‘ Now what do I do?’ Jake thought, dumping what was left of breakfast in the thrash.

He knew realistically Ethan couldn’t stay here but he just didn’t have the heart to throw him out. The kid reminded him of a puppy that had been kicked one too many times.

‘ It can’t hurt to let him stick around for a few days. I’m due some time off from the restaurant, might as well take a week and see how things go.’

Deciding to wash the pans and eating utensils after he had showered, Jake piled them all into the sink and headed to the bathroom. Ethan’s ruined cloths littered the floor and a dirty ring lined the inside of the tub. Wrinkling his nose in disgust he kicked the cloths into a corner, laid out a towel to step on and adjusted the shower to a comfortable temperature. Stepping into the tub he stood with his hands against the wall, head lowered as the warm water poured down his back and shoulders. He spent several minutes standing under the heat, content in his cocoon of wet hair and water.

Knowing the water wouldn’t stay hot forever he straightened up, washed himself thoroughly and turned off the shower. Grabbing a clean towel from the linen closet he briskly began drying his thick hair. Suddenly there was a loud thud outside the bathroom like something heavy falling to the floor. Wrapping the towel around his waist he opened the door and saw Ethan on his hands and knees, crawling slowly towards him.

“Um, what are you doing?”

Ethan’s eyes flickered to him from under tousled bangs, his cheeks turning pink.

“I need to use the bathroom but my legs gave out when I tried to stand. This seems to work though.”

Suppressing a laugh Jake walked over and helped him to his feet. “Maybe, but those are new pants your wearing. I’d rather they not have holes in the knees.”

He escorted him to the toilet where Ethan assured him he could do the rest by himself. Going to his room he quickly dressed, stuffing his long legs into a pair of black jeans and loose white shirt. Grabbing a rubber band from off the dresser he tied his damp chestnut blond hair into a ponytail, picked up the half empty cup from the nightstand and took it to the kitchen. He was filling the sink with warm water when Ethan emerged from the bathroom looking hung over.

“I can’t lay down anymore, my back’s hurting. Mind if I sit out here?”

Smiling Jake gestured to the couch. “Go ahead, you don’t need my permission. The remote’s on the TV if you want to see something.”

He watched as Ethan staggered to the couch and stretched out on it. He still looked a bit sallow and his voice was hoarse but at least the coughing seemed to be gone. Turning back to the dirty dishes he added a squirt of liquid soap into the water, sloshed things around until suds formed and started scrubbing burnt eggs off a skillet.

“Who’s this?”

Looking over his shoulder he saw Ethan holding up a framed picture of him with his arm around a slightly older guy. In the background stood a beautiful blue and white storybook castle.

“My older brother, Derrick. We were visiting out parents down in Florida and decided to hit the amusement parks.”

“You must have a close family.”

Shrugging, Jake dunked the skillet under the water and picked off the remaining egg. “I guess. Derrick lives about an hour away so we hang out a lot. We try to see our parents for the holidays but it’s nearly a three day drive to Florida and flying isn’t cheap either. But we manage. What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Ethan turned away, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. “No. I never knew my real father and my mother ran off when I was thirteen, leaving me with my stepfather. We didn’t get along.”

Afraid to say the wrong thing Jake nodded and focused on washing the dishes. An uncomfortable silence settled between them, broken only by the light splashing of water and clinking of dishes. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder he saw Ethan staring up at the ceiling, a haunted look on his face. Unable to stand it any longer he drained the sink and walked over to the couch.

“You want to watch a movie? I’ve got Pirate’s of the Caribbean, Spider Man 1 & 2, X-Men and the complete Star Wars collection.”

Ethan flicked a look at him from under his lashes. “Pirate’s is fine.”

Nodding, Jake went over to the TV, knelt down and pawed through the stack of DVD’s piled underneath it. Finding the movie he popped the disk in the player and crawled back to the couch, motioning Ethan to stay still when he attempted to sit up and make room for him. Grabbing a pillow to sit on he turned on the movie and was soon caught up in it. Halfway through the movie he glanced over at Ethan and saw that the boy was sound asleep. Lowering the volume Jake tried to get into the movie again but his mind kept wandering back to Ethan. The kid was trouble, his instincts told him that. He knew he should cut him loose as soon as possible and yet deep inside, he didn’t want him to leave.

‘ I’m being stupid. Ethan’s not a stray cat I can keep around the house, he’s an emotionally troubled kid who needs professional help.’

Feeling torn and confused Jake stared disinterestedly at the movie and brooded.