Page 47 of The Fault Next Door

“No. Not too long. I don’t think Jim has been very choosy about who he hires. Maybe that will change.”

“I hope so. That’s awful that he got stabbed,” Nolan said.

Ryder nodded, wondering just how long he would be able to stay in this job. “Yeah. I hate this.”

Nolan glanced down and kicked a pebble that tumbled across the asphalt. “I feel like it’s my fault.”

Ryder moved fast and reached out, taking his arm. "Oh, hell no. Don't you dare. I don't blame you at all. Those guys decided to get pissy about gays, and that's on them, not you."

“But if?—”

"No. If you hadn't moved here, I would still have these thoughts about guys. Before, I was with Amy, and then after, I was so full of grief and anger, along with guilt and fear, that I did nothing. I probably would have gone into one of the big cities inthe next few years and found a club because I was curious before you came around."

Nolan narrowed his eyes. “Really?”

“Why do you think it was so easy for me to kiss you and touch you?” Ryder raised his eyebrows. “I mean, a guy doesn’t go from nothing to having sex with another man without having some thoughts about it. Even if I buried those thoughts and chalked them up to being horny. You know, bisexual is a thing.”

Nolan chuckled. “Yes, it is.”

Nolan squeezed his arm, and Ryder could tell he really wanted a kiss. He wasn't comfortable enough to kiss in public, not with people hanging around. Maybe if they went to a big city or something.

"So my boss, Dr. Moore, who came here with me, his husband just moved to town, and he's going to want to entertain. Would you think of going with me?"

Panic swept through Ryder, but it disappeared fast. "I think so. I mean, we would be at their house, right?"

Nolan nodded. “Yeah.”

"You know I'm not embarrassed. I just fear what will happen. I mean, look at what happened today with Dave. Luckily, Rafe went to get help."

Nolan nodded. “Yeah, lucky. I don’t know Rafe, do I?”

“He’s relatively new. I think he’s Jim’s cousin. Anyway, he seems solid.”

“I’m glad he was here to get help.” Nolan bumped his shoulder. “You know, it can be hard to come out. At first, I felt like I was constantly walking around looking over my shoulder.”

Ryder nodded. “I get that feeling. I don’t like it, but I do like you.”

Nolan's face lit up. "I like you, too. How about we head home, and we can wash up and then eat something before we end up rolling around in bed for a while?"

“Sounds like a plan,” Ryder said.

He followed Nolan home, trying not to worry too much about the haters that were out there in the world. Maybe someone else would come after them, but he hoped people just left them alone. He didn’t want to constantly have to dodge jerks wielding knives or assholes who wanted to beat him up. He was just trying to live his life and be happy. They weren’t hurting anyone by being together.

Chapter 34

Nolan wasthankful Ryder hadn’t really been hurt. Jim was recovering, and Dave was still in jail. It sucked that Ryder had to work in an environment where he couldn’t trust the men who clocked in around him. It seemed like the world was getting worse instead of better. There wasn’t much he could do about the violence. He just had to be prepared to defend himself if it came to that.

Thursday afternoon, once the clinic had cleared out, Dr. Moore asked him over for dinner that weekend. Nolan hadn’t met Wade yet and was looking forward to meeting him.

“Is it okay if I bring someone?” Nolan asked.

Dr. Moore nodded. “Yes. That will be great. Wade loves entertaining.”

Nolan was a little worried about Ryder’s first real outing as a same sex date. Though they weren’t really going out in public. Still, it was new and different, exciting even. He hoped Ryder saw it as something fun and not something to worry about.

They arrived at Dr. Moore's place right on time. Nolan saw that he hadn't needed to worry, though. Ryder and Wade, Dr. Moore's husband, got along very well once Wade revealed howmuch he enjoyed yard work. Ryder and Wade were out in the backyard talking about grass and lawn care. Wade was amazed that Ryder was a professional when it came to grasses and lawns. They spent about thirty minutes outside discussing different types of grass.

“That’s nice.” Dr. Moore came up behind Nolan and handed him a glass of wine. “I like that he has someone he can talk to here. That’s one reason it took him so long to agree to live here.”

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