Lucky
by Nico Grey
III
Alex was positively quivering with excitement over plans for him to be Abby's therapeutic assistant again. It was a great start to his winter vacation. But he still found his thoughts straying most frequently to Fionn.
Part of Alex's interest was due to his conviction that Fionn needed help, and that he might be able to provide that help. But he was even more interested in Fionn as a person. He knew that he was smart. He approved of what he had come to know about Fionn's character. They seemed to share an interest in running. Neither had ever expressed much interest in activities involving large groups of people.
And then there was the inescapable fact that he thought Fionn really was kind of cute. He just hoped that wouldn't prove an obstacle to their friendship. Fionn didn't seem like the kind of person who would shun Alex if he discovered that he was gay. But he still might feel very uncomfortable if he discovered that Alex was gay for him.
Fionn was a topic of conversation on Saturday afternoon. Alex was excited to report that following Caleb's example, and just asking to sit with someone at lunch, had yielded results for him. He felt like he had made strides toward establishing a friendship, even if there had been ups and downs during the week.
"Now you just have to get really bad at cross-country skiing and hope that this boy turns out to be an expert," Caleb joked.
Then he explained to Alex the story of how he had bumped into Tyler skiing near his home, impressed him with his own ineptitude on skis, and their friendship had developed fairly rapidly from there. He had been working hard to improve his ability on skis— and was very grateful for Alex's help relieving the aches and pains that went along with that effort— since it gave him and Tyler a shared interest and a reason to spend more time together.
"I know I wouldn't have to try very hard to be bad at cross-country skiing." Alex considered Caleb's advice. "But I don't know if he can ski. We do both like to run," he added eagerly.
To his older friends, that seemed like something he could work with. The most important element of Caleb and Tyler's relationship was shared interests; things that they both liked to do and could do together. They discovered their personal compatibility and their friendship had developed from there.
"So I need to find out more about Fionn," Alex concluded. "It would be great if we could spend time together over vacation. I wish I knew how to get in touch with him."
Abby shook her head.
"You really need a plan, Alex," she wasn't looking him in the eye. "What do you know about him?"
Alex explained that Fionn's family had moved to Antioch in the fall because his father was the new manager of a company called 'Packwood' something.
"PPO?" That meant something to Abby. "Do you know his father's name?"
Alex struggled to remember.
"I think he said it was something like Amen?" he shrugged. "I know that his mother's name is Fiona and their last name is O'Connor."
"I'll ask my father," Abby decided. "He might have their phone number. If he doesn't, he'll know the name and we can find their contact information online."
That distraction resolved, Abby resumed enjoying the view.
Alex might also have enjoyed the view. But again, he was sandwiched between Caleb and Tyler. He realized that staring might have been too obvious under those circumstances. He didn't want to make his new friends uncomfortable. That was Abby's job.
Abby called Alex later that evening.
"Your friend's father is Eamonn O'Connor," she explained.
She already had the contact information.
"The only thing you owe me," she cut off Alex's profuse appreciation, "is to find a way to introduce me to him."
"Abby!" Alex was shocked. "I don't know if Fionn wants to do the. . . stuff. . . we do! He seems pretty shy."
"I'm not asking you to bring him to therapy," Abby explained patiently. "I just want to meet him. If there's any chance he might be interested in you, I'll figure it out. Then we can decide what needs to happen next.
"Why don't you ask him to go running with you. Or invite him to your house. Maybe both. Then you can just stop down the road and introduce him to me."
That made some sense to Alex. He didn't know quite where in Antioch the O'Connor family lived. But if they were anywhere in the southern half of town, they lived close enough to Alex's home for an easy run.
Alex thanked Abby. He shivered a bit over what her delighted cackle might promise for his future. But it really didn't make sense to look gift horses in the mouth. . . at least not until he found out what she had in mind.
Alex decided that he should probably wait until Sunday evening before he tried to call Fionn. He thought that the O'Connors were probably Catholic, maybe even rather traditional in their views, and that an interruption during the day on Sunday might not be welcome.
Fionn was surprised to hear from Alex. He was delighted, too. He wondered how Alex got his telephone number. He was pretty sure that it wasn't as easy as just looking it up online. But Fionn had also heard about gift horses and knew better than to question them.
Before their conversation became too involved, Fionn shared his contact information and they continued the conversation on Fionn's own phone.
