Chapter 18
By the grace of god, Graham managed to survive the rest of the movie night unscathed. Then again, maybe it had less to do with divine intervention and more to do with his patent refusal to acknowledge Brent’s mere existence the rest of the evening.
Not that Graham wanted to be rude. Brent hadn’t done anything wrong personally.
It was simply a matter of survival. Now that his smokescreen was in jeopardy, Graham knew he couldn’t afford to take chances.
The only way to avoid arousing further suspicion—not to mention himself—was to avoid paying Brent any mind.
He’s not even interested, Graham, said a voice inside his head. And even if he was, he thinks you’re dating Coco. Don’t go catching feelings for someone who doesn’t feel them in return.
Geez, had that been a close call in the kitchen. For a minute there, Graham had been certain his mother had caught on to the intrigue he felt toward Brent.
He swallowed down hard. Could she have been suspicious? The way she’d been talking earlier sure seemed to suggest she knew he was keeping something from her.
Maybe he ought to tell her, he thought to himself. If not about Brent, at least about himself.
His true self.
He quickly shook the thought away. Why do you do this to yourself, Graham?
It’s none of your mother’s concern what goes on—or doesn’t go on, rather, as of late—in your bedroom.
Besides, you’re only here for a few more days.
Why complicate things by opening up a whole can of worms when you can simply leave well enough alone?
Perhaps because she was his mother.
Perhaps because she loved him.
Perhaps because he owed her the truth.
What was it she’d said back in the kitchen? That Graham didn’t seem happy?
I’m plenty happy, countered a voice in his head. I’ve got the career of my dreams. I’ve got a condo that would make most heads in this Podunk town spin. I’ve got…
He paused to collect his thoughts.
Truth be told, he had everything he’d ever wanted. But deep down, a part of him knew he wasn’t being honest with himself. He wasn’t happy, not truly. The question was, why?
Perhaps because he didn’t have everything he’d ever wanted. What he had was everything he was supposed to want.
It’s not the lights and the garland and the Christmas trees that make Mistletoe Grove special, he heard his mother’s voice say inside his head. It’s the people.
Who did Graham have back in LA? Sure, he had coworkers he generally liked, friends he generally tolerated, but who did he have back there who mattered? Who in LA made him light up the way Brent did whenever he walked in the room?
A swelling instrumental theme yanked him from his thoughts. On the TV, an end card written in elaborate script appeared. The screen faded to black.
“Now that’s what I call cinema,” Brent assessed. Standing to his feet, he stretched up high, revealing a tantalizing strip of toned, furry torso beneath his shirt.
Goddamn, said a voice in Graham’s head. He resisted the urge to lick his lips.
Brent flicked a glance toward the other end of the couch. “Looks like some of us have already settled in for their long winter’s nap.”
Following Brent’s sight line, Graham chuckled at Coco and his mother fast asleep. “And to think that they were the ones who wanted to watch this movie.” He shook his head in spite of himself. “Here, I’ll see you out.”
With that, the pair of men made their way to the front door.
“By the way,” Graham said as Brent laced up his shoes, “sorry about my mother. I feel bad that she twisted your arm into coming over today.”
“No apologies necessary,” Brent assured. “And trust me, she didn’t have to twist hard. I had a great time.”
Graham swallowed down a lump that had suddenly found its way into his throat. Why was he suddenly envisioning Brent giving him a goodnight kiss then? “I guess it wasn’t half bad, was it?”
Brent’s lips curled up in a smile. “Sounds like Mistletoe Grove is growing on you.”
Graham fought off the vision of their mouths pressed together. “Not so fast, buster. LA is the place for me, thank you very much.” The remark served as much as a reminder to himself as anything. “Everything I could want is there.”
Neither of them believed it, based on the silence that followed then.
“Well, what do you know?” Brent chimed after a beat of glancing down at his watch. “I’d say we’re just in time.”
The remark shot a nervous tingle through Graham’s system. “Time for what?”
A fiery sparkle lit up Brent’s eyes. “What do you say I show you something I promise you won’t find in LA?”
God, how Graham hated riddles. “That depends.”
Brent quirked an eyebrow. “On?”
“On if it’ll mean I end up as an episode of Dateline.”
The joke drew a laugh from Brent. “Come on, LA boy. I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” A mischievous grin twisted his face then. “Unless, that is, you like a little pain…”
Graham felt his heart thud suddenly.
“Relax,” Brent replied with a chuckle. “I’m joking.” He gave Graham a gamely pat on the back. “Coco and your mother will never know we’re gone. Trust me, you’re not going to believe this.”
Somehow, Graham didn’t exactly find that comforting.