Chapter 14
Will
“How do you know which one to choose?” Owen asks as they walk between the trees.
“I’ll show you. First, you need to decide which type of customers you want to focus on.
There are two main ones: those who are looking to work on furniture and those who are doing construction.
In my case, I focus on the ones making furniture because they care more about quality, and most of my competitors don’t bother with that. ”
“You’re a boutique business,” Owen says.
“Hmm, I didn’t think of it like that. Doesn’t boutique mean chic or something?”
“Will Thomas, you are very chic. You even got me wearing flannel.”
Will smiles as he watches Owen in one of his shirts. They spent the night together, and Owen didn’t have spare clothes. That blue flannel shirt matches Owen’s eyes, but it’s way too big for his lean frame.
He feels self-conscious about bringing Owen out here so he can show him how he works and assesses trees. His job is considered boring and simple by most people, and he expects it to be the same in the eyes of someone like Owen, who’s from a much bigger city and has studied art.
But Owen was the one who asked for this, and Will saw it as an opportunity for them to spend time in private away from prying eyes.
Gossip in this town is like polluted water—it flows quickly and poisons everyone who takes a sip.
They can gossip about him as much as they want—there’s nothing he hasn’t heard before—but it’s not just about him anymore.
“Hold on,” Will says. “This is a good spot.”
Owen looks around as if searching for something that makes one tree different from another.
Will smiles and strokes the trunk of the tree next to them.
“This one has potential. It has minimal sweeps and curves. It means longer and cleaner boards.” He looks up.
“You see how the branches are spread? If too many of them are clustered together, it can mean weak points in the wood. We don’t want that. ”
Owen strokes the tree as well with his long and delicate fingers. “Can you tell if it’s good inside without cutting?”
“Yes. You need to check for fungal growth, cracks, oozing sap, and then…” He takes out a hammer from his backpack and strikes the base of the tree. “Hear that? A heavy thud. No echo. It means that the trunk is not hollow. That’s good.”
“So this is the tree you would have chosen?”
“There are more things I would have checked, but this one’s a strong candidate to be worth the effort. You also want to make sure you have enough space to work with. If it ends up going down and tangled with other treetops, you’re in for a massive headache.”
Owen looks up at the tree. “I wonder how long it’s been here.”
“Decades. I used to feel bad about cutting them down.”
“Now you don’t?”
“I think of the beautiful furniture they’re going to end up as, and it’s also healthy for the forest if you cut down some trees. It gives more resources to the other trees to grow, and they become healthier.”
“I didn’t think of it like that. I really like the way you talk, Will.”
“Is that so?”
Owen nudges him back against the chosen tree. “Yes. I can listen to you talk all day, but only if you leave enough time for other mouth-related activities.” He leans his face forward for a kiss.
Will wraps his arms around Owen’s back and pulls him closer, feeling his erection caged in his jeans. “I can think of something else that is mouth-related.”
Owen smiles. “Like to whistle?”
“Sure. I’m going to whistle now.” He goes down on his knees and pulls out Owen’s pretty cock.
It feels so nice between his fingers, and familiar by now.
He licks it slowly, then takes it as deep as he can.
The tip brushes against the back of his throat, but he has almost no gag reflex by now.
Owen sighs and runs his fingers through Will’s hair so he can hold it.
For a second, Will is no longer in the forest but in the mayor’s house. He’s down on his knees in the bedroom upstairs, his hair grabbed by one of the guests so that he can fuck his mouth as hard as he wants.
“What’s wrong?” Owen asks. “You’re breathing fast.”
Will pulls back and shakes his head. “It’s nothing. Sorry.”
“We can do this later in a normal bed. I don’t want to be late to visit Julie.”
Will feels more grateful than Owen can realize. He rises to his feet. “Okay. I’ll make it up to you later.”
Owen narrows his eyes. “You don’t need to make it up to me. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Will nods, angry at himself for not doing a better job at blocking out his experiences in the mayor’s house. He can’t help but wonder if it’s even possible.
*
“I hope she likes me,” Owen says as they drive back to town.
“She already likes you.”
“I don’t mean as a librarian but as someone who can be good enough to date her brother.”
Will isn’t sure how to respond. In truth, he didn’t plan this meeting between Owen and Julie as well as he should have.
It has gotten to a point where he mentioned Owen to his sister one too many times, making her bug him about bringing him over to meet her properly.
He figured that no harm could come out of it, but now he’s not sure how to present Owen to her.
