Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“What were you saying about those guys who play it off like nothing is going on but really it is?”
Damn it. He wasn’t supposed to call me out. “I don’t believe that’s what I said. I said playing it off like nothing is wrong…but nothing’s wrong.”
Trey shifted