Page 64 of Out of the Storm

Gary started cleaning off his stomach. “I’m not criticizing you, you know. It’s attractive.” He tossed the wad of tissues toward the trash can but missed. “When we met that first time at the mall, you had this aura of confidence that I foundincrediblysexy. Boy, I can’t even put it into wordshowsexy, but I liked you for it. Instant crush.”

“I thought you were sexy before I even knew what you looked like,” Jeff said, settling beside him. “And then, the first time I saw your stupid face, fuck, I hated you.”

“Hated me?” Gary asked through a laugh.

“I mean, Gary Goddamn Graham, host of those cheesy local radio shows, was somehow the finest man in Niles.”

“Finest man in Niles? Me?”

“Finest man in existence,” Jeff said, rolling over and touching the side of Gary’s face. “Fucking perfect. I hated how much I liked you.”

While Jeff caressed his face, Gary’s stomach kept on somersaulting, rolling around in the most wonderful way, and he was struck by the sudden need to make Jeff feel this way too. Tentatively, Gary lifted his hand to Jeff’s face, pausing right before touching his cheek.

“Can I—”

“Yeah, of course, Gare.”

Gary traced Jeff’s cheek with his thumb. “It’s okay?”

Smiling faintly, Jeff said, “Yeah. I told you, I don’t need to be wrappedin—”

“—bubble wrap,” Gary finished for him, making both of them smile more.

For the next half hour, the two of them lay together like that, enjoying each other’s soft touches. Every moment of it was perfect.Jeffwas perfect.

And Gary was so hopeful for the future.

***

Not too long after, Gary and Jeff headed out to Blaine County, where there were forecasts predicting more storms. It wasn’t a terribly long drive, only about an hour and a half northwest of Norman, and even though the prospect of witnessing another tornado was a tiny bit terrifying, Gary found that he was feeling a lot more confident than the day before. Jeff knew what he was doing; Gary was sure of that now. He knew the storms and knew what measures to take to keep them safe.

And the weather was indeed on their side again. Not too far into Blaine County, Jeff spotted what looked like some promising cloud formations, pointing them out and describing them to Gary. They drove as close as Jeff dared and then parked alongside the road just as the puffs of white clouds started to rise up into the sky like plumes of smoke. Gary forced himself to push away the last bit of lingering fear so he could enjoy the sight. It was... majestic.

After a few minutes, while the clouds were still swirling and rising, Gary took Jeff’s hand. And Jeff smiled at him. The clouds changed from milky white to pebble gray. And they watched. And they waited.

When the clouds started to swirl, the center slowly reaching toward the earth, Gary’s heart rate began to quicken, but then Jeff calmed him with a single squeeze of his hand.

“I’ve never seen two in a row,” Jeff said. “You’re my lucky penny, Gare.”

Gosh, that made him feel special. When the funnel kissed the earth, Jeff squeezed his hand once more. It was perfect.

Jeff released Gary’s hand and scrambled to find his camera in the back seat.

“Come on,” Jeff said, putting the strap over his head. “I want pictures.”

Gary followed Jeff out of the car. Wind whipped around them while Jeff snapped a few photos. Gary continued to stare, his eyes fixed on the funnel turning over the plains and then flitting up to the spinning swirl of clouds above. Never before had he seen something so frightening and yet so beautiful.

Seconds passed as they watched the storm, and then Gary glanced over at Jeff, who was no longer taking photographs, but simply facing the funnel, looking like he wanted to sprint to it, to fight it, to win. God, he was so magnificent, so confident and strong.

All of a sudden, Gary’s legs were taking him forward, like his body was moving of its own volition, his yearning for closeness pulling him toward the beautiful man he had come to adore.

Jeff turned to him and said, “What do you think, radio man? Doesn’t it make you feel alive?”

“Yeah,” Gary said, continuing to close the distance between them. “It’s incredible.” His hands shook as he reached out to touch Jeff’s face. “You’reincredible.”

With a half-smile, one that looked the tiniest bit uncertain, Jeff cocked an eyebrow, but he let Gary keep touching him, and to Gary, every single second felt like confirmation of their strengtheningbond and the trust they’d built between them. Gary took a step closer, thinking that Jeff would probably pull back, but Jeff stayed fixed to the spot. Gary’s breath caught, his stomach fluttering madly. Boy, he wanted to kiss Jeff.

Maybe . . . maybe he could.

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