Alex discovered that Fionn didn't live too far from their school, so the distance between them wasn't so great that it would be an obstacle for two healthy and active thirteen-year-olds. Fionn even seemed interested in running, although the snow falling outside promised to continue into Monday, possibly even turning into a major storm.
They decided to wait to see what the roads looked like before making any decision about getting together for a run. In the meanwhile, they had their phone connection, social media, and the prospect of connecting over some online gaming.
Fionn even thought that his mother might be willing to drive him to Alex's house occasionally, as long as the weather was good and his younger siblings could be left on their own for a few minutes. He described his sister Aiofe as "very responsible". She was in sixth grade, had just turned twelve, and did sometimes watch the younger O'Connors for her mother.
By the time Fionn's mother called up the stairs to remind him that, vacation or not, it really was bedtime, he realized that he and Alex had been talking, messaging, and gaming together for almost three hours. He couldn't recall spending that much time with anyone, even back when he still lived in Connecticut.
As he lay back in bed and settled down to sleep, Fionn was reminded that Alex had somehow managed to come up with his family's unlisted telephone number. He was excited that Alex had gone to so much trouble to get in touch with him. That didn't necessarily mean that Alex was highly motivated to become Fionn's friend, but it sure felt like a good sign.
Fionn settled down to sleep easily. He enjoyed another very relaxed night.
Fionn woke in the morning looking forward to whatever the day might bring him.
He looked out the front door. Six inches of snow!
It could have been worse, Fionn realized. He had already gone online to check the news and learned that his former home in Connecticut received almost two feet of snow. Providence, Rhode Island had more than three feet of snow dumped on it!
Antioch had missed out on a major winter storm. But there was still enough snow on the ground to make it unlikely that he was going anywhere on Monday. As he ate his breakfast and glanced out the kitchen window, flurries continued to drift down.
Fionn was grateful that his father contracted with a plowing service to ensure that he made it to work on schedule. But there were still paths to be cleared around the house and cleanup of anything that the plow missed. Once the snow stopped, he would be busy for at least an hour before his vacation time was once again his own.
By early afternoon, Fionn had finished shoveling the snow from walkways around his house and spreading sand over walkways and the driveway. His father had been making anxious noises about clearing the house and garage roofs before the weight of accumulated snow could damage either structure. But fortunately that had not been among the instructions he left for Fionn that morning.
Fionn wasn't upset that his brothers, Aidan and Liam, hadn't been tasked with helping him shovel. After all, they were only nine and ten years old, respectively. But because he was a teen, he was still obligated to complain about it when he spoke to Alex later on the telephone.
When Fionn also complained about the possibility that his father might soon order him to shovel their house and garage roofs, he was surprised when Alex asked him to go outside and send him a few pictures of the property.
If he had thought about it, the possibility that Alex might turn out to be a deranged stalker should have entered Fionn's mind. But he already liked and trusted Alex. Even the idea that Alex might stalk him wouldn't really have bothered him too much if it weren't for his history. As it was, the idea never even crossed his mind. He dutifully took the photos and sent them to Alex.
Alex's reply confused him.
"Do you want to do it tomorrow?"
It took a bit of back-and-forth before Fionn understood that Alex was offering to help him. His initial response was to politely decline the offer. Alex had already helped him a lot and Fionn was reluctant to add to what he perceived as a personal debt. His natural reticence only reinforced that reaction.
Eventually, Alex's persistence wore him down. Fionn checked with his mother, and it was determined that Alex was invited to visit the O'Connor's the following day. And if Mr. O'Connor agreed, Fionn and Alex would spend at least part of that time clearing house and garage roofs of the snow that had built up on top of them.
With that decision out of the way, Fionn and Alex spent the remainder of the afternoon gaming together online. It wasn't quite the same as spending time together in person, but the teambuilding nature of the activity slowly helped bring them closer together.
When Fionn was back online with Alex after dinner, Mrs. O'Connor observed it with mixed emotions. She didn't really approve of her children spending a lot of time immersed in online activities, on the telephone, or watching television.
Fiona O'Connor was also concerned because she knew that Fionn's first attempts to develop peer relationships in Antioch hadn't ended well. She never learned the full story, but her son had become much more anxious and withdrawn after a few weeks of what appeared to be rapid social progress. She hadn't followed up on her concerns then. This time she was resolved to have more involvement in what was happening to her eldest son.
