So Elroy smiled and said, "I'd love to spend Christmas with you and your family. We'll go shopping and we'll buy gifts for all of them. I still have to get something for you." Actually, with his mom and dad gone, Elroy didn't have anyone to buy Christmas gifts for.
"The adults don't exchange gifts in my family," Kyle said. "We think it's a waste of money. So no gifts, especially not for me."
What a fun bunch of people they were. Elroy frowned and said, "Does that mean I'm not getting a gift from you?" He liked presents, buying them and getting them.
"That's right. You're not getting a gift from me and I'm not expecting one from you, so please don't buy me one. My family thinks it's a waste of time and that Christmas has become too commercial."
"I see," said Elroy. "I'll go along with that this Christmas. No gifts. But if we're still friends next Christmas, I am buying you a Christmas present, and I'll be expecting one from you in return. And I don't give a flying fuck what your family thinks, so get that clear right now. All this goody-goody shit about not giving Christmas presents, and Christmas being too commercial, never sat well with me. I'm not the homespun type who likes homemade gifts from the heart, either. I want something nice, from a store, wrapped well." Though he wasn't sure he'd ever be Kyle's lover, he figured he'd get this out in the open sooner rather than later in case they did wind up together. Elroy was not going to take on the quirky fucked-up traditions of some other family. He would make his own traditions and Kyle would have to understand this.
Kyle smiled this time. "I can live with that. My family is a little extreme. But just this one Christmas, we don't exchange gifts. I just think it's too soon."
"Well, I can live with that, too." He didn't like it. But he didn't want to push him too far.
"Excellent. I'll tell them we'll be there on Christmas Eve."
"I'm surprised you're so happy," Elroy said. "I didn't think you wanted to spend Christmas with me."
"Don't flatter yourself," Kyle said. "You have a car and I don't want to take the bus to Vermont, is all."
Elroy felt a sharp sting in his gut. For a moment, his heart sank. Kyle had never said anything cruel to him before. He'd yelled at him; he'd corrected him, but he'd never been outright mean. Then Kyle glanced over at him and smiled. He didn't say a word. He just smiled and went back to reading his book.
Chapter Nineteen
"This is where you live?" Elroy asked. They'd been driving for what seemed an eternity. They'd pulled off a small narrow country road and turned onto a dirt road lined with tall trees. Elroy had to navigate the Porsche with care; there was snow on the ground and unexpected patches of ice. It was evident the road had been plowed, but not treated with chemicals.
"Welcome to Little Flower," Kyle said. "It's the smallest town in Vermont. It's not even on the map."
Elroy glanced around. There were nothing but tall trees and a dirt road that didn't seem to end. "Your family must own a lot of property."
"I actually own all six hundred acres," Kyle said. "When my dad was killed, he wanted to keep it in the family and he left it to me. My great-grandfather was a logger and he was the original owner. When my mom remarried Oscar, he moved in with his son and now they all live here."
"That's very generous of you," Elroy said. "I would have sold it and taken the money."
"It's my mom," Kyle said. "And Oscar is harmless in a primitive way. Besides, who do you know who wants six hundred worthless acres in the middle of nowhere? You haven't lived until you've been to Little Flower during mud season."
Elroy swerved to miss a patch of ice and laughed. "You have a point."
"And it's home," Kyle said. "I might build a home here myself someday."
"Who else lives here?" Elroy asked. "You said 'now they all live here.'" Though he didn't say this aloud, Elroy couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live back there. It had to be the most dismal place he'd ever been. And he'd seen the insides of more than one sleazy hotel room.
"Oscar's son, Jeremy. And Jeremy's wife and two kids also live here."
Elroy smiled. "Jeremy's the one who fucked you all through high school. I can't wait to meet him." Thanks to that idiot, Kyle didn't trust anyone. And Elroy was paying the price.
Kyle rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, that's Jeremy. But that ended a long time ago and I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. No one else knows about it. I told you that in confidence."
"Of course I'll keep it to myself," Elroy said. "I'm cool with that shit."