‘make lovers’?”
“ They’re considerate like you. They have candle lit dinners,”
she paused. “And they do it after marriage.”
“ I’m tender and cherubic,” Byron sighed. “I’m
overwhelmed!”
“ You have atmosphere. You’re forever saying that you hate your
face. But it’s tender in a very nice way. Be proud of it.
”
Byron
looked ahead as if talking to a camera for youtube, “Taylor Swift,
did you hear that? She said I have a caring face and I don’t bring
her trouble.”
“ And you’re like a brother to me?”
“ Okay I take the hint.”
“ You’re always looking out for me. You care for me.”
Things
were not working out as he planned. She was hesitant about
committing to him. He was too much of a gentleman to beg her or
force her.
He saw
Matt coming up, smiling and looking so carefree in his hunk of a
body that seemed unusually adult like for a 16 year older and
wanted so much to hurt him. Why should he be so fortunate to have
the prettiest girl in the school? He didn’t stand up for her or
defend her. He had just come in at the right time and place and
found the competition in disarray. Byron wanted so much to kiss her
again (knowing that Natalie would not protest) while he was
observing them so intently. He wanted to make him feel that if he
couldn’t get her, neither would Matt. He snapped out of his dark
thoughts. He could never do that and hurt Natalie in the process.
He felt guilt that he had even contemplated the idea.
Natalie’s
eyes were moist. She had anticipated that they would have this
challenging moment together when they would discuss their
friendship and separate as romantic partners but be closely linked
in a brotherly, sisterly relationship .Byron understood her well
and she admired him for that.
Matt
waved to them from the lower ramparts.
“ You two have things to discuss so I’ll leave you two for a
while. I’ll go to the “Fight Scene” area,” Byron said with a forced
smile.
“ Your obsession for James Dean is admirable,” Natalie
laughed.
“ Rebel with a cause,” he said. He liked to feel that loving
someone meant respecting them and not exploiting them, hence his
emphasis on the rebel ‘with a cause.’
Matt was
tense and looked expectantly at him. “I understand I’m the new kid
on the block. I don’t want to get in the way if you two are
close.”
“ I just want Natalie to be happy.” Byron forced a
smile.
Matt
sensed that this issue had not been solved. It would surface later.
He knew that his social skills needed improving because he was not
subtle or diplomatic in what he said when discussing Natalie with
Byron.
Chapter 13: Quentin and Byron
“ Byron, hi.”
“ Hi Quentin,” he said uneasily. He was still reeling from the
polite refusal by Natalie and was careful not to sound offhand. He
didn’t want him to feel that he was taking out his frustration on
him.
“ I saw you looking so intensely at the world below you,” he
said for want of something to say.
“ Just refreshing myself with memories from here,” Byron
said.
“ Rebel?”
“ With A Cause.”
“ That’s a new angle,” Quentin paused awkwardly mustering up
courage to express himself. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you but
kept putting it off until after what you did.”
Byron
fidgeted uneasily.
“ I wondered if we could do things together
sometime.”
He
started thinking of how to refuse without sounding or acting
impolite. His fertile mind started conjuring up things like doing
treadmill and other work out exercises in matching velvet tights or
motor bike rides in matching Bermuda shorts and wrist bands. This
would all be done as they exchanged cheesy pleasantries on which
fabric had a nice silky feel or which nut jelled well with vanilla
ice cream and other goofy talk. He felt immediately ashamed of his
thoughts. He felt he was being unfair on Quentin and at the very
least should hear him out.
“ I hear you like hunting and hiking.
“ They’re considerate like you. They have candle lit dinners,”
she paused. “And they do it after marriage.”
“ I’m tender and cherubic,” Byron sighed. “I’m
overwhelmed!”
“ You have atmosphere. You’re forever saying that you hate your
face. But it’s tender in a very nice way. Be proud of it.
”
Byron
looked ahead as if talking to a camera for youtube, “Taylor Swift,
did you hear that? She said I have a caring face and I don’t bring
her trouble.”
“ And you’re like a brother to me?”
“ Okay I take the hint.”
“ You’re always looking out for me. You care for me.”
Things
were not working out as he planned. She was hesitant about
committing to him. He was too much of a gentleman to beg her or
force her.
He saw
Matt coming up, smiling and looking so carefree in his hunk of a
body that seemed unusually adult like for a 16 year older and
wanted so much to hurt him. Why should he be so fortunate to have
the prettiest girl in the school? He didn’t stand up for her or
defend her. He had just come in at the right time and place and
found the competition in disarray. Byron wanted so much to kiss her
again (knowing that Natalie would not protest) while he was
observing them so intently. He wanted to make him feel that if he
couldn’t get her, neither would Matt. He snapped out of his dark
thoughts. He could never do that and hurt Natalie in the process.
He felt guilt that he had even contemplated the idea.
Natalie’s
eyes were moist. She had anticipated that they would have this
challenging moment together when they would discuss their
friendship and separate as romantic partners but be closely linked
in a brotherly, sisterly relationship .Byron understood her well
and she admired him for that.
Matt
waved to them from the lower ramparts.
“ You two have things to discuss so I’ll leave you two for a
while. I’ll go to the “Fight Scene” area,” Byron said with a forced
smile.
“ Your obsession for James Dean is admirable,” Natalie
laughed.
“ Rebel with a cause,” he said. He liked to feel that loving
someone meant respecting them and not exploiting them, hence his
emphasis on the rebel ‘with a cause.’
Matt was
tense and looked expectantly at him. “I understand I’m the new kid
on the block. I don’t want to get in the way if you two are
close.”
“ I just want Natalie to be happy.” Byron forced a
smile.
Matt
sensed that this issue had not been solved. It would surface later.
He knew that his social skills needed improving because he was not
subtle or diplomatic in what he said when discussing Natalie with
Byron.
Chapter 13: Quentin and Byron
“ Byron, hi.”
“ Hi Quentin,” he said uneasily. He was still reeling from the
polite refusal by Natalie and was careful not to sound offhand. He
didn’t want him to feel that he was taking out his frustration on
him.
“ I saw you looking so intensely at the world below you,” he
said for want of something to say.
“ Just refreshing myself with memories from here,” Byron
said.
“ Rebel?”
“ With A Cause.”
“ That’s a new angle,” Quentin paused awkwardly mustering up
courage to express himself. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you but
kept putting it off until after what you did.”
Byron
fidgeted uneasily.
“ I wondered if we could do things together
sometime.”
He
started thinking of how to refuse without sounding or acting
impolite. His fertile mind started conjuring up things like doing
treadmill and other work out exercises in matching velvet tights or
motor bike rides in matching Bermuda shorts and wrist bands. This
would all be done as they exchanged cheesy pleasantries on which
fabric had a nice silky feel or which nut jelled well with vanilla
ice cream and other goofy talk. He felt immediately ashamed of his
thoughts. He felt he was being unfair on Quentin and at the very
least should hear him out.
“ I hear you like hunting and hiking.
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