CHAPTER FOUR Van
The last bag tumbled neatly into the only available space in the hatch of my SUV.
Of course, I’d overpacked. I’m gay. A road trip to Denver, and who knows where else, could have me encountering all kinds of fashion emergencies.
I might need to look like a star if I go to Aspen.
Or what if Demi wants to chill by a giant fireplace at a lodge in Vail, drinking nice wine?
The first stop on my journey would be Spokane.
I’d heard there were plenty of cowboys there.
What if a rodeo broke out in Spokane while I traveled through?
I knew it was December, and rodeos don’t happen then in America.
But still, I’d packed the recently purchased cowboy boots I’d bought for Beyonce’s latest tour just in case that happened.
A pair of super-tight Levi’s finished the look.
I was deep in reliving my plans for a successful trip when I heard a throat clearing behind me in the dim garage. Startled, I jumped and turned around. Evan was standing there with his new man. Not really new after almost a year, but newer than me at any rate.
“Shit!” I huffed. “You scared me.”
Evan’s new man seemed embarrassed that he was standing there.
I’d seen them together several times from a distance, and once or twice in the elevator, but now the three of us stood in a cavernous condo garage, feet apart, staring at one another.
My heart felt fresh hurt when I realized the new guy was even better looking up close.
“That’s John,” Evan said, gesturing toward his new man.
John looked sheepish and acknowledged the introduction even though we did not shake hands.
Built similarly to Evan, I noted he wore clothing I recognized as Evan’s.
The two of them looked like bookends. John tried hard to exude a fashionable Pacific Northwest persona.
This was wintertime, and he fit the bill perfectly.
Expensive Filson clothing, lace-up leather boots—not a scuff on them—and an ever-present wool stocking cap completed his stylish look.
You’d think he was about to sashay up Mt. Rainier at any moment.
“Going somewhere?” Evan inquired, his eyes diverting to my loaded vehicle. All five matching pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage were suddenly making me feel super gay.
“Job interview in Denver. I decided to drive and enjoy a bit of a road trip on the way.”
John had a voice after all. “This time of year? On I-90 heading east?” he asked.
“Uhm… yeah. I think I’m going that way,” I replied. “Idaho, and then Montana. That sorta way,” I added, pointing in the direction I thought was correct. “I think that’s east.”
“Dumb,” Evan stated in his usual condescending manner. “Even I know the Midwest is dangerous in the winter.”
“Idaho and Montana are not technically the Midwest,” John corrected, glancing at Evan. John’s response to Evan’s rudeness was awesome. He obviously had a pair of balls. Maybe I could like this new guy.
Evan shot him a look I was all too familiar with. I’d been on the receiving end of many of the don’t you ever correct me in front of people glares.
He appeared nonplussed by the stare-down.
“It’s not,” John persisted, joyfully surprising me by standing up to Evan.
Kudos to him. He turned to me, nodding toward my vehicle.
“Is the BMW all-wheel drive?” I nodded. “Great! You’ll be fine.
Just be careful on the pass out of Coeur d’Alene and down through the Bitterroot Mountains. ”
“You sound like you know the area,” I asked, extending my hand to him.
Evan seemed none too pleased that John and I weren’t scratching each other’s eyes out in a jealous rage. I didn’t need to see cartoonish smoke blasting from Evan’s ears to know he was pissed.
“I grew up along I-90 in a small town that you’ll pass by on your way,” he said. “I’d advise stopping for the night before you get to that area, though. No hotels worth a hoot after Coeur d’Alene and until Missoula.”
“I’m stopping in Spokane,” I revealed, lost in his stunning eyes and how approachable he seemed to be. I noticed Evan cross his arms out of the corner of my eye, so I decided to stop talking.
“Great idea, Vance,” John confirmed. “Be sure to wait to fill up on gas until you cross the border into Idaho. Way cheaper gas prices than Washington,” he noted, becoming quite animated as he engaged with me.
“You’ll love Montana’s gas prices, too. Oh!
And the speed limit of eighty-five in this awesome BMW of yours. You’re gonna shit, man.”
No wonder Evan left me for this guy. I was in love with him, and we’d barely said ten words to each other.
I should’ve hated him, but he was too amazing to look at.
Jet-black hair peeked out from the edges of his stocking cap.
Matching black facial hair, with a five o’clock shadow, gave him a rugged look on an otherwise beautiful face.
And his brilliant green eyes could make a straight redneck fall in love with him on sight. Not to mention, he came across as one of the sweetest guys I’d ever met, instantly able to make you feel at ease. My desire to hate him evaporated. John seemed kind.
“Well, geesh,” I began, gushing with enthusiasm. “Any other travel tips?”
“One more important one,” he added. “Don’t get sucked into the giant road signs advertising St. Regis and their gimmicky gas station bragging about the world’s biggest trout aquarium or some shit,” he advised.
