“You know about other stuff.Importantstuff.”
“More important than being able to get fromone place to another?”
“Getting to Heaven.Isn’t that your big job?Saving people from hellfire?”Lucas wasn’t quite sure if he wasserious or not, and he could tell that Mark wasn’t sure either.Heforced himself to look at the other man as he said, “Anybody canchange spark plug wires.It’s not a big thing.”
“If it works, it’ll be a pretty big thing.”Mark’s smile was sweet and generous.“Thank you.Even if it doesn’twork, I appreciate the effort.The thought.”
Lucas wanted to bask in the other man’sapproval and he also wanted to squirm away and hide.“I hope itworks,” he managed to say.“But I guess we won’t know until thenext time it rains.”
“Do you need any help?”
“No, I’m pretty much done.Five more minutesand I would have been packed up and gone.You wouldn’t have knownI’d done anything, and then if your car worked in the rain, you’dhave thought it was a miracle.”Lucas nodded sagely.
“That would have been cool,” Mark said.“Butit’s nice to know too.Nice to know you’re looking out for me.”
Lucas shrugged, feeling awkward again.“It’snot a big deal.”
“And last night?Getting all those guystogether, and putting yourself on the line—again—to protect me?That wasn’t a big deal either?”
“It was easy to get the guys together.That’swhy I wanted you to see it.They were totally ready to help as soonas I even mentioned it to them.”
Mark looked at him for a long moment, thensmiled softly.“Thank you,” he said.Then he stood a littlestraighter.“So, I was thinking…I don’t suppose you’d like to goout to dinner with me sometime?”
The words had come out fast, too fast forLucas to understand them the first time they played through hismind.And the second time through the words themselves made sensebut the intention behind them was baffling.“Dinner?”He frowned inconfusion.He’d thought about the kiss in the alley.Thought aboutit quite a bit, and then jerked off in his little bedroom stillthinking about it.And he’d decided that if Mark wanted to take itfurther, it would be a good thing.If Mark was looking for a fuck,Lucas would be more than willing to go along with the plan.Butdinner was inexplicable.“Why?”
Mark looked awkward but squared his shouldersand said, “We could talk.Get to know each other.”
“We talk here, don’t we?”Lucas squintedsuspiciously.“What do you want to talk about?”
A deep, frustrated sigh before Mark said,“Just talk.Like…a date.You know?”
“A date.”Lucas let the word roll over histongue.“Adate.”
“Yes, Lucas.”Mark seemed torn betweenembarrassment, amusement, and frustration.“A date.I’d like to goon a date with you.Does that sound like a good idea?”
Well that was an easy question.“No.It doesnot sound like a good idea.”Lucas shook his head emphatically.“What did I tell you last night about being careful?About beingrespectable and everything?You can’t…” It was too stupid to evenput it into words, but apparently Mark needed it spelled out.“Youcan date some respectable teacher or lawyer or accountant orsomething.Another priest, maybe, or even someone with a trade—youcould date a real mechanic, if you like the blue collar thing.ButMark, come on.I’m…” Again, it was all too obvious to even say itbut Lucas forced himself to continue.“I’m a convicted felon.Andwhat I’m convicted of…what I did…to who…”
“Do you think I’m unaware of that?”Mark’svoice was strained.“Honestly, you think I haven’t struggled withall this?”
“You’ve struggled with it and come to theconclusion that we should go on a date?Fuck, Mark, you need tostruggle some more!”
Mark’s snort was half-laugh, half-disgust.“Believe me, I’ve tried.”He shook his head.“I know all thereasons I should be smart about this, all the reasons you and Idon’t make any kind of sense together.”His face softened a littleand he stepped closer.Too close, but Lucas couldn’t make himselfmove away.When Mark spoke again, his voice was quiet, almost asthough he was talking to himself.“I know all the reasons to walkaway, but I also…” He reached out and ran his fingers gently,reverently along Lucas’s jawline.“I also know this,” he said, andhe leaned in, his lips meeting Lucas’s gently.
This wasn’t the angry kiss from Mark’sapartment or the passionate kiss of the night before.This kiss wassweet, almost chaste, until somehow it wasn’t.Then Lucas wasturning toward Mark to find more contact between their bodies, waswrapping his tongue around Mark’s and tasting his mouth, wasrunning his hands over Mark’s chest and around to his ass…
Mark pulled himself away and somehow had thestrength to keep Lucas from following.“That’s what I know,” hesaid intensely.“I’m going crazy thinking about you.There’ssomething here, and I want more of it, even if it is a badidea.”
“I didn’t say we couldn’t fuck,” Lucas saidas soon as he had his breathing back under control.“I thoughtabout that.We can do that.For sure.But not a date.”
Mark stared at him.“What happened to mebeing an upstanding citizen and a moral leader?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t…I don’t have casual sex, Lucas.Thechurch…well, the church teaches that premarital sex is wrong, butit also teaches that homosexuality is okay, but then only a fewcongregations allow gay marriage, so how exactly am I supposed tohave post-marital sex…the rules are a bit fuzzy, I admit.Butcasual sex is definitely right out.A ‘committed relationship’ isusually the standard they use.”
Lucas struggled to make sense of it.“A‘committed relationship’?Okay, a date was a bad idea, but acommitted relationship is crazy.That’s out of the question.Obviously.Right?”
“I have no idea,” Mark sighed.He turned andleaned against the front of the car.“It makes no sense.I getthat.But…I don’t know, Lucas.I’m pretty confused.I thought adate would be a chance to test things out a little, I guess.”
