Stephen couldn’t answer that question out loud. The past was all he had. They didn’t have a future together.
“I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.”
Oh God, does he know?Stephen cleared his throat. “If I can.”
“Are you sick or something?” Brenden asked.
More like “something.”“Why would you ask me that?”
“It’s something Nicholas said to me the first night I met him. He’s worried that you’re sick and keeping it from him.”
Stephen remembered his dad mentioning something to that effect. “No, I’m not sick,” he answered skirting around the issue.
** ** ** ** **
Brenden stared at Stephen, he had the feeling he was being lied to, but he didn’t push him for the truth. As much as he was trying to keep his distance while they worked, he was using his nightly visits with Nicholas to get to know this Stephen. Even though Brenden thought he knew everything about the other man, there were elements he must have missed before. He still knew how to make Brenden laugh, and he was a good father from what he’d witnessed.
“I was thinking…” Brenden started just as Stephen spoke up.
“Brenden, there’s something I need to tell you.” They both stopped and smiled at each other.
“Why don’t you go first,” Brenden told him.
“Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.
“Yeah,” he told him. They’d been edging around each other for the past couple of weeks. Brenden had slowly let go of some of his anger as his lust and attraction was starting to take over his emotions more and more. He would never deny how beautiful Stephen was. And after thinking about the position the other man was in, Brenden could understand why he might have thought the things he did. Brenden wasn’t sure if he was in Stephen’s position if he would do the same thing.
“I’m not sure how you will take it.”
Brenden watched as the man in front of him fidgeted in his seat.
“Stephen, I know that for the past couple of weeks things between us have been somewhat tense.”
“You can say that again,” Stephen mumbled.
“Hey, I’m trying to apologize here,” Brenden said, cracking a smile, but noticed that Stephen didn’t smile with him.
“Wait, no, you don’t have to apologize,” he said. “I just… I just don’t want you to hate me any more than you already do with what I’m about to say. I care about you Brenden, and you’re the only man I’ve ever given my heart to. I think even back then when I was trying to deny what I was feeling for you I knew. And I hope that you will hear what I have to say.”
“Just tell me.”
“Hey, guys!”
Brenden and Stephen snapped their heads to the right and saw Jaxson and Christen standing there looking down at them with smiles on their faces.
“Did we interrupt something?” Christen asked, furrowing his brows.
“No,” Stephen said, scooting out of the booth. “I was just leaving,” he said, standing up and walking over to the counter and paid for his meal. Brenden continued to watch him until he disappeared from his sight.
“You guys could have waited five more minutes before coming over here,” Brenden said looking at his two friends.
Jaxson sat down in front of him, Christen sat beside his husband. “What the hell is going on with you two?” Jaxson asked.
“I have no fucking idea,” he sighed, and looked out the window.
“Did he tell you he was dating again?” Christen asked, and that got Brenden’s attention.
“What do you mean? Did he tell you something?” It never occurred to him that Stephen could be dating someone. He assumed that the other man was more focused on being a parent to their son.
