A late meal accompanied by light conversation. The table was filled with food made with care.
Margaret and Richard. Then Iris and Henry, and finally Declan. Once everyone was seated, Richard naturally recited a prayer.
“Our Father in heaven, we thank You for allowing us this food. Bless the hands that prepared this food, and make it strength for our bodies so we may be led to do Your will. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Henry and Iris naturally lowered their heads and closed their eyes. Just as his father’s prayer was ending, Henry raised his head with an ‘oops’ and looked back at Declan.
It was to check whether he, who had revealed he had no religion, was uncomfortable. Whether to call it fortunate—he was quietly bowing his head beside him.
Perhaps feeling the gaze, Declan turned his face slightly toward Henry.
Their eyes met. In the awkwardness, Henry couldn’t easily turn his head away either.
In the end, after much consideration.
‘Sorry.’
He left a brief apology toward Declan who kept getting swept up by his family. It was fortunate that he participated in the prayer without saying anything.
“Eat well. Henry’s friend too.”
In the meantime, Richard, having finished reciting the prayer and raised his head, said.
There shouldn’t be anything to be nervous about during the meal, right? Thinking so, Henry transferred several pieces of roast beef placed in the very center of the table to his plate. The perfectly cooked surface felt crispy. Juices flowed from the thinly sliced, bright red cross-section.
On top of the large chunk of meat was a generous amount of dark brown gravy sauce. Henry added warm mashed potatoes on top and put a mouthful in.
The tender meat and the uniquely tangy aroma of the gravy sauce alone. At the end, the softness and nuttiness of the smooth mashed potatoes filled his mouth.
After eating several pieces of meat like that, when he was getting tired of the greasiness, Henry reached for the salad.
Fresh romaine and finely chopped tomatoes. Thinly sliced cucumber and red onion. Expensive olive oil and balsamic on top. He transferred some of the salad that added freshness just by looking at it.
When Henry was concentrating on his meal for a while, Margaret cautiously opened.
“You must have been very hungry, right? I invited you over but the meal preparation was late. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Declan answered with a ready smile.
“How about staying the night? Since dinner was late, the transportation back to school has been cut off. Of course, if you want to go back, I can take you anytime, but since you came to visit anyway. If it’s okay with you, I’ll let you eat breakfast tomorrow and take you back around lunch. I have to take Henry back anyway.”
Margaret smiled brightly and suggested to Declan. Henry, who had been listening quietly, was a little flustered but didn’t show it.
“I’m grateful but… I didn’t think I’d be staying overnight. I didn’t bring anything.”
Declan answered with a gentle smile. At that, Margaret tilted her head as if asking what the problem was and said.
“Can’t you just borrow Henry’s clothes?”
A question that didn’t feel malicious at all. On top of that, why was she looking at him and asking? Henry couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t want to, so he reluctantly gave an answer.
“…I’ll lend them to you. If you’re okay with it.”
At Henry’s answer, Margaret smiled broadly with delight. In the end, like that, Declan’s overnight stay was confirmed.
***
After finishing the satisfying meal and warming their bodies by drinking apple cinnamon tea with a pie loaded with stewed apples for dessert, Henry took Declan upstairs to the second floor.
“This is the bathroom. This side is my room. The other rooms are my siblings’ rooms, so it’s better not to go in.”
Henry, who had diligently introduced the second-floor space without even making eye contact with him, led him into his room.
He tore open new underwear that had never been worn and asked while rummaging to find the largest size among the clothes he had.
“What size clothes do you wear?”
“About 2XL.”
“Hmm…”
Henry looked through the sizes while pulling out this and that clothes, but they were all marked as XL. In the end, Henry, who pulled out the largest clothes among them, spread the clothes out and held them up against Declan, saying.
“This is XL, you know? What do you think? Will it be too small?”
“I can just wear it.”
Declan spoke calmly and reached toward the t-shirt. Looking at the t-shirt caught in Declan’s hand, Henry felt a very slight uneasiness.
