"Well, ok!" Cletus said. "So, should we take this as a sign you two are off the market now?"
"Hell no," Ty said. "Haven't you heard? We've just figured out that being real men means not being afraid of anything - especially each other."
Then I stepped in. "If the PBR is going to punish riders for their private lives, then we'll make it all public, right? If they want to pick and choose what is acceptable, and what we should and should not like, then we'll make it clear we don't follow rules well." Then I turned to look up at the sound booth at the top. "And if they think their attacks are a secret? Well, we have secrets too."
"What's that American saying you people have?" Ty asked. "United we stand..."
"Divided we fall," I finished. "This is what happens when bull riders unite. Figure out who's gay, Mr. Merrill, because we canalldo this. And if you're worried about what the sponsors, the fans, or the public will think?" I smiled.
"Then ain't no one gonna be thinking much!" Cletus said, fanning his face. "Whoo-weee was that something steamy I didn't expect. Now let's all give our boys a little yeehaw so they don't need to give us none of that no more!"
And the crowd called back "Yeehaw!"
It was lame and stupid, but I was very much aware that Cletus hadn't tried to negate our statement. Instead, he'd given us the space to do it, and let it stand for what it was. Sure, he'd ended the segment, but that was good. I wanted to get thefuckout of here right now.
Eventually, the lights dimmed on us. The ones on the chairs brightened, and we could leave. I hurried for the ramp, jogging down it, but Ty's longer legs made it easy for him to catch up. Deciding to be a prick, I dropped my arm around his waist. He chuckled, then draped his over my shoulder so the pair of us could walk off the dirt like that.
And over at the side, Tanner was watching us. Yeah, I'd have to do some explaining, but I hoped he'd forgive me. Hell, I'd hope he saw this the same way I did, so I jerked my chin his way, hoping for some reaction.
He lifted his back - and the smallest smile curled one corner of his mouth. Then, as if that hadn't mattered at all, he turned back to his bullfighters and headed off in the opposite direction.
So I leaned in toward Ty. "Please tell me that was as weird for you as me?" I asked.
"Yep," he said. "No offense, but you don't kiss like a girl. I'll also be glad if I never have to kiss you again..." And he glanced over. "But I will if I have to."
"For them?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "I think I'm starting to figure out what it means to be a good man, Jake. This? Risking our own pride forour friends? Caring about people for more than what they can give us? That's pretty much it."
"And doing something about it," I said. "Even if it's a bad try, we should at least dosometrying."
"I'll drink to that," he told me. "A lot. Mostly to wash the taste of you from my mouth."
Chapter 64
J.D.and I were leaning against the panels, waiting for Tanner to get done with the closing ceremony when we heard the crowd go dead silent. A moment later, they all whooped out something like "yeehaw," so I hoped it was just something Cletus had going on.
The other riders were packing up and heading out for the night. I couldn't say home, since it sounded like most of them were going to the bar. Slowly but surely, the warm-up area emptied out. When Ty and Jake sauntered past to grab their stuff, Jake paused.
"Hey, tell Tanner that was supposed to be ally shit?" His words seemed for both me and J.D.
"What was?" I asked.
He waved that off. "Just tell him? And if he wants to say shit, we can talk at the bar?"
"Can do," J.D. said before I could poke at that more. "We shouldn't be too far behind you."
"Hope not." And Jake's eyes shifted to me before he smiled.
That was it. All he did was smile, and yet I felt my guts flip. I couldn't tell if that was supposed to be butterflies or my anxietyover what he'd supposedly done, but either way, I didn't like it. I was starting to get a real big aversion to surprises lately.
Jake was long gone before Tanner finally made it out. He'd also changed. His shorts and padding were gone, but he'd kept the rainbow shirt. It went well with his jeans and purple shoes. The smile twisting his mouth was the best part, though. It made that twisting in my gut vanish.
"So!" he announced, heading over to grab J.D.'s bag and yank his head toward the exit. "Let's get out of here, because that was not the closing ceremony I expected."
"Ok?" J.D. asked, reaching for his bag. "Carry Cody's."
"She's not recovering from breaking half her body," Tanner said. "She's also able to carry her own, and I can only manage two."
