"Hey, you two." My Daddy steps through the cracked door and I move toward him on instinct. He kisses the side of my head when I reach him. "Are you coming back down to the party?"
"Yes." Austin answers. "I was just showing him my room."
"It's a great room, Austin." My daddy smiles at Austin and I stamp down on the way my tummy doesn't like that. "But we'll come up to play later, okay? Right now, there are people downstairs to celebrate with you and your Daddy."
Austin nods and we head back toward the stairs. Daddy stops me before we follow down to the main floor. "Orion?" I look up at him with a smile. It's not a big one, more one of nerves. I don't know why I'm nervous. "If any of this becomes too much for you, I need you to tell me okay? We can find a quiet spot for you to calm down or whatever you need."
"My tummy is already feeling funny," I admit. Daddy's hands are on my shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. It doesn't entirely take away that twisty feeling in my belly, but it helps.
"Is this an I don't feel good feeling or that's a lot of new people downstairs?"
I try to figure it out. I don't feel like I'm sick. "New people," I decide.
He pulls me in for a tight hug and we stay like that for a minute. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. I've never had the chance to go to a party growing up, much less since I've moved out on my own. Big crowds make me nervous.
"Do you need another minute to yourself?"
"I'm okay," I say into his chest. "Can I stay by you? For a bit, at least?"
"Of course," Garrett says. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I have to show off my Boy to everyone."
My Boy.
A true, genuine smile crosses my face now and I look up at him. "Thank you."
He gives me a quick kiss before we walk down the steps. He keeps my hand in his as we start the round of introductions. There aren't a lot of people here, not as many as I was thinking. All of them are friends of Remington, half of them from the club. I meet Luke and Quinton. After we exchange names, they both ask Garrett if he actually has someone coming to paint their faces.
I blush, but feel really happy when Garrett says it was my idea to have the face paint. The two guys thank me and invite me to come sit with them at their own table in the yard. It's early February, but with a light jacket on, the weather isn't too bad today. I don't think we'll stay outside long, though. I make sure it's okay with Garrett, who promises to keep an eye on me until it's time to eat. I don't join in a lot of their conversation, but I enjoy watching and listening. They're so open with their Little sides. I do gather that the three of them, Austin, Luke, and Quinton, are more into the pretend playing regression. They talk about playing Knights with the foam swords later, something about a game called Night Time Ninja. It's like hide and seek but you turn off all the lights in the house and make it as dark as possible. I look down and pick at a loose splinter in the wooden table.
"I want to color, too." Austin says, catching my attention. I see his eyes glance my way before looking at the others. "Maybe we can have a competition and see who can draw the best pictures. Winner can have their face painted first."
"I want to turn into a lion!" Luke says. He pretends to be a lion and roars, making all of us laugh around him.
"I want a koala on my cheek," Austin chimes in. "Orion, what do you want to get?"
"I don't know," I say. My voice is barely above a whisper as they all look at me. "Maybe a turtle. Like the Ninja Turtles."
"Oh! I love the Ninja Turtles!" Quinton says. "And there are four of them. We could all get a colored mask on our eyes. What color do you like, Orion?"
"Um." I lick my lips. I remind myself that they're all like me. Or similar enough that they aren't going to judge me. "I like Donnie, the purple one."
"I choose Leo, the blue one!" Quinton says. "That leaves Raph and Mikey, red and orange."
"Red!" Austin and Luke shout at the same time, causing all of us to laugh.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Luke shouts. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching us. I don't feel uncomfortable, we're not doing anything but having fun, but that feeling in my tummy is still there a little bit. I catch Garrett's eyes and he gives me a soft smile while whoever he is standing beside keeps talking. I turn back to watch Luke and Austin hold their hands out and call out the words. They both get rock the first time. The second time they both do paper. The third time, finally, Luke gets paper and Austin does scissors.
"I win!" Austin says excitedly, throwing his hands in the air. "I got the red one! What's the red one's name again?"
"Raph," Quinton and I say at the same time.
"You'll be Mikey," I add, looking at Luke. "He's the one that likes pizza a lot. And he's funny."
"Well, that sounds exactly like my Lukey Boy." A woman comes up and stands behind Luke, putting her hands on him. She's pretty, with long hair and green eyes. She looks like she's maybe around Garrett's age. I realize it's Luke's Mommy when she bends down and kisses his cheek. "Speaking of food, it's about ready. Do you boys want to come make your own plates?"
All three stand up and head toward the house. I stand and follow a step behind them. Garrett reaches out his hand as I get closer and I break off to stand next to him. He's still talking to that same person from a minute ago. His arm goes around my shoulders and I relax into his side. I feel so much better, calmer when I'm next to him. The other man looks to be in his fifties, maybe even sixties. He has salt-and-pepper hair, no beard, and is tall and slim. He's handsome, but he looks too much like a lawyer or something.
"Orion, this is Ray. He's a friend of mine and Remington's." I look at Garrett and back to the guy, the unsaid words between us. I turn back to the man and smile.
