Page 94 of The Misfits of Copper County
He whirled to face me, his face stricken. “Obviously! Dude.Brewer. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
I patted his shoulder. “Keep driving, Kel. Let’s get you some coffee.”
Kel drove us to Fanaille, where he needed to wait for his next order because, as the server told us apologetically, “We’ve had a run on honey buns this morning, and Cal’s making more.”
I ordered us each a coffee while Kel found a table.
“We’re best friends,” Kel said, picking up his tale before I’d had a chance to drop my ass into the chair. “Closer than brothers. I don’t have a single thought I don’t share with him. When I think it,boom, Hayes knows it. One time, he went to the bathroom when we were at the diner, and I noticed this whirly pattern on the tabletop that looked like a monkey carrying a sword while riding an elephant, and I texted a pic to him while he was peeing just ’cause I knew he’d laugh. You feel me?”
“That’s… slightly disturbing. On many levels. But sweet,” I added quickly.
I couldn’t really relate since I’d never experienced the need to share everything with someone… But then again, I realized I was mentally cataloguing this whole conversation so I could share it with Delaney later, so maybe I had.
“I feel you,” I assured him.
“Right, so then you get the problem.” Kel looked more serious than I’d ever seen him. “I can’t just, just…feelthis…” He motioned vaguely at his chest. “…and not tell him. If I tried to keep a secret, he’d know.”
“So…” I tried to be as gentle as I could. “Why not tell him?”
“Tell him?” Kel gaped at me. “Just drop a bomb of unrequited feelings into the tranquil waters of our best-friendship and see what happens? Dude.” He shook his head. “What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if he feels bad for me, and we try… something… and it doesn’t work out? I can’t lose him.”
“Yeah,” I said heavily. “I definitely feelthat.” I took a sip of coffee. “But—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—you can’t go through life expecting people will let you down. Someone smart recently reminded me: no risk, no reward.”
“That how you started sleeping dependently with Hot Delaney?” he asked.
“We’re still not calling him Hot Delaney, Kel,” I said with narrowed eyes. “And… yeah, kind of. We’re still figuring things out. His job, my bullshit. It’s complicated. But I guess the risk of not trying feels scarier than the risk of trying.” I swirled my coffee a bit to cool it. “You know, Hayes looks at you the way you look at him.”
Kel frowned. “Uh, not helpful, Brew. Until, like, twelve hours ago, I looked at him as a bro and thought I was straight.”
I ran a hand over my mouth. “Or maybe you’ve felt this way for a while, and you only just let yourself realize it twelve hours ago?” I smiled, realizing this applied to me and Delaney, too. “You’re not freaking out about being bi, right?”
Kel gave me a scathing look. “Be pretty stupid if I was, since my best friend’s bi, Brewer.”
I nodded. “For what it’s worth, while we were watching the movie the second time, Hayes wasn’t watching the screen. He was pretty much watchingyou.”
“Wait, really?” Kel frowned.
“He loves you,” I said. “You know that. So talk to him, Kel. Take it from someone who’s spent too long not being open with people. And trust that he’ll stick with you, no matter what. He’s as loyal as they come, and he has a giant heart. But you already know that.”
“Yeah, okay,” Kel said. He stared at the wall dreamily. “I just need to figure out exactly how to tell him. It needs to be perfect.”
By the time Kel stood to collect his order a few minutes later, I was beyond ready to get home and talk to Delaney.
So much so that when Reed approached me with a friendly smile and a lead on a new camper for my land—”my friend Bob and his wife are looking to upsize, and he’ll give you a sweet deal”—I thanked him but barely glanced at the contact info he gave me.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure living so far outside of town was what I wanted anymore. I thought I might prefer living closer to Hayes and Kel. And Reed.
And, most of all, Delaney.
If only people around here would leave us alone long enough for me to tell him so.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
DELANEY
While Brewer draggedKel out of the house by the elbow, I made my way downstairs in a dreamlike state. Think treacly-sweet Disney princess twirling through the forest… mixed with a dash of Wile E. Coyote after the anvil fell on his head.
I realized in a distant sort of way that this was concerning, or should be. I’d never in my life exhibited any kind of mushy, lovestruck behavior and would have been highly annoyed had anyone suggested I was even capable of it.
