Page 87 of Out of the Storm

“Do you think we’ll ever figure out how to be together without one or both of us feeling like shit?”

“Of course we will.” Gary pulled his hand free. “But I think we need to stop trying to rush the intimacy.”

As soon as Gary’s other hand was free, Jeff rested his head on Gary’s chest. Gary pulled him close.

“Are you upset with me now?” Gary asked, rubbing Jeff’s arm lightly.

“No, Gare, not even a little.”

Gary let out a short sigh of relief. “I liked your idea in theory. Really,” he promised. “I’m not sure what happened. I was clearly turned on. But I felt... weird too.”

With a clearing of his throat, Jeff said, “Yeah, no, I, uh, I understand.”

Jeff’s uneasy tone had rendered each of those words a dagger, and Gary winced when he realized the implication behind them. He hugged Jeff tighter.

“I’m sorry,” Gary said softly. “I’m sorry that you, uh, that you understand.”

“I’m okay, Gare Bear.”

Gary kissed his forehead. “I’m here, Jeffrey.”

Shifting his body closer, Jeff said, “I know.”

The two lay together for a while, and then, Jeff fell asleep.Deepasleep. Even without seeing Jeff’s face, Gary could tell by Jeff’s slow breathing that he was completely out of it. Gosh, it was wonderful to see. Right then and there, Gary made a promise to himself that he’d keep trying to help Jeff see that it was okay to be vulnerable, that it was okay to not be okay.

Not long thereafter, Gary fell asleep too—mostly naked, with his briefs around his knees, not even having brushed his teeth—and the two of them slept like that until morning.

Chapter Sixteen

Jeff

Even though it was the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday, Jeff had somehow managed to convince Gary to come with him to Newton Falls to meet up with Brandon. He hadn’t seen Brandon much lately outside of their shifts at the mall. When he and Gary pulled up to Brandon’s house, he was already waiting outside smoking, and he hurried over while Jeff put the car in park. After opening the back door, Brandon flicked the butt of his cigarette onto the pavement.

“Alright, Jeff Russo,” he said as he slid into the back seat. “Drive.”

“I thought we were hanging out here,” Jeff said, crooking an eyebrow.

“Nah, that’s boring. Let’s visit the bar.”

Jeff’s next breath caught, nervousness pressing on his chest.

Brandon leaned forward and smacked Jeff’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “NotO’Henry’s.”

Swallowing hard, Jeff forced a nod, though he still wasn’t sure he was okay with Brandon’s plan for their afternoon.

“O’Henry’s?” Gary asked.

“Ah, yeah, that’s where Don likes to hang out,” Brandon said. “But we’ll try The Buckeye. I’ve been there abunchof times, and I’ve never seen Don there before. Remember when you came out with me a couple months back? And I promised we wouldn’t see Don?”

With a roll of his eyes, Jeff nodded once more.

“Well, I kept my word, huh? I’m telling you, Jeff, he only ever spends time at O’Henry’s.” Brandon looked over at Gary. “Don’s broke, and his cousin owns O’Henry’s, so...”

“Free booze,” Jeff finished for him.

“So, can we try The Buckeye or what?” Brandon asked.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Jeff looked over at Gary, who just shrugged.

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