Clouds and Rain

either and spent quite a bit of energy this afternoon. I‟m making spaghetti, the way you like it, with lots of meat and fresh tomatoes from Calley‟s shop.”
    Gable nodded, but Flynn had the feeling he‟d simply agreed so Flynn would leave him alone. There wasn‟t much he could do about it, though. He mentally picked himself up and went into the kitchen to make the spaghetti. That‟s all he could do, he felt; keep thinking positive thoughts and hope that it would all blow over soon. He hadn‟t forgotten the shouting, though, or the conviction with which Gable had told him he never wanted to see him again. Maybe he was living under the assumption that Gable loved him and maybe that wasn‟t the case.
    What if he‟d just been a good fuck?
    Flynn hissed as he cut himself and felt the tomato‟s acidity run into the wound. As he held his injured hand under the streaming water, he resolved not to make any major decisions right now. He liked working on the ranch and didn‟t mind the housework. Taking care of Gable made him feel needed enough to stay on, and right now that would have to be enough. Gable seemed a lot calmer, and if that meant Flynn wasn‟t going to be shouted at anymore, it was a good thing.
    Maybe somewhere in the future, the love he felt for Gable would be returned again, and if it wasn‟t, then he still had plenty of time to leave when Gable was better. At least then, time would have healed some of the emotional wounds.
    When the sauce was simmering, Flynn went into the storage room at the back of the ranch house and took out the bed table that Calley had told him about. It needed a good scrub down, but could be useful, he supposed.
    When Flynn arrived in the living room with two plates and the bed table, Gable was lying on his side on the guest bed. He was awake, but so deep in thought he didn‟t notice Flynn.
    “I know you said you weren‟t hungry, but I‟d like some company while I eat, okay?”
    Gable sat up on the bed. “Okay.”

    115

    Zahra Owens

    Flynn was a little surprised when Gable didn‟t object to the bed table or the fact that Flynn placed a plate of food in front of him.
    Trying to keep his spirits up, Flynn sat down next to Gable with his back against the wall and proceeded to eat from his lap. It wasn‟t lost on him that Gable only picked at his food and ate very little, but he didn‟t want to push him now that they‟d obviously reached a stalemate.
    When Flynn went for seconds, he actually caught Gable looking out for him when he returned from the kitchen and that made him happy. He was going to have to hold on to the little things for a while.
    The next few days passed pretty much in the same way. Flynn left Gable alone for most of the morning and part of the afternoon to work on the ranch, and every time he returned he would find Gable staring at the wall. It worried him to see him so sad, but he knew Gable needed time to adjust. Gable did seem to get used to navigating around the house and was finding it easier to make his way up the stairs at night.
    One afternoon, after Calley had left them their week‟s groceries, Flynn sat down next to Gable. “I know you think I‟m too much of a mother hen, but I‟ll help you take a shower if you want.”
    “Are you telling me I smell?” Gable asked, his eyes lighting up with mischief more than sadness for the first time in weeks.
    “No,” Flynn answered. “I‟m telling you that it might feel good to stand under a shower, but I know it will probably take a lot out of you, so if you need a helping hand….”
    “I can manage,” Gable replied. There was still a hint of a smile on Gable‟s face, and Flynn squeezed Gable‟s thigh before walking off to the kitchen with a much bigger smile on his own face.
    A little while later, Flynn heard the bench being dragged along the concrete outside and then the spray of water hitting the floor. He quickly got a fresh bath towel out of the hall closet and put it in the slow cooker to heat it up quickly. When the shower was turned off, it took him just moments to take the warm towel outside.
    When Gable spotted Flynn, he was sitting on the bench and looking like a drowned cat. He quickly covered himself up with the towel he‟d brought out himself, including his injured leg.

    116

    Clouds and Rain

    Flynn threw the warm towel over Gable‟s shoulders and rubbed them dry. “Thought you might like this.”
    “Nice. Thanks,” Gable replied quietly, sounding like he‟d been