My stomach flipped as I read Owen's text message. I knew he was just talking about me getting down to the park to help him get everything set up, but Michael was right. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I spent the next few days trying to figure out what Owen meant to me and if there could still be a place for me in his life. Even if that place wasn't as a boyfriend or lover, that didn't mean we couldn't try to go back to being friends.
Friends who had kissed a few times was much easier to recover from than if we’d gone further and realized we weren't compatible romantically.
Once Michael got out of the shower, I handed off baby duty and let him know I had to get going. As tempting as it was to leave my truck at Michael's and clear my head on the walk over to the park, I hopped in and turned the ignition, checking the gas gauge before I backed out. Somehow, I’d managed to already burn through half a tank of gas this week without ever leaving city limits.
To put off any chance of morning-after awkwardness, I detoured to the convenience store, filled my tank, and picked up two large coffees. The cashier didn't give me a second glance when I loaded up a bakery bag with a variety of creamer and sweetener, not knowing how Owen took his coffee. Hell, I wasn't even sure he drank coffee but it seemed like the type of gesture a friend would make when they wanted to prove things weren’t awkward after last night’s kiss and slow stroll around town.
Owen was already hard at work by the time I pulled up to the edge of the festival tent. His unruly hair was pulled into a messy man bun. I'd never understood the appeal of the style, but he pulled it off well. Despite having a still growing list of things to get done, as I quickly ran out of time before the gates opened this evening, I couldn't help but sit back and admire him for a few seconds. I didn't consider myself to be a bad looking guy by any stretch, but it shocked me that someone like him would even give me a second glance.
He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, and against my will, my dick sprung painfully to life. I felt like a pervert ogling his abs dusted with a light coating of hair, and my fingers twitching with the urge to feel that warm skin as my hand drifted lower.
Owen was in the zone, completely oblivious to my creepy appreciation of the man he’d become. I broke myself from the trance he had me under and swung open the truck door. Owen startled when I kicked it closed and it slammed harder than I'd intended.
“Hey, lazy bones,” he greeted me. The corner of his mouth tipped up in a shy smile that had once been reserved for only me. His eyes lit up when he noticed the second cup of coffee in my hand. “Please tell me one of those is for me.”
“Oh, you’re cool with me being lazy as long as there's something in it for you?” It felt amazing to tease him without the awkwardness from yesterday. It was almost like a reboot to our reunion.
“Seeing as how you kept me up past my bedtime last night, it's the least you could do.” Owen grabbed my coffee and chugged it. His nose scrunched up and he melodramatically wiped his tongue. “Damn. If the caffeine doesn't do the trick, the sugar is bound to keep you up for days. Seriously, how much crap did you put in there? You can’t even taste the coffee.”
“I don't drink it for the taste.” I was glad I’d stocked up on sweeteners since my perfect cup of coffee was no longer mine. Honestly, I hated the taste of coffee, but I needed the fix in the mornings to get my brain functioning and soda didn’t have the same effect.
Owen followed me to a picnic table, muttering under his breath as I ripped open six packets of sugar before dumping three flavored creamers and some half-and-half into the cup. “Man, that’s just wrong. Remind me to never waste my good coffee on you if that’s what you’re going to do to it.”
“Great, you’ve turned into a coffee snob,” I teased, shoving him back toward the stage as I took a sip. I wanted to know more about what he liked, how he’d changed, and what was the same as when we were younger. But that was a slippery slope I didn’t have time to fall down. “Come on, let’s get to work.”
We didn’t talk much as we both worked on our individual tasks, but I was constantly aware of his presence. More than once, I felt him watching me. I’d glance over my shoulder and he’d quickly turn away.
It was going to be a long weekend if we stayed in this constant state of distraction.
CHAPTERFIVE
OWEN
It wassurreal being back in Harmony Grove. As the festival kicked off, I saw more than a handful of people I recognized, but none of them approached me. Whether that was because I was damn good at blending into the background even when I was out in the open or because they didn’t recognize me, I couldn’t be certain. And worse, I wasn’t sure how I felt about people I’d known through a chunk of my childhood passing by me without so much as a second glance.
This was all Tyler’s fault. Once we cleared the air between us, I started letting nostalgia creep to the forefront of my mind. Harmony Grove had once been a town I couldn’t wait to get out of, but after my parents managed to get us kicked out of our house, I’d wished for years I was still here. As I got older and more comfortable with my sexuality, I’d convinced myself I’d never be happy here, but listening to Tyler tell me about how the people in town were opening up to people who were different than them, a warmth settled in my chest.
Harmony Grove was starting to feel like home again, and I didn’t want to count the hours until I had to leave. But one amazing date—that wasn’t even officially a date—wasn’t enough to uproot the life I was building for myself, was it?
“Here.” I looked up as the first band started tearing down. I’d already planned on using the half hour between the end of their show and the next band arriving to get something to eat, but apparently Tyler was one step ahead of me. He held a bottle of water in one hand and a wrapped sandwich in the other. “You should really have a cooler over here since you don’t have time to grab water when you need it.”
“I’m used to it,” I told him as I opened the water and tipped it back. I shivered when ice-cold water dribbled down my chin. Maybe I was more thirsty than I’d realized. The chill I felt turned red-hot when my eyes met Tyler’s. He was staring down at me, and there was no mistaking the raw lust in his gaze. We needed to get out of here before we put on an indecent show for everyone who was waiting for one of the area’s best local bands to start playing.
I jerked my head to the side, signaling for Tyler to follow me. The barricades blocking the back loop of the park were annoying to the bands who needed to drive around to set up, but they were a godsend to me now. There was no one back here other than the band members, and all of them were busy enough they paid us no attention.
It was tricky juggling the water and my sandwich, but I didn’t want to waste a minute of the time I had to spend with Tyler. The noise of the festival tent quieted the further we walked along the edge of the lake. I tipped my head to the sky and closed my eyes as we walked, remembering how many summer afternoons we’d spent down here together.
“Thanks for this,” I said as we stepped onto the old fishing pier. My heart stopped for a second as it swayed from side to side, and I swore I heard a board splinter under our weight. “Don’t they maintain these things?”
“There’s only so much room in the budget,” Tyler responded flatly. “We’re doing as much as we can. Everyone wants something but no one wants to help when it’s time to raise money or put on events.”
He lowered himself to the deck of the pier, toeing off his shoes. I followed suit, and both of us dangled our feet into the water like we used to do. I took a moment to just look at Tyler, and I wasn’t a fan of what I saw. Some of the lines at the corners of his eyes were likely because neither of us were kids, but he seemed to be aging faster than he should be. He looked worn down, like he’d collapse if he didn’t catch a break soon.
“You know, you don’t always have to be everyone’s white knight.” I gently kicked his foot and bumped my shoulder against his. “Sometimes, you have to let go of a situation when others don’t want to help themselves.”
“Speaking from experience?” Tyler scooted close enough that our thighs touched. He settled, resting his head on me. I draped an arm over his shoulders and started gently rubbing his biceps. He hummed softly. “Feels good. I missed you.”
“Missed you, too,” I admitted before kissing the top of his head. “More than you can imagine. And I’m sorry I never called you. I thought it would be easier that way.”
