Page 19 of Summer of the Boy

“Babe, you gonna go?” I ask, reaching my hand down to brush lightly up and down his arm in an attempt to calm him. It starts to work. Thankfully, meltdown avoided. Then I remember where we are and pull my hand back. When I do he looks like he’d just realized where we are too. If we’re going to keep up our charade, we need to be more diligent out in public.

“I… I don’t know what to do.”

Open.

“Go home. Have dinner with your mom. But if you kiss Amy Rigby, I’ll be pissed.”

Close.

Open.

Close.

Open.

He avoids even finding a focus spot on my face. He hasn’t avoided my face in quite some time.

“Hey…hey, Rid. Your eyes.” He gives them, but not full-on, only out of the corners of his. “I was kidding. I’m not worried about you kissing Amy.”

“I’m only kissing you, Leif.”

Damn if that doesn’t make me feel good hearing it even if I already know it to be true.

“Besides, I want you to come with me.”

Ridley wants me to come with him to have dinner with his mother and the girl she’s trying to set him up with.

“Okay. She’ll hate it, but I’ll be there.”

***

At the end of his shift, Rid and I close up his game, making our way to the staff trailer for him to check out.

After the few minutes he takes to literally clock out and say goodnight to a couple coworkers, he joins me. We walk close enough side by side that our hands brush and on instinct, I grab his up in mine, but like earlier remember our no touching rule and drop it right away. Good thing as that asshat Mr. Trucker blocks our exit.

“Ridley. Your mother called. She wants to make sure you get right home.” On that last, he turns his beady glare to me. “I told her I’d be happy to take you home.”

“No way.” Comes out of my mouth the same moment Ridley protests with a “No” of his own.

“I’m sorry. You have nothing to do with this son. This is between his mother and me.”

“I’m not your son and Rid’s almost twenty. He doesn’t need his boss dropping him off like he’s fourteen.”

The more I’m around these people the harder I find it to tamp down the attitude.

Rid sees me and knows I’m about ready to blow. And that’s when he places his hand on my biceps, not looking to the asshat Trucker like the touch of a boyfriend, but that of a good friend keeping his boy from doing something stupid.

Only Rid and I know his touch holds so much more meaning and I’m getting pretty damn tired of having to pretend it doesn’t. I didn’t take the risk of coming out to my family last year to have to hide my feelings for the best man I’ve ever met. Especially when he came out to his mother years ago.

I know I agreed to it.

I know it’s for the best for now.

But I also know the best for now sucks.

My boyfriend nods his head to acknowledge he sees I’ve checked myself, then communicates in smile. And his smile communicates so much. I’m going to kiss the shit out of Ridley when we’re alone.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Trucker. But Leif has to take me because he’s teaching me to drive.”

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