Tommy opened the cookie bin and swiped another one.
“Unicorn poop. This stuff is amazing. It sounds like you made more progress tonight than the doctors have made in months.” Tommy reached across the table and gripped Bas’s hand. “I knew calling you was the right thing to do. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, straight boy. I might ask you for favors you’re not willing to pay back.” Bas pulled his friend across the table close enough that his lips nearly touched the base of Tommy’s throat. “You are a very attractive straight boy, after all.”
Tommy laughed, turned, and kissed Bas on the cheek, making Bas let go. Bas felt the fire of a flush burning his face.
“Careful what you ask for.”
Bas shook his head. “Wow. Gay boy speechless.” He blinked a few times. “As much as I’d like to try to seduce you, we need to focus on Dane.”
“I blame myself for this,” Tommy said after a sober moment. “I think AJ made it worse. It took me a long time to realize what he was doing to Ru and Dane. If I’d just realized sooner, maybe I could have put a stop to it?”
“You weren’t the one who abused them, and you’re trying to help. Besides, I don’t think this all comes from AJ. The body image problem, yes, maybe. The food thing, no. He hides his eating, which is normal for his condition and something we will need to break him of. Someone made him ashamed of eating. And I think someone used to put things in his food.” Bas stared off into the distance, remembering the way Dane watched every move he made while they cooked.
“Why do you say that?”
“The way he watched me. He won’t eat anything processed. Even the vegetables. If they are not fresh, uncut, he won’t touch them. I think if I can get him cooking, handling the food himself, we can get him back to a healthy weight, eating right. Drugs and therapy will help with the mental stuff over time. Getting him eating again is the only chance we have of giving him enough time to actually recover.”
“I’m willing to do whatever you need me to do to help you help him.”
The waiter brought their food. Bas nearly growled at the steak, cooked to perfection, that was set before him. He cut into it and it dripped with juices. The first bite melted in his mouth as a really good steak should do. “We have to teach him to like food and himself. That’s a big job for anyone.”
“But we have unicorn poop,” Tommy pointed out.
“And lots of fairy dust,” replied Bas while pretending to brush invisible glitter off his arms.
* * *
Dane slept through the night for the first time in years—and woke up hungry. Odd since he wasn’t used to being hungry. His face itched from beard overgrowth. But when he got in the shower, all he could think about were the cookies he’d made for Tommy. Would his friend like them? Did he realize that they meant more than just sugary confections to him? They were sort of a “thank you for still being his friend” sort of thing. Dane hoped Ru got his cookies too.
By the time he got out of the shower, his new clothes had arrived. Same look as yesterday, just a clean set. He put them on, wondering if he’d ever have things that weren’t scratchy again.
The door opened just as he was slipping on the top. It was Bas again.
“Hey, sunshine. Your manager calls you sunshine, so I thought I would. Glad you’re awake, since you have a day pass.”
Huh? A day pass? Like he would go outside for the day? But Sandydiedwhen she left. Panic grabbed his gut and suddenly sucked all the air out of the room.
“Whoa, whoa, breathe, sweetie. Deep breaths. It’s okay. You’re okay.” Bas was there, stroking his back and helping him back to the bed. “No reason to get upset. We’re going to take care of you. I won’t let anything bad happen.”
Dane waited for the cycling dizziness to pass. He sucked in several deep breaths. The world slowly began to refocus.
Tommy walked in the room just as Dane began to feel semi-normal again, eyes falling to both of them.
“Everything okay?”
“Just a little panic attack. We’re okay.” Bas rocked Dane in his lap. Dane couldn’t recall ever being held before. He let Bas’s calm funnel through him and got his breathing under control. At least Tommy had missed seeing the worst of it. “A little upset about leaving for the day.”
“Oh, we’re just going to my place. Here, to the car, to my place, and back later. I promise you won’t have to go out anywhere. No one will see you but us.” Tommy knelt beside Dane and ran his fingers through his friend’s hair. “Thanks for the cookies. They were amazing. And Ru sent me a picture.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled for a moment. The picture he showed Dane was of Ru and Adam sitting with the bucket of cookies between them, both munching on the rainbow piles. “They really loved the cookies. I think the two of them have pretty much eaten them all already. But Adam’s in training for a marathon, so Ru said his calorie intake is triple that of the rest of us.”
“That boy runs like he has wings,” Bas said. “And when he’s running like that, I’ve seen him devour a pizza and a half. Bet the cookies were a good change from the high-protein and high-fiber diet he’s been on.”
Dane sat up, feeling more calm but still worried.
“I don’t think I can go.”
“To my house?” Tommy asked. “Well, it’s a rental but still mine for the moment. No one will be there but you, me, and Bas.”
