“I know.One of the things I first noticed about him was all his reading.He never stopped coming in and getting books.Even when almost the entire staff was scared of him.”Derek leaned against him.“I think Harm was smart enough to know that we’d all come around.”
Harm nudged him.Then he grabbed his phone, and soon a text came through.“I just figured that if everyone was scared of me, then they’d leave me alone.”Derek read it out loud and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t try to cover it up.”He turned to Joe and Larry.“Harm used to come into the library in fatigues and even camo.And at the time he had resting ‘I kill stuff’ face.”
“What gave him away?”Joe asked.
“He smiled.”Derek snuggled next to Harm.“That was all it took.In an instant, I knew the grump we all saw was just surface.”He sighed and decided that he had probably done enough talking, but then everyone sort of sat there, looking at each other.
“Okay, now what?”Derek whispered.
Harm shrugged before taking out his phone.He messaged Derek that he wasn’t sure.
“I need to check on dinner.”Derek patted his knee and then left the room, probably to give them privacy.
“What’s going on?”Harm texted to Joe.
“Larry and I wanted to talk to you about college and what you wanted to do with your future.”He leaned forward.“I guess we were worried that you’d settle into some sort of life and never get out of it.It’s easy to do when you have a job and a place to live.Things get a little comfortable and it’s easy to just… settle in.”Joe paused.“You like to make everyone around you happy and you were always quiet, even before the injury….”
“We just want to make sure that you’re happy and that you’re doing what you want.”
Harm rolled his eyes.“I am.I know how to take care of myself,” he texted, probably stabbing at the phone more than he needed to.“I have a job so I can stand on my own two feet.Derek knows all about college applications because the library offers programs on it.He’s a really good person, and I like him.”To be honest, he really hadn’t been expecting to get such a hard line from them.
“We know you do, and that’s great,” They shared one of those damned mind-meld looks that they had when they talked without really talking.“I guess we’re still hoping that you’d come down to Arizona.We have special permission for you to stay with us.”
Harm slowly shook his head.“I’m building a life here.”
“We want you with us so we can all be a family,” Joe whispered.
“I know you do, and I know you love me.But I need to make my own way and build my own life.”
“And you can do that in Arizona.”
Harm sighed and began texting furiously.“I really can’t.You have a life there because you’ve met people.I know you play cards a couple times a week and have your classes and activities.Everything there is geared for you.What are your neighbors going to say if I came back from a club at two in the morning?And who am I going to meet there?”He was really trying to ask the tough questions.
Once again they looked at each other.“I get that.”
“I know you want me there because you love me, but I need to be here for now.I have a chance at something nice.”
“Is this because of Derek?”Larry asked.
Harm stared at them and then texted carefully.“I know you hoped that I would stay with you, but that isn’t what I need right now.None of this is because of Derek.I’d give you the same answer if I hadn’t met him.”
Joe nodded.“Okay.We understand, and we just wanted to make sure that this was your decision and that you were making it for the right reasons.”He lightly clapped Harm on the shoulder.“Forgive us if we’re a couple of father hens.”
Derek came back in.“Did you all talk about me?”he asked with a grin.“If not, I can go back to the kitchen.Otherwise, let’s eat.”Derek had everything on the table.He’d made a couple of salads, some mashed potatoes, and a pork roast, all of which looked amazing and smelled even better.
“Harm never really learned to cook,” Joe said as they sat down.Derek began passing dishes around the table.
“That’s because you’re protective of everything in your domain,” Larry chided.
“I learned out of necessity, and it’s nice to cook for others.For a long time, I cooked for me, which kind of sucked.All recipes are geared for four, so either I cut recipes in half, or I ate the same thing for half the week.But with Harm….”
“We know.He eats for two,” Joe said with warmth in his eyes.“He always had a healthy appetite.I remember when he first came to us.He was tall and so thin.”
“The first thing Joe did was put a pizza in the oven, and Harm ate a piece and then said he was full,” Larry added.Derek turned to look at him.
“Let me guess, you were afraid that if you ate too much, you’d get thrown out.”Sometimes it felt like Derrek knew him too well, if that was possible.
