“Huh.” He reread the blurb and then pulled out another book,Sanctuary, by Kelly Fox.
“That one is part of a series about gay combat veterans.”
“Really?” He took a moment to read that blurb as well. “These both sound interesting,” he finally said. “Is it okay if I borrow them?”
“Sure,” I said hesitantly. “Just so you know, the sex scenes in those books are explicit. In case that’s something that might weird you out.”
His cheeks got pink, but he shook his head. “Nah. I’ll be fine.”
That gave me a lot to think about. If Zach was questioning his sexuality and was interested in reading gay romance novels with explicit sex scenes, did that mean he was moving closer to accepting that he might not be straight? I would have to wait to find out.
Our Sunday evening saw the two of us watching more Marvel movies and eating takeout because neither of us felt like cooking. When we went to bed, Zach took both books with him. That spark of hope in me grew brighter.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
ZACH
After finishing three gay romance novels, I came to the conclusion that I was definitely not straight. I hadn’t jerked off so much since high school. It made me wonder, again, why it had taken me so long to figure it out. I thought I was probably bisexual because I was also attracted to women. But while it was true that I got turned on by being with a woman, my relationships with them had never lasted long. That was still a mystery to me.
I decided to move on to gay porn to see if watching two men together had the same effect. Five minutes in, I was covered in my own cum. So, it wasn’t just Miguel. But it was Miguel I wanted. I just wasn’t sure if Miguel wanted me.
This whole first week of living with him had been strange. Sunday night, we hung out and watched movies. Monday was his other day off, and when I got home from work, I found a note telling me he had a dinner date. He got home fairly early with another story about how his date objected to his makeup.
I’d almost said something then, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I always felt so tongue-tied around the sharply dressed man. I felt like I didn’t measure up. But then, the rest of the week, we both worked, and since I got home first, I got dinner started. We’d decided to do meal prep ahead of time, so all either of us had to do was cook the prepared food. We ate together and talked or watched a movie.
To be honest, those evenings with Miguel made getting through my last week working for Jeff bearable. As the week went on, he got more and more shitty with me. He tried every way to make my life hell while I was at work. By the time Friday rolled around, I was seriously thinking about just going in, taking my toolbox, and leaving. Unfortunately, I was getting help from Gabe, who had a pickup but couldn’t come until later in the day.
I finally finished the last car that had come in specifically for me to fix. I’d just finished washing my hands when Jeff came into my bay. “We got a 2017 Honda being towed in by Triple-A. The tow truck driver thinks it’s the alternator. Dead battery, but it’s only six months old.” He looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Think you can handle it?”
I rolled my eyes and didn’t hide it. “Sure. As long as the parts get here in time for me to finish it today. I won’t be coming back after I leave tonight.”
Jeff clenched his jaw and took a breath like he was going to start ranting. I put up my hand and said, “Save it. Do you want me to fix the car or not?”
“Fix the fucking car,” he growled and stomped out of my bay.
I waited out in the parking lot for the tow truck to arrive. When the flatbed pulled in with a black Honda Accord coupe, I saw that the driver was someone I knew. “Hey, Stan,” I said when he got out of the truck. “How’s it going? How’s Tammy doing?”
Stan clapped me on the back. “She’s good. Tired of being pregnant. June can’t come soon enough.”
“It’ll be here before you know it. Then you’ll have sleepless nights and dirty diapers.”
Stan shrugged. “I’m okay with that. I just can’t wait to meet my little girl.”
“She’ll be lucky to have you as a dad.”
“Thanks, man.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “Here’s the contact information for the owner of the car. He had to take a rideshare to his destination. Said he had a meeting or something. He said to call him when you know what the repair will cost.”
I tucked the card into the pocket of my coveralls. “Thanks”
Stan stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. “Is it true you’re finally leaving this place?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve had enough. Jeff’s gotten worse over the years.”
He made a sound of disdain. “You don’t have to tell me that. None of us like to bring cars here. It’s going to suck worse when you’re gone. Where are you going?”
“Tommy’s in Neptune,” I replied.
“The Harley dealership?” When I nodded, he smiled broadly. “That’s great. I know you’ve wanted to work on those for a long time. Congratulations.”
