The Prince and I - 9

Connor was the one who actually started our conversation, once we’d finished eating. He rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the swift-moving water and asked, “Why are you here?”

I figured he meant why was I living on the streets so I told him the same thing I’d told Arthur.

When I finished he turned to look at me. “That was quite honorable of you.”

My eyebrows went up at the way he’d phrased it. It sounded like something out of a book I’d read in English class way back when I was actually in school. So I put it off to his reading something similar and thinking it was a neat word.

“She probably went after someone else as soon as I left, but at least it won’t be my fault if he finds out. He’s got a temper.” I sort of hoped by saying that it might make Connor open up on why he ran, but it didn’t. He just nodded and went back to staring at the water. So I asked him outright.

“I just needed to see how things are before I have to go home,” he replied somewhat cryptically.

“So you don’t live here in the city?”

He shook his head.

“In the suburbs?”

Another head shake. Getting information out of him was like pulling teeth. “In the state?”

He glanced up at me with another shake of his head so I dropped it to ask instead, “Do you have a safe place to sleep? If not you’re welcome to share my digs.” I chuckled. “Well more like wherever I decide to land for the night.” Before I’d finished talking he was backing away from me. “Hey, easy there, I’m not after your body if that’s what your afraid of.”

He shocked me when he replied quite indignantly, “Why not?”

“Umm, maybe because I don’t fuck people I don’t know? I mean you’re cute enough I guess. Enough that those dudes you told me about wanted you. But I play keep-away. Life’s hard enough without catching something, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh…” he inched closer again. “They didn’t want…” Suddenly he snapped his mouth shut but remained where he was.

“It’s for damned sure you probably don’t have any cash on you, unless you got lucky and someone gave you some out of the goodness of their heart or you left home with something valuable that you pawned.” I guess I hit the nail on the head because his eyes widened and he was scooting backwards again. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. I wasn’t trying to pry, honest. Okay, I was a little but all you have to do is tell me it’s none of my business and I’ll drop it.”

He continued staring at me as if trying to decide if I was lying or not. While he did, it gave me a chance to study his face. He really was sort of cute, though more handsome than cute actually, in a cute sorta way. It was the eyes I think. They were deep green with gold flecks and stood out against his pale skin. I’d have bet he burned easily in the summer and almost asked him then decided he probably couldn’t handle any more questions right now.

“Where do you crash?” he finally asked.

“On a night like this, probably up there.” I pointed to the narrow spaces between the concrete girders at the end of the bridge going over the creek. There didn’t used to be a full cement wall. Just a low one with space behind it where we’d feel safe enough to sleep at night. That stopped, and the city walled it all the way up, when punks started using the wall to hide behind so they could mug bikers and hikers. But there was still enough space at the top of the wall to lie down if you were thin, and agile enough to get up there. I was both and I figured Connor was too, at least on the thin part.

Connor looked at them then at me and finally back at the spaces before nodding. “Why don’t people paint pictures on the walls?”

That was out of the blue and I laughed. “Pictures?”

“Yes. Like the ones on the walls at the Boot.”

“Ahh, graffiti. It’s against the law though I heard they’re trying to change it.”

“That’s not fair.”

I snorted. “It’s life, which in case you haven’t gotten it yet isn’t fair.”

“I know,” he said softly, his words ending in a huge yawn.

“So are you going to crash here with me? Well, umm, you know what I mean. Or are you going back to wherever you usually stay?”

“Here?”

“Is that a question or a statement?” I replied as I stood up and snagged my gear.

“Statement.” He gave a sharp nod of his head.

“Deal.” I headed to the wall, waiting for him to join me. “You need a leg up?”

He looked up at the space, which was out of arms’ reach for him. Then he bent his knees and jumped, catching the edge with his fingers. Seconds later he was pulling himself into the space. I was right behind him, though I didn’t have to jump since I’m a good few inches taller than him. It was close quarters but with a little wriggling around we got comfortable. I chuckled low and he asked why.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever spooned with a guy without expecting anything more to happen than just getting some sleep.”

“Oh,” he whispered. Then, “O-o-oh.”

“Bother you?”

“No.”

“Good. Now go to sleep.” For a minute I felt like a father talking to a kid. Only this kid was definitely not a ‘kid’. That was the last thought I had before falling asleep.