When Alex arrived at her home the following day, Fiona was relieved to greet a rather ordinary boy at her front door. He appeared to be a little taller than her Fionn, equally slender, with rather longish brown hair, and wire-rimmed glasses. Her only negative observation was that he appeared quite sweaty. But that was apparently because he had run all the way to their home from his home in Judah.
Alex accepted Fiona O'Connor's grilling with good grace. When she apologized later, he even joked that Fionn had already warned him that she was a lawyer.
Alex declined Fiona's offer to let him take a shower, pointing out that he and Fionn would be getting sweaty all over again when they cleared the house and garage roofs. But he did promise to shower if they ended up spending time inside the house after the work was done. He assured her that he had a change of clothes in the backpack he was carrying.
Once Alex had given Fiona his mother's name and telephone number, she invited him to take a seat in the kitchen while she went and informed Fionn that he had arrived. Alex noticed some sort of mild tension between mother and son when Fionn joined them. It just didn't seem worth his attention.
Alex removed work boots and gloves from his backpack and waited for Fionn to get dressed to work outdoors.
The project took a little longer than necessary, Alex reflected once both roofs were clear. But they had taken their time and made sure the work got done safely.
Alex took a moment to kick himself mentally for not thinking the project through before offering to help Fionn. But he was pleased to discover that the O'Connors had a good extension ladder, several shovels, and even rope that he and Fionn could use to tether themselves together or to a chimney if they became concerned about the footing on the roof. And working carefully, a little more than two hours later they were done.
Fiona O'Connor was preparing lunch when the boys finally came back inside. She directed Fionn to show Alex to his shower and told him that neither of them would eat until they were clean.
At lunch, Alex was introduced to Aoife, Liam, Aidan, and Roisin. It was a lively and rather chaotic affair. But he enjoyed himself immensely. The idea stayed with him, and he reminded Fionn continuously with the enthusiasm in his eyes, that his friend was indeed fortunate to have younger brothers and sisters.
Fortunately, Fionn generally agreed with that sentiment. Without anyone really organizing the activity, almost by consensus, Alex and the O'Connor children ended up spending several hours after lunch sledding on a nearby hill.
Alex discovered that he enjoyed pulling Roisin up the hill on her plastic sled— even helping Liam and Aidan up the hill as the afternoon wore on and they started to tire— and taking turns with Fionn as they rode down the slope protectively with the little girl. He wasn't sure whether it was looking out for the younger children or simply being part of a large, enthusiastic group that appealed to him, but Alex had a great time.
The O'Connor children also seemed to have a great time with Alex. Aoife viewed him somewhat skeptically for a while. But almost from the start, Liam, Aidan, and Roisin thought that he was wonderful!
By the time everyone was frozen and exhausted, Alex was starting to feel like part of a family. It was only as they trudged back to the O'Connor home that he was reminded that he would be going home to life as an only child in another hour or two.
Alex had planned to run back home. But Fiona offered to drive him, if only to give him and Fionn a little more time to spend together before he had to leave.
When he and Fionn finally piled into the O'Connor family SUV, Liam and Aidan weren't ready to let Alex leave. They insisted on accompanying him home.
Roisin demanded to tag along, too. But Fiona put her foot down. Aoife promised to start preparing dinner and to keep an eye on Roisin while her mother was away. So Alex got an exuberant hug from Roisin, and a polite handshake from Aoife, before leaving the house.
Alex's mother was just arriving home when the O'Connors pulled into the driveway. That required a brief visit between Fiona and Marie that dragged into a cup of coffee and a conversation of more than thirty minutes.
Fiona was pleased by what she learned about Alex and the Fortins during her brief visit. She really appreciated how solicitous Alex was of the younger boys as he showed them around the house.
Liam and Aidan enjoyed the visit so much that they invited themselves over the following day. Alex explained patiently that he would really enjoy having them all return, but that both his parents worked and there wouldn't be an adult to supervise any visit until the weekend.
Fiona was impressed again by how mature and responsible Alex was. For a fleeting moment, she thought that she wouldn't object at all if Fionn wanted to marry this boy. Then she wondered where that idea had come from!
But on reflection, she decided that Alex would make a good partner for either Fionn or Aoife. She understood that some in her church still had very conservative views on same-sex relationships. But her principle concern was that he children grow up to be healthy and happy. And if Alex made either of her eldest children happy, he certainly seemed like a wonderful potential partner.
