Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2023 16:09:42 -0400 From: James Heady Subject: The Wounds Within My Heart--Book 2--Chapter 3 The Wounds Within My Heart By James Disclaimer If you're not of the legal age to read this story, or if you're offended by this type of material then leave now. This story may at times contain sex and romantic moments between consenting teenaged males. It also may contain scenes of Hate Speech towards people of different races, sexual orientations, disability groups and others. If you can't handle reading about that, then leave. Please remember to donate to Nifty, as it's your donations that keep these stories and other information on the site free to the public. Finally, if you like this story and haven't done this already, sneak into my E-mail address jamesheady1985@gmail.com's house while their at work. While in their house, put out 50 wasp nests then leave. Thanks to K for another well-done editing job. I really appreciate the work you did on the latest chapter, as well as on the story in general. Thank you. Part Three Possibilities Chapter Three 0000 Lexy pulled out of the driveway of the house. She was going to get food for everyone, and she had made sure that she had their orders that they all wanted. She was glad that Pietro's friends would be staying for a couple more hours, and she was also happy that they would be staying for dinner. As Lexy drove along, she thought about her younger brother, and how far he had come in the last few weeks of living with them. It didn't take him too long to open up around them, and she was glad to see that he felt as comfortable as he was. Her thoughts then turned to what he had told her about Nohea. She thought a lot about how much he missed his friend, and she wished that there was something she could do to get them back in touch with one another. She continued to give it some thought as she neared the parking lot of the restaurant. 0000 Just moments before, David Swanson pulled up to the same restaurant where Lexy was headed. He wanted to surprise Nohea and Triston with dinner. It had been a really long week for both of them. The teacher Triston worked with had been absent on Wednesday and Thursday, and given little warning, it caused him to have a couple of melt-downs. Triston didn't have the melt-downs that most people thought of autists have with the screaming, crying and falling down in the middle of the room. For Triston, it was just him shutting down and going off on his own with his blanket wrapped around him in an attempt to keep himself somewhat calm. If Triston had more than one melt-down, it left him tired and attempting to regroup. That Friday was spent with him feeling a little better, and with Nohea doing lots of school work, and finally finishing one of the more in-depth assignments, it was an exhausting time for him as well. Having seen all that, David wanted to make a really relaxing evening for his two sons. It was starting with him getting Nohea and Triston's favorite things they liked for dinner. Once he exited the car, David entered the restaurant, and he waited in line. As the line slowly progressed, David looked at the menu as well as that day's specials. He then checked his messages which contained Nohea and Triston's requests of what they wanted for dinner. After making sure they were available, he continued waiting in line. 0000 Lexy was almost at the front of the line. She looked behind her, and she could see two women standing there. Behind them was a tall man with short black hair, and deep-blue eyes. She saw that he was clean-shaven, and he stood there looking down at his phone periodically. It was when he would look up that she caught a glimpse of his eyes. As she stood there watching him, she saw him look down at his phone a couple more times, then he pocketed it. At that point, Lexy turned back to the counter and after the last person got their order she stepped up to where the woman stood behind the counter. Lexy put in her orders, and she waited while the woman rang up everything. She announced the total, and Lexy paid it. The two women went after her, and once Lexy went over to the bench beside the entrance to wait, she saw the black-haired man step up to the counter. Once the man ordered and paid, he came towards where Lexy sat. He stopped a couple of inches away from her and she looked up at him. "Excuse me?" he said. "Would you mind if I sat down? It's probably going to be a while before my order gets finished." "You can sit down," Lexy said scooting over to make room for him. "Thank you," he answered sitting down. "I'm David. I don't think I've seen you here before. It's nice to meet you." "Hi David, it's nice to meet you too," Lexy replied. "I'm Lexy. "My family and I just moved here a couple of weeks ago. So we're still new hear." "Oh, I see," he replied. "Where did you live before?" Lexy told him where she and her parents had been living before. "I'm glad you had a chance to move here to Sangger," David said. "It's a nice city, and I've been enjoying living here for several years." "I'm glad you like it here," Lexy said. "We're really enjoying it here, especially my younger brother. We adopted him back around the beginning of October, and he's been really enjoying living with us." "I'm really glad to hear that you guys adopted a boy," David answered. "Is he a new-born?" "No," Lexy replied. "He's 13-going-on-14. He'll be 14 in January. He had been in and out of the foster care system, and we were really glad to get him out of there." "I'm sure you were," David said. "It sounds like he's lived a really rough life. I mean, I would imagine anyway." "Yeah, it's been rather rough for him, especially with lack of stability," Lexy said. "I'm just glad to see how well he's doing now though." "I'm really happy for him too," David answered. "Number 92," the woman at the counter called out. "That's my order," Lexy said. "It was really nice meeting you, and I hope you enjoy your dinner and the rest of your evening." "Thanks," David answered. "I hope the same for you as well. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." "Yeah," Lexy said smiling. "That would be nice." Lexy stepped up to the counter, and once she got her order, she exited the restaurant. 