Page 38 of Highway To Destiny

“So, getting back to Christmas dinner and his family. How did that go?” He asked matter-of-factly.

When I thought about what I’d offered up to Eli, it felt like my life had suddenly turned into a daytime soap opera. I didn’t want to go into all the details, but I found it humorous that he was curious about Christmas dinner and not about the sex between Connor and me.

I’d begun to pay more attention to the label on my beer bottle. “There was some drama with his brother Kyle, who left abruptly shortly after I arrived, but dinner was nice. Connor’s mother was lovely, and his college friend Spencer was there spending the holiday with them. He kept the evening lighthearted.”

I looked up at Eli. I could tell he was assessing how he was going to respond. “I would assume the tension between Connor and his brother was directly related to you?” he thoughtfully asked.

“Yup. Connor told me later that his brother was upset because he hadn’t told him my age earlier. It apparently freaked Kyle out, considering I’m around the same age as their mother. And honestly, I had my suspicions that it could be an issue with his family,” I replied.

“Age is just a number,” Eli said, rolling his eyes. “His mother was fine with you, though?”

“Connor told me she was surprised when she first met me, but he also said she wasn’t one to be judgmental. And she treated me kindly and with respect,” I replied.

Eli had been sitting across the room from me as we chatted. He slowly stood up and joined me on the sofa, putting a few feet between us. Of all my male friends, I’d always been amazed at his sense of empathy.

“Mason, listen to me. I’ve known you for years, and we’ve been through a lot. We’ve laughed and cried together.” He closed the distance between us and put a hand on my shoulder, and my throat tightened. “You’ve always been like a brother to me, and you can talk to me about anything. I’ve suspected you’ve been lonely for some time and used your job as an escape. God knows I've escaped to that bar of mine. But if meeting Connor was meant to be, then see what develops. Fate can be a nice surprise.”

Again, there’s that word ‘fate.’

“You’re my best friend, Eli,” I responded, my eyes rimmed with tears. “You sat through Claudia’s suffering with me, but we’ve also had great, crazy times together. Your friendship means a lot. I’m still trying to process the whole sex with a guy thing, but Connor made it so easy. It felt natural with him.”

I finished my beer in a couple of big swallows, and Eli laughed. “Sexual attraction is a fluid dynamic, and we can’t always help who we fall in love with,” he said.

“Hey, I’ve only known him a few months. Saying that four-letter word is taking a big leap here.” Eli just laughed.

After we talked, I was about to order myself a rideshare, but Eli said he was heading to the bar and offered to swing by my place. When he dropped me off, I told him I’d come by the bar later that night for a quick drink.

It felt good to be home. But I was alone again.

26

CONNOR

Three weeks passed, and I still hadn’t talked to my brother. Neither of us texted or spoke on the phone. I was still fuming over his outburst whenever I played our argument in my head, and he was probably still hurting from my hateful words.

I decided to cut our holiday vacation short, so Spencer and I headed back to university a couple of days after Christmas. I hadn’t wanted to deal with Kyle anymore, even if he came by the house. Mom was disappointed that we’d left earlier than planned but understood. I felt guilty and needed to call her.

I’d been studying, but my concentration was poor, so I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

“Hi, sweetheart. How’s the new term treating you?”

I kept my tone upbeat. “It’s going well—I even picked up another student to tutor.”

“How many do you have now?” she asked.

“Four, and I think that’ll be my limit. I have enough assignments of my own, and I don’t want to fall behind.” I was avoiding the topic of Kyle. “What’s new with you?”

“Things are good here…quiet, though. Kyle came over on New Year’s Day and helped me take down Christmas and put it all back in the attic for me.” My stomach twisted.

“Good, I’m glad he helped.” I paused. “Mom, I wanted to call and apologize again for Spencer and me leaving early. I just didn’t want to deal with Kyle and his pissy behavior. Has he brought up our argument with you?”

“He came by after you and Spencer left. He was sorry for the way things went down on Christmas Day, but he defended himself and went off again about what you two argued about. I let him get it off his chest but then told him to stop.”

“You did?”

She seemed surprised by my response. “Of course, sweetheart. I validated his feelings but then told him how I felt he behaved around Mason. I didn’t raise you boys to be judgmental. Even with each other.” I stayed quiet as she continued. “Now, you said some things in return that were just as hurtful. Did you really say you hated him?”

I felt my face flush. “Yes, but things got so heated, I just wanted to strike back. We’ve never yelled at each other like that before, and I know it got out of hand. I knew it was the wrong thing to say.”

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