Ross pulled up in front of Cecil’s house and put his car in park. He sighed and leaned on the steering wheel, staring up at the door, waiting for Cecil to appear. It was eight thirty-o’clock, and they were running late. Cec’s appointment was for ten; they still had to battle morning traffic and catch a quick breakfast. He sighed again and honked the horn.

Finally, just as he was about to get out of the car, the front door opened and Cecil stumbled out and down the walk. Today he was dressed in a lovely dark green tshirt that accented his lovely eyes, tucked into light blue jeans with a rip in one knee that spanned from inseam to outseam. Beat-up scruffy sneakers covered his feet, and a black ball cap with a thin silver cross pin on the front shaded his eyes. His hair didn’t look completely brushed, but rather hastily combed back. Knowing full well how vain Cecil was when it came to his hair, Ross smiled and pulled a brush from his back seat, then leaned over and opened the door for Cecil.

Gratefully Cec slipped into the seat, closed the door, and clicked his seat belt into place. He pulled the cap off his head, took the offered brush, and began vigorously stroking his hair. "Sorry I’m late. Matt just woke me up—Tanner had to shove me out the door." He laughed a bit.

Ross put the car into drive and pulled out into the street. "No big, Cec. What do you want for breakfast?"

Immediately Cecil broke into chant, "IHOP, IHOP, IHOP!"

Ross laughed as he exited their neighborhood. "How did I know you’d say that?"

In about ten minutes, the two were seated in the back of the non-smoking section of the town’s one and only International House of Pancakes. Cecil opened his menu and leaned his elbows on the table, head bowed, and scanned it. Ross crossed his arms on the table and leaned over, reading Cecil’s upside down.

The waitress with the name "Melanie" written across her plastic nametag came over and pulled out a pad. "What can I get you to drink, boys?"

"I’ll have a coffee, extra cream," Ross said, then looked at Cecil.

"Um…. Hot chocolate, please. With extra whipped cream," Cec added.

"Sure thing, sweetie." Melanie looked down at Ross. "Would you like me to bring you another menu, hun?"

"Nah, that’s all right. I know what I want." Ross smiled sweetly at her. "But thank you anyway."

"Sure." She flipped the pad closed and walked back to the kitchens.

Cecil glanced up at Ross, then back at the menu before the other boy could see the flash of pain in his eyes. For some reason Ross’ flirting with that waitress stung, and he couldn’t place why. He blew bubbles in his water.

And he didn’t have to look so adorable today, either, Cecil thought moodily. Ross had dressed in a loose-fitting thin cotton button-down shirt of black, dark blue jeans, and sneakers. His dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a few wisps left out to delicately frame his face.

"Cec? Cec, man, are you okay?" Ross waved his hand in front of Cecil’s face for a moment. "Hello? Anybody home? The lights are on." He gently knocked on the top of Cecil’s head.

The redhead blinked and shook his head. "What?"

"Dude, you’ve done bubbled half your water over the rim of that cup." Ross held up a handful of sopping napkins and nodded at the nearly empty glass. "You only blow bubbles in your drinks when something’s bothering you. What’s up?"

"Nothing." Moodily Cecil began bubbling away with what was left of his water, refusing to meet his friend’s lion eyes.

"Are you nervous about this psychiatry appointment? Is that it? Don’t worry, Cec." Ross smiled reassuringly from across the table. "It’s not as bad as all that. I know, I used to see a psychiatrist, back when my ol’ man split."

"I’m not worried about that," Cecil said somewhat-truthfully around the straw in his mouth.

"Then what is it?"

"I don’t want to talk about it."

Ross stared at the water puddling around the glass on the table, then sighed and picked up a handful of napkins and began mopping up the water. "Okay. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s all right."

Cecil heard the underlying hurt in his friend’s voice and cursed himself. Dammit, there you go doing it again, he berated himself and sighed. When did life get so complicated?

