Thatboy was so full of energy that there was no way he was going inside.Heneeded to run off his zoomies first.Ireached back into the truck and pushed the garage door opener. “Comeon, buddy.Let’sgo play!”Therewas a lawn mower blocking the back door of the garage, soIquickly moved it out of the way beforeBartdarted down the street.
Assoon as the door opened,Bartwas overcome with a case of the zoomies.Heran a few laps aroundAnson’sbackyard before remembering there was a gap in the fence.Hejumped the bottom support and ran into my yard. “Well, at least we know where he’s at.Let’shurry to get this unloaded before he comes back.”
Itwas nearly impossible to concentrate whenAnsoncrouched, slid a small stack of planks onto his shoulder, and hauled them past me on his way to the yard.Myfingers twitched with the urge to reach out and feel the sculpted muscles in his shoulders.Ina fantasy world, he’d accept my offer to massage them when we were done for the day.I’dstraddle his narrow hips, rocking gently against his?—
“Areyou going to help or just stare at my ass all day?”Iswallowed hard, waiting forAnsonto tell me to get off his property.Leaveit to me to allow the remnants of a teenage crush to ruin what could have grown into my first real friendship in the neighborhood.
3
ANSON
Kevinhad most definitely checkedout my ass.I’dfelt his gaze traveling down the length of my body asIpassed with a stack of boards on one shoulder.Itwould have been easier for us to work together carrying everything to the backyard, butI’dwanted to see how he’d react.Iwas pretty sureI’dcaught him checking me out a few times at the hardware store but hadn’t wanted to embarrass him by calling him out.
Iwasn’t looking to hook up with anyone, much less anything more serious, but at my age, it felt damn good to be appreciated for my hard work in the makeshift gymI’dput together in my basement.Andeven ifIwanted to hook up, it wouldn’t be with anyone locally.Itried to keep my sexuality under wraps because whoIfucked didn’t need to be used as a reason people chose to not work with me.Thatprobably made me a hypocrite, but it was the reality of the worldIlived in.Manyof my clients still held bullshit beliefs about what made someone a decent human being.Unfortunately,Kevinwas growing on me like a fungus.IfIwasn’t careful, he’d be like those mushrooms people insisted on trying to grow inside their houses, then wondering what in the hell happened when their walls were infested.
Itprobably wasn’t great of me to compare him to an invasive plant.Itwas a good thingIkept that thought inside my head.
“Iwasn’t staring at your ass.”Kevin’sbright-red cheeks and the fact he couldn’t make eye contact betrayed his lie.Hecleared his throat a few times and it still wasn’t enough to keep his voice from cracking when he finally spoke again. “Wh-what would you like me to do?”
“Youdefinitely were, but it’s okay,”Iteased. “Ispend enough time working out to try and outrun old age.Someonemight as well enjoy it.Whydon’t you grab the bags from the bed of the truck whileItake the rest of these out back?”
Ineeded a moment alone.Spendingtime withKevinhad my brains scrambled.AfterIdropped the second load of planks,Iwrenched on the broken panel leaning precariously overKevin’syard.Agood neighbor would have taken it down immediately, but that was neither here nor there.I’dthought about it, not that it counted for anything.Despitethe cool morning, it wasn’t long before sweat beaded along my forehead.Myarms ached from the exertion they didn’t get lifting weights.Thescent of crisp leaves filled the air.Iclosed my eyes and let myself feel for a few seconds.
Icouldn’t remember the last timeI’dconsciously tried to clear my head.Therewas always something going on up there.Ameeting to keep track of, upcoming dinners at mom’s houseIcouldn’t forget, plans for expanding the business, what to do aboutHarmonyHouseto bring in more funding because the money we’d poured into it wouldn’t last forever.
Ahand landed on my shoulder, startling me. “Hey, didn’t mean to spook you.Itried calling your name a few times, but you didn’t respond.”
“Oh, sorry.Iwas just thinking.”Forsome reason, that seemed like a better explanation than admitting he had me feeling off-kilter. “What’sup?”
“Iwanted to make sure you had the truck keys beforeIlocked it.”Ipatted my pocket, nodding whenIfelt the jagged edges of the keyring there. “Cool.I’llbe right back.”
Icouldn’t help but watch asKevinjogged back across the yard.Therewas no reason he should be the only one appreciating the views.Andit was one hell of a fine view.Hewas slimmer than he looked when in uniform, but he wasn’t scrawny by any means.Hemoved with grace, not slowing as he shoved open the door to the garage.Asecond later,Iheard the beep of my truck locking, andIstarted unpacking the bags from the hardware store so he wouldn’t catch me checking him out.
Theday went much smoother thanI’doriginally expected.I’dsplurged on the pre-cut planks, so we didn’t have to worry about cutting anything to length.Instead, we chatted a bit more about how much it sucked being the single guys in our friend and acquaintance circles.Untilhe’d mentioned it,Ihadn’t given a second thought to how lonelyIwas when we all went out and the guys all brought their partners.There’dbeen a time when we were all single, but now,Iwas the last man standing.
Ididn’t like that feeling, no matter how muchIsworeIwasn’t looking for anyone.
Bartspent the day bouncing from one yard to the next.Soon,I’dhave to wrangle him back to my side of the fence, or he’d be stuck inKevin’syard.ButthenI’dhave a reason to follow him over there…
Whatin the actual fuck?
Inever wanted to hang out.Definitelydidn’t think about following someone home, much like my traitorous dog would.
“Areyou heading down to the festival next weekend?”Kevinasked when the silence drew on too long for his taste.Yes,I’dofficially realized there was a time limit on how longKevincould go without filling dead air with mundane chatter.Iliked the quiet.ButIalso liked talking to him, not thatIwas about to admit it.Iwas close to admitting havingKevinaround might be good for me.
Ishook my head and laughed. “Youmake it sound like it’s optional.Myparents run theGroveUnityNetworkfood stand, and it’s all hands on deck.Ontop of that, we’re surprisingBilly’sboys with some pets now that they’re settled in at his place.”
“Howare things going there?”Ibristled atKevin’squestion because it seemed like everyone in town had something to say about the situation.
Kevinhad been one of the officers sent toBillyandMichael’swhen some ofJames’sbuddies got into trouble and tried implicating him in their shenanigans, but he’d been home sleeping.Andshortly after that,James’sparents raised holy hell about him living with a gay couple and tried to force the courts to send him back home.Itwas a huge mess, but in the end, it had worked out exactly as it should for his sake.Henow had two parental figures who loved and supported him instead of telling him repeatedly that he was going to hell for who he loved.Icouldn’t prove it, butIwas almost certain the mayor had had something to do with the negative situation.Theonly thing he couldn’t stand more than my family was the gay agenda he was certain was infiltratingHarmonyGrove.Itwas about time someone knocked that asshole down a peg or twenty.
“Good.Reallygood.”Myshoulders relaxed asIthought about how sickeningly sweet the four of them were together.Billycouldn’t have lovedMichael’sadopted son orJamesmore if they were his flesh and blood.Thesame went for all of us.Iwasn’t someone who saw myself having kids, but those two were fun to hang out with.Andspoil. “Mymom’s getting them chickens because she said you can’t live on a farm without animals.Michael’sgonna lose his shit when we pull up.I’mthinking about getting them goats.”
“Youcan’t get them live animals.That’sjust mean.”Despitehis words,Kevinlooked about two seconds from doubling over with laughter. “Who’sgoing to take care of them?”
Ishrugged. “Noclue.Myguess isBillywill be left doing the chores once the new wears off.”
Imade a mental note to figure out where to pick up some goats.Someonelocal had to have them for sale.
