In last week's No Way Out, if you'll recall, Shy met Wyatt clandestinely at the grocery store. So, what now? Find out in episode #10, and then don't forget to visit the other Briefers, whose links follow my tale. Enjoy!
They didn’t speak. Wyatt pushed the cart while Shy located
the items on his list, carefully marking each one off once he placed it in the
cart.
“Checking it twice?” Wyatt quipped.
Shy gave him a quizzical look.
“You know. Like Santa Claus?” Wyatt felt his joke fall flat,
but forged ahead anyway. “He’s making a list, checking it twice.” That produced
a small smile and Wyatt felt emboldened. “Gonna find out who’s naughty and
nice.”
The smile faded.
Damn, he felt stupid. Had he struck a nerve?
The next moment the mask was back in place, and Wyatt felt
like the scum of the earth. Be more careful, he cautioned
himself. You’re treading a fine line here...
“Um, do you cook?” He quickly changed the subject. They
stood in the meat department. Shy critically
examined two packages of beef, comparing them. He selected one, set the other
back. “Yes, I do all the cooking.” He began to riffle through the chicken
parts, eyeing the thighs and the drumsticks in particular.
“I love to eat but I’m not much of a cook,” Wyatt confessed.
“I practically live on ramen most of the time.”
“That’s not good for you. Too much sodium.”
“Yeah, well, it’s cheap.” Wyatt laughed. “Since I’ve been
housesitting, I’m eating better, I have to admit. Mr. Masterson isn’t stingy at
all with the food budget.”
Did Shy wince, or did Wyatt imagine that? Damn, he seemed to
be hitting every one of Shy’s nerves today, clumsy oaf that he was. But it was
difficult to know what might or might not set him off. And Shy wasn’t exactly
being forthcoming either.
Wyatt was determined to get through to him, no matter how
long it took. He was a patient man. He had to be—art wasn’t created in a day.
He held his tongue until he noticed that every item on the
list had been marked off, then turned the cart in the direction of the snack
area, which was empty at the moment. “What kind of soda do you drink?”
“I can’t drink soda. Just water.”
Wyatt tamped down on the desire to raise an eyebrow. “Oh,
okay. Water it is. Want some chips with
that? Popcorn?” he hastily amended. He was finally catching on. Healthy only.
For whatever reason. “No butter, no salt.”
Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief when Shy nodded. That was a
start. They took the farthest table in the back, and set the cart out of the
way. Wyatt watched Shy slide into the bench seat. Once he was fairly sure the
blond wasn’t about to bolt, he went to the counter, bought their snacks and
drinks, and carried the tray back, setting the contents on the table. He took
the seat across from Shy, resisting the urge to sit beside him. That would not
be a good idea, he realized.
Besides, he could watch Shy’s expressions better this way.
Wyatt had a feeling he really needed to pay attention to those. He was feeling
his way through unfamiliar territory, and he needed to see Shy’s reactions to
know when he was keeping to the right path and when he was making a misstep.
He instinctively unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and handed
it to Shy. “Thanks.” Shy took it and drank, peering at Wyatt over the bottle. Such beautiful blue eyes. Wyatt ached to
get them on canvas.
Where to begin? Wyatt wanted to know everything, but what
subjects were safe? The last thing he wanted was to make Shy uncomfortable. Or,
worst case scenario, cause him to run.
“Have you lived in the neighborhood long?”
“Fifteen years.”
The response surprised Wyatt. And unsettled him. He began to
do the mental math. Assuming Shy to be maybe twenty or twenty-one, that
meant... he’d been just a little boy? What the hell. He swallowed his next
words, rather than blurt out something harsh about Randy. He needed facts, not
conjecture.
“Oh.” He kept his voice deliberately noncommittal. “Long
time. “
Shy nodded. He
reached for the bag of popcorn, popped a swollen kernel between his lips with careful
deliberation. Wyatt watched, fascinated by the grace in his motion. His cock
gave a twitch.
“Where did you and Randy live before that?” Wyatt ripped
open his bag of barbecue chips, releasing a spicy fragrance he could fairly
taste. Shy’s eyes flickered briefly to the chips and away.
“Nowhere.” The reply was sharp and succinct. “That’s when we
moved in with him. Fifteen years ago.”
Tread lightly...
lightly...
“Hey, I’ll trade you some of my chips for some of your
popcorn?” Not waiting for an answer, he placed a few of the crisp red treats in
his hand and held it out to Shy, counting on instinct and desire to override
whatever held him in check. “Go ahead,”
he encouraged him. You know you want
to...
A moment passed that felt like a lifetime before Shy’s hand
shot out and claimed the chips and practically inhaled them. After he chewed
and swallowed, Shy tentatively licked his lips—whether to savor the flavor or
remove a telltale trace of spice, Wyatt couldn’t be sure.
Shy stiffened and his cheeks flamed as he cast his eyes down
on the table. Wyatt got the feeling he was waiting for something... but what?
And then it hit him. Shy expected to be punished for what he’d done. Was Randy
that strict about his diet?
Or was there more to the story than met the eye? Surely this
wasn’t just because of a few grams of polyunsaturated fat?
Shy’s lower lip trembled. Wyatt had to resist the urge to
brush his thumb over it, to reassure him that everything was all right. How
could he when he didn’t know what was wrong.
He could barely hear the words that forced themselves out.
He had to lean in, in spite of himself.
“Please... don’t tell... Randy...”
The agony in Shy’s eyes tugged at his heart.
to be continued
Now go see what the rest of the Wednesday Briefers are doing!
Absolutely loving this story Julie! Good storyline and great pacing despite the shortness of the chapters. Can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteI'm on th edge of my seat, but at the same time I am a bit hesitant to find out how bad things are or can get for Shy. I really didn't understand in the beginning, why he seemed so trapped. I know abusers (Randy is an abuser and not a dom, imho) can strip their victims of confidence and make them believe no one else will want them. But, it seemed much more severe than that. Shy has no thought at all of escape. It seemed like something more was going on, so it clicked when the possibility that he was with Randy as a child was raised. That is one of the examples of why I'm almost not wanting to know how bad this really has been for Shy. I wonder if Randy will figure out he was with Wyatt? It is so sad watching Shy so scared at all times. Every move, even the smallest ones, are done with exact control. You can't help but really be sad/worried for him. I am glad Wyatt is able to pick-up on little things b/c he may figure out what is happening sooner. The encouraging thing is that Shy still wants more. He may be terrified, but if he really had no hope at all, he'd not have risked meeting Wyatt at the store. He wouldn't have dared take those chips b/c if nothing else, Shy is programmed to only do what is allowed! I really am enjoying this story and you do a great job of bringing out the emotions and exposing us to the life Shy is living in. Looking forward to more! Though I hope we can see Shy out of there soon, I am really curious what his history is with this sadistic perv, Randy. Why was he put with this man and how old was he? Why does he seem to have no one? The other big question is who else moved in with him to Randy's house, since he says it was when 'we' moved in with him? great story
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