Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
With another boy.
But he was scared.
“Theo… I…” I didn’t know what to say.
“Is it stupid? Oh God, it’s stupid. I’m sorry. I just thought—”
“This isn’t stupid. This is maybe the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. You’re so talented, and you bled your heart into this. I can feel it. I’m honored to be a part of it, and I feel so damn special that you shared it with me. You can trust me, and I’ll try to help in any way I can.”
“I know. It’s, um…why I told you.”
“Am I the only person who knows?”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel unsafe telling your mom? I’m not saying you have to tell her at all. I’m just gauging the situation.”
He shrugged. “I mean, she wouldn’t hurt me. She’s not like that. And I don’t think she would kick me out or anything. She’s never said anything that makes me feel like she’s homophobic, but I just…don’t want to give her a reason not to love me…more of a reason not to hang around, ya know?”
Jesus fucking Christ, this kid was going to wreck me. “I understand feeling that way. My dad, he couldn’t let me in either. He was there physically, he wasn’t there emotionally or mentally. I spent most of my life wanting to make him proud, hoping it would help him feel closer to me and let me in, but with him, it wouldn’t work. He is who he is, and I couldn’t change that with anything I did. He’s too lost, and he has to want to become found again. I’m not saying your mom is the same, but that’s my situation.”
He wrung his hands together in his lap. “Yeah, I think my brain knows that, but my heart is on the fence.”
“Hearts are weird like that.”
He smiled. “I’m not ready yet to tell anyone else. Just you and… Can you tell Camden for me?”
“I absolutely will tell Cam. And we’ll both be here for whatever you need. You’re not alone in this.” I reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Do you and your mom have plans for Thanksgiving? Our friends are getting together. I know they would welcome you.”
“No plans. She’s supposed to take the day off, and we’re gonna do something special just the two of us, she says. Hopefully, she’ll stick with it. She’s not a bad mom. I know she loves me. She’s just not good at showing it.”
I had experience with that, and it sucked and wasn’t fair. “If anything changes, let me know. Even if it’s on that day and we have to come get you, we will.”
“I… Thank you. I think maybe you’re my best friend. Is that okay?”
My lips stretched into a smile. “That’s maybe the best title I’ve ever had.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far. But can we like, talk about something else now? Or play a game. We can do some of your puzzle if you don’t mind me helping. If so, that’s fine. I totally get it. Ooh! Then maybe we can play video games?”
I laughed. There was the Theo I knew. “Perfect—puzzle, then games. I’m on board with that.”
And it was exactly what we did. When we were finished there, he sketched and for the first time in a long time, I doodled.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Camden
The truth is…I love you…but I don’t want to be gay. ~ Letter from Henry
It was Thanksgiving, and I was picking Jude up like I typically did when we went out. I didn’t know why it always worked that way. It wasn’t as if Jude couldn’t meet me, but it had become a habit we slipped into along the way, like being under your favorite blanket.
I hadn’t seen him in a few days, and we hadn’t talked much either. It almost felt like he was avoiding me, and all I could think was that it went back to him inviting me to Thanksgiving or saying he missed me that day.
All I knew was I didn’t like it.
He was already outside waiting when I pulled up in front of the condo. He jumped in the truck and mumbled a hello.
“Hey, Beautiful. We gonna play this game again?”
“What game?”
“The one where you get all weird and I don’t know why.”
“It’s not a game. I just have a lot on my mind. I’ll tell you about it when I sort through it all.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
He was wearing a pair of jeans and a red-and-black flannel shirt rolled up to his elbows. Like always, Jude looked hot as fuck, so I let my eyes linger on him a minute, taking in the view.
“See something you like?” he teased.
Attaboy. I wanted to get back to that. “You know I do.”
“Me too,” he said as his eyes roamed me, leaving a lick of fire sliding up my spine.