To Those Who Wait

“Ugh... Oh God... W-Wait Aidan...”

Our shirts were missing in action, his lips were all over my neck, there was no longer any breathable air in the backseat of his car and his hands were dangerously close to unbuckling my belt.

“Aidan. Wait...”

I didn’t want to stop him, but I had to.

“Please... let’s not do this tonight...”

He abruptly sat up and rolled down his window.

"Fine. I’ll stop.”

Ohmigod, I didn’t think he would ever let up. I sat up and searched around for my shirt, but to my dismay I saw that it had landed on the dashboard.

“Fuck. My shirt is up front...”

I looked over at Aidan and he just rolled his eyes.

“Then let’s go up there and get your sacred little shirt.”

He jumped out the car and slammed the door.

“What?”

He said nothing until he got around to the drivers’ side door.

“Well, get your ass up here, I’m not a goddamned chauffeur.”

I didn’t understand... but an annoyed Aidan is enough to shut me up. I did as he said and climbed to the passenger seat. He started the car and pulled out of the empty parking lot. About 20 minutes into the ride back to my house, he broke the silence.

“What the fuck is your deal, anyways? I mean, are we ever going to have sex, Bastien?”

I think I much rather preferred that golden silence.

“Why is sex that important to you? I don’t understand... Up until now, you never cared about whether or not you were getting laid. Why now?”

He glared at me, then turned back to the road.

“I don’t know. Look, I’m sorry. Can we just drop this?”

“Consider it dropped.”

I suddenly realized that my words had come out a little harsher than it was supposed to.

“Sorry, Aidan. I didn’t mean it like that...”

He grabbed my hand without even having to look for it.

“I know.”

There were ten more minutes left of this ride back, but he held my hand the rest of the way.

-----------

When we got back to my house the front light was on. The dead giveaway that my mother had beat me home, which meant I had to hear her bitch about Aidan. My mom didn’t hate him, per say, she just... didn’t approve of the gayness. And of course, any boy I brought home just had to be of the ‘penis-loving-persuasion’ like her son, right? Right.

“Your mom’s home. Should we just say the goodbyes in the car?”

I looked back at the house. And like fucking clockwork, mother-dear had pulled the shade so she could investigate.

“No, you’re coming in with me. Fuck her.”

He beamed right up and planted one on me right then and there. When we pulled away, I didn’t see her in the window, but suddenly I heard the front door open.

“Sebastien! Come in the house. Right now, and leave your little friend out there.”

I cringed at the way she said that. Her speech was slurring and then I saw the bottle.

“Fuck me, she’s drunk, again.”

Aidan blinked at me.

“Look, this isn’t going to be a good time, so maybe you should just leave...”

He grabbed my hand.

“I’m not leaving you here with her. Not when she’s like this.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her coming towards us.

“Mom, go back in the house.”

She threw the bottle at me and it hit Aidan’s car.

“Mom! I’ll never forgive you if you--”

She stumbled and fell in the grass.

“Get that fag out of my yard, Sebastien.”

I noticed that the neighbors were starting to turn on their porch lights, so I pushed Aidan into his car and he understood that he had to leave. Then I turned back around to look at the drunk woman lying in the middle of the front yard yelling obscenities.

“Mom, let’s get you in the house...”

She threw her arm around my neck for balance and managed to dig her finger into one of the sucker bites that I had just received less than an hour ago.

“Not so hard... you’ll leave a bruise.”

After I got her into the house, she pulled my shirt and proceeded to tell me that her tiny fingers could never leave a bruise. And that’s when all hell broke loose.

“What. Is. That? Is that what I think it is? Sebastien answer me!”

I scanned the room for a weapon of any sort, because I knew I was going to need it.

“Sebastien! What the hell is that? Are you having sex with that boy?”

Ohmigod.

“He’s my boyfriend, mother! I’m allowed to have sex with him if I want to...”

Shit. That was bad.

“Are you fucking that boy, Sebastien? Tell me!”

While she was yelling at me, she grabbed her Bible and threw it at me.

“Sebastien! Why are you doing this to me? I’m your mother--”

“Fuck you, lady! You’re nothing but a drunk.”

I should’ve ducked because I knew the back of her hand wasn’t that far away from my face. “Owww!” I felt myself crumbling to the floor. My mother had smacked the living hell out of me. I crawled over to the door before she could do any more harm.

“Sebastien, if you leave me now, don’t you ever come back! I will not let you bring shame to your family like this!”

“I think you and the alcohol have done that perfectly without my help.” I ran out of the door and up the street. I never looked back, not once.

Everything was a blur through my tears.

----------

When I finally stopped running, I realized that I was only ten minutes away from Aidan’s house. I yanked my cell phone out of my back pocket and pressed ‘1'. It only rang once before he picked up.

“Bastien? What’s going on?”

I sat down on the sidewalk to catch my breath.

“Sebastien? Are you there?”

I put the phone back up to my face.

“Aidan, I-I’m a few blocks away from you...”

I looked up at the street signs.

“...at 4th and Meyers. Come get me?”

Without any further questions, he complied with my request and we hung up.

Less than five minutes later, I saw his car slowing up the street. I stood up and waved him down. He pulled over and jumped out the car.

“Sebastien, what happened? What... your mom?”

I started crying again and he pulled me into his arms.

“I’m so sorry. I love you, Bastien.”

I couldn’t move. Or speak, for that matter. We went to his car and I laid across the backseat. He started driving and I just kept crying.

The silence was gut wrenching, but very necessary. Suddenly Aidan spoke.

“Sebastien?”

I looked up at him in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah?”

He stopped the car and got out. It was when he walked around to the back and opened my door when I actually noticed where we were. We were back in that empty parking lot.

He sat down next to me and held my face in his hands.

“I need you to know that I’m not like the other guys. I’m not going to abandon you at the time you need me most. I love you. And I’m sorry... about everything. About trying to pressure you, about being an asshole, about your mom...”

I leaned forward and kissed him. We stayed like that for the longest time... until I pulled away.

“What was that for?”

I felt him wrap his arms around me.

“For waiting for me.”

He kissed my forehead and laughed.

“So we’re having sex tonight?”

I pushed him and laughed back.

“No, but you’ll be the first to know when I change my mind.”