“Go past St. Regis and stop in Missile. Fuel is fifty cents cheaper per gallon, and they make damn good chicken and jo-jos.”
“Missile?” I asked. “That’s the name of a town?”
Evan was none too happy with the chivalrousness his new guy was extending to me. I knew a pissed-off Evan when I saw one. I suspected when he’d walked up to show off his prime arm candy, this was not how he’d envisioned things going.
John ignored the signs of aggravation coming from Evan and continued.
“Long story, but the town really is named Missile. Legend has it, some old coot built what looked like a missile out on his ranch during the sixties nuclear crisis with the Russians,” he began.
“Turns out it was three rusty steel barrels welded together and painted red, white, and blue.”
“That can’t be true,” Evan interrupted.
John didn’t skip a beat, ignoring his remark. “The story might not be, but Missile is a real town. I told you I lived there when we first started chatting online.”
John’s sudden slip of bombshell information did everything to end our sweet little chat.
Even though I’d caught Evan red-handed a year ago, he denied meeting John in one of his fuck apps.
Evan now turned bright red, having lied to me about how they met.
John suddenly remembered I was the guy left by the man on the other end of those clandestine online chats.
“Smooth, John,” Evan hissed, surely realizing he’d lied and told me they were co-workers.
“Nice to have finally met you, John,” I quickly said, sensing the tension and actually feeling bad for John.
Evan glared at me like I was the bad guy in this lie. Something told me I might not have the full story regarding the two of them.
John quickly glanced at Evan before turning back to me.
“I did something shitty to someone, too,” John blurted out.
“My ex didn’t deserve what I did, and I’m not proud of it.
And now that I’ve finally met you, I feel an inch tall.
I’d completely understand if you hated me, Vance. I sincerely apologize for my part.”
“Jesus, John!” Evan exclaimed. “Chill the fuck out!”
John’s face became angry, his brow narrowing as he gathered his thoughts. He turned to face Evan, his hand held up to me for what I guessed might be an advance apology for what was about to come.
“You will not speak to me like that, Evan,” he stated. “What we did was terribly unkind to two innocent people, and now that you brought me over to meet Vance, I finally have my opportunity to apologize.”
“You already did,” Evan grunted. “Besides, Van wasn’t a perfect partner,” he added, looking smugly at me.
I should’ve been crushed, maybe even pissed. “True,” I replied. “But I was a faithful one.”
I instantly regretted my flip comment when John’s eyes welled up. Evan was gob smacked that I’d said such a thing in front of his new guy. I reached out and touched John’s arm. “Hey, I’m sorry for that.”
“My ex was faithful too. What I did crushed him, and I wish I’d handled things better,” John said, laying his hand over mine.
Evan crossed his arms in horror. I knew him well enough to know he hated honest conversations like this one. Revealing truths and emotions was not his thing, so I decided to be the bigger person.
“Water under the bridge, John,” I said. “We all learn and grow.”
After pinching the bridge of his nose to assist in ending the flow of tears, John glared at Evan before returning his eyes to mine. “You’re a kind man, Van.”
“And so are you, John,” I said. “And thanks again for the travel tips.”
“Are you two done?” Evan asked, avoiding eye contact with either of us.
For some reason, I felt compelled to comfort John, so I hugged him. He held me close and whispered in my ear. “I’m truly sorry for my part in breaking you two up.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I pulled away and smiled, glanced at Evan with a knowing look, and shut the hatch to the SUV.
“You two take care,” I said, digging my keys out of my jacket.
I have an adventure to begin.” Evan turned and began walking away.
John hesitated and watched as I made my way to the door of the X5.
I hesitated with the door handle and turned back to him.
“He has some good qualities too,” I whispered, motioning my head toward Evan.
Before I risked getting emotional, I slid into the SUV and closed the door. How I’d managed the surprise encounter and revelations of how I’d been replaced was beyond me. I let out a long-held breath and stared through the windshield with misting eyes.
I sensed John still standing near the rear of my vehicle. Perhaps he had more to say, but I felt like enough had been exposed. He and Evan had planned on leaving their exes long before either of us knew it was coming.
Even though my run-in with John was brief, I knew his ex must have been destroyed by the loss of him.
Besides being extraordinary to look at, I sensed his soul was equally good as his appearance.
A strong urge to move forward, and my good-natured way of living life, would allow me to forgive them both.
I glanced into the side-view mirror in time to catch John walking away, Evan fifty feet or so ahead of him.
Evan never looked back as he entered the doorway to the elevators.
I knew his pride had taken a major hit. Losing face to anyone was his worst nightmare, but to me, his ex, that would hit extra hard.
The way John dragged his feet and slowly followed made me think he knew he’d suffer too.
I wondered what had happened in the town he came from. A town named Missile. Who had John left behind and why? I knew one thing. I was absolutely stopping in Missile.