0000 After David got his order a few minutes later, he set it on the passenger seat beside him. After starting the car, he backed out of the parking space and headed home. He thought of Lexy and what she had told him as he drove along. He liked how her eyes really lit up when she talked about her younger brother, and he appreciated how much she clearly really loved him. He could feel that. It was important to him knowing that a kid was with a loving family. 0000 Once Lexy pulled into the driveway, she got the food, and after setting it down on the table next to the bench, she unlocked the door. Pietro was walking into the kitchen and he pointed at the bags. "Thanks," she said. Pietro grabbed them and set them down on the counter. After he closed and locked the doo,r he let Lexy know that he would unpack all the food. "Thanks," she answered. "You're welcome," he responded. 0000 Pietro Once the food was unpacked, I texted Collin, Evan and Brianna. They all came out of my room and they helped with getting paper plates and drinks out of the fridge. Lexy threw away the bags, and after setting our mom and dad's food in the oven, we sat down to eat. I had received a text from our parents letting us know that they would be home shortly. I was glad to hear that. Soon enough, just as we all sat down to dinner, I heard their car pulling up in the driveway. I got up and unlocked then opened the door for them. We all three hugged, and Lexy came over to greet them as well. "Thanks for getting dinner taken care of," our mom said. "We really appreciate it," our dad added. "You're welcome," I said. "We were happy to do it," Lexy answered. Once all of us including our mom and dad sat back down, we all began eating. It was a really nice dinner. We had gotten wings and pizza for my friends and I. Lexy and our mom and dad got burgers and fries. It was all really good, and it was nice to be there with my friends and family around me that evening. 0000 During that weekend, David and his sons hung out. They stayed at home after dinner that Friday evening. It was nice to spend time watching TV, as well as relaxing with each other in the living room. Then on Saturday they all three went to the bowling alley that evening. During the day, they went to Beth's house where Triston and Nohea hung out in the living room watching a couple of things on TV. David was busy fixing a couple of parts on Beth's washer, then he saw that one of the hoses on the dryer needed to be fixed. After all that was done, he and Beth sat in the kitchen catching up with each other while Nohea and Triston continued watching TV in the living room. Sunday was a dark and rainy day, and David decided to do something special for Sunday dinner. Not that it wasn't always special, but the last couple of Sundays were spent with them getting something from a restaurant since they had been really busy during the week. This Sunday though, David had planned to fix a big dinner, and Nohea and Triston really loved the idea. "Did you guys want to go with me to the store, or stay back here at the house?" David asked as he grabbed his keys. "I'd like to stay back here," Triston answered. "Me too," Nohea said. "I could use the quiet," Triston added. "Okay, that sounds good," David answered then he hugged and kissed the two boys before leaving to go to the store. Once he arrived at the grocery store, he began shopping for what he needed. 0000 Lexy pulled into the parking space at the store David had just entered. Her mom and dad were going to be making tacos and burritos for that day's dinner. She offered to go and pick up the stuff to make them. They said they would be fine with that. Pietro was out with Collin and Evan, but would be back home in time for dinner. Lexy finished up with getting almost all of the items on the list. She just had to get the hamburger. As she neared the meat aisle, she saw someone who looked familiar. Stopping for a moment, she looked closer. It was David, the guy she met at the restaurant two days before. She smiled, and was glad to see him again. "Hi David," she called as she stepped up to where he stood, placing some meat into his cart. "Oh Lexy, hi!" he said turning to her and smiling. "This is a nice surprise. I didn't think I'd see you here." "It's good to see you too," she answered. "I'm just getting stuff to bring back to the house. We're doing Sunday dinner, and it's tacos and burritos that are on the menu." "That sounds really good," David answered. "We're doing Sunday dinner at my house today as well. I'm about finished shopping, but still have a few more things to get. It's been a really long week for my boys, and especially for my youngest. He has Autism, and his routine was disrupted on Wednesday and Thursday. He had a melt-down both days, and he's better now though. It still took him most of Friday and part of yesterday to regroup and to feel better again." "I'm sorry to hear that he had to deal with melt-downs," Lexy said. "I can imagine it's really hard on him." "Yeah, it definitely is," David said. "He doesn't have the melt-downs like what most people think of. I mean, he doesn't scream, cry or lose control like that. He shuts down, but the emotional toll it takes still tires him out though." "I'm sure it does," Lexy said. David explained how Triston had come to live with him, and then went on to talk about what was being done to accommodate his Autism. "I'm really glad that you didn't get him put in classes that use ABA Therapy," Lexy said as her face hardened for a moment. "I don't know if you know much about ABA and the problems it has, but I'm certainly no supporter of it." "I won't have Triston being taught with anything having to do with that Ableist torture trash, not if I can help it," David answered. "I also have done everything possible to keep him away from Autism Speaks. They deserve to burn along-side Adolf Hitler and other hateful Assholes in Hell." "I totally hate Autism Speaks," Lexy said as they walked away together from the meat section. "They might as well rebrand themselves with the name "We Hate Autism and Those Who Have It," since they want to see Autism be wiped off the face of the earth." "Yeah, they really are a disgusting hate group, that's for sure," David answered. "Triston does well with the people I have helping him and he especially does well living at home with me and his older brother. My oldest son actually came to live with us at the end of September. He's 13, but will be 14 at the beginning of January. I'm glad to see that him and Triston