It was nice. He’d never really understood what a sense ofcommunityfelt like until he’d moved here. Even if he still felt a little like anoutsider.
People had been quick to learn his name.
He’d lived in his last apartment almost five years, and he hadn’tknown the name of anyone else in the building. His last coffee shop had neveroncegotten his name right.
Hope Springs was very different from Chicago. Not just in thesense that it was smaller.
Connor was pretty sure he could comb the planet and not findanother place quite the same.
He’d come here because he could afford the rent while he lickedhis wounds, but the longer he stayed, the more he believed that maybe, he couldbe happy here one day.
“We try to, yeah,” Max said once he’d swallowed his currentmouthful. “I guess that’s why you fit right in.”
“You’re helpingmeout,” Connor said. “I couldn’t do thiswithout you.”
“And I couldn’t do it without you. And like… if you need help, I’ma hundred percent here to do whatever you need. But otherwise… I trust you. Ithink you’re gonna do a great job, and I don’t think you should doubtyourself.”
Connor snorted. Not doubting himself was easier said than done,but he appreciated the sentiment.
“Seriously,” Max said, turning to look at him with those prettyblue eyes that Connor couldn’t resist. “You’re good at this. I can see it ineverything you show me and everything you suggest.”
This time, Connor sighed, his heart fluttering in his chest. Maxwas being so damnedniceto him.
He wanted to kiss him right now more than he’d ever wanted to kissanyone in his life.
So few people expressed that kind of faith in him untilaftertheir wedding had gone off without a hitch.
Max believed in him enough to hang all his hopes and dreams onConnor being able to pull this off.
He was such a sweetheart.
Connor had never met anyone like him before.
It really was a shame that he wasn’t interested in men. Being hisfriend was wonderful, but Connor would really have liked to be able to take himto bed and show him how much he appreciated the quiet faith Max had in him. Howmuch it meant, especially after his last disaster.
“What Ihaven’tfigured out is a venue,” Connor said. “Idon’t know this town all that well.”
“Leave the venue to me,” Max responded between mouthfuls of food.“I’ve got an idea.”
Connor hummed, happy to let Max take over on that front if healready knew what he was doing.
“My mom found out, by the way,” Max said. “I meant to tell you,but I forgot.”
“What did she say?”
Max laughed. “She said it was okay that I was gay. That she’dalways secretly known.”
Connor raised an eyebrow.
“I know, right?” Max said. “I had to explain to her that we werefaking. She’s cool with it now that she knows what we’re doing.”
Connor paused, filing that information away to obsess over later.Max’s mom had probably just been trying to be understanding, but…
She was thesecondperson who’d implied that maybe Maxwasn’t as straight as he thought.
It was probably a coincidence. And the last thing Connor needed todo was to torture himself with the thought thatmaybeMax wasn’tcompletely outside the realm of possibility, but…
It was nice to dream, and he was so lonely.
