot through Ellis, and just like always, he pushed it away and did his best to ignore it. “I can’t even imagine.”

  “What, never met a boyfriend’s family?”

  “I’d have to have a boyfriend to do that.”

  “True. I keep forgetting.”

  “What, that I’m a loser who never had a boyfriend?”

  “No, that no one in school has been smart enough to snatch you up yet.”

  It was stuff like that that made Ellis wonder, and he didn’t want to wonder. He couldn’t afford to dwell on what-ifs, not when he already had a crush the size of Texas on Dale.

  “Okay, sure. Whatever. Let’s go inside.”

  Warm, food-scented air greeted them as soon as Ellis opened the door. “Oooh, Mom went all out for you, Dale.”

  “It smells good.”

  “It also tastes good, believe me. It’s the smell of her lasagna. She doesn’t cook it often because she makes everything from scratch, including the pasta.”

  “Oh, wow. I can’t even remember the last time I ate a homemade meal. My mom works late most of the week, and I have to make do when she does. She cooks a lot during the weekend and freezes everything, but it’s not the same. My dad cooks, but I don’t see him often.”

  Ellis avoided the kitchen and the living room, heading for the stairs instead. “I know. Mom’s a nurse, and when she has the evening shift, my dad cooks. Let’s just say I’d rather eat a frozen meal than what he comes up with.”

  “That bad?”

  “Worse. He likes to experiment.”

  They entered Ellis’s room. He put his backpack on the desk. “So, this is my room. Nothing much to see.”

  “It’s nice.”

  It was. Ellis loved his room. His parents had let him decorate it like he wanted when he turned fourteen, and he’d taken advantage of it. It had taken him an entire day to write his favorite quotation on the white wall over his bed in black paint. The other three walls were painted in green tones. The desk was under the window, the bed to its right, and the wall behind it full of shelves that held Ellis’s books and DVDs. In front of his bed was the bathroom door and next to it the closet.

  Ellis had his own bathroom thanks to the fact that Damien lived at college most of the time. Both their rooms opened into it.

  The room was mostly neat since Ellis had cleaned the night before. His laptop was on the desk instead of on the bed, there was no dirty laundry in sight, and Ellis had even dusted. His mom had watched him with a knowing look in her eyes when she’d caught him doing it, but he’d ignored her. It was a lot easier than actually talking to her. />
  “Do you want to go down for a bit before we start?”

  “Sure.”

  Ellis knew his mom was in the kitchen, so that was where they went first. “Hi, Mom.”

  She turned away from the steaming pot of sauce she was stirring. “Hi, hon.” She put the spoon down and wiped her hands, then offered one of them to Dale. “You must be Dale.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Nice to meet you.”

  “No ma’am, please. Call me Sarah.”

  “Sarah. I’ll try.”

  She smiled at Dale before turning to Ellis. “How was your day?”

  “Fine. How long before dinner is ready?”

  “A few hours, and you won’t have anything if you don’t give me details on how your day was.”

  Ellis groaned. “Can I tell you over dinner?”

  “You better. Do you two want something to eat before you start working?”

  “That would be great, Mom.”

  Ellis took milk and orange juice from the fridge and put them on the table, then added four glasses while his mom moved the cookie jar from the counter to the table and called his brothers.

  “Damien! Connor! Do you want cookies?”

  Loud steps answered him, and Damien burst into the kitchen. “Are they chocolate chip?”

  “Sit down, and take a napkin. Don’t be your usual pig self. We have a guest.”

  Connor entered the kitchen at a more sedate pace and extended his hand to Dale before sitting down. It seemed to remind Damien of his manners, and he cleaned his hands on a napkin before doing the same. Soon the four of them were munching on vanilla and chocolate goodness while their mom disappeared from the room, probably to do some other chore.

  Ellis mentally counted. One, two, three—

  “So, how long have you been Ellis’s friend?”

  “I don’t know. A few months I guess.”

  “Aren’t you in the same year as him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So why only a few months?”

  “Do you know everyone in your year?”

  Damien scowled and dunked his half cookie in his glass of milk. “No, but it’s different. I’m in college.”

  “You were partnered with Ellis for your English class, right?” Connor asked.

  Ellis shot him a grateful glance. The last thing he wanted was to have to break up a fight between Dale and Damien. Connor winked back at him and stuffed a cookie in his mouth.

  “Yes. We have to work on a project together. Prom rights for same-sex couples.”

  Connor arched a brow at Ellis, and Ellis looked down at his hands. What was it with his family? How could they know he was gay if he hadn’t told them? More importantly, why was he still waiting to tell them? It’s not like it would be a surprise, at least not for Connor and their mom. Ellis didn’t think Damien and their dad knew, though.

  “Why did you choose that one?”

  Ellis’s eyes widened at Connor’s question, and he looked at Dale, praying the guy would remember he wasn’t out to his family yet. Dale gave him a little smile before answering, “One of my cousins is gay, and he wasn’t able to go to prom with his boyfriend when he graduated. It was a few years ago, but now it’s my turn to graduate, I started thinking about it.”

  “Why do you care, though?” Damien asked. “Are you queer?”

  Something flashed in Dale’s eyes, but it was too quick for Ellis to read. “No, but that doesn’t matter. We should all have equal rights. How would you have felt if you couldn’t have gone with your girlfriend when you had prom?”

  “She wasn’t a guy.”

  Connor slapped Damien on the back of the head. “Don’t be an ass.”

  “Yes, Damien. Listen to your brother,” Ellis’s mom said as she entered the room again. “I didn’t raise you to be an ass or to think you’re privileged just because of what you like in the bedroom or what you have between your legs.”

