Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
For two whole days, Wayne and Katy don’t say a word to each other more than necessary. They avoid touching at all, or even being in the same room together, let alone sharing a bed. Wayne grinds his teeth the entire time and Katy has constant heartburn.
Friday rolls around, and after an early dinner, Dad drops Katy off for her date with Maisie. They hadn’t bothered to check the runtime, so when the credits finally roll and Katy checks her watch, it’s way later than she’d expected it would be. Oops.
“I’ll wait with you for your Dad.”
“What about you? When are you getting picked up?”
“Oh, I live just around the corner, really. I can walk to my house before you can drive to yours. It’s alright, just call home.”
The phone rings and rings, and an embarrassing amount of time passes before someone picks up.
“Hey, Dad, sorry the movie ran late. Can you come get me now, please?”
The voice that answers almost makes her flinch.
“Mum and Dad have already gone to bed. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
It’s the most Wayne’s said to her since their fight.
“Appreciate it. Thanks.” Katy barely has time to finish before she hears dial tone.
Katy sighs. “Yeah. Apparently my parents have already hit the hay, so Wayne’s picking me up.”
Maisie’s expression doesn’t so much change as it freezes in place, and the streetlights show up the shadows on her face as her smile calcifies into a grimace.
“It’s nothing, never mind,” Maisie tries, but her tone contradicts her words.
“No, really. Come on, out with it.”
“Wayne’s a bit weird, is all. I’m sure he doesn’t like me.”
Katy rolls her eyes. “He doesn’t like most people. If it’s not farming or you’re not a farmer, he’s not interested.”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. He doesn’t really have any friends and he’s, you know, slow. The only people he hangs out with are other freaks, like that kid who wears his barn clothes to school and smells like cow shit all the time. Well, except you, of course. But it’s not like you have a choice. You have to hang out with him. He is your brother, even if he’s kind of a retard.”
It takes Katy a minute to process what she’s just heard.
“What the fuck did you just call him?”
Maisie giggles, a little shrill. “What?”
Katy squares up. “Did I stutter? What. The fuck. Did you just call Wayne.”
“Oh, relax. Everyone knows he’s a bit, you know. Special ed.”
“No. No, that’s not what you said earlier. I wanna hear you say it again. Go on, say it.” Katy’s voice is flat and low, dangerous.
“Okay, fine, God. I said he’s retarded. You don’t need to get all bent out of shape about it. It’s not like the whole school isn’t saying it, too.”
“Oh, ‘the whole school’, eh?”
“Yeah, the whole school. Even some of the teachers.”
“Well, it’s too bad for you that the whole school isn’t here right now, isn’t it.”
She doesn’t get a chance to finish before Katy hoofs her right in the box, quick as a snake and just as deadly. Maisie doubles over, wheezing and groaning.
“Don’t you ever say another word about Wayne for the rest of your life.” Katy turns on her heel and stomps back towards the theater, but she stops halfway there and yells back, “And I don’t ever want to see you again. Get the fuck out of here.”
When she gets to the doors, she pounds on the glass until someone opens up.
“I know, sorry. My ride’s coming, but I don’t want to wait alone. Can I hang out in here for a couple minutes?”
The usher, who’s barely older than Katy herself, looks outside, but Maisie’s already fucked off. “Your friend ditched you, eh? Sure, but we’re locking up in ten. Your ride better get here before then.”
Katy stews the entire time it takes for Wayne to arrive. The spotty boy from earlier tries to boot her out after exactly ten minutes, but his manager, a woman about Mum’s age, says she can stay.
Wayne pulls up five minutes later, and Katy climbs into the truck with bad grace, slamming the door and roughly jamming the seatbelt into its buckle. He gives her the side eye as he turns onto the road proper and she can see him internally debating the wisdom in poking the bear.
“How’d your date go?” Apparently, he’s decided that careful neutrality is the better part of valor.
“It bombed. I won’t be seeing her again.”
After a couple moments, Wayne says, “Well… can’t really say I’m broken up about it.”
“She said some things about you that I did not appreciate.”
“I’m not gonna dignify that with a response. Let’s just say she got what was coming to her.”
Wayne repeats himself. “Like what?”
“Let’s just go home. I’m fuckin’ tired.”
