Page 9 of The Fault Next Door

“Their shit. Little droppings everywhere. Took me ages to clean it up.”

“Dang. That’s awful.” Nolan moved to the table and picked up a cooler. “I brought you some beer. I mean, you’re welcome to have wine, but I didn’t know if you drank wine.”

Ryder felt slightly insulted, but he understood. Not a lot of Texas men, especially out in the country, drank wine. Though the alcohol by volume was higher, guys tended to think of wine as a girly drink.

"I drink both. I'll have a glass unless that's Shiner-Bock."

“Yes!” Nolan said as he pumped his arm. “It’s Shiner-Bock.”

“I’m surprised. Do you drink Shiner?” Ryder asked.

Nolan shook his head as laughter bubbled up. "Nope, I never drink beer. I don't like the taste. I like wine and cocktails." A weird expression crossed Nolan's face as if maybe he had something to hide.

Ryder pushed away the thought and moved to the grill, turning on the gas and lighting the burners. "I have corn and some vegetables already seasoned that need to go on first. I hope you don't mind waiting a bit for the steak."

“No, not at all. I had to eat a late lunch today, so I’m not starving yet.”

“Well, I am. So let me get to it.”

Ryder had no doubt now that he was just excited about spending time with someone other than his family. Many of his old friends from high school had either changed in bad ways or hadn't changed at all and were stuck acting like they were still juniors in high school. Or they had families and were busy with kids and their wives. So, since moving here, he hadn't really hung out with anyone.

Over the years, he'd grown and become someone a bit more rational and maybe even a little more levelheaded than he'dbeen in high school. Part of it had been getting out from under his father's thumb. Another part was he didn't still party like it was their senior year, and he wasn't into conspiracy theories. He just wanted to live and maybe have something to look forward to a few days in the month as he passed the time.

Chapter 8

Nolan watchedas Ryder brought out the vegetables and put them on the grill. He was about to ask if there was anything he could do when Ryder came over and sat at the table and motioned for Nolan to join him.

Being here in Texas, hanging out with a regular guy felt nice but kind of weird as well. He used to do this at home, but back then, everyone knew he was gay, and they didn't care. Would Ryder be so openly nice if he knew the truth?

A bit of sadness slid through him remembering how after Andrew died all the barbecues and picnics got awkward. He should reply to the email he got from Liv, his old next-door neighbor, and tell her he was fine. So much had changed since Andrew passed. Happiness seemed harder to achieve now. Hey, some days just living was harder than others.

He pushed the thought away and focused on Ryder. The guy was probably decent. He was younger, though some of the younger people in conservative states were troublesome. Maybe he wasn’t giving the man enough credit. He didn’t know what type of person Ryder was. His neighbor wasn’t old, maybe a few years older than him.

The thought of not dating anyone for two years hit hard, and he picked up his wine glass and took a sip to cover the irritation running through him. Why had he moved here? The pay was about on average to what he'd be paid in other places, but there'd been a huge bonus that allowed him to buy a house. Since property out here was very cheap, his payments were super low. But had it really been worth it having to go back into the closet? He'd lived as an out gay man for years, and now he was avoiding conversations and hiding his past.

"You mentioned your uncle, Steve, owning this place before. So, how long have you lived here?" Nolan asked.

"About four months. I came back recently. It was just time. And my uncle's health was failing. He moved into a place across town that is taking care of him. He kept leaving the oven on, didn't flush the toilets, and had the windows open all night during the winter. The last straw was when he ended up in the middle of the highway in his underwear. Damn near got himself killed. It was time, and my mom convinced me to move here."

“Where’d you live before this?”

“In Marietta, Georgia. It’s north of Atlanta,” Ryder said.

Nolan smiled and nodded. “Nice. I used to live in Atlanta. Went to school there. Then I moved to Virginia.” He didn’t mention a few of the other places he’d lived before Andrew was sent to Virginia.

“Nice.”

“Do you like being back?” Nolan asked.

Ryder rolled his eyes. “My parents are here, and it’s okay. I liked my job so much better in Atlanta. It was fun.”

Nolan took another sip of wine. “What did you do?”

“I worked at the Atlanta Braves ballpark maintaining the field.”

Nolan's eyebrows shot up. "Really? That sounds like a dream job." Nolan swore he saw sadness pass over Ryder's face, but theman took a sip of beer and got up to check on the grill. Nolan wasn't sure if Ryder was using it as a tactic to avoid talking about something or if the food really needed his attention.

“I’ll be out in just a second. I need to get the steaks on,” Ryder said as he stepped into the house.

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