Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
They both stood there, staring and smiling at each other as if neither could believe this was happening…
The moment was broken when the boy beside August said, “Dad.”
August’s son, then. He had a child. Was he married? That day by the creek, August had told Clint he was gay, and Clint knew about one secret boyfriend after. Maybe he was bi and he had a wife or maybe a husband. Was August out? Was he even queer? That week could have been a fluke for him, all wrapped up in his emotions, and then he could’ve realized he was straight, but Clint didn’t think that was the case.
“Clint, this is my son, Reese. We just moved back to Harmony. Reese, this is Clint, my childhood best friend.”
Clint turned to Reese, who didn’t really look like August at all with his messy dark hair and big brown eyes. He also didn’t appear to be very happy to see Clint. “Hey, Reese. It’s good to meet you.” Clint held out his hand, but Reese didn’t take it right away, not until August nudged him.
“You too, Mr. Clint,” he finally said, shaking. Clearly, he’d been taught manners.
“You don’t need the mister unless that’s a rule of your parents’. Guys, this is my friend Colby.”
He stood too, and the three of them made their acquaintance while Clint just took August in. The gray in his hair wasn’t real noticeable, but if he turned just right, you could see it in the light. The lines on his face were likely all stories from the life he’d led since Clint had seen him last. Did August work with animals like he’d always wanted? Was Reese his only child?
“Do you guys want to join us?” he heard Colby ask, which snapped him out of the trance seeing August had seemed to put him in.
“For sure,” Clint added, but August was already shaking his head.
“I appreciate it, but we’re gonna grab another table. This is Reese’s first time having Mama Adaline’s, so we figured it would be a sort of father-son thing.”
“Yeah, of course. We don’t want to keep you.” Clint ignored the stab of disappointment. He couldn’t say what he’d expected. He hadn’t seen this man in twenty-eight years. It wasn’t as if they knew each other anymore. Was it okay to ask for his number, though? Clint wasn’t sure if that would be strange or not, if August had a spouse at home who wouldn’t appreciate it, but then, why should it matter? They were just friends. Or they had been. He’d sloppily kissed this man when he was fourteen. That had nothing to do with today. Leave it to August to make him overthink things when Clint wasn’t an overthinker.
“We should definitely meet up sometime. I’d love to catch up. It would be nice to have a friend here.” August’s gaze darted from Clint to Colby and back again, as if he’d been thinking the same questions Clint had and hadn’t decided if he should ask or who Colby was to him.
“I’d like that.” Clint tugged his phone out of his pocket, opened up a new contact, and handed it over to August to put his information in.
“Send me a text so I have yours.” August handed it back. Their fingers brushed, leaving a ridiculous tingle behind.
“It was good to meet you,” Clint said again to Reese who, by the look on his face, hated Clint and wanted him to die a slow, painful death.
“You too.” The words were said in a mumble, and clearly only so he wouldn’t get in trouble later.
Clint watched as they walked back up front to be seated, staring at his old friend and realizing how much he’d missed him. Was it odd to miss someone for that long? Hell, he didn’t know.
Their waitress arrived with their plates. Clint had ordered the fried catfish, okra, and hush puppies.
When she was gone, Colby asked, “Is there a story there? I felt a vibe. Usually that shit goes right over my head, so it must have been a pretty strong one.”
Clint chuckled. “We were close in middle school. Used to hang out by this creek. Before he left…we kissed. It was my queer sexual awakening, I guess you could say. I’d known I was attracted to girls but hadn’t really opened myself up to the possibility that I could be attracted to guys too. Maybe that was the vibe you felt? We were each other’s first kiss. I know nothing about him now, though.”
“Well, he was all weird about you too, if that makes you feel any better.” Colby bit into his burger and chewed. “So you’re…?”
“Bisexual,” Clint answered the unfinished question.
“And you just felt it? Boom, just like that?” he asked without making eye contact.
This was definitely interesting. Colby had never asked him questions like this before, but then, Colby hadn’t known Clint was bi. Roe and Holden had figured it out, Deke and Grady too, but they wouldn’t have shared his business with Colby. If he was questioning, Clint assumed Colby would have gone to his brother. Roe had come out as a teenager. “Um, kinda. I mean, I probably wondered on some level, but maybe not. It’s not the same for everyone. Some people know, some don’t.”