Before the O'Connors left, Alex and Fionn had made plans to join each other for a run the following morning. After consulting briefly with their mothers, it was decided that they should go to the O'Connor's home for lunch. But Marie Fortin was really looking forward to having Fionn— and perhaps even his brothers— visit on the weekend, when she would be home.
Alex was still energized when he called Abby later that evening. It had been a terrific day. He thought that maybe he had made some real progress in his friendship with Fionn. And he just had to share the news with somebody.
"It's a good thing you called your therapist, Alex," Abby explained. "I'll be able to help you interpret this progress correctly. Stop by my place right after breakfast tomorrow for a debriefing."
"I was hoping to meet Fionn early tomorrow," Alex complained. "Can't you debrief me now?"
"It's getting a little late for a visit," Abby told him. "And I really wouldn't get as much out of a debriefing if we tried to do it on Skype."
It took Alex a minute to understand what she was saying.
"No way, Abby!" he shrieked. "Caleb warned me that I'd have to remind you that 'no' really means no!"
"Not in therapy," Abby cackled. "In therapy, 'no' just means 'I'm too scared'. So are you too afraid, little Alex?"
She didn't give him any time to consider a response.
"Be here early tomorrow. My parents will be gone before eight. We'll do breakfast and a quick debriefing. Then you can get together with your little friend and try to conduct a debriefing of your own."
Alex was thoroughly flustered as he got ready for bed. But he set his alarm for six-thirty, as he had been instructed.
Alex found it hard to get comfortable in his shorts as he ran the next morning. Fionn seemed perfectly comfortable running alongside him, but Alex wondered what his friend would think if he knew that Alex had just spent thirty minutes talking to his therapist while she had a conversation with his naked penis. . . his mostly-erect and naked penis.
Alex couldn't figure out why the silly thing kept trying to show off. He liked Abby. He was aware that she was attractive. He just wasn't at all interested in having sex with her. But the moment his briefs came off, he couldn't help but stand up to say 'hello'. And just in case she wasn't watching closely — she always was — it kept calling attention to itself until she gave him permission to slip back into his briefs and get ready to leave.
It was enough to make Alex wonder if his therapist might have misdiagnosed him and he really was straight. Except he knew where his attractions lay. Like toward the boy running right next to him.
Alex didn't find himself getting any more physically attracted to Fionn as they spent more time together. But he could feel another sort of attraction growing. It was like he kept growing more and more accustomed to the idea of being with Fionn as he came to know him better. Physical — and even sexual — attraction hadn't changed. But he was becoming more comfortable. Comfort was turning into need. And his need was growing.
Alex really wanted to know that Fionn felt the same way about him that he felt about Fionn. But the more his need grew, the harder he found it to try to broach the subject, however subtly. Because as his need for that human connection grew, so did the loss he was risking if he discovered that Fionn didn't feel the same way.
Weirdly, the more he needed to know, the harder it became to take a chance on actually finding out. It was disturbing to realize that he probably needed to spend more time with his therapist.
After lunch, the younger O'Connors once again persuaded Fionn and Alex to take them sledding. For Alex, it was as good as spending time alone with Fionn. Instead of being Fionn's friend and running partner, when they were with the younger O'Connors it felt to Alex like he and Fionn were their older brothers.
It was a feeling that Liam, Aidan, and Roisin appeared to reciprocate. Aoife still kept some distance, observing Alex's interactions with her younger siblings watchfully. It was almost as if she sensed something unusual about Alex's intrusion into her family but couldn't quite put her finger on what it meant.
At first, Alex hadn't noticed when Fionn became distracted. It was the hectoring voices that caught his attention as they came closer.
He glanced up and finally became aware that Fionn wasn't any longer part of the family fun. He was standing at the top of the hill, his body rigid.
Then Alex noticed the approaching boys. He recognized Preston Corrie and Jason Parker; two of their classmates and friends of Thumper Frye. He felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to bristle.
Corrie and Parker weren't paying Alex any attention. They were focused on Fionn.
"Come here, Lucky," Parker sniggered, "We want to get lucky."
Corrie appeared to think it fine humor. Alex thought that he also looked rather expectant.
Fionn appeared both ashamed and deflated.
"I'm here with my brothers and sisters," he complained anxiously.
