Page 24 of Country Road Romance

Charlie snorted. “I think you’re all underestimating just how difficult it can be to go off the grid.”

“We’re not all just ignorant rubes you know,” Jared snapped.

Charlie sighed. “Jared, you do know that you don’t have to take everything I say as a personal attack against you or a veiled criticism of West Virginia in general, right?”

That one hit a little too close to home. Charlie was right; he was probably being a bit too sensitive.

“You’re right. I guess if we’re going to spend the next couple of days together we’re going to have to learn to get along.”

“I think it's worth pointing out that that’s what I’ve been trying to do since you picked me up at the airport yesterday.”

“Okay fine, you have a point. Again,” he said grudgingly. “I’m sorry for being an asshole.”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes, you absolutely have. I honestly don’t know why, though. We never really got back onto the subject of why you’re so dead set against liking me.”

Was this really a conversation that Jared wanted to have right now, when they still had a couple of hours left to get to his parents’ place? The last thing he wanted was to have some long, drawn-out argument that ultimately ended up nowhere or made them so pissed at each other they didn’t have anything else to say. Then again, if they were going to make this whole arrangement work, then they were going to have to establish some sort of peace.

“I guess I do owe you something of an explanation. You did punch a homophobe for my benefit, after all, and while everyone else seems to think that was some sort of horrible sin, I think it was probably better than he deserved.”

“You really do have some rough edges, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. It comes from being raised in a state like this one and choosing to stay here rather than running off.”

He snuck a look at Charlie to see what expression was on his face, and he wasn’t surprised to see a look like a lightbulb had gone off in the actor’s head. He decided to just keep going. They hadn’t gotten quite this far during their earlier discussion the day before, and he was going to get to the bottom of why Charlie left if it was the last thing he did.

“I know that you’re very big on making a big deal about the fact that you’re from West Virginia, but I don’t see you really acknowledging anythingreal.You seem to just trot it out like it’s a nice little garnish, something to make you interesting so people will take you seriously. And, it’s more than that. You abandoned your home state, Charlie, and you never really looked back.”

Charlie looked like he had several things that he wanted to say, but what he finally said was:

“Was it really such a bad thing for me to want to make a better life for myself and, later, my mom? You know what it’s like here. And I really do respect your decision to stay and try to make it better for everyone else. That wasn’t the path that I chose, though, and while there are days where I kind of wish I’d stayed, the truth is that I think I made the right decision for me, and I don’t have to apologize for that, not to you or to anyone.”

Jared was actually impressed with Charlie’s willingness to stand up for himself, particularly since he hadn’t the first time he’d brought this up. However, he also felt that there was something, or somethings, that Charlie wasn’t telling him.

“You know what? That’s fair. You shouldn’t have to apologize for your life choices, particularly to someone you don’t really know and won’t see after this weekend.”

That reminder of the essentially ephemeral nature of their encounter cast a pall over their conversation, and they rode in silence for a while.

By this point, they’d managed to talk so much that the trip was almost over, and as they got closer to Jared’s parents’ house, it occurred to him that he was going to have to prepare Charlie for what he was about to encounter.

“Listen. There are a few things about my parents that you should know.”

“Oh Lord, here it comes. You’re going to tell that they’re secretly the heads of some secretive and deranged cult, aren’t you?”

“Much as my life might have been a bit more interesting growing up if they were and even though this is West Virginia, my parents aren’t cult members,” Jared said. In fact they’re just boring old country Methodists, like almost everyone else around here. When you think of simple country folk, you’re probably picturing people like my parents. Picture your average pair of Baby Boomers, and that’s them.”

“They sound absolutely enchanting.”

The strange thing was…Charlie didn’t sound sarcastic.

“Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I mean, they’re my parents, and they’re not really very sophisticated.” He coughed and cleared his throat, not really sure how to explain what he was talking about. “I guess, well, a lot of my other boyfriends have tended to look down on them when they’ve visited. It’s nothing that they said explicitly, of course, but they had a way of making it clear they thought they were better than my mom and dad.”

It took him a second to realize what he’d said.

“Not that I’m saying bringing you home is like bringing back a boyfriend or anything like that, it’s just that…,” his voice trailed off.

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