Page 12 of The Road Home
Orson nibbled on his bottom lip for a minute. "I am kind of hungry."
"Great. I was thinking about this little diner down the street. Is that okay with you?" Jared asked. "We can drive there and then I can take you wherever you need to go after."
"Really, it's okay. You don't have to do this." Orson took a step back.
"I know, but I hate eating alone." Jared wasn't sure why he wanted Orson to go with him so badly, other than the fact that it had probably been forever since Orson had a good meal. "If there is somewhere we can go where you'd be more comfortable…."
"No, wherever you want is okay." Orson seemed to have decided he was willing to go.
"Great. My car is in this lot." Jared turned, hoping Orson would follow. "I should have eaten before my shift at the clinic, but was a bit rushed. Besides, it was so busy tonight, I would have worked up an appetite anyway."
"Do you work at the clinic a lot?" Orson asked from several feet behind him.
"Actually, no. I'm just filling in for a friend while he's back taking care of his mom. I usually work at the hospital, not the clinic."
"Really? You seemed comfortable there." Orson paused as they got to the car.
"I guess treating patients is the same no matter where I am." Jared unlocked his car and nodded to the passenger door. "You're okay with riding with me?"
Orson shrugged. "I don't know you very well."
"No, but there is only one way for you to get to know me. If you're not comfortable, we can find a place in walking distance. I get that you're nervous, and that's okay."
"No, it's stupid. If you were going to hurt me, you'd have done it at the clinic." Orson stepped closer to the door. "I'm sorry if I offended you."
"You haven't. I get why you're nervous. Hell, you're dealing with things better than I would."
Orson shrugged, but opened the car door and quickly got inside.
Jared settled in the driver's seat beside him. "If at any time you want out, just say so. I'd never force anything on you." He didn't like having someone scared of him. It was a new feeling. As a doctor, most people trusted him without thought, but this was a very different situation than seeing patients in the emergency room.
With the things Orson had probably faced in his past, trust probably didn't come easily. He needed to remember that. It was just a simple meal together, but for Orson, it was probably much more. "So, when we last talked you were hoping you'd found a safe place to stay. Did it pan out?" Jared started the car and pulled out onto the road.
Orson fisted his hands in his lap. "Yeah, actually it turned out really good. It's safe and I can keep dry when it rains. Harry introduced me to a bunch of other people so I'm not alone much."
"That's good. I'm glad he helped." Jared wanted to ask about the place, but doubted Orson would give up many details. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. The thought of not having a safe home to go to every night was unfathomable to Jared. He wouldn't know what to do if he suddenly had to make his way with nothing. He admired Orson for being able to survive at such a young age being on his own.
"Me too. I also talked to someone about getting a job and a place to live, but like I figured, there is a long waiting list, but at least I'm on it now." Orson stared out the window as he spoke.
"What kind of work are you looking for?" Jared wondered if he could help in any way.
"Anything really. Ideally, I'm not cut out for construction or anything that takes a lot of heavy lifting, but I'll do it if it's all there is. I'd rather stock shelves or work somewhere I don't have to deal with a lot of people."
"I'll keep my eyes open for something for you." Jared pulled into the parking lot of the small diner.
"Thanks, but…" Orson sighed before shaking his head.
"What?" Jared turned to him once he shut off the car.
"Nothing. It's not like we'll see each other again. I mean I appreciate the thought of keeping an eye out for work, but after tonight, we won't see each other. The only reason you invited me to dinner is because I said I missed dinner. Let's not act like we're friends or anything." Orson reached for the door handle to get out.
Jared reached over, surprising himself as he gripped Orson's left arm, stopping him. The moment Orson tensed and jerked away, he realized his mistake. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed your arm. I just wanted your attention for a minute."
Orson slowly glanced back at him.
"I invited you to eat with me because we both needed to eat, and I honestly hate eating alone. I'm tired of going home to an empty house at night or going out to get food by myself. The thought of having someone keep me company was more of the reason I invited you than the fact that you didn't eat, though I do admit that was what caused the idea to pop into my head. As for us playing like we aren't friends, well, there is only one way to change that and that is to get to know each other." Jared smiled. "How about it? You willing to see how things go?"
Orson looked nervous. "What do you want from me?"