“Hey, you can’t rip the clothes, okay? If it doesn’t seem to fit, just come out. I’ll look for more.”
At Henry’s words that felt full of imagination, Declan smiled slowly and received the clothes.
“Don’t worry.”
Henry finally pulled out pants with an elastic waistband and handed them over. Declan, receiving them, disappeared into the bathroom. Soon the sound of rushing water was heard.
How did it come to this? Even though he’d called Declan with his own hands, the situation happening now didn’t feel real.
Now alone in the room, Henry let out a deep breath and pulled out clothes to wear after he finished showering too.
When he opened his phone for the first time in hours while sitting in his desk chair, he saw a text from David.
[What about Declan? Did he get to your house okay?]
It was a contact filled with worry. Henry smiled weakly and wrote a reply.
‘Yes. He’s here.’
As soon as he pressed the send button, the phone vibrated again before even a minute had passed. It seemed a reply had already come.
[Did you have fun? You didn’t fight, did you?]
‘Of course not.’
[Right. Since your mom is there. Oh, tell her I’ll come visit next time too. I haven’t been able to give her the wedding invitation yet.]
Even though it was a message, somehow the warm laughter seemed to reach his ears. Even though David was coming, it was contact that didn’t feel welcome.
After staring at the message for a while, he slowly sent a reply.
‘Okay.’
[Alright. Sleep well, and I’ll see you Monday. Oh, there’s a practice game next week and Powder Puff too, so manage your condition well.]
It was the always kind and friendly David. Today, Henry stared at the letters on the screen from David for quite a while.
The Henry of the past few years had felt hurt by David’s contacts trying to end the conversation. So much so that he couldn’t overcome the disappointment and would search for topics to draw his attention several times to send to him.
But today, somehow, he didn’t feel very disappointed.
It was strange.
It was when Henry, lost in thought like that, was about to send a late reply. Swing—the sound of the bathroom door opening was heard.
At that, Henry sprang up from his chair. Like someone who’d done something wrong. At the same time, he put down his phone on the desk almost throwing it.
Soon, along with the sound of footsteps, the door opened.
The damp, pale blond hair hung down along Declan’s head. Between the disheveled bangs that covered even his eyes, leaving only the form of a part—vivid green eyes with drowsiness revealed themselves.
Henry inhaled without realizing it. It was as if the air in the room had changed.
They were eyes like unchanging green vitality, but just for today, he felt enchanted by those eyes. Henry couldn’t easily turn his eyes away.
“Why?”
Declan, who had been receiving the one-sided gaze, finally asked.
Only then did Henry come to his senses and tried to think of an excuse.
“…No, well. Your body is so good.”
It was an excuse, but also sincere.
The shoulder line of the t-shirt wearing his size was positioned a bit more inward than where it should originally be.
Even at the chest area, the clothes were stretched, and the arms clung to his body with the fabric becoming taut with just a slight movement. Even though he was wearing clothes, he could vaguely see the shape of his muscles.
It didn’t look like it would tear immediately, but it looked small. It was a fairly generous size for Henry though.
“…Besides the club, how much do you work out separately?”
Henry, unable to hold back his curiosity in the end, asked. While carefully examining and gauging his body with his eyes.
“Nothing in particular.”
At Declan’s answer, Henry’s eyes crumpled up.
Some people work out without rest even on days when training is finished to maintain their physique. Are you saying that body is natural?
“Is it your constitution?”
“Probably.”
Declan gave an unclear answer. At the same time, he shrugged, also indicating he wasn’t sure.
Henry’s tightly closed mouth wriggled. Henry quietly bent down and took out a hair dryer from the drawer. He spoke while plugging the cord into the outlet next to the desk.
“Dry it.”
After finishing speaking, he immediately opened the door to enter the bathroom, but went back and grabbed the clothes that had been on the bed.
Henry, who closed the bathroom door and placed the clothes on one side of the sink, muttered quietly.
“He has everything I want. Annoying bastard.”
