Desederio 3
#3 of Desiderio
The next day was nice and warm, with a hint of grass and dirt mixing in the air. It was a perfect setup for any day. Though I can tell this won't be just any day for someone. I slapped that grin I was known for and trotted down to the lockers for the job set-up for the day. "Hmm...Ian really needs some writing classes." I muttered to myself as I squinted at the paper. Looked like my usual duty from looking at it. Then I took a quick glance at the whole paper and...let's just say my smile got plenty wider.
Soon as I decided it was time to start getting work done, I headed out from the room. And soon as I heading out from the room, who should stop by but no other than our not-so-mysterious friend. Trey and I bumped into each other as we passed the door. Immediately, his ears flattened and he looked away. But I wasn't gonna let him take that route today.
"Well, if it isn't little Trey!" I spoke with a sort of loud enthusiasm, wanting him to know I was happy to see him. "Oh, hey Griff." he spoke still in that timid manner. "So how're you feeling today?" I needed him to break out of his shell, at least a little. "Good, I guess." He trudged past me into the room, avoiding trying to touch me. "Damnit..." I thought. He still did not want to talk to me.
"Sorry."
My ears perked up and whipped my head, looking over toward Trey. "What'd ya say?" "I said 'sorry'." Even though he still sounded nervous, Trey was fighting bad for words. "Sorry about running off yesterday. I just..." "Hey, it's alright. I understand." Trey looked at me, finally getting the courage to do so. "It's not easy being the new kid. You're just nervous." He nodded, smiling a little.
"Well well, finally a smile for me huh?" I smiled back with a little laugh. Maybe I was managing to get through. Maybe now was my chance.
"Hey Trey, mind doing me a little favor?" "Um, sure. What?" There was lightness in his face, his body letting go of the nervousness. "There's a job I gotta do later, but I need some help with it. Mind giving me a hand?" He smiled more and agreed to help me.
Truth be told, I didn't need any help with lifting hay. But he didn't know that. Hours of the day passed, and finally we got to what I waited for. Trey came up to me, running to the barn door. I already set most of the bales out for picking up, so we could get started. You wouldn't think Trey a heavy-lifter, but surprisingly he can pull some pretty hefty weight. He certainly pulled more than most kids I had to help.
I set a bale down, feeling the sweat mat my shirt down. It got nice and stuffy too. Thank god that was the last one. I took a deep breath, sniffing the heavy scent that I'm sure Trey could smell too. "Well, looks like we're done." I spoke, panting a little from the work. Trey, however, looked like he just bench-pressed his own weight. Can't blame him, since I'm sure it's his first time lifting things this heavy. "Guess it's time for a quick break, huh?" "Oh yeah. Big time." Trey managed to groan out, hands on his knees trying to hold himself up. Though the second he raised his head, his body froze still.
Though, me being shirtless probably caused that.
The moment pictured in my mind was like the typical topless scene: some hottie on screen pulling his head out of his shirt, exposing his wet and sleek body from some activity unknown. To me, it felt relieving just to get out of my sweaty and smelly shirt. I pretended like I hadn't noticed Trey was watching me. However, I could feel his eyes fixed on me, like I could feel the heat radiating from my shoulders. I shook my head, flinging the sweat from my hair. Finally, I decided to notice Trey watching. I'm just glad his mouth wasn't open, or he'd be scraping dirt off his tongue for days
"Oh, sorry." I tried to play the "oh, stupid me" card, putting on my bashful face. "I just really needed to air myself out." It was a genuine excuse, but Trey couldn't help but watch.
I tossed my shirt on a wooden railing, continuing to pretend I wasn't showing off. I was beginning to wonder if Trey was catching on. His eyes told me everything; he was entranced.
"You know, you've been staring at me a lot." I chuckled out. Through his golden brown fur, I could see a hint of pink fill out his cheeks. "Oh uh...well it-uh...I just wasn't..." He fumbled with his words like a toddler with a ball. It was kinda cute actually. Finally he came out and said "I had no idea you looked that good." "Well when you work around here a lot, your body gets like that. Ian's a prime example." "But...hes not built like you." "That's my point." It took a while to sink in, but he eventually burst out laughing. Maybe I finally managed to get him out of his shell. Well, only one way to know for sure.
