“We don’t know each other well yet,” I said, clutching my wine glass like it held all the wisdom in the world. My brothers were busy talking to each other and Dad, but they might still overhear, so I couldn’t give away too many details. “He’s really sweet and nervous about everything. He came out later in life.”
“Oh, poor dear.” Mom looked like she already wanted to wrap him up in blankets and feed him cupcakes. “But he’s good to you?”
Well, two dance classes and one night at the bar wasn’t exactly a lot to go off yet. Or it shouldn’t have been. But already, we’d shared so many little moments.
I felt safe around him. I liked him. Way more than I liked most guys I’d tried to date, and quicker, too. Already, I’d be willing to bend over backward to make him smile. When he was happy, so was I; when he was anxious, so was I.
“Yes,” I said, thoughtfully leaning back. “He is.”
“Then why would you hold yourself back because of an arbitrary number? You’re old enough to know what you’re doing, and so is he. Love doesn’t come around that often.”
“Whoa,” I gasped, nearly spilling wine on myself. “Not love yet.” Right? I added mentally. Sure, he opened up to me and I want to find out everything I can about him and then find every excuse to be around him… and it feels like there’s a giant glowing circle around him when he’s in the room, pointing him out…
“Then definitely go for it. Good sex is even rarer,” Mom said with a knowing smile.
“Mom!” I protested as I got to my feet, my cheeks turning scarlet.
Mom grinned at me. “It’s true. Just be safe, Rusty—”
Thankfully, I was interrupted by a small whirlwind of brothers coming from all directions. Dill was on the phone and he was being pushed into a chair, handed a wine glass.
I quickly figured out what was going on—that asshole Hugh Walker, the groom’s dad, was being himself again.
Dill growled as he hung up the phone. “I’ve never wished for someone to step on Lego the moment he gets out of bed, every day, for the rest of his life.”
I winced, my toes curling in sympathetic pain. I rubbed the top of my foot and tried not to think of the old dancing injuries that would aggravate.
“But Hugh Walker?” Dill gasped after he’d finished his wine. “A thousand Legos.”
Okay, he was in dramatic mode, which was rare. He was usually the cool head.
Blaze was there, squeezing his shoulder and taking the empty glass. We all waited to find out what the actual problem was.
Even I didn’t expect the answer to be: “They’ve changed the fucking rehearsal dinner band.”
“What?” My older brother Alec gasped, staring at me and then Blaze like he’d heard that wrong.
“But that’s insane!” I exclaimed. As long as they hadn’t changed the songs I’d choreographed. My routines were loose enough that they could be adapted, but it would totally undermine Tom’s confidence…
And Beth and Jason, I reminded myself a second later. The actual bride and groom. But Beth had great rhythm, and Jason didn’t seem to care about anything, as far as I could tell.
Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t actually going to get to see how well Tom did. Usually I didn’t mind feeling like I was on the periphery of the business; I didn’t want the stress that came with my brothers’ jobs.
But all of a sudden, after a year of saying how glad I was not to be more involved, now I didn’t want to miss the event. I wanted to see how Tom did. And I knew he didn’t have a date…
But would he accept my solution? Or was that too bold even for me?
When Blaze brought Dill a refill of his wine glass, he asked what the plan was.
“We’ll see. Worse comes to worst, Hugh handles paying the new band and making sure they’re there on time.” Dill looked at me with a grin. “And we send Rusty out to dance on tables in the meantime.”
Blaze laughed. “Bet he’d love that,” he teased me.
Yes. I’d love showing off for people. Definitely not… just Tom. Like I’d done just last night.
I covered up my moment of blushing by clutching my chest and swooning. “I’ll do that for free! And you want to pay me? Where do I sign up?”
The others laughed, and I kept joking, but I saw the way Mom eyed me with a knowing smile. She didn’t question me any further, but I could tell she was curious.
So was I. Where on Earth would this go? Was it just a quick fling that would end when Tom realized that I was very different from him, whatever he thought he saw in me? Or was I fooling myself, thinking that I’d found the right guy just because he needed a friend and I’d been there?
I gazed at the baseball game on TV while my dad cheered at the screen and Blaze made noises of vague interest while looking down at his phone.
I hated overthinking. I preferred to let my body do the talking, and when we were alone together, it spoke loud and clear: I wanted to be close to Tom. And how I was going to pull that off… I had an idea.
But it involved asking Tom to take a huge leap out of his comfort-zone, and he’d barely been two-stepping until now.
Would he go for it, or was I reading more into his interest than I should have? Only tonight would tell. Thank goodness I don’t have long to wait.
Aside from Mom, nobody had to know. I could hold onto this little secret for a little while longer. I certainly didn’t plan to let Dill know that I was breaking one of his rules. What harm could I do?
Chapter Five
The gayest man here tonight!
Tom, day 1
I was early, of course. Chrissy had always teased me about it: I showed up early to everything.
There was only so long I could spend finding an outfit to look cool enough. I wanted Rusty to flirt with me, not me pat on the head like Grandpa. But I also didn’t want to look like I was trying to pretend to be twenty-something. Even when I’d finally chosen a dark checked button-down shirt and black jeans, I’d stared in the mirror “one last time” yet again, debating if the plain white collared shirt was a better bet.
I’d rather be here, walking into the gay bar about twenty minutes ahead of my scheduled rendezvous with Rusty. But what I didn’t expect was the cheer that greeted me.
“Well, look at this cutie showing up for the last number!” There was a drag queen on stage in an outrageous pink sequined dress with huge blond hair and fake tits. “You’re putting the rest of us to shame, honey.”
“Um…” I stuttered as glances turned in my direction and a laugh rippled through the room. I stopped dead on the spot.
“Aw, come on in, honey. Don’t be shy.” She gestured me inside. “I thought we queens had a monopoly on showing up late. You’re the gayest man here tonight!” She waved at someone else in the crowd. “You’re off the hook now, darling.”
I have no idea what’s going on, but I think I like it. Was it totally pathetic that being called the gayest man here filled me with a kind of joy I’d never experienced before?
On the other hand, all eyes were on me. My cheeks flushed and I waved awkwardly, then skirted the edge of the crowd gathered around a small, round stage to head for the bar.