They haven’t spoken about how they define what had started between them, and it feels too soon to have that talk.
“She thinks we’re good friends,” Will says.
“Oh. That’s cool.”
“But she’ll figure out there’s more going on. I’m fine with that.”
Owen turns to look at him. “You sure?”
“Yes. Are you… also fine with that?”
“Of course. I have a crazy crush on all of my good friends.”
Will laughs. “A crazy crush, huh?”
“I just call it like it is.”
They reach the hospice, and Owen insists on buying flowers. “Should I also buy chocolate?”
“She’d love it, but the sugar isn’t great for her.”
“Dark chocolate?”
“That should work.”
Once they have both the flowers and the dark chocolate, they return to the hospice.
“It’s pretty here,” Owen says as they walk down the hallway. “Must be expensive.”
Will doesn’t answer. He heard such comments before, and it feels like a blow every single time. When he’s put on the spot, he reluctantly admits that the mayor covers the costs.
“Hello, you two,” Julie says as they enter her room. She puts aside the book she’s been reading and props herself up against the elevated head of the bed. She has a white bandana on, not much different from the shade of her pale skin.
“Owen, those are beautiful. And chocolate as well. Oh, this latest book you recommended is magical.”
“The Snow Queen? I know, right? I love the world-building. The sequel is also great. I’ll save it for you.”
They talk about books some more, and since Will has nothing to contribute on the topic, he sits quietly and enjoys listening. They sound like old friends, as he knew they would.
“What have you two been up to today?” Julie asks, as if she assumes they have spent their day together.
“Will took me to the woods. I’m a tree expert now. You need a high-quality log, you can come straight to me from now on.”
“Oh my. You’re a patient man.”
Owen laughs. “Nah, I love hearing Will talk.” He catches himself and blushes. “I mean that he’s good at conversation.”
“When he’s not sitting quietly and thinking. He used to be a very quiet kid.”
For the next thirty minutes, she shares stories of their childhood. Will doesn’t mind since she doesn’t say anything he wouldn’t have said about himself, and it’s not like there is anyone else alive who can testify about his childhood.
They leave when it’s time for Julie’s dinner and shower, but only after Owen promises to come visit again soon.
“I really like her,” Owen says as they head toward the entrance. “And I loved hearing about your childhood.”
“I’m glad, as long as you don’t use anything you’ve heard as ammunition.”
“Like when you used to run around the house naked after a shower and demanded a bedtime snack?”
“Exactly like that. And I was three.”
“I think I heard thirteen.”
Will laughs and opens the door for Owen to exit. It’s a chilly evening, but it’s also quiet and peaceful. This part of town doesn’t get a lot of traffic, even though it’s not far from the center.
“Can you spend the night with me?” Will asks, feeling confident enough not to beat around the bush. He loves sharing a bed with Owen and feeling him next to him. He’s gotten used to it after a single night, even after years of sleeping alone.
“I’d love to, but my aunt should be finishing her shift soon, and I should go eat with her. I don’t want to push my luck.”
Will nods. They are two adults, but at times it feels like they’re teens who are doing something they shouldn’t. He reminds himself that nothing is perfect, and with Owen, the good greatly outweighs the bad.
“Thank you for today,” Owen says, standing close but not close enough for it to look suspicious if someone sees them. “I loved stepping deeper into your world.”
“Thank you, but my world is pretty small.”
“Not from where I’m standing.”
Will wants to kiss him. His body and mind demand it. He glances around to make sure they’re alone, his heart beating fast. But before he can gather the courage, he catches a police car taking a turn toward them.
Owen notices it as well, and in a heartbeat, he jumps to hide behind the nearby bushes.
Will remains in place, trying to look like he has nothing to hide. The car comes closer until he recognizes Sheryl driving. She slows down enough to lower her window and give him the finger.
He takes deep breaths as he watches her drive off.
“Is it clear?” Owen asks from behind the bushes.
“Yes.”
Owen returns. “Was it my aunt?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Oh. Well, sorry for being dramatic.”
He wasn’t dramatic, just realistic about the situation. The thought of kissing Owen out here seems ridiculous and dangerous. He’s angry at himself for almost letting his guard down in such a careless way.
“I can walk home from here,” Owen says. “It’s not that far.”
Will nods, trying to keep his mood up, but he’s struggling. He wishes the world wasn’t so quick to remind him of how complicated things are, but the world has a way of ignoring his wishes.