“A date, maybe? A tentative chance for us to get to know each other again, as we really are.”
“How about we start with coffee… Dinner is maybe a little too…”
“Coffee sounds great. Tonight?”
“I can’t tonight. Tomorrow should be… ok.”
“Tomorrow sounds great.”
I watched him walk off before I went into the bakery. My mind was flooding with all the information I had just found out. He still liked me. I still liked him. What the actual fuck!
9
Percy
Ireally need to screw my head on straight.
Too much is happening right now, and it is literally breaking my brain. The bakery’s struggling, I have to get a new oven, I’ve organized all the stores to band together and not sell our businesses to the greedy corporate overlords, and Ben is back in town and looks better than a ten-inch dick – not to mention, how he’s making me feel.
He istotallymaking me feel things, and it’s freaking me out. It’s unnatural, yet it feels natural at the same time. I’m a hot mess.
What the fuck is seriously wrong with me? He threw me away like I was worthless after making me feel like I was everything. My first kiss – my first touch – my first explosion in the universe. He took it all away. But he had been hurting, too. He had needed help and had no one to tell him that it would be ok.
He apologized, and I really think he was sincere. It felt honest, and he seemed so sad about it, and I’m glad he’s happy now. I am! But it’s been almost fourteen years since my handsroamed his body and his lips crushed into mine. Why now? Why is he here standing before me and trying to… What is he really trying to do? Date me? That’s just… It melts my fucking brain. I have to be misreading his… apology – don’t I? No. I think he made it very clear…. My mind melted.
Coffee?
I guess I could do coffee. It’s a public place, and he can sit across from me, and it’ll be safe, and I shouldn’t have to worry. Dinner comes with too manypossibilities. I mean, a drink or two, and all of a sudden, my defenses drop, and… No, I can’t do that. I won’t give him that kind of power over me again, and it would be so easy to slide, even after all these years.
Itwassincere, though. I really do think hemeantit. But what, if anything, does it change? He was my first, and to be honest, it had become more than friendship to me before that night. My first crush – a powerful thing. Enough power to absolutely destroy me if I let him in again, and it all went to shit.
All of these thoughts had been spinning around my head as I met the other business owners to discuss how we were going to handle saying no to the corporation that was trying to destroy our livelihoods. So far, everyone had decided to stick together, even with one ofthemwalking around and trying to smooth over the deal. Whoever it was knew better than to come into my shop.
Is it a bad deal? No. But these have been our businesses for a long time, and I plan on staying in the building where my family began the bakery all those years ago, before I was even born. I don’t want to move. Could I use the money? Duh…
But I am a bull-headed Taurus. They will pry the keys from my cold, dead hand. It would be different if the majority wanted to sell. Then, I would have to think about the majority instead of just myself. But the city does want this resort. It would be good for… I get it. Tourists are not a bad thing. It would help usall. But my roots are here. It would break me to see this place demolished.
My biggest surprise was Susie changing her mind tonight. She had been wishy-washy about selling the Dress Emporium, but tonight, at our meeting, she said that she would stand with us. They can’t make us sell unless the city decides to use eminent domain for what they consider the best interests of the community. That would be impossible for us to fight. The mayor has not returned my phone calls, and that is concerning.
It would have been nice if Tim actually came to any of our meetings. I know he’s an absent owner of the burger joint, but I can’t believe he doesn’t care about the people that work for him. Tim isnice, and nice usually cares. He’s also incrediblyniceto look at.
Jesus… Tammy Sue is right. I am a walking hardon who really needs to get laid.
I have always had this thing for jock boys since I could remember. At one time, we were all really friendly, but high school changed everything. I secretly pined for Ben, who had been one of my better friends before we had our night in the tent. But I had also enjoyed watching Tim as he strutted around the school behind the larger and even more attractive, Ben.
God… I was so messed up. Horniness was a vicious circle.
I grabbed one of the chairs from our small circle and started stacking them on top of each other. I liked to leave a place better than I had found it and the Foggy Basin Auditorium had graciously allowed us to use it for our meeting.
Lockstep – we had to stay in lockstep, or we would lose everything.
“Need some help?”
Ben’s voice caught me so off-guard that I dropped the chair in fright and yipped a small scream. It was not one of my best gay moments. Humiliating, actually, especially in front of him.
“Looks like you do.” Ben jumped up on the stage, and I picked up the chair before he could get to it and stuck out my tongue – instantly admonishing myself. God, I reverted quickly around him to that silly boy with a crush.
“I got it. What are you doing here? I really think you may be stalking me.”
