Page 9 of Except You

Just really be the full creep that I’ve become.

The phone rings as I hold it up to my ear, and I push my damp hair out of my face, feeling my heart thunder in my chest.

Please, don’t pick up.

Oh fuck, do not answer.

But a moment later, I hear his raspy voice. “Hey, you okay?”

The way he asks it makes my mouth dry up and my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.

“Yeah, I just…I was just seeing how you were.”

I hear him shuffling around and then a whispered, “I’ll be right back, Graham…” There’s an angry mutter in the background and then, “…I mean Grant. Shit, I can’t keep his name straight in my head. Last night, I could have sworn it was Greg.”

I snort a small laugh, and I can almost feel Beau smiling at me through the phone.

“Names are hard.”

“They are. Damn things. So how are you, Michael?”

I smile broadly and then huff a laugh. “Not bad, Butch.”

He chuckles and then I hear a door open and close, and I can imagine him sitting outside in a lounge chair, his feet tucked under him as he presses the phone to his ear, listening to me.

“What have you been doing the past few days, Max? Playing sports, revving engines, having straight sex?”

“I mean, I played basketball this morning with my brothers. Played like shit though, so I don’t think it counts.”

“I doubt that very much, Mr. Macho Man.”

We sit there in silence for a minute, and then I ask, “What have you been doing?”

“Oh, you know, getting railed by the G-man inside. Still can’t remember his name. A slippery little thing.”

I chuckle at that. “Seems so.”

“You have any plans later today?” Beau asks, and I shrug, knowing he can’t see me but doing it all the same. I most certainly shouldn’t hang out with this guy. There’s absolutely no reason to do that.

“Listen, here’s a wild plan. Wanna go to the beach? Watch those crazy as fuck surfers and then grab dinner?”

I nod, my throat clicking as I swallow. “Yeah. Just send me a time and place. I’ll be there.”

“Done. Let me just get this asshole out of my place, and I’ll see you soon.”

The phone call ends with a click, and I’m left in the middle of my place, my body shivering slightly from the cold and my lips pulled up in a smile.

I’m doing it.

I’m fucking doing it.

Chapter Two

Max

We meet at the Newport Pier in Orange County. It’s a long stretch of Pacific Ocean and a boardwalk perpendicular to the beach. Restaurants and shops line the walkway, and I crane my neck over the crowd of people in front of me, trying to find Beau. He hasn’t shown and when I glance down at my phone, I see that he’s about ten minutes late.

Fuck, maybe he’s not going to show up. Maybe he realizes that hanging out with a homophobic asshole isn’t a good idea. I wouldn’t blame him if he came to this realization.

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