Page 28 of Believe in Caloosa Springs

“Um, these are for you,” he said, pushing a small bundle of flowers and greenery into my hands.

“Thank you.” I could feel myself beginning to blush. I’m not sure I’d ever gotten flowers from a guy before. Well, a guy I was going on adatewith, anyway. I’d been sent bushels of exoticbouquets and hundreds of roses, but they were all from middle-aged internet weirdos, and I somehow felt like that didn’t count.

I held the bundle close and took a sniff. They smelled like dirt, but I didn’t care.

“That’s so sweet,” I said. “I just have to grab my coat, and we’re set. Do you want to come in?”

Porter followed me into the living room as Mandy came down the hallway.

“Hi, Porter,” Mandy said with a quick wave.

“Do we have a vase or anything” I asked, holding the flowers up.

Mandy’s eyes went wide for a split second, and then she smiled.

“Those are so beautiful, you shouldn’t just leave them in a vase. You should take them with you and show them off.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah,” Mandy said, nodding enthusiastically. “It’s not every day a cute guy brings you flowers.”

“Uh, okay...” I said, more than a little confused.

I grabbed my coat that I’d slung over the back of the couch, and followed Porter down the driveway. Overhead, the stars danced in the clear night sky.

“Great sky out here,” Porter said, breaking the silence for the first time since we’d left Mandy’s.

“Yeah, it’s kind of incredible. I feel like I’m watching a movie, or something.”

“So, what am I in for tonight?”

“Pardon?” I wasn’t exactly sure what he was asking.Was he asking if I planned on having sex with him?

“With meeting the townsfolk?” Porter prodded. “What are they like?”

“Oh…” I began, slightly relieved. Not that I wasopposedto having sex with him, but I didn’t want to make the commitment at this point in the evening. “I honestly have no idea. I just moved here. Got here,” I quickly corrected.

“Oh, I thought you were a local. You seem so comfortable. I guess I just assumed.”

I laughed. “That’s kind of amazing, because I’m the exactoppositeof comfortable. But glad I’m masking well.”

“Masking?” Porter repeated, glancing over at me as he turned onto the main drive for Baker Farms.

“Well, yeah… you know, when you are having a hard time or feeling awkward, and your brain just kind of takes over, and you act normal.”

“Like… pretending to be something you’re not?”

“Mmm, kinda, but it’s more of an unconscious thing. And not so much pretending to be someone else. It’s more about pushing things down to better fit in with societal norms, whatever the fuck those are.”

“So are you masking right now?” he asked curiously.

“A little…” I replied honestly.

“How so?”

“Well, I guess you are just going to have to figure that out on your own.”

“You are gay, though, right?”

---