Page 14 of Evading Exodus
The door squeaked open. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” Momma Lark asked, standing beside me.
I opened my eyes to see her frown and raised eyebrows. I shook my head once before thumping it against the wall a few times. As I stared heavenward, Ace emerged from the house.
“Well, it seems my father wouldn’thearof Seth leaving.” His eyes shot daggers at his mother.
She shot right back. “Don’t get huffy with me, young man.”
Ace cringed. “Sorry, Mom, but Seth wasnotsupposed to be here.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” I interjected, no longer caring who knew, “Seth and I used to date.”
“What?” Momma Lark’s eyebrows almost reached her hairline.
“We used to—”
“I heard you. I just don’t believe it. Seth’s not…not…” She looked bewildered.
“Gay, Mom?”
“Um, yeah…” she trailed off, her finger tapping her lips. Appearing lost in her own thoughts, she murmured, “Huh. Who’da thunk? Wonder why Stella never said anything?”
“Because I never told her,” Seth answered, standing in the doorway. We stared at him in surprise. As he came out onto the porch, Ace moved around his mom and stood with his back to me.Possessive and protective. Me like.I grabbed his waistband, pulling him against me, feeling better for the barrier that was Ace.
“I’d like to apologize, if you’ll hear me out,” he added. I shrugged. Really, what else could I do? We came in Ace’s car, so I couldn’t leave. I’d get lost if I started walking. There was nowhere for me to run.
Seth glanced at Momma Lark. “Um…do you think—”
“Oh! Of course. I’ll leave you to it.” She reached around Ace and placed a hand on my arm, giving me a squeeze. “Come help me in the kitchen when you’re ready.” I nodded, thankful for the escape she seemed to know I’d need after this.
Once Momma Lark entered the house, Seth turned to us. “Aaron, I hope this doesn’t ruin our friendship. You know, come hail or high water, I’ve got your back, and I’ll say it again: I’m sorry if I hurt you. You’re a good guy, Darren, and I suppose I was a jerk. You have every right to hate me, so I understand if won’t accept my apology. But, Aaron, you mean a lot to me. You’re my oldest friend.”
“Oldest?” Ace snorted, and I could feel the tension leaving his body.
“Eh, you know what I mean.” The edge of a smile appeared on Seth’s face. I huffed in annoyance as nausea swamped my belly. Typical Seth, always has to make a joke out of everything, and, seriously, what kind of apology was that?I suppose I was a jerk?If? If I hurt you? Damn, fucking right, it hurt.And only Seth could screw up “Hell or high water.”It didn’t even feel as if Seth was apologizing to me. It was more of an apology to Ace for the inconvenience of having crashed our relationship. As Ace and Seth clasped hands, the bile swirling in my stomach rose high enough I could feel it in my throat.
I pushed my way out from behind Ace, forcing him into Seth. I opened the screen door and set one foot inside before I turned to them, my voice tight with fury. “Your apology is not accepted, butIwill do my best to be civilized company as long as you stay the hell away from me.” I knew my face was beet red, and all I wanted was to jab a dull pill-counting spatula right into Seth’s heart.
Escaping to the kitchen, I ignored the stares of the other guests. Momma Lark took one look at me and pulled me into her bedroom in the rear of the house. She sat me down on the bed, then went back to the kitchen, returning with a glass of wine. I downed it, gasped, and collapsed backwards, my storm cloud of emotions overtaking me.
Chapter 8: Family Ties
(The Eighth Plague: Locusts)
I’ve never cursed so much in my entire life, but there I lay, muttering “fuck” under my breath a thousand times. I could hear Ace outside the door, speaking with his mother.
“I’ll rearrange the place settings. He’ll sit between us, and I’ll put Seth down next to your father. Same side, they won’t even be able to see each other. You don’t have to stay the whole time, Ronnie, but your dad will be crushed if you don’t stay for Seder.”
“Well, it’s Dare’s decision. I drove him here, and if he wants to leave, I’m gonna leave. What kind of boyfriend would I be, if I didn’t support him now? I can’t let him get away… He’s perfect for me.”
Oh. My. God. Did he really just say that?I braced my elbows on the bed and cocked my head to hear more.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I heard Momma Lark reply. “I’m so happy for you. Now, go on in there and take care of your man.”
A muted knock followed, and I quickly lay down sideways across the bed, my feet on the floor. Turning my face away from the door, I tried to erase my grin and failed miserably. When I looked up, Ace was standing between my knees, smirking.
“You heard me, didn’t you?” He held out his hand to help me rise.