Wayne drives along in silence, but the question still hangs in the air. The sensation of the proverbial sword dangling over her head gets to Katy and she finally gives in. “She said you’re weird.”
Wayne takes it philosophically. “Been called worse.”
“She said you were a freak, and called you a retard.”
That has to sting, even though he probably already knows that’s what Maisie thinks.
“Oh. Yeah, that’s worse, alright.”
Katy sighs, defeated. “You were right, Wayne. Maisie Hannover is a cow.” She pauses for a second, then, “I’m sorry. I should never have agreed to go on a date with her.”
“Thank you for the apology. But Katy, it’s real important to me you understand that I didn’t want you to not go out with Maisie just because I don’t like her. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like anyone you went out with, so that’s besides the point. I wanted you to not go out with her because you were only thinking about yourself and what you wanted, not anyone else.” He paused, scanning over what he’d just said. “Do all those double negatives add up to making sense?”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I still don’t get it. I’m trying to, but I just don’t. I’ve always laid everything out, right from the start of the very beginning. I know it’s important to be upfront and honest in these situations. It’s not like I’m hiding anything, or tricking anyone; everyone knows the score.”
“Look, I’m not an expert or anything, but it seems to me that if you’re with someone, you should care for them. Like, you should take care of them. You weren’t taking care of me or Maisie when you said yes to her. You were only taking care of yourself.”
Katy smirks and huffs a mean little chuckle. “I took care of her tonight, though.”
Wayne whips his head around to scowl over at her. “Katy! Be serious!”
“Okay, alright, I’m sorry. Eyes on the road, big shoots.”
Wayne grumbles but directs his attention forwards once more. “Like, for example, Mum and Dad. They take care of each other all the time.”
Katy thinks about that. Dad will bring Mum flowers, or a cup of tea, or he’ll drive her truck into town and fill up the tank for her. Mum makes sure Dad’s always got a clean hanky, that his shirts are always pressed so he looks neat and clean, and there’s always something freshly baked in the house because Dad loves the smell. Sure, those are small things, everyday things, but they matter, cos they’re important to Mum and Dad. They put each other first, even when it would be easier not to.
That care extends to Wayne and Katy, too. The house is always shipshape, their friends are always welcome with plenty to eat, and Mum and Dad always make sure that Wayne and Katy have a little bit of walking around money, even when finances are otherwise tight.
Voice far away, Katy says, “I think I’m starting to understand.”
Wayne glances at her, then back at the road. “I really, really hope you do.”
When Wayne pulls into the laneway, Katy’s still lost in thought. She doesn’t notice when he cuts the engine and walks around to open her door. When he unbuckles her seatbelt for her, she startles back to attention.
He takes her hand to help her out of the truck as he whispers, “Come on, we should be quiet so we don’t wake them up.” It’s a revelation.
Katy’s eyes go wide. No angel, messiah, or prophet ever delivered a more important epiphany. After all that musing about how their parents care for each other, suddenly she can see the pattern, like one of those magic eye posters. Wayne cares about her, is taking care of her, even though he’s still pissed at her, and he has every right to be. Since the start of all this, she’d just kept pushing for what she wanted without caring for how Wayne felt. She’d argued, badgered, cajoled, pouted, and sweet-talked him into agreeing with her because she wanted what she wanted. She really had been using him. That makes her feel sick, makes her gasp, and her eyes start prickling and tear up.
Wayne peers at her, concerned. “Katydid? Everything okay?” And oh, God, isn’t that the dagger. Her throat tightens up and it hurts to talk.
“Not really. I am sorry, Wayne. I fucked up bad and I hurt you, even though you’re the last person I ever want to hurt. You deserve better from me.”
Wayne searches her face for a second while he swallows. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and gravelly. “Well, I forgive you.” Hovering underneath his absolution is something a lot darker, deeper, and durable; I love you.
That triggers the waterworks for real, and Katy throws her arms around his neck so she can sniffle quietly into his shoulder. He returns her hug and gently kisses her forehead. Fuck, he’s so sweet. Katy makes a promise right then and there that she’ll always, always, always think about Wayne first, and she’ll do her very best to take care of him the way he deserves to be taken care of. Even if she’s forced to choose to do something that he might not like, she’ll never again forget to consider him and his feelings.
