Chapter Six
Bas felt a little triumphant when Dane devoured the crepe without much coaxing. The man could eat, andwouldeat, as long as he knew where everything was coming from and what went into it.
Bas filed the man’s fear of pancakes as something he’d have to look into later. There might be other triggers. He’d document them for Dane’s therapist, see if they could work through the issues. But Bas had a feeling they would be exhausting his meager cooking skills in no time as more exotic foods seemed to appeal to Dane’s curiosity. Better curiosity than fear. Bas would have to ask Adam’s mom for recipes. If there was anyone who knew about whole food cooking, it was her.
He and Tommy had spent the early part of the morning removing all mirrors, sharp objects, and medication from the apartment and locking them in a closet. Dane would have no reason to try that door. Even less so to break into it. If they could keep him occupied for the day and eating normally, it would be a good sign.
Bas cleared the dishes, counters, and turned the dishwasher on. Dane sat on the couch beside Tommy, tapping his feet like he was plugged into a live wire of newfound energy. They were watching a movie. Bas didn’t pay attention to what, since he wasn’t often stationary. He thought about lunch options and how to get around the no-meat aspect for a man who obviously needed protein as badly as he needed water. He couldn’t imagine thinking of each meal as a battle like Dane did. But then, Bas loved food. He ate healthy because Adam was very into nutrition and sports and he respected his friend, but he could eat cookies with the best of them.
He liked peanut butter. Bas had caught that tiny whisper. Had that been on the shopping list? If it wasn’t he’d be picking some up later today.
Once he was finished with cleanup, he sat down in the chair instead of taking a place beside them on the couch. Dane still sat stiffly, though Tommy had relaxed somewhat. Nothing like how he was with Ru—the tension still tightened his shoulders—but Bas had spent a lot of time studying Tommy. Stupid brain, wanting a man he could never have. He swallowed his sigh and tried to focus on the TV. He’d much rather be reading but didn’t know if he should get involved with a book while he was busy focusing on Dane’s needs. One thing at a time.
Bas pulled a mess of bright cord out of his bag and began the intricate knots needed to tie it into a bracelet. This one was red and black for Ru, who loved red but feared wearing it as anything more than accessory. Bas had already made one for Adam in bright yellow. The runner’s bracelet glowed in the dark, and he rarely took it off. Bas had chosen the color as extra security in case Adam happened to be out running in the dark.
Tommy leaned over to watch, close enough for Bas to feel his breath and smell the gentle caress of his cologne.
“Are you knitting?” Dane suddenly asked.
“Knotting,” Bas corrected but didn’t look up. He could feel the other man’s eyes on him.
“What is it, a friendship bracelet? Assuming a lot, aren’t you?”
Bas frowned and counted to ten.
“Girls do that, right? I’ve never seen a guy make a bracelet before.”
“Dane, stop,” Tommy said. He adjusted himself on the couch, becoming a physical barrier between his two friends. Bas didn’t like that at all.
“It’s the truth. Have you ever seen a guy make bracelets before? There are just some things men weren’t meant to do. Like knitting and wearing eyeliner.”
“Ru wears eyeliner,” Tommy pointed out. “Hell, I think we’ve all done it for a shoot or two.”
“That’s a very sexist view of life. Like thinking women should be at home, barefoot, and pregnant, instead of running Fortune 500 companies,” Bas said. “And a good way to miss out on a lot of new experiences. How would you know you don’t like knitting if you’ve never tried? Or eyeliner. You didn’t think you’d like cooking, either, but so far you’ve done that just fine.”
“I never said I liked cooking. Cooking is for girls. I cooked for Tommy because I don’t want you getting all your gay germs in his food and turning him, like you did Ru.”
“Pretty sure Ru was gay long before I met him, since he was snogging my best friend before I even knew he was in town.” Bas shook his head. He couldn’t let himself get drawn into another word war. Dane was lashing out for some reason. If Bas could discover why, they’d be one step closer to fixing him.
“Lots of great chefs are guys, and very few of them are gay. I hardly think sexuality has anything to do with culinary skills.” If that were the case, Adam wouldn’t have burned frozen pizza the last time he and Ru were over for movie night. And no one ever asked Adam to make popcorn anymore. Cooking was not his forte. Bas often teased him about being pretty enough that it didn’t matter he couldn’t cook. And he had snagged a man who could afford to hire a professional chef so Adam never had to.
“You can cook for me whenever you want,” Tommy told Bas.
“But you’re the better chef,” Bas reminded him. Tommy shrugged.
Dane stood up and put himself between Bas and Tommy.
“You’re just saying that ’cause you want to do Tommy. Probably me too, even though I’m sick. That’s perverted. Lusting after a sick man.”
“Dane, what the hell?” Tommy asked. “Why are you acting like this?”
But Bas knew. He shouldn’t have come. Dane’s protective instincts had gone into high gear, and Bas was just in the way. He put his stuff away, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.
“Bas?” Tommy called, getting up too.
Bas stopped and looked back, smiling at both men.
“I hope you realize, Dane, that by pushing people away from Tommy, you’re hurting him, not protecting him. Think about that.” To Tommy, he said, “I’ll call you later.”