"Holy crap!" Parker exclaimed as Fionn's younger siblings began to drift in their direction. He took in Roisin's beautiful bronze hair and the coppery halo surrounding Liam's ski cap.
"It's a whole family of leprechauns!"
Roisin didn't understand the slur, but she could sense the insult. Alex saw the hurt begin to gather in her eyes.
"You guys don't belong here," he warned. "It's private property."
"Fuck off, Fortin!" Corrie sneered. "Our business is with Lucky."
"It's with me, too," Alex stepped closer to Fionn. "Get lost!"
Parker wasn't big on using his words. But when he reached out to shove Alex away, Alex ducked under his hands. He dropped a shoulder into Parker's stomach that left the boy sitting in the snow and gasping for air.
Alex didn't even have time to face off with Corrie. Before he turned around, Liam had jumped the older boy and carried him down into the snow. Aidan wasn't willing to be left out of the action, so he piled on, too.
Alex covered Fionn's back while he pulled his younger brothers off of Corrie. Then the four boys formed a wall and waited for Parker and Corrie to decide what would happen next.
As they dusted off the snow and hurried away, Parker found his voice again.
"This isn't over, Fortin!" he threatened. "We'll see you at school. Then you and your little leprechaun are going to pay for this!"
Fionn held Aidan securely while Alex restrained Liam.
Alex really did hope that Parker and Corrie would have other things on their minds when school resumed the following week.
Fiona O'Connor was concerned when her family returned home, the younger boys chattering excitedly about "beating up" some bullies that had bothered them. Alex did his best to explain to Fionn's mother what had happened. Fionn was oddly reluctant to say much at all about the incident.
Alex didn't want to upset Fionn, but he thought that Fiona should at least know that he had witnessed a couple of bullying incidents at school. He didn't provide details. But he did name names. He was a little surprised to see Fiona's ears perk up when he mentioned the name "Frye".
Alex shared that he had some friends who had trouble with Thumper Frye's older brother recently. He wasn't sure, but he thought the Fryes could be troublemakers. He was surprised again to see Fiona search Fionn's face carefully when the Fryes were mentioned.
Alex was pleased that Fionn's mother approved when he suggested that he and Fionn might run south of town and toward his home on Thursday. He didn't want to disappoint Liam, Aidan, and Roisin by abandoning them, but he thought that his friend Abby might be able to explain what had happened with the older Frye and their friends.
Fiona seemed willing to consider letting Fionn and Alex spend a few unsupervised hours in Judah. She was more enthusiastic when Alex explained that Abby's father was Jonathan West, a local attorney who had helped their friends thwart the Fryes' machinations.
Fiona had heard of Jonathan. It seemed that he might have offered some counsel about how she could get herself admitted before the bar in Vermont. Her opinion of Mr. West was quite favorable, so she was willing to endorse a visit with his daughter.
Alex just prayed that he could persuade Abby to behave herself when she met Fionn.
Alex had to admit that Abby was very well behaved— at least by 'Abby' standards— when he and Fionn visited her the following day. He had called her when he got home, after spending the day with Fionn and his family. They discussed the problem Fionn was having with Thumper Frye and his friends, as well as the rather odd reaction from Fionn's mother that Alex had noticed when the Fryes were mentioned.
Alex agreed to meet Abby for another breakfast debriefing before he jogged off to meet up with Fionn on Thursday. He was already developing a love-hate relationship with those meetings. But Abby insisted that they were necessary. And Alex decided that it would probably be best to give her what she wanted before he introduced Fionn to her later in the day.
Abby hosted Alex and Fionn for lunch after their morning run together. Alex had warned Abby that Fionn simply wasn't ready for any kind of intrusion on his personal space and was pleased that she didn't even hint that "cleaning up" for lunch might involve a bath or shower. . . even if she did inquire solicitously about how their legs were feeling following their run.
Alex guided the conversation toward they trouble that "they" were having with Thumper Frye and his friends at school. He was careful not to put Fionn on the spot by offering details or suggesting that he had become the target of bullying.
Abby commiserated and shared a few stories about the abuse that Thumper's older brother had inflicted on her friends. She described those events in mostly broad terms— she and Alex had decided that there was no need to horrify Fionn with anything as crude as the older Frye's attempted sexual assault on one of her friends in the locker room. But even the hint of bullying left Fionn subdued. When the conversation turned to mere hints of sexual abuse and some video that was shared around school, Fionn looked positively haunted.
