“Nice to meet you,” Will replied.
“Same,” Cee Cee said. “I’ve heard lots of good things about you.”
“So what’s the plan for today?” Tom asked the group. “All we really said was that we’d drive down to P-town. Was there anything special anyone wanted to do?”
“It’s a beautiful day, so we can stroll down Commercial Street,” Char said. “Not sure what shops are open, but I’m sure we’ll find something to pass the time.”
“And we can stop somewhere for lunch. I’ve heard good things about 1620 Brewhouse,” Cee Cee added.
“Sounds good to me.” Plans made, Will turned onto Route 6 and headed toward Cape Cod.
Will pulledinto a spot in the parking lot at MacMillan Pier and got out of the car to stretch. The ride had only taken ninety minutes, but he often got restless behind the wheel. “I’m not ready to eat yet, but I could certainly go for a cup of coffee,” he said to the group as they walked toward Commercial Street.
“Oh God, yes, please!” pleaded Char. “He’s definitely a keeper,” she whispered, winking at Tom.
“That settles it,” Cee Cee said. “First stop is the Portuguese Bakery.” They entered the establishment and gazed at the display of Portuguese bread and pastries, including freshly mademalassadas—the fried dough covered in sugar was a specialty that the bakery was known for.
“I’d love one of those,” Char said, “but my waistline won’t.” The group concurred and passed on the tasty treats. Coffee in hand, they continued their journey down the not overly crowded street.
There were people traveling in both directions, some families, some couples, hand in hand, all enjoying the beautiful weather. Will saw Tom smile. “Remember the first time you andI came here, Char?” It had been a few years ago, and Char smiled back at him.
“I sure do. It’s so nice to see everyone just accepting each other for who they are with no judgments.”
“Right?” Will agreed. “Not that we really have any issues in Hawthorne Bluff, but somehow it just feels different here.” He scanned the area, watching families of tourists, many with kids in strollers, mingling with gay men and women, all enjoying themselves.
Will had noticed that Char and Cee Cee had been holding hands since they’d left the bakery, so he casually grazed the back of Tom’s hand with his own, then took Tom’s hand in his. “Is this okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Tom said shyly.
“We don’t have to …” Will began.
“No really, it’s fine.” Will felt Tom’s thumb glide along his own, and his grip tightened. “I just haven’t held a guy’s hand for a while. I like it.”
They continued their stroll, occasionally stopping to window-shop and again, once or twice, when Char just had to go into a store to look more closely at what they had to offer. Neither Will nor Tom felt compelled to enter said shops, so they waited outside while Char and Cee Cee browsed.
“I’m glad we decided to do this,” Will said. “I like hanging out with you, but I also enjoy spending time with Char. She’s quite funny. I can see why the two of you are such good friends. And Cee Cee seems nice,” he added.
“Yeah, Char and I are like siblings at this point, and Cee Cee is definitely a sweetheart. I think she helps balance Char a bit.” He grinned. “And yeah, I like hanging out with you too.”
“I sense a ‘but’ at the end of that,” Will said, looking Tom in the eyes.
“Ah,” Tom sighed. “Not really a ‘but’ … it’s just that my last relationship went south pretty fast, so I guess I’m always a little, um, apprehensive?” Tom shook his head. “I’m not sure if I’m saying this right.” He paused as if trying to figure something out in his head, so Will stayed quiet, waiting. “Look, the truth is, I haven’t really had any luck with dating. Nothing ever seems to work out. And frankly, my mom doesn’t really help.”
“Your mom?” Will absently scratched his cheek. “Whaddya mean?”
“My dad left us when I was pretty young, and my mom has never really gotten over it. He wasn’t around much for me and eventually just stopped showing up,” Tom told him. “The whole situation has soured my mom on relationships of any kind, and she’s pretty much beaten me over the head with those thoughts for as long as I can remember.” He took a breath, then continued. “I guess that’s affected how I’ve acted with guys I’ve seen in the past. Not that there have been that many. But Derek, the last guy, was the worst. Char could tell you stories.” He laughed humorlessly. “Anyway, I’m always waiting for something bad to happen since things haven’t worked out in the past. Probably not what you want to hear, but that’s the way it is.”
When Tom stopped speaking, Will waited a moment or two before saying anything. “Okay, are you done now?” When Tom nodded, Will continued, “First, it definitely sounds like your mom has done a number on your head, so I’m just gonna say that since you realize that’s what’s happened, you need to try and move on from that.” Will grinned. “I know it’s easier said than done, but I’ll help you, okay?”
“You will?” Tom sounded surprised. “Char reminds me every time I start talking shit about relationships. Maybe if I hear it from both of you, I’ll finally start believing it.”
“Fair enough.” Will nodded. “Second, I hope I’m different. You’re not gonna scare me away by saying that you’ve had back luck dating. Honestly, I have too. But I’m not giving up.” Will spoke from the heart. “And more importantly, I’m not giving upon you. I’ve told you before, and I’ll say it again, I like you, Tom. A lot. And I hope we can make this work, ’cause I wanna keep seeing you, okay?”
“Okay.” Tom nodded back. “But remember, I’m a work in progress. I’m trying to get better.”
“Deal,” said Will, leaning over to kiss Tom on the lips.
Char and Cee Cee chose that moment to exit the shop, and Char said, “Hope we’re not interrupting anything, boys.”