hit it off as well as they did, and so quickly too." "That's really nice," Lexy said smiling. "It's really interesting how your oldest son and my younger brother will be 14 around the beginning of January." "Yeah, I think that's interesting as well," David replied. They walked along as David finished getting the last few items. Since Lexy was basically finished with getting everything she needed, she offered to walk up to the check-out line with David. He accepted, and they continued talking as they came up to the front of the line. Once they both got checked out, David said goodbye to Lexy then headed in the direction of his car. "Hey David," Lexy called walking to catch up with him. "I was thinking that maybe your sons might like to meet my brother. He doesn't really have a lot of friends, but he has found a few new friends at the school he goes to. He just didn't have too many before he came to live with us." "That sounds good," David answered. "That's really sweet of you to offer. I'll talk to my son about it." "That sounds good," she answered. "I'll give you mine and my parent's numbers." "Thanks, I'd appreciate that," David answered, then wrote down her number. He gave her his number, then they both headed back to their respective houses. 0000 Once back home, David got started on dinner. They would be having fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and dinner rolls. There was also apple pie and ice cream for dessert. As the food got closer to being done, David called for Triston and Nohea to come in and help with setting the table. They did so, and David began taking getting everything set out on the serving platters. "It looks really good," Nohea said. "Thanks for doing this." "You're welcome," David answered. "I'm really glad you're happy with how it's turned out." "It smells really good," Triston said. "Thanks, it definitely does," David said in agreement. 0000 Pietro We really enjoyed the tacos and burritos that Sunday! They turned out really well, and it was really nice being there among my family as we ate and talked with one another. After dinner and clean-up was finished, I went back to my room. I had been thinking about Nohea a lot that day. I had also been thinking about writing a letter to him. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get the chance to send it to him, but I still wanted to put down in writing exactly how I felt about him. I closed the door to my room, and opened a new word document on my laptop. Once going to the top of the file, I began writing. 0000 Dearest Nohea: If you're reading this, then it means that we're no longer with each other. When I was told that I would have to move away, and wouldn't see you any longer, it hurt more than anything. I truly treasured every moment we had together. You were so good and kind to me. I had never been shown kindness and compassion like that before. You taught me what friendship and love is really all about. You gave me a chance when few others have. You talked with me, even knowing that there might be a possibility that I might not understand much of what you were talking about. You sat and chose to spend time with me when you could have been with anyone else. You could have been with the popular boys, and all the hot girls. You could have chosen them over me. You didn't do any of that. You chose me over popularity, even though I couldn't say much if anything back to you. I'll always love you for that alone! I could tell that you were wondering how much if anything that I might understand. I know you mentioned a couple of times about wanting to make sure that I understood what you were saying to me. I really love how you were concerned and were thinking about that. I understood almost all of what you were saying to me. I would sometimes need you to explain a couple of words to which I didn't know the meanings, but I still had no trouble knowing what you were talking about. I also had no trouble knowing that you were in love with me, even if you weren't ready to face it yourself consciously. I was as deeply in love with you as well. I don't know where things will end up with us. I'll be 14 in January, as you will be too. I'll probably date other boys, and you probably will either date boys, or possibly find a girlfriend, depending on what your sexual orientation is. For me, I know I'm gay. There's no doubt about that. Regardless though, you'll probably find someone to love again, as will I. I'm hopeful that we both will find someone to love and with whom we can share our lives. If there were ever to be a chance for you and I to find each other again and get back together, I'd take it immediately. It always felt so good, and so right when we would embrace for those long moments. When you would have your arms wrapped around me, I felt so loved and so safe. It truly felt like we were one, and I'd give anything to have you here in my arms again. You and I might find other people to love as we go throughout our lives. That being said though, the love that you and I share, even if you couldn't confess it to me out loud, will always be with me, and will always be more special than anything in this world. I love you with more strength than I can say in words, and that will never change. I know now that I always will. I hope you're well, and that you'll go on to live a truly happy life if I never see you again. I'll love you forever, and for all of our lives. I'll never love anyone else like I love you Nohea, I promise you that. May you be well, where ever you are. Love for always, Pietro 0000 I backed away from the computer as I wiped tears from my eyes. Not having Nohea there hurt as much as it did the first time I experienced knowing I'd never see him again. At that moment as I sat there, I wanted more than anything to feel Nohea in my arms as I held him close to me. I wanted to feel us be one again like all those times before. Finally, I got myself under some modicum of control, and dried my eyes. Saving the document, I closed my laptop, then went to lay down for a bit. Author's Notes I hope you liked how this chapter went, especially with Lexy and David meeting. You'll see where that goes here soon. I hope you all like it. In the next chapter, I'll be adding a couple more things I think you're all really going to like. All that being said, I hope all of you are having a good evening, and I'll see you all in Chapter Four.