"So, um," Ross began uncertainly, glancing up at Cecil shyly. "No One’s playin’ a gig up at Maplewood tomorrow night. You wanna come see us play? You haven’t been to one of my concerts in a while."

"I know," Cecil said softly around his straw. "I’m not sure if I can make it, though."

"Oh." Ross dropped his eyes to the menu and stared at the special.

"Sorry."

"That’s all right. No problem." He sighed and crumpled up an already sopping napkin. "No problem what so ever. Excuse me." He scooted out of the booth and walked towards the back of the restaurant towards the bathrooms.

Cecil dropped his head onto the table with a dull thud. "Stupid, stupid, stupid idiot," he muttered and began beating his head against the table. "I am such an idiot. Why did I do that?" He wanted to go, he really did. Why did he have to say no?

Melanie came back with their drinks and her pad at the ready. She set Ross’ coffee opposite Cec, placed the pot on the edge of the table, and delicately put his cocoa out of the way of the puddles spreading across the table. "Where’d your charming friend go?"

"He’ll be back," Cecil muttered at the table. I hope. He didn’t raise his head.

"All right. Do you know what he wants, or do you think he’d need another minute to decide?"

"Honestly, lady, I haven’t a clue."

"Okay," she chirped congenially. "I’ll be back." And she was gone.

Great going, Cecil, he thought. Now you’ve even run off the waitress. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ross just left you here. He sighed and raised his head enough to take the straw into his mouth and blow on it, but the only thing left in the glass was ice, and ice cubes don’t bubble very well. Eyes closed, he sighed again and let the straw’s thin rim scratch the back of his throat.

"Here, I’ll trade you. I just want the ice, anyway."

Cec lifted his eyes to find Ross smiling at him, holding up a sweating glass of half-melted ice water. The brunette raised his eyebrows, his eyes asking a silent question. Cecil nodded mutely and traded glasses with him, then smiled hesitantly. Ross grinned back and stirred some ice into his piping hot coffee, then added three sugars and four creams. Cec smiled and laid his head on the table.

Melanie returned and took up their menu and took down their order, and with a promise to return "right quick," vanished again. Ross glanced at his watch, then back up at Cec. "We’re going to have to hurry and eat if we’re going to get you to your appointment on time."

"Okay." He lost himself in tracing patterns in the water puddle.

Ross laughed and laced his fingers together, elbows on the table. He placed his chin on his fingers and watched Cecil play in the water. He’s so cute, like a child. What ever am I going to do with him?

At that moment the waitress reappeared with their food. Ross noticed Cecil was only picking at his chocolate pancakes, waiting until the syrup soaked in and turned them to mush and then making patterns in the mush with the prongs on his fork. Lightly he rested his hand on top of the redhead’s. Eyes wide and somewhat startled, Cecil looked up and met his friend’s. Ross smiled gently.

"It’ll be all right, Cec. I promise. Stop worrying so much. I’ll be right there with you."

Cec dropped his eyes onto his pulp again. "I know."

"Then what’s bothering you so much? Tell me, please."

"I don’t know." He poked at his bacon and toast a bit and began sopping up the extra syrup that escaped the mushy pancake remains with the toast. The younger boy looked up and smiled a bit into Ross’ eyes. "If it gets to be too bad, I’ll talk to you, okay? I promise."

"All right." Lightly Ross squeezed Cecil’s hand, then he released it. "Since you’ve ruined your food, want to split mine?"

"Sure." Cecil smiled, and Ross scooped half of his pancakes onto his toast plate, then handed it over to him. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Ross smiled back and poured some apple syrup onto Cecil’s pancakes. "Anytime at all."

Shadowy: Sorry it took so long to get this up. It’s been typed for a long time now, but I thought I’d be adding more to this chapter. Guess not. Anyway! Please R&R this story and my others, like Forbidden and What Dreams May Come if you wouldn’t mind. Thankies much!!

Cecil: At least she got my chapter up… *Death-glares Shadowy*

Shadowy: ^.^;;