22
ARLO
Levi is shaking so muchI feel like I need to hold all of him and not just his hand.
We never talked about what happened in the past to make him fodder for the town’s gossip mill. Part of me wants to tell Jayden to shut up and go away, but Levi’s nod of permission makes me stay put.
“Jayden,” Mrs. Martin says in a clipped tone.
He pauses to look at her before he continues.
“It was my idea to go through the broken school fence and into the storage shed that night. I didn’t know there were cameras there and that we’d be caught. We weren’t doing anything wrong. Just two boys hanging out together in a safe place…and maybe making out a little.” He smiles as he looks at Levi and then faces the rest of the audience. “When the police came with my mother and the school principal, we were separated. Levi’s parents never had the courtesy of a phone call, so he was taken to the station while I was taken home. The rest of the story you think you know was scripted by my mother. The woman this town so dearly respects, although much like me at eighteen, there’s probably an element of fear. Don’t cross Glenda Martin if you know what’s good for you, right?”
“How dare you! After everything we’ve done for you,” Mrs. Martin shouts.
Jayden raises a brow, and I almost want to laugh, but I can tell he hasn’t told the worst yet.
“I was sent away to a church-run camp for a month. No contact with the world. No way to get through to Levi and see if he was okay. When I was allowed to return, I found out Levi had been expelled from school and moved away. So to anyone that has gossiped about what happened that night, I can tell you that no, it wasn’t Levi’s idea. No, I wasn’t forced to go against my will like that woman on the stage fabricated. It was wrong that Levi was treated like a criminal, not only by the authorities that should have asked more questions than take that woman’s word for it, but also by everyone in this town that dared to speak his name to feed the rumor mill.”
Jayden suddenly looks exhausted.
“I don’t wish to take over the meeting. I apologize for that. But I’d like to come to Stillwater to visit my brother and his girlfriend without being the topic of everyone’s conversations. I want to visit the craft fair and spend more money than I should on beautiful handmade pieces. And most of all, I want to come home and feel that I, a gay man, can be as welcomed as anyone else.”
He turns around and leaves the room.
Mrs. Martin seems to have lost her words and her composure. She’s suddenly aged a million years and looks exactly like the homophobic controlling woman that she is.
The sound of people whispering is like a buzzing that gets louder and louder. I look at Levi, and he’s staring at me. He hasn’t left. He’s still holding my hand.
“I'm sorry for everything that happened to you, and I'm sorry it's because of me that it's all coming out now,” I say.
He stares at me, and I can't read what he's thinking. I wish I knew because I need to find a way to make things right. I can't have his past and my present come between us. I love him too much for that.
I open my mouth to say that, but he just blurts out, “I love you. I love you more than I thought I could ever love another man after having my heart broken. I know I come with a kid, but god, I love you so much, and I don’t know if I can stand to live another day without you knowing how I feel. The bravery you've shown coming here to face this meeting on your own is something I can only aspire to. Arlo, you inspire me. You make me want to look at the world and find that it's still beautiful. Most of all, you're making me want to make a home in the one place I swore I'd never return.”
Suddenly it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I can’t look away from Levi and his declaration. My palms are sweaty and I'm shaking.
Now everything is clear for the first time since I landed back in the US after my time away.
I look around at all the faces watching us and then turn back to Levi. “Fuck the fair. Fuck Mrs. Martin. You, Ava, and even Liv are everything I’ll ever want or need. If I can’t sell at this fair, I’ll sell somewhere else. I’ll use my website. We can figure it out together because I’m right there with you on that train. And guess what, it’s already arrived in Love Town. Next stop, Boyfriend Central.”
I pull him to me and slam my mouth against his.
The deafening silence is replaced with loud cheers from everyone around us. When we finally part, I take Levi’s hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
We start making our way to the back of the room.
“Wait!” someone shouts, and we stop to see who it is.
I don’t recognize the man.
“I’m one of the traders. My daughter is gay. If she doesn’t feel safe or welcomed in this town, then I want no part in the craft fair or anything else.”
“Hear, hear,” someone else shouts.
A woman stands up. “My son is too young to think about love, but I can tell his heart is too large to fit the norm society dictates. Whatever is in his future, I will support him with all my heart. I can’t be part of an event that wouldn’t accept my son as a valid person.”
Slowly people start speaking up. Levi wraps an arm around my waist and holds on to me. If this show of support is making my heart fill up with joy, I can’t imagine what it’s doing to him, having grown up here.
