Centrepiece

Chapter
23

Poor
Bryan, losing Ray. But good one Ray for getting away from Tala and Kai

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He
had silently prayed they wouldn’t be there when he returned, and he got his
wish. Even as he rounded up some bags and boxes and began packing them, there
was still no sign of the two bastards that had caused this whole thing.

Chung
Hu moved about the bed, sticking his nose in everything and tugging things out
of the bags. Bryan had to save several items from becoming kitten toys, at one
point scooping the kitten up into the crook of his arm and working with one
hand. He quickly discovered that this wasn’t an easy task and Chung Hu was
left once again to wander the bed.

“Ray
won’t be coming back, Chuny,” Bryan told him as he tucked the last of
Ray’s shirts into a bag and zipped it up, turning and moving to make sure he
had gotten all of the clothing. “The kid finally came to his senses. Though I
doubt his boyfriends are going to be too pleased when they find out.”

Moving
toward the desk he set about emptying it of its contents, filling the boxes. He
didn’t really look at what he was packing, knowing that all of the papers and
books he found were Ray’s private property, and that while Ray had given him
permission to touch his things, Ray had not
given him permission to go through his
things.

It
had always amazed Bryan just how much stuff you could cram into small spaces,
and after some rearranging he soon had the boxes filled. He moved around the
room, emptying the shelves and taking down photographs and the odd paper or
poster. He checked under the bed, finding more items before he checked the bed
itself, retrieving a couple more things.

It
didn’t surprise him when he spotted a couple of Kai and Tala’s things
sitting in the rubbish bin, and he left these alone. Satisfied that he had it
all he began taking it out to his car, making a point of shutting Chung Hu in
his room first so that the kitten couldn’t sneak into spots where he wasn’t
wanted.

As
soon as Bryan had the car loaded he made his way back to Ray’s former room,
glancing around and chuckling as he realised he had forgotten one of the more
important things. It didn’t take him long to pack up the computer, something
Ray had saved up for and purchased himself not long before he had moved in.

Bryan
remembered with some amusement how Ray had once stumbled into a chat room that
Bryan himself had been in. Bryan had known it was Ray simply by the screenname:
Driger_Happy.

Sliding
the computer into the backseat, Bryan made sure it wouldn’t move around before
returning to Ray’s room and making one last pass, shuddering at how empty the
place felt though a small essence of Ray still remained, ever so faint.
Shuddering at the almost sense of loss Bryan turned, heading for the garage
after checking quickly on Chung Hu to find the kitten curled up asleep on his
bed.

The
home of the White Tigers and younger members of the Blade Breakers was on the
other side of town, almost a 15-minute drive when the traffic was good. The All
Starz lived less than a block away, and Bryan knew that not far from them Ian
had taken up residence in a small rented out flat above a shop.

Spencer
lived a little further away, another five minutes at the most, in a small
three-bedroom terrace that he had originally shared with Ian before the younger
had been bitten by the bug of independence, but nevertheless all of the bladers
lived in one area. The Majestics, of course, still lived in their homes of old
but would travel for frequent visits though Bryan never saw them.

He
pulled up into the drive of the largish two-story house just as the sky was
beginning to darken. He hadn’t even made it out of the car when Lee
approached, gazing down the street as if looking for something.

“Don’t
fret, I wasn’t followed.” Bryan met his eye. “No sign of ‘em.”

“Can’t
be too careful.” Lee nodded upward. “Ray went into the room we made up for
him and lay down. He’s been asleep ever since.”

“Don’t
surprise me.”

“I
could wake him-”

“Leave
him.” Bryan shook his head, smiling faintly. “Over the last couple of months
I know of only one night where he slept well.”

Lee
looked at him as they begun unloading the car. “I’m guessin’ that’s not
something I should ask about.”

“You
would guess right.”

It
didn’t take them long to unload the car once the others came out to help,
Kevin laying his eyes on the car and instantly wanting to know everything about
it, Tyson pretending not to be listening but hanging off every word. By the time
the car had been unloaded the two had worked their way under the hood to get a
better look, Bryan warning them with a glance not to touch anything.

As
soon as everything had been settled, Lee pulled Bryan aside. “So what’s your
story?”

Bryan
glared down at him. “What do you mean by ‘my story’?”

“What
you said back there. About never being able to escape. Is it because you’re
still living with him?”

The
glare hardened. “Yes, and that’s all I’m gonna say about it.”

“Fine.
Just that maybe Ray isn’t the only one that should be thinking about moving
out.”

“Look,
just stay out of my business, got it?”

Lee
raised his hands defensively. “I’m not trying to get into
your business. Just that it sounds to me like this isn’t the first time
Tala’s done something like this.”

“It
isn’t.”

“Do
you know how many?”

“Why
not ask him?”

“You’re
not making it easy, are you?”

Bryan
smirked. “I never do anything the easy way.”

“Figures.”
Lee raised an eyebrow. “Judging from what was said back there you’ve been
helping Ray for the last couple of weeks. Why?”

“Felt
like it. Besides, pisses Tala and Kai off.”

“Right.”
Lee narrowed his eyes as Bryan moved toward the door. “I think there’s more
too it than that.”

Bryan
glanced back over his shoulder. “Like what?”

Lee
smirked, folding his arms over his chest. “I reckon you’ve got a thing for
Ray.”

Bryan
snorted. “You’re imagining things, Lion. Go back to playing with your balls
of yarn. Ain’t that what you cats are good at?”

Lee
didn’t reply, watching Bryan move toward his car and shoo Kevin and Tyson away
before closing the bonnet and getting in. Lee didn’t move as his two young
friends stepped passed him talking about blocks, crankshafts and cylinders, Lee
interested only in watching Bryan back out of the drive, eyes remaining on the
car until it vanished around a far corner.

Smiling
knowingly to himself, Lee chuckled softly. “I’m not imagining things, Bryan.
I can see that you love him, even if you can’t.”

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Lee
knows. ^_~