Chapter Seven- Dougie’s Truth

“Teach me! I’m here!” he announced dramatically the second I pulled open the front door. He was stood on the doorstep, his arms thrown out on either side of himself. It was pouring with rain.

I laughed, “Hurry up and get in here. You’re soaking.”

“I would think so,” he agreed cheerfully. “Or I’ve had an invisible umbrella over me for the twenty minutes I’ve been walking in the rain.”

Grabbing him by the arm, I pulled him in, “You walked?! Why would you do that?! Stay here. I’ll get you a towel.” I jogged upstairs and tugged one off the banister. The awkward angle caused it to land on my head, and I pulled it off before going back downstairs.

Taking hold of Dougie’s arm again, I pulled him into the kitchen. Thankfully, my mum was out, and I could do this. I set the towel on the table and looked at him. His teeth were staring to chatter. “Take off your clothes.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, “Well, Thomas!”

“No,” I said simply. “I’ll dry your clothes while you’re here. You can borrow some of mine until you leave. Jumper off.”

“I would, but I’m having trouble moving my fingers.”

I sighed, “Okay. Fine.” I opened the drier, and moved to him. I gripped the bottom of his hoodie and pulled it up over his head.

“Freezing,” he muttered.

I gave him a narrow look, “This is why you don’t go for a stroll in the rain.” It had soaked through, and his t-shirt was drenched. I pulled it out, amused when it made a little air bubble over his skin. Then I pulled it off and threw it in the drier as well.

He reached for the towel and wrapped it around his shoulders clumsily. I smiled, and used it to towel the worst of the drips off his hair before turning my attention to his lower half.

“Lift your foot,” I commanded, kneeling in front of him. He obeyed- the lack of crude comment showing how cold he was. I tugged off his sodden Vans, and his socks joined the clothes in the drier. I looked up at him.

“Your fingers ready to work yet?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Right.” I undid his belt slowly, sliding it out and setting it to the side, before reaching towards his beige cut-offs that had been darkened by the rain. I undid the button and slid down the fly, before easing his trousers off. As I deposited them in the drier, I felt his eyes on me.

I looked back to meet his gaze. He had stopped all movement, and was just watching me carefully. “What?” I asked bluntly.

He appeared to snap out of something, “What? Oh, nothing.”

I frowned, “You okay?”

“Bloody cold.”

I stood up, “Well, I’ll let you take off your boxers. And you can go upstairs and put on something of mine. They should be dry when you leave. I’ll make you some hot chocolate and be right up.”

*****

I snorted when I entered my bedroom with the mugs. Dougie was standing in front of my mirror, wearing my black jeans and my Star Wars hoodie. He’d be wearing other stuff as well, but that was all I could see. “They’re a bit big, aren’t they?”

He turned and grinned at me. I couldn’t see his feet, and the sleeves of the hoodie covered his hands. “I’m too small,” he complained, flapping the sleeves comically.

“Less of you to warm up, then,” I told him, holding out one of the mugs.

“Thanks,” he responded brightly, wandering to the bed with it and sitting down.

I watched him, “You warmer now?”

“Yeah, thanks. Still a little shivery, but warming up steadily.”

“You wanna take a shower?” I asked in concern. “I can wait.”

“Or you could join me in the shower and make sure I…warm up,” he suggested, taking a seemingly innocent sup of his hot chocolate with wide eyes.

“Watch it,” I chided. “I’m your boyfriend’s best friend. Oh, and I’m your ex. I forgot about that.”

“Erm… Thank you?” he asked with a hint of insult.

“Sorry, but- to be fair- I never really dated you, did I?” I remarked. “We had one date. And… I have no idea what I did. I’m sorry. Sorry for making you think you had to be something you’re not.”

“It wasn’t you, Tom,” he said with such conviction that I looked at him in shock. He was staring into his mug. “You didn’t do anything. I made myself change.”