Page 91 of Peach Tree Family

"Isn't that why you moved out?" Theo asked.

"No. It's not. The reason I..." Seth hesitated and looked at a plate in his hand.

"What?" Theo demanded when Seth didn't finish.

Taking a deep breath, Seth came out with it. "It was because you didn't trust me."

"What are you talking about?"

Seth's gaze was solemn as he looked right at Theo. "I know you were only keeping me around because you thought you owed me."

Theo couldn't believe it. Did he have it wrong all this time? "Are you telling me you're not afraid people will think you're gay?"

"I'm not."

"Does that mean you're gay or bi?" Theo asked as he tried to figure him out.

"I don't think I'm bi," Seth said uncertainly and Theo frowned.

"Are you straight?"

Seth shook his head. His voice was low and husky as he said, "I can't be. I only ever think about you."

Theo was stunned by that. "What about girls?"

"No. Like I said, it's been just you. I've never been with anybody else."

No wonder Seth sounded unsure. If he had more experience... Theo didn't want to think about Seth with anyone else, but he did want to get his living situation settled.

"Then there's no reason you can't move back in. You see that things are better when you're here," Theo told him.

"I thought you wanted me gone. You acted like it sometimes."

"No, I was just pissed at you because I thought you were ashamed of living with a gay guy. Sorry. So will you come back?"

Seth blinked a few times then he smiled. "Only if I can pay rent."

"All right. What about the room in Peach Tree? Did you sign a rental agreement?" Theo wondered.

"No. It's just week to week. Mr. Beatty called it a short term rental."

"OK. It's good to have you back," Theo said. He was feeling so happy and he couldn't wait to give Ace the good news.

That night Theo didn't go to Seth's room. He was dying to, but he didn't know where things stood, how Seth really felt. It seemed to Theo that Seth didn't have his own sexuality fully figured out. That's why he made a suggestion before he went to bed.

"When you ankle is fully healed, we should have a night out. There's a club in Millford. They have an under 21 night. What do you say? You want to go clubbing?"

"You and me together?" Seth asked and got a nod from him. "Yeah. OK."

He made it sound like he didn't really care about going clubbing. It was almost like he only said yes because they were going someplace together.

The next day, Theo had gone to get Seth's things from the room above the hardware store and he went shopping at the same time. At the store, the candy displayed by the register reminded him how Ace had grabbed for the gummy worms to share with Seth. Then Theo thought about how Dad used to buy all those little random things for Mom. Thinking about how Seth was back living with them, Theo's hand reached out for one of the Peach Tree key chains.

Back at the house, Theo was putting away the groceries and Seth came into the kitchen. "Catch," Theo told him and sent the keychain sailing through the air.

"What's this?" Seth asked as he caught it.

"Something to stick the house key on," Theo told him like it was no big deal, but it kind of was. Seth living with them didn't feel like an arrangement that might end any day now. Not that it would last. Things were just a little more settled.

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