Friendly Chat

“Hey.”

“Hey, back.”

Closing the door to his flat, Eddus walked to the lounge area, where Mo was lying on the sofa reading a book, his head resting on Jay’s thigh. He sat down on the adjacent sofa, nodding to them.

“How goes it?” Mo dog-eared the page of the book he held and closed it, receiving a scowl from his boyfriend. Jay quickly grabbed the book, opened it, and tried to flatten the corner of the page that had been folded.

Eddus smiled, nodding again as he leaned back against the pillows of the sofa.

“No class today?” he asked.

“Long weekend,” Mo said with a smile. "Faculty holiday. Four days of freedom.”

“Is Abbi still asleep?” Placing the book between his thigh and the arm of the sofa, Jay glanced in the direction of Eddus’ flat.

“She’s showering. We had a bit of a late night.”

“Is that why we didn’t see you after the show?” Mo’s eyes widened, and he grinned at his friend. “Eddus, you dog!”

“Be nice, you!” Jay gave Mo’s forehead a sharp tap with his fingertips. Mo gave Eddus a wink before turning his head to look up at Jay, who narrowed his eyes at him.

“We took in a movie.”

“He’s just being a schmuck.” Shaking his head, Jay rolled his eyes at his partner and looked up at Eddus.

“By the time it let out and we walked to Shem’s, you guys had gone.”

“Really, Ed, don’t mind this one,” Jay tapped Mo’s forehead again, who still wore a grin. “You don’t have anything to explain.”

“We did have a quick drink before coming home.” In truth, Eddus had ordered a cappuccino, and Abbi a glass of cranberry juice.

While he didn’t owe any sort of explanation, he did feel bad that he’d lost track of what day it was and hadn’t even given it a thought until he saw a digital display showing the time, day, date, and temperature in a window that he and Abbi had walked past after the movie. Upon remembering that it was Wednesday, they’d made their way to the pub in hopes of catching up with his friends.

“Never mind that.” Jay fiddled with one of Mo’s tightly curled locks as he spoke. “I’m actually glad you missed last night’s show.”

“Really?”

“I’m glad you had a reason to miss the play, Ed. While I, for one, love having you show your support every week, I have to admit that you’ve sorely needed something else.”

Both Eddus and Mo listened to Jay, looking at him with interest. While not at all shy, Jay didn’t often voice an opinion on matters that had to do with the personal goings on of others. He usually found it vulgar to weigh in on things that didn’t concern him directly, and he didn’t like being rude.

“Personally, I think that your having met that young lady in your flat is probably the best thing to have happened to you in a long time. I am glad to see you spending time with someone outside of our little family.” Jay glanced down at Mo, then again met Eddus’ gaze. “No offence...”

“None taken,” Eddus chuckled, amusedly. “So I can take it that you approve?”

“Of Abbi? Yes. Well, I like her, from what I know of her,” Jay said. “And if she makes you happy, then I think it’s great.”

“Gee, thanks, dad.” Mo laughed. He tried unsuccessfully to dodge Jay, who rapped his forehead a bit more forcefully.

“Be nice, you!” Jay scowled at his boyfriend, to which Mo gave Eddus a sheepish look.

Eddus lowered his gaze, smiling to himself, thinking about Jay’s words.

’...from what I know of her...”

To be honest, he didn’t really know much about Abbi. While she’d answered all the questions that he had asked, she spoke little about herself personally. He didn’t know anything about, or even if she had, a family. He barely knew where she lived, and that was only after having been given a glimpse of the faerie-ring.

He knew she was young and that he was somehow attracted to her playful spirit. He knew she seemed to find pleasure in making him uncomfortable, as though it were a game. And despite the discomfort he sometimes felt when he was with her, when she spoke his name, everything in him felt right.

Also, he knew that she was not human. In light of the very little he did know, he really knew nothing at all.

“So?”

Eddus blinked and looked at Mo and Jay, who both seemed to be watching him expectantly.

“So what...?” he asked. From their expressions, he guessed that they were awaiting an answer. He’d been so deep in thought, he’d zoned out.

“It’s not that hard a question,” Mo squinted his eyes at his friend. “Does she make you happy?”

“Abbi?”

“No, ‘Eddie,’ the other young lady staying in your flat with you,” Mo laughed.

“She... she does,” Eddus said absently, his mind wandering back to the fact that he didn’t know much about her. She was a faerie. And while she’d said that faeries and humans weren’t that different, he really didn’t know what that meant.

It then occurred to him that he didn’t need to know anything about the girl. Oddly enough, he enjoyed her company, and that was more than enough.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Jay sighed, giving Mo a look that was something like a glower, but also a look of fondness. “I’m sorry your friend is such an ass sometimes, Eddus.”

Glancing quickly toward the door to his flat, Eddus chuckled, catching himself before telling Jay not to apologize. It amused him that he automatically checked to make sure that Abbi was not in earshot.

“May I ask you another question?”

“Of course.” Shaking his head, Eddus met Jay’s gaze.

“Just how old is Abbi?”

“How old-?” The question caught him off guard, and he gave a short laugh. “I honestly have no idea.”

“You know,” Mo said as he rolled onto his side and sat up, looking from Jay to Eddus, “I’ve wondered the same thing.”

“I’m just curious, Ed,” Jay spoke at the same time, giving his partner a look. “It really doesn’t matter. Abbi is a sweetheart, and from the little I have seen, you two are good for one another.”

“Again, I don’t know,” Eddus said.

“She’s of age, isn’t she?” Mo lowered his voice, a concerned look on his face. He gave a sharp grunt as Jay jabbed an elbow into his ribs, giving him a pained glance. “Well, you have to admit, she looks really young.”

“Well, I think Shem seemed to know who she is. The night we met, he waved at her when we went inside the pub, as though he’d seen her before.” The memory of the petite young woman curled up next to him in his bed came to mind. He thought he was sure she was an adult, albeit a young one. He certainly wouldn’t have entertained her at all the night that they’d met if he’d really had a question about it. “I have asked her, but she’s only ever said that she’s older than I think, and that it’s impolite to ask a woman her age.”

“Well, it is,” Jay said matter-of-factly. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It doesn’t matter how old she is. You’re both adults. It’s just so good to finally see you happy.”

“Yeah,” Eddus said, not looking toward his flat this time. A moment later, he couldn’t help but to grimace slightly as he heard the door to his flat open.