Trick went back to the car and drove it home with the radio still all the way down low so he could think. The mood had shifted into something sombre. The light was still on in the house downstairs when Trick pulled into the drive. With the garage and front door locked, he placed the keys in the shell bowl where they were usually kept and found his father in the living room in front of the television.
Jon glanced up at his son and muted the television--already soft--so they could talk. Trick flopped onto the couch beside him.
"So you obviously have reservations about this one," Jon announced.
"Yeah," Trick sighed. There was a long pause and he eventually filled it. "He fits me really well. We have a good laugh together. I really like him and I feel like I can be myself around him. But every now and then I get strong vibes that he's a player."
"Really?" Jon shot back immediately. His expression mirrored his tone of disbelief. "He struck me as honest."
"That's what's throwing me. Being in his company is super easy but there were a couple red flags."
"Which are?" Jon prompted.
"Well, he brought up that Ben Samson vampire who's paying for the carnival. I didn't want to freak him out about my opinion on, um..."
"Oh shit, sorry, should I not have said--"
"Nah, that's not it," Trick said with a sideways grin. Jon visibly relaxed but listened intently as Trick explained. "I told him about the attacks. But... he mentions Ben three times on our date and I'm thinking it's a bit weird until I find out later he's hooked up with him."
"I thought Samson was Galvin's partner?"
"Vampires, Dad," Trick said. He could see his father was refraining from arguing but that he wasn't convinced. "Anyway. So I realise that he's mentioning Ben because it was a recent thing and to shut him up from talking about this guy so much I showed him what I can do with water."
"I was wondering why you showed him that. It's not like you."
"No," Trick agreed, then shrugged. "So I figure, okay, this was recent and because I like him I'm going to forgive him talking about this other guy on our date, and everything else went well and so I was going to hang out with him at his place."
"Hang out," his father repeated with a smirk.
"Yeah, shut up. But my stupid car cock-blocked me and you were asking him all the stuff I couldn't without looking like an asshole."
"You're welcome."
Trick chuckled but the laughter died quickly. "So I wanted to talk to him and find out how much he's into vampires, right? And I also didn't want to get caught up in my attraction for him so that's why I thought I'd drive him home. And I told him about when I was on the scene."
"Really? You told him about that?" Jon asked, his eyebrows shooting up as high as they could go.
"No, no... no details, just that I had two vampire boyfriends."
"Kind of like lying."
"Nah. Not really... well. Okay, kind of." Trick shifted uncomfortably. "So he knows about the drugging effect and he starts asking about biting and sex and it all got real personal real fast but I know he doesn't know so I forgive him again..."
"Oh, okay, I'm starting to see it."
"Yeah," Trick said unhappily.
"That's not a red flag though, is it," Jon pointed out. "He's a talker."
"He's just... too much at times. He goes overboard a bit. And he's got some moves that I feel are moves. Like he has this really genuine personality but then he'll be really full on and I feel like if I was more receptive I'd just be a notch on the bedpost, you know? Like he'd keep me around a bit. Or worse, that he'll get pulled into the scene and I'll be dragged right back in there with him."
"I get why you're wary, but I like that boy. He's very open. I feel like if you ask the question he'll give you the answer."
"Yeah," Trick said. "Maybe."