Abby tried to restore a more positive tone to the conversation. She concluded by describing how her friends had fought back against their tormentors by sticking together, and by keeping their friends and family informed about what was happening so they could also provide support.
Abby did hint broadly that some of the treatment of her friends bordered on breaking the law and that her father had helped ensure that her friends were protected legally. And somewhere or other it came up during the course of the conversation that both Tyler and Caleb were training in jiu-jitsu to be better able to defend themselves.
That idea seemed to strike a chord with Fionn. He lit up when Abby mentioned that one of her friends was pretty small for his age but had still been able to handle Thumper's older brother quite easily. Alex didn't even have to look at Fionn. He could hear the gears turning in his head.
Before they left— Alex's panicked gestures to interrupt her notwithstanding— Abby suggested that if Fionn wanted to meet Tyler and Caleb, they usually stopped by to see her Saturday afternoon, following a morning of cross-country skiing. Alex noted that, once again, the gears appeared to be quite busy inside Fionn's head.
Alex thought it might be a good idea if he accompanied Fionn home to share what they had learned with his mother. Fionn appeared to simply take it for granted that Alex would.
But by the time they arrived at the O'Connor home, Alex was starting to wonder if it had been a good idea. The nine miles he had already run was much longer than he had ever run in a single day, and he still had three more miles to run before he was home.
Fiona O'Connor inspected the boys as they came through the front door, cocked an eyebrow, and wordlessly directed them toward the shower. Then she had to run interference to prevent her three youngest from jumping all over Alex and their older brother before the boys were clean.
Thirty minutes later, Fionn and Alex finished sharing with Fiona what they had learned from their conversation with Abby. She seemed concerned with the Fryes' capacity for malicious mischief, approving of the suggestion that maybe Fionn and Alex could starting training together in jiu-jitsu or some other martial art. She was also of a mind to contact Jonathan West to find out whether he had any ideas about how they might manage any future problems involving the Fryes.
Alex was quite impressed with how supportive Fionn's mother was of him. But he had endured enough serious conversations with his own parents to recognize that Fiona had been observing Fionn closely throughout the exchange. It always made him uncomfortable when his parents thought he might not be entirely forthcoming during an important conversation. Watching that intense observation from a trained lawyer, even directed toward her own son, well, it was unnerving.
Alex was concerned for his friend when Fionn's mother asked him to join her alone in the kitchen. He realized that he couldn't do anything to protect him, but he knew how embarrassed he'd be if he had a friend visiting and his mother pulled him aside to interrogate him over a possible transgression.
Fortunately, Fionn had a hopeful smile on his face when he and his mother returned.
"Would you like to stay and have dinner with us?" Fiona asked. "I think Mr. O'Connor would like to meet the young man who helped Fionn clear the snow off our roof."
Fionn watched Alex eagerly.
Alex greeted the question with relief. His legs had been dreading the run home. Now it sounded like he could expect a ride home from the O'Connors or from his own parents.
Fiona nudged Fionn, but he just glanced downward shyly.
"Since there is no school tomorrow, Fionn would also like it if you would spend the night," Fiona supplied for her son.
Alex was delighted to accept the offer.
"I'll just need to call my parents to get permission." Alex pulled out his phone.
He didn't anticipate an objection. But Alex had been raised properly. He understood that this was a decision that had to involve his parents.
As it turned out, Fiona had already spoken with Alex's mother. Plans had been made. Alex was approved to spend the night at the O'Connor home. He and his family would be hosting Fionn and his younger brothers for a return visit on Sunday afternoon.
As predicted, Eamonn O'Connor had been looking forward to meeting Alex. He was pleased that the snow had been cleared off the roof, of course. But he had also been hearing Alex's name around the house; first in Fionn's mouth, then coming from Liam, Aidan, Roisin, and even his wife.
Eamonn was dedicated to his career. He never considered declining the assignment to manage the PPO operation. But he understood that leaving their home in Connecticut hadn't been easy for his children, and especially for his eldest son. Now that Fionn appeared to have made a meaningful connection with a classmate, Eamonn was naturally interested in meeting this friend and assuring himself that he was likely to have a positive effect on his son.
