Page 92 of Coming Clean

It was already midnight buthe wasn’t going to risk waiting until morning. He’d nearly lost hischance with Jeremy. Waking him up wasn’t going to make anythingworse. Connor picked up a crumpled piece of paper that he’d thrownaway and then pulled from the trash more than once that evening. Heshoved it in his pocket. Taking it didn’t necessarily mean he wasgoing to let Jeremy read it.

****

Jeremy joltedawake. A noise had woken him. Had it come from outside? He hopedso. There it was again. A muffled banging. Shit! Was someone tryingto break in? No, he was over-reacting. It was probably a squirrel,or a cat, or his imagination.

He lay rigid with tensionfor a few more seconds before getting to his feet. He wouldn’t beable to sleep until he investigated. The stairs creaked ominouslyas he stepped on them. By the time he reached the bottom, he wasshivering. Maybe he should’ve put on something other than hisboxers.

He heard something rattleand his heart nearly stopped. It was the front doorknob. Someonewas trying to get in. The lock began to turn and he launched intoaction, grabbing the lamp from the table in the hall. It was anantique with a tall iron base. Jeremy was no fighter, but maybe hecould take the intruder by surprise.

The doorknob turned. Jeremylunged as the door swung open. The man who entered caught Jeremy’sarm just before the lamp made contact with his head.

“Connor?”

“Yeah.” His eyes were wide.“I figured you were pissed at me but I didn’t expect to get my headbashed in.”

Fuck!“I thought you were a burglar. I didn’t even knowI had that in me.” Jeremy’s heart thundered. Thank God Connor hadsuch good reflexes. What if Jeremy had actually hit him?

“You were ready to defendyourself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“How’d you…”

Connor held up a key ring.“I still have a key from doing the cleanings. I shouldn’t have usedit, but I knocked and you didn’t answer, and this is my lastchance.”

Jeremy tried to make senseof Connor’s statement with his still half-asleep brain. “Lastchance for what?”

“To convince you not tosell the house and leave. David told me about the offer on thehouse. Don’t be mad at him. I’m really glad he did.” Connor reachedinto his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper that he’dfolded into a small rectangle. He held it out to Jeremy.

The adrenaline rush fromthinking he was about to be robbed or attacked had Jeremy feelingmore than a little disoriented. “Is this a dream?”

“I hope not, because I’dhate to find out I didn’t actually get up the courage to come overhere.”

Jeremy couldn’t help butsmile. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“You are?” Connor lookedgenuinely surprised.

“I am.” Jeremy doubted hewould’ve been able to leave town without at least seeing Connoragain. And now that Connor was in front of him, strong, gorgeous,but with that vulnerable look that had made Jeremy want to take arisk, he couldn’t believe he’d ever contemplated leaving atall.

“Read it.” Connor gesturedto the paper.

Jeremy sat the lamp back onthe table and unfolded the note. When Jeremy looked back down atthe paper, he couldn’t believe it. Connor had written apoem.

Please don’tleave

If you do I’llgrieve

For what could havebeen

If only I’d cared enoughto win

You.

Hot tears burned behindJeremy’s eyes. He read the poem over and over before finallyfinding his voice. “Y-you wrote this? For me?” A tear splashed ontothe paper.

“It kindasucks.”

“But you wrote it for me.”When Jeremy looked up, Connor avoided his gaze.

“Well, yeah. I justthought… I didn’t know if you’d listen to me if I tried to talk toyou. But you like poems. I mean, you like good poems, and thatisn’t one but—”