  “Oh, yuck. Mom, you can’t say stuff like that!” Damien said.

  “Why not? I had a sex life before you did.”

  “Mom!” Ellis, Connor, and Damien yelled together. Even Dale didn’t look too comfortable at the spin the conversation had taken.

  Ellis’s mom held her hands up. “Fine, I’ll shut up. My embarrassing-my-sons quota for the day is done anyway.”

  Ellis groaned. It could have gone better.

  ELLIS CLOSED his bedroom door behind them with relief. “I’m sorry for my mom. And my brother.”

  Dale chuckled. “You don’t need to be. They’re nice.”

  “Damien? Nice? Are you sure you were down there with me?”

  “He’s just trying to protect his little brother.”

  Ellis snorted. “That’ll be the day.”

  “Don’t underestimate the way a big brother feels.”

  “Whatever. It’s not like I’ll ever be a big brother anyway, right?” Ellis was actually happy Dale had liked his family. More than anything, he was glad he hadn’t run for the hills as soon as he’d met them. He flopped on his bed and reached for his backpack. “Why don’t we work on the project now and wait until after dinner for the movie? Unless you have a curfew?”

  “Not today. My mom tends to let me stay out late when she’s home with Alicia. I think she feels guilty about me staying home with her the other nights. Besides, she knows where I am.”

  Dale sat on the mattress next to Ellis and opened his notebook. Ellis had a hard time concentrating, even though studying had been his idea and the reason they were supposed to be there in the first place. He couldn’t pry his eyes from Dale, not now he’d admitted to himself he had a crush on the guy. His gaze strayed over to Dale, going from his lips to the long fingers holding his pen.

  Ellis shook himself and tried to concentrate again, but he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded when his mom finally called them downstairs for dinner. He let himself fall backward on the bed and looked at the ceiling, wondering what else the evening had in store for him.

  “Shouldn’t we be going?” Dale asked as he poked a finger in Ellis’s ribs.

  Ellis giggled and slapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself, but it was too late. Dale had heard him. “I already know you’re ticklish, El.”

  “Who, me? Nope, not at all.”

  “Stop lying!” Dale moved quickly. He pinned Ellis on the bed with one hand and used the other one to tickle him again.

  Ellis howled in laughter, twisting his body in hopes of somehow escaping Dale, but Dale had size and bulk on his side. Dale’s fingers played along Ellis’s rib cage and stomach, and a few even slipped under his T-shirt as he squirmed to try to get away. When he realized he wasn’t accomplishing anything, Ellis tried to curl in on himself instead, but Dale’s fingers always managed to get through.

  The door opened. “Hey, guys. We’re waiting.” Connor arched a brow at the scene before him, but Ellis was too breathless to say anything.

  “We’re, uh, we’re coming.”

  “Sure. Take your time.” Connor turned and walked away, closing the door as he went.

  Ellis’s attention went back to Dale, who was still pinning him to the mattress. Their faces were too close together, their bodies pressed against each other, and it was making Ellis feel both confused and happy. “We should go,” he whispered.

  Dale seemed to realize how close they were. He let go suddenly and straightened, then rose from the bed. He offered Ellis a hand, and Ellis accepted his help to get up. He pointed at Dale. “You’ll pay for this.”

  Dale looked at him for a few seconds, his gaze intense, before finally dissipating the tension. “Oooh, should I be afraid? Is big, bad Ellis going to hurt me?”

  “Me? No, but I have two brothers downstairs, you know.”

  Dale smirked. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Just try to stop me.”

  Ellis launched himself at the door and swung it open, then propelled himself into the hallway and down the stairs. He nearly fell twice, but he managed to make it downstairs in one piece. He
could hear Dale behind him as he stumbled into the kitchen, still laughing.

  Ellis froze when he noticed his entire family was staring at him from their seats.

  Dale chose that moment to slam into him from behind, and they stumbled forward, Dale’s arms slipping around Ellis’s waist to keep him upright. The contact lasted only seconds because as soon as Ellis stopped moving Dale moved away, but it had been enough to fluster Ellis.

  “Boys, have you washed your hands?”

  “No ma’am—sorry. Sarah. We’re going right now.” Dale took Ellis’s wrist and pulled him to the bathroom as if he were at home. They washed their hands in silence but exchanged smiles in the bathroom mirror, then returned to the kitchen.

  “So, Dale,” Ellis’s father started.

  Dale immediately extended his hand like the polite guy he was. “Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Dale.”

  Ellis’s father chuckled. “I know. You can call me Thomas.”

  “Thomas. All right.”

  Ellis speared a piece of lasagna and listened to his father and Dale talk about sports. A nice warm feeling had settled deep in his chest. He knew it shouldn’t have been there, but he couldn’t help it. He liked Dale, and he liked how Dale seemed to have integrated himself in Ellis’s family without too many problems.

  “Ellis told me you play.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m on the school’s soccer team.”

  “Why not football?”

  “Didn’t feel like being flattened. Besides, there’s less expectations on me than if I’d played football.”

  “I have to admit, I don’t know much about soccer.”

  Damien snickered between two bites of pasta. “That’s still more than what Ellis knows of it.”

  Ellis scowled and kicked under the table, praying he wouldn’t hit his mother instead of his pain-in-the-ass brother. He didn’t.

  “Oww! Who was that? Huh?”

  Ellis looked at his plate and tried to appear innocent. He felt Dale’s thigh nudge against his and glanced sideways as Dale said, “Ooops, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  “You didn’t mean to kick me?”

  “Muscle spasm?”

  “No fights at the table, boys. You can go at it later, but no blood and no broken bones,” Ellis’s father said.

  Ellis laughed at the way Dale gaped. “They don’t like taking us to the ER.”