It was subtle, but Alex understood that he was being interrogated. Fortunately, it seemed that he had all the right answers. And when Fionn's father learned that Alex's father owned a local manufacturing business, and that his family was very close to Jonathan Wright and his family, the tone of the conversation changed quickly to acceptance and welcome.
That didn't mean that Alex's trials were over. He and Fionn weren't able to escape Roisin, Aidan, and Liam until they were called to bed, one by one, by their parents. Fortunately, it was a trial that Alex enjoyed.
As the younger siblings were led away, Alex couldn't help wondering what his life would have been like if his parents hadn't chosen careers over a larger family. If his time with the O'Connors was any indication, he reflected, it probably would have made him a more sociable and happier person. Although, he realized, that he and Fionn had a lot in common despite the very different environments in which they had been raised.
Alex didn't have any answers as he followed Fionn up the stairs to his bedroom. But he did feel a longing for what had been absent from his life for its first thirteen years.
Before he reached the top of the stairs, Alex groaned. The stiffness in his calves and hamstrings was almost painful.
"Too much running today," he explained to Fionn's unspoken question.
"Yeah," Fionn understood immediately. "I'm feeling kind of stiff. I haven't done this much running since lacrosse season ended last spring."
"I probably should have let Abby give me a massage," Alex mused.
Fionn raised an eyebrow.
"She'd do that?"
"She wanted to," Alex told him. "She wants to become a therapist of some kind."
He decided it might be better if he didn't explain that in too much detail.
"She's been training me." Alex wasn't sure if it was a hint or if he was saying more than he should.
Probably a hint, he decided, as he knelt over Fionn and worked on his hamstrings. He could feel the tension in the tight muscles. He was trying to resist the tension building in his groin.
By the time Alex had worked his way down and kneaded the tension out of Fionn's calves, his friend was groaning with relief.
He considered asking Fionn to turn over so he could work on his quadriceps, but thought better of the idea. He wasn't sure it was a good idea for Fionn to be looking at him if he started enjoying himself too much. And he really didn't want to risk possibly embarrassing Fionn. So he just ran both hands under Fionn's legs and kneaded his quads carefully until he felt the tightness begin to leave them.
The sense of relief as his muscles relaxed was overwhelming. It took Fionn a few minutes to return to earth.
"Can I do that for you?" he wondered.
Alex thought that he probably could. He passed on a few basic instructions that Abby had given him and lay face-down on Fionn's bed.
Fionn proved a reasonably quick study. A little communication between Alex and Fionn helped focus his technique. It was only a matter of a few minutes before Fionn was fully immersed in his mission.
A ringing telephone was a distraction. It took Alex a moment to recognize that the ring tone was from his own phone.
He fumbled to locate his pants. Then he found his phone in a pocket.
"You didn't call me!" Abby screeched.
Alex almost leapt to attention.
He tried to explain that he was spending the night at Fionn's house. He was a guest. It would be impolite to ignore his host to call her. Besides, his legs were sore and Fionn was in the middle of massaging them.
"Put him on the phone!" Abby commanded.
Alex and Fionn looked at each other in confusion. Alex shrugged and handed him the phone.
After a brief conversation, Fionn pinched the phone between a shoulder and ear and resumed his massage. His end of the conversation included a lot of 'okays' and 'uh-huhs'. Alex could feel the improvement in Fionn's technique.
Then Fionn shrieked in surprise.
Alex turned to look at him. The phone had fallen on the bed.
"She says you're supposed to be naked!" Fionn's eyes were comically huge.
Judging from the faint cackle coming from the telephone speaker, Alex was sure that Fionn wasn't mistaken.
"Abby!" Alex picked up the phone and admonished her. "You freaked Fionn out."
"He'll get over it," Abby was certain. "He's seen you naked before. You've told me that you're in the same gym class. So what's the big deal?"
Alex sighed.
"Abby. We don't wash each other in the shower."
"Well, you should," she said. "I don't understand why you boys have such issues with casual intimacy. It's really kind of fun."
Alex checked to make sure Fionn was alright. Beyond the mild shock, it appeared that he'd recover.
"Can we talk about this another time?" Alex requested.
"Sure. I'll explain it to you and Fionn. Saturday afternoon. Make sure you're both here for lunch."
She hung up.
It took Alex a while to connect the dots. He almost called Abby right back. Instead, he kept his priorities in order. Fionn had already resumed his massage.
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