"So Trey, you don't have anything going on this weekend, right?" "We-well no. Why?" "I was thinking, since I got a few tickets to a football game on Sunday, and I have no one to go with. I was kinda hoping..." "You...you want 'me' to go with 'you'?" I smiled at his bashfulness. "You don't have to go. I just thought you might like some plans during the weekend." "Oh no no, I'd love to go!" There. I finally got through to him. "Good. 5:00 sounds good for a pick-up?" "Sure. Here, let me write down my address."
He took a small sheet of paper and scribbled down a long series of numbers and words. But the longer I looked at it, the more the address seemed familiar. "This is...This is a college campus, right?" "That's right." Trey looked surprised. "How'd you know?" "Well...The street name and address looks familiar." I took a harder look at it, searching my brain intently. "I think...this is actually where I used to be when I was in college." "No way! So...So you went to Leon Valley?" "Well well, small world isn't it?"
Guess it turns out that Trey and I had a lot more in common than we thought. Or at least I thought anyway. Maybe it was just a coincidence and it didnt mean too much. But now, I finally managed to connect with Trey and break him out of his shy spell. And that was enough of a victory for me.
I grabbed my shirt, thanked Trey for the help and walked out of the barn, address in hand. I trucked back to my car to keep the piece of paper in.
"You are just plain evil." I snapped my head back, seeing Tessa with a glare as sharp as broken glass. "I thought I told you to be nice to him!" "I was bein' nice to him," I uttered back at her. "Taking your shirt off for him to stare at is what you call nice?" "Maybe 'somebody' shouldn'tve let him know he'd see me shirtless before the summers over?" I was begging for a hard slap in my face, I could tell already. "Oh well then, by all means, go ahead and strut around naked then." "Are you sure that's for Trey or for you?" I grinned to try and let her know I was sarcastic. Didn't help a damn bit.
I could see Tessa was getting real frustrated, even going so far as to raise her hand against me. I know I deserved it for being an ass, but she pulled herself back down.
"Besides, that's not the only thing I did for him." I flashed his address in front of Tessa. She opened her mouth, but I butted myself in. "Now, before you get the wrong idea, I'm picking him up, to go see a game, at 5:00." Her mouth quickly shut itself afterwards.
"I know you're protective of him, but you can't shield him forever. Im just trying to let him know that there are some people who can like him." "I know Griff," Tessa joined. "I just have never seen you go so far for someone you don't know. Especially for someone who likes you." Silence swept between us as I placed the address in my car.
"Oohh so that's why." I turned my head yet again. "Why what?" "Why you're acting this way. It's cause he likes you. And maybe...you like him a little bit?" I slammed my truck door.
"That's kind of a ballsy thing to say, for you." "I was just asking, no need to get testy." "I'm not testy. I just don't understand what your point is." "Griff, don't be stupid." She started poking at my chest, like my father. "Your girlfriend dumped you, we all know it. So maybe you're using Trey to help bounce back." "Tessa, I'm not using him!" I started to use a little firmness in my words. "I'm not sure what you're insisting, but if you think I'd hurt him in any way..." "See, Griff? This is exactly what Im talking about." Tessa started pushing back, physically and verbally. "You're getting defensive, over someone you just met. Admit it, you like him."
I slumped against my car door, looking down and trying to think everything through. Why was I getting so defensive, and so suddenly? Sure, I might like him a little. But I doubt I could really share the same feelings Trey has for me. Or...could I? Nah, Im way too much of a man to even think about that sort of thing.
"Tessa. No matter how you wanna look at it, Im still taking him to the game." "I didnt say you couldnt. You made the date with him, after all." She started walking away. "I just want you to make sure of what you're doing."
She didnt need to worry about that. I know what I'm doing. I was just trying to be nice, that's all. I wasn't gonna take him to my house or nothing. Least, not until we get to be good enough friends. After all, it was just two guys going to a football game.
What could possibly happen?