In the middle of Des Plaines Illinois three boys find themselves in a tangled knot of angsty lust and amateur love.
Evan Webster has an average American life. When he isn't at swim practice or the movie theater, he's trying to make time to study bi...
Hoppsan! Denna bild följer inte våra riktliner för innehåll. Försök att ta bort den eller ladda upp en annan bild för att fortsätta.
Danny heard birds chirping before he felt Evan's tickling kiss. He ran his lips over the prickliness of Danny's jawline, feathering his cheek with messy white hair. Danny was anchored to the bed by fatigue, not even having enough energy to swat Evan away.
"Aren't pretty boys supposed to need beauty sleep?" Danny's voice was gruff from their sleepless night. He could feel Evan smile against his skin in response.
Their clothes were strewn across the bedroom, evidence of their crude odyssey. Hours of laughing, sweating, teasing, biting. Danny couldn't comprehend how Evan had opened his eyes before noon.
"I have to go," Evan murmured. "I have work in twenty minutes."
Danny blinked his eyes open, releasing air from his lungs as he twisted his body toward Evan's face. He rubbed his eyes, registering daylight.
"Give me five minutes," he yawned. "I can drive you. I just need my keys."
"No, you can't," Evan said. He placed the keyring on his chest—he had hidden it in his shoe. "You have somewhere to go."
Danny rubbed Evan's back aimlessly. He was using Danny's ribcage as a podium for his chin, cuddling closer to the sleepy boy. Danny looked down at his chest, so casually naked. With his free hand, he fiddled with the tiny silver key Jackson had given him.
"He could've sold it," Danny muttered.
Evan nodded. "He could've," he agreed. "But he knew you needed a place of your own."
Jackson's chrome trailer was Danny's new home. He would've stubbornly declined if he wasn't so grateful. He had been sleeping in Bones's garage for the last few weeks, cautious not to overstay his welcome. Constant bickering and cement flooring weren't exactly traits of a pleasant place to stay, which is why he accepted Jackson's gift so graciously.
Evan would've let Danny stay with him, but it wasn't fair to ask—especially with Nadine being a new mom. And what would happen when Evan moved out? Would Danny be a fixture of the Webster house? Would he move out with him? It was better for him to have his own space—for now. He was as free as the chirping birds outside. He didn't really have a plan for his future, but he knew it involved Evan. He liked to think they'd share a nest one day.
"I talked to my dad," Danny was quiet. "That's why I can't go home. And why I haven't been working at the shop. I told him about you."
Evan's heart stalled. "When?"
"After the spring dance," he replied. "I don't really remember what I said. Tony gave me something to smoke and it knocked me hard, but I remember the look on his face. His eyes had already put me in the grave. Like my life had no meaning anymore."
"That's not true," Evan stated, firm enough to make Danny believe it.
"I know," Danny said, dismal. He had made peace with himself and his faith. He had learned that he was allowed to take some parts of Catholicism and leave the rest behind. Religion was created to answer questions, not create more. He didn't want to torment himself with anymore internal second-guessing.
"I know it's not true," Danny continued. "And you do too, but I don't think he'll ever change his mind. And I don't want to waste my time trying to convince him to accept me because..." He paused, thinking of a way to make Evan understand. "The way he loves God is the same way I love you. No one could ever change something so strong and so—so constant."
Danny's love for God hadn't changed. It was just reshaped. In many ways, that's what happened to Danny and Evan's relationship. It went through phases, like the everlasting cycle of matter.
Evan's mouth curved—almost smug. He smoothed back Danny's untamed hair, springing his eyes over every feature on his face.
