Page 77 of Sweet T

Evan reclined next to him. “Wow,” he whispered.

The heavens unfolded before them, millions of stars crystal clear in the vast night. Looking up from where they lay, the sides of Tucker’s truck framed the sky, so there was nothing to be seen other than its boundless beauty. Constellations stood out. Evan saw Ursa Major and Minor and, within them, the Little and Big Dipper. There was also Libra, Sagittarius, and scads more he couldn’t identify. Some, he felt certain, could be planets. Never had he seen the night sky with such clarity.

“This is where I come when I feel overwhelmed,” Tucker said. “It gives me perspective about where we stand in the scheme of things.”

“Why do you feel overwhelmed, T? Is it because you like me?”

“It’s a lot of things. I’m not the most confident person, Ev. My daddy is, but I didn’t inherit it from him. Hell, the only reason I have the tavern is because of P and Shelly. P invested in me because he loves me. He was also probably trying to shift my focus away from Daddy and Javy. I told him I had no idea how to run a business. That’s where Shelly came in. She told me she would help me get it up and running while she got her degree–that it would be a piece of cake. I wasn’t so sure. But my grades weren’t good enough for college and I figured it was better than digging ditches, so I gave it a shot.”

“Do you really think a family as well-to-do as yours would have let you dig ditches?”

“No. But I feel certain I would have ended up working for Pedro’s landscaping company, which is not a lot different. No shade to P. He loves it. It’s not my thing, though. I think that’s the problem. I’ve never really known what my thing is. Javy did. He came in, charmed Daddy, chose a direction, and has never looked back. That’s why Daddy latched onto him, recapturing his youth, so to speak. He wasn’t getting it from me.”

“You’ve got to stop beating yourself up over him, T. I see so much in you.”

Tucker’s head rolled left, facing Evan. “Yeah? Enough to keep you from going to Atlanta?”

Evan opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.

“Yeah.” Tucker turned back to the sky. “I didn’t think so.”

They were both quiet for a while, pondering the stars or, at least, pretending to. Finally, Evan rolled over on his side, facing Tucker. “I have this thing in me, T,” he said. “It’s something I have no control over, and I need it like life itself.”

“Yeah, I know. I saw your eyes yesterday, auditioning with Sebastian. The way you looked at me at that moment. I only wish it were real.”

“Sit up. Look at me now.”

Tucker did as Evan asked. Their eyes met. When Tucker tried to turn away, Evan reached out and took his face in his hand, like in the pool, turning it back.

“See my face. What do you see right now?”

“Something a whole lot prettier than those stars we were looking at.”

“This is me, T. No acting. I like you too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I’d like to do more than just kiss you.”

Tucker grinned, his expression morphing into the sweetest bout of bashfulness. “I’m not very experienced in that department, by the way.”

“I can help with that. But this truck bed is hard even with the blankets.”

“Sorry. It’s normally just me. I fold one several times and use the other as a pillow.”

“It’s very tempting out here, under the stars. Next time, we’ll be more prepared. Tonight, I prefer your bed.” Evan kissed Tucker. “With you in it.”

They got up, got out of the truck, and folded up the blankets. Evan shut the gate. When he turned, Tucker embraced him, kissing him again.

They almost didn’t make it home.

Sixteen

Tucker drove the truck, its wheels crunching along, while Evan was busy with his phone.

“What are you doing?” Tucker asked.

“Checking my e-mail. They said it could be up to forty-eight hours.”

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