A minute of sniffling is about all Wayne can stand. He cups the back of her head and kisses her forehead again as he says, “Come on, honey, let’s go upstairs and lay down.”
It’s almost not fair to expect her knees to work after that, but the prospect of being horizontal with Wayne is super tempting. If Katy was being honest with herself, she’d slept like shit the last few nights without him snugged up tight next to her. She allows herself one last sniffle, then raises her head and wipes her face.
She grabs her purse and holds Wayne’s hand all the way upstairs and into their study, where they kick off their shoes, hang up their jackets, and stretch out on the couch. Wayne had been sleeping there since their fight, so his quilt is handy to spread out over both of them. He tucks his leg between Katy’s and she runs her hands over his face, neck and shoulders, like she’s trying to see him in the dark by feel.
They lie there, bumping noses and just breathing together, until Wayne catches Katy’s hands and presses a kiss into each palm, then lays them over his heart.
“I missed you these last couple nights. Even though I was angry, I still felt like you should have been with me.”
Her heart melts a little more. “I missed you, too. Didn’t get shit for sleep.”
“I could fall asleep right now. It’s past my bedtime.” Wayne yawns hugely, illustrating his point.
“Same, but we should ditch our jeans. They’re not exactly comfortable to sleep in, or to sleep with someone wearing jeans.” She preempts his objection, “We’re wearing underwear, it’s fine. I just want to get some sleep.”
Wayne grumbles a bit, but he obviously doesn’t mean it. They wiggle out of their jeans and she slips her bra out from under her shirt. Comfortable now, they rearrange themselves for sleep. Katy clings to Wayne like an octopus, but after two literal rest-less nights in a row, she’s lulled halfway to dreamland by the steady thump of Wayne’s heart in her ear.
Wayne idly rubs her back for a couple minutes, then asks, “Do you want a goodnight kiss?”
That shocks her mostly back awake. She considers his question, and carefully applies what she’s just learned to the situation.
“Yes, but only if you want to. I mean, if you want to for yourself. If you’re only offering because you think that’s what I want, then I don’t want it.”
“I appreciate the thoughtfulness. I meant it when I said I missed you, and I really do like our kisses. So, to be clear, I want it for myself.”
Katy’s not strong enough to say no, even if a little part of thinks she probably ought to. “Well, then, let’s just take it slow, how about that?”
Wayne smiles. “I like slow.”
He fits their mouths together just like the first time they’d tried it, weeks and weeks and weeks ago. At first, it’s just a series of light presses of lips, but as they both relax into it, it’s Wayne who once again opens up to her, slips her a flash of tongue, delicate as the first fall of snow. Katy hums in appreciation.
They trade gentle, teasing touches, breathing deeply, keeping their unhurried pace until Wayne’s hands slide up her shirt and make their way unerringly to the dents and grooves left by her bra. His fingertips soothe her irritated skin, and Katy lets out a full-throated groan of relief and pleasure. He reacts strongly to that, pulling her even closer and massaging her sore spots more deliberately. Katy’s mouth opens as she gasps from how good his hands feel kneading her back, and Wayne swoops in, apparently trying to count her teeth with his tongue.
Even though they’re both exhausted, they don’t want to give this up for sleep. They finally feel connected again after the longest fight they’ve ever had. Every nerve is alive and sensitive to the lightest of touches. It makes them crave more. More touch, more sensation, more everything. It’s like drowning, the euphoria they feel.
Wayne tightens his hold on Katy, almost crushing her to him as he rolls onto his back, dragging her on top of him. He brings his knee up between her legs, partially to plant his foot on the couch for leverage with the move and partially to keep her from sliding off. This has the effect of pressing their hips together, sending an electric current rocketing through both of them. Wayne’s horn twitches between them, and they both jump a little. That’s the opposite of slow.
“Um… maybe we should call it a night?” Katy suggests.
It takes a couple of seconds for the shock of sensation to ebb, but when he can think clearly again, Wayne nods in agreement.
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
Katy wiggles down to rest her head over his heart again and tucks her hands under his back. “Good night, Wayne.”
In response, Wayne yawns again and mumbles, “G’night,” back, already slipping into unconsciousness.
They fall asleep just like that, Katy’s arms curled under Wayne’s shoulders, his hands on her back, legs tangled together.
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