Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
*
Kason’s parents live about thirty minutes out of the city. Courtney tossed Kason the car keys the second we got outside, and she hasn’t stopped talking to me since. She is energy personified, sweet and caring like Kason, but louder, and honestly, a little more hardcore than him. Aline is great too, the calm to Courtney’s wilder personality, just as Kason said. They look at each other often, reach over and offer small touches, the love between them so strong, I can feel it.
My gaze keeps darting to Kason. Is this really possible? For the two of us to have something like what they have?
Their parents are just as open and accepting when we arrive. Kason is tall like his dad, has his eyes, but Harvey’s hair is lighter. Kason has the same smile as his mom, the same dark brown hair. Each of them pulls me into a hug, telling me how happy they are I could join Kason this weekend, and with every second that goes by, more of my fear evaporates.
Kason shows me to his room.
“This isn’t the house you grew up in, right?” I seem to recall him mentioning he bought them one, and this one looks new.
“No, but my parents made sure I have a room here when I come to visit. That’s the way they are. Court has one too.”
“They’re great.”
“You’re great.” He wraps his arms around me.
“You have to think that because you’re my boyfriend.”
“You’re my boyfriend because you’re so fucking great.” He winks, then kisses me. “Queen bed here, which means we get to sleep even closer.”
“No sex at your parents’ house!” All I need is for them to hear me getting dicked down by their son.
“Okay,” he says easily. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs.”
We leave our bags there and head back to the living room, where his family is waiting. From what I learned on the way here, Courtney and Aline have a small place about fifteen minutes away. Both work in Milwaukee and make the short commute during the week.
“How did you two meet?” his mom, May, asks.
“One of my best friends, Hayes, is dating Rylan,” I say, avoiding anything Jilted Exes related. I doubt they’ll ask how Hayes and I are friends, so I’m thinking about that for nothing.
“I had a crush from the start.” Kason winks at me.
“Oh my God. No you didn’t.” I nudge him with my elbow. He said he was interested early, but that’s different from a crush.
“How do you know? Maybe I did and haven’t told you.”
“Maybe I had a crush on you and didn’t tell you either,” I toss back.
“Of course you did. I’m a catch,” he teases, and everyone in the room laughs.
I swear, this man. Is there anyone, anyone who doesn’t love him? Not that he doesn’t deserve it. He’s so charming, he makes it impossible not to like him.
“Kason says you’re a dancer?” May asks. While Harvey seems very kind, I think Kason got his friendliness from his mom. She’s the one who talks more.
“Yeah, I’m…” My words end there. For a moment I’m almost embarrassed to tell them what I do. They already know, anyway, but even if they didn’t, there’s nothing wrong with dancing in a bar. Malcolm would try to make me feel like shit about it, and those headlines played on the insecurity Malcolm tried to instill in me, but fuck that. I like what I do. I’m proud of what I do, and I’m not ever going to let myself feel bad about it again. “I do. I work at Lush, one of the queer clubs in West Hollywood…well, I own it, actually, but no one knows. They all think I’m just a dancer and manager.”
The room goes quiet like they’re trying to wrap their heads around that. I get it. Why do I hide that I’m the owner? But in my head I always had this fear of being liked for what I have rather than who I am. Like that situation when I was younger, after I’d been living with my uncle for a while, when I thought I found a crew of friends on the dance team, only to hear them talking about how they didn’t like me, but pretended they did because my uncle donated money to the program.
“Well, you can’t just drop that bomb on us and not explain,” Aline tells me.
And for the first time, the impulse to change the subject or not be truthful is absent. I’m just…tired of that. I want to be better. I want to grow.
“Fear,” I answer honestly. “I’ve struggled a lot in my relationships—friendships and otherwise—so I’ve learned to protect myself, but that’s in the past.” Reaching over, I set my hand on Kason’s thigh. I feel his gaze on me, then the warmth of his hand on top of mine.