Fear - 10

For the next couple of weeks Shawn spent his days turning the trailer into a home for them. He cleaned, dusted, and rearranged what little furniture there was, to give them the optimum amount of space to move around. When Jared came home tired and hungry, dinner was waiting for him. Afterwards they'd sit on the sofa watching whatever television program Jared found to his liking and then it was off to bed.

I'm turning into my mother, Shawn began to think as he did yet another chore or cooked yet another meal. Stay at home just like she did. No life of my own.

It hadn't always been like that with him and Jared. Usually Shawn worked too. He was a good mechanic—a very good one according to his various bosses. Now the only time he'd get to put those skills to work would probably be when the truck needed something fixed—the truck he had no access to now since Jared used it to drive to the job.

"You don't need to go anywhere, so quit grousing," Jared had said one evening when Shawn suggested he could start taking Jared to work.

"I could do the grocery shopping and what have you," Shawn had protested. "That way we wouldn't have to do those things on your days off."

When Jared scowled at him, Shawn backed off. Things were going well now, better than they had in ages actually. He didn't want to rock the boat. Jared hadn't even been drinking—or at least not much. He'd come home a couple of times smelling of beer but he hadn't been roaring drunk.

Then came the Saturday night when Jared returned after work and announced they were going out for the evening. "You deserve it, baby," he said, giving Shawn a tight hug. "Wear that blue shirt I like and the black slacks," he called over his shoulder on his way to shower, stripping off his work clothes, leaving them for Shawn to pick up.

"What would you do without me," Shawn muttered, as he deposited Jared's dirty laundry in the hamper and went to change. He wasn't really upset. How could he be? They were going out—together—on what amounted to a date. It was the first time in way too long. Since Jared had gotten the construction job, Shawn realized, which had been months ago.

He was almost dancing in elation as he got dressed then stood in front of the mirror on the back of the bedroom door to make certain he looked just the way Jared expected. He jumped away when Jared pushed the door open.

"Looking good," Jared commented while he started dressing. "Do something about your hair though. Tie it back." He dug through the top dresser drawer and tossed Shawn a leather thong. "It's getting too long. We'll go to the barbers in the morning. You're starting to look 'girly'."

Am not. Lot's of guys have longer hair and it looks good on them. Of course—he looked at himself in the mirror again—most of them are muscular six-footers like Jared. Not slender and five-nine like me. With a mental sigh, he pulled his hair back and tied it off.

"Ready to go out on the town, baby?" Jared asked a few minutes later, putting his arm around Shawn's shoulders.

"Definitely," Shawn replied, smiling up at him. "This is going to be fun."