Page 4 of Inhuman Nature

Lawrence made a noise in the back of his throat. “You haven’t quite earned the privilege of addressing me in such a manner yet.”

Shaun wasn’t sure if he understood. “You mean…I can’t use your name?”

“It implies a certain familiarity.”

Shaun’s face burned with indignation. “But we’re boyfriends.”

He felt like he might puke when Lawrence laughed. “No, Shaun. That’s a ridiculous word. Do I look like aboyto you?”

“No?”

“No.”

Shaun crossed his arms over his chest and sunk lower in the seat. So far, none of this was going how he’d planned. He expected to be swept off his feet. Instead, he was just pissed off.

“Don’t get huffy with me,” Lawrence said without even glancing at him. “It’s childish.”

“I’m not in a huff.”

“That tone was rather petulant for someone who claims not to be in a huff.”

“Maybe we should stop the car,” Shaun said, looking at Lawrence out of the corner of his eye. “I need some air.”

“No, it’s best we keep driving. The nights are short in summer.”

Shaun pressed a hand to his roiling stomach. “I think I might be sick.”

Lawrence sighed. “We’ll stop at the next service station.”

Shaun had barely noticed they were on the motorway. A sign told him they were heading north. “Are we going to Liverpool?” he asked.

“No more questions, Shaun.”

He pressed his lips together to stop himself from retorting. Real life Lawrence wasn’t as much fun as online Lawrence.

“I need to pee,” Shaun announced. Lawrence opened his mouth, but Shaun got there first. “That wasn’t a question. I’m telling you I need to go.”

“I forgot how needy humans can be. Fine.” Lawrence didn’t stop the car, however. If anything, he sped up.

“We passed a service station,” Shaun said, pressing his face to the glass of the window.

“I didn’t like the look of it.”

Shaun started to think that Lawrence wouldn’t stop at all. The alarm bells ringing in his head now wailed a constant warning. Nothing so far had gone like Shaun had expected, and he began to think he’d just made the worst mistake of his life. He waited, the silence in the car oppressive, but when Lawrence didn’t stop at the following station either, Shaun knew he needed to do something drastic.

He held onto his stomach and moaned. “It hurts.”

“Don’t be such a baby. I’m sure you can survive.”

“I’m asking you to pull over,please.”

“And I’m telling you no.”

That pushed Shaun to his breaking point. “Well, I’m saying no, too. I don’t want to go with you anymore!” He hadn’t expected his words to sound so loud, but his outburst hung in the air like a bad smell.

“Well, there was no need for that, Shaun. I thought we agreed.” Lawrence changed lanes, taking them towards a petrol station. “But I suppose we can afford one brief stop.”

“Thanks,” Shaun muttered. He eyed Lawrence’s pocket, where he’d put the phone. Maybe Shaun could convince Lawrence to return it so he could call his dad to come pick him up.