Page 2 of Booking Burke
“What are you talking about?” Eli knew damned well what Jensen was talking about.
“Why you didn’t really date in school. Why it took you so long to ask Kassie to marry you. Why you kept thinking up excuses to push back the date of this wedding.” Jensen’s mouth hung open. “Kassie’s a good girl. Why the fuck would you do this to her?”
The list was a mile long. Now wasn’t the time to delve into it. My mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.
“You need to stop this before you ruin that poor girl’s life. She deserves much more than a flaming…” Jensen stopped. His hate filled eyes met Eli’s. “She deserves much more thanyou. Either you stop this thing now. Or I will.”
Tears pricked the back of Elias’s eyes. There had to be another way out of this. “Just tell her I’m sorry.” Reaching into the pocket of his tuxedo, Eli pulled out the wedding ring he’d planned to give to Kassie and set it down on the counter in front of the mirror.
“Tell her yourself.” Jensen lurched forward to grab Eli’s arm.
The grip felt like a vise around his wrist. Jensen had always been the stronger of the two of them. “We’ve been friends for so many years. How did I not know you were so hateful?” With a wrench, Elias broke Jensen’s hold.
“Probably for the same reason I never knew you liked dick!” Jensen angry-whispered. “Why me? Why the fuck didIhave to be your crush?” His hands were fisted on his hips.
Standing here now, looking at hisformerbest friend, Eli couldn’t help but wonder the same thing. “I made a mistake.” Tears tumbled down his cheeks. “I made so many of them.” Turning away from him, Eli walked down the hall that connected the dressing room to the main church. Before walking into the vestibule, he dried his eyes.
As he moved to the spot in front of the altar where he was told to stand last night by the pastor during the wedding rehearsal, a feeling came over Elias that he’d never felt before. Hope. “Excuse me everyone. I have an announcement to make.”
Murmurs fluttered through the congregation before everyone fell silent. Their full attention was on Elias.
“There isn’t going to be a wedding today. I’m sorry.” From where Elias was standing, he could see the shocked looks on everyone’s faces. His parents were staring at him open-mouthed, while Kassie’s family were shouting that they wanted to know what was going on.
Turning around, Eli saw Jensen standing just inside the door to the church. His best friend wouldn’t meet his eyes. That was just fine with him.
It was true he’d made a lot of mistakes in the years leading up to this moment. He’d done everything in his power to live with his secret. To keep it hidden. Tamped down. In the process, he’d spent the last fifteen years of his life pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Taking one last look at his friends, family, and coworkers, Eli realized this was the last time he’d see them like this. Without them knowing his secret.
He knew damn well how his family felt about people like him. They’d all made their opinions clear time and time again. It was the sole reason Elias had stayed in the closet and tried to play the role of straight man, when it had been obvious to him since he’d met Jensen back in the sixth grade that he liked boys more than girls.
That all ended here and now. The hiding. The lying. Being in the closet.
Holding his head high, Eli walked down the center aisle of the church. He should have been doing this very thing about an hour from now with his new bride on his arm. That wasn’t going to happen today or any other day. Not with abride, anyway.
As he walked past row after row of confused guests, his heart got lighter. Eli found a smile. He could see the sunshine pouring in from the open doors of the church. He paused for a moment to feel the rays on his upturned face. A giggle bubbled out of him.
For the first time in Elias Dixon’s life. He was free. Free to live his life on his own terms. Free to love anyone he chose. It only took twenty-seven years to get to this moment, but better today than after another twenty years had gone by.
There would be ramifications for what happened today. Freedom, as the saying went, was never free. In this moment, Eli couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d pay the price and walk away with his soul intact. But that was for another day.
Walking down the stone steps of the church he’d grown up in, Eli didn’t turn back. The lyrics to George Michael’sFreedomstarted playing in his head. Eli grinned and sang along.
1
Elias
Salem, Massachusetts, modern-day…
The night shift sucked donkey balls. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true, the night shift on the last day of classes at Salem State University, sucked donkey balls. This was the kids’ last night on campus before packing up their dorm rooms and heading back home for the summer. Tonight was their last chance to get rowdy before going back home to Mommy and Daddy and their rules.
So far this evening, he’d answered three calls of disturbing the peace on campus and had broken up one wild house party featuring twins dancing naked on a rickety-looking table. The girls’ parents were going to be so proud of their little darlings when those pictures hit social media.
It was 2:30 am. Last call in Salem was half an hour ago. The next hour of this shift would be the worst for sure. Elias wasn’t the biggest fan of college kids and their entitled ways, but he also didn’t want to see any of them get hurt or killed because they’d made the monumentally stupid decision to drive drunk. Or high.
From his tucked away spot on Essex Street, Eli saw a small Ford crossing the center line for a count to three before swerving back into the correct lane. He didn’t like the look of this and pulled out onto the road behind him. It could be the driver had been trying to avoid an animal in the road, but at this time of the morning, it was far more likely the driver was impaired in some way.
Seconds later, the car crossed the double yellow line again. “Showtime!” Elias said to the empty SUV. His heart stuttered in his chest. All these years later and any thought of Jensen made him freeze up. Now sure as hell wasn’t the time to think about the past. Flipping on the lights and sirens, Eli got ready to pull red Ford over.
Thankfully the driver obeyed. He pulled into the parking lot of a darkened strip mall before rolling down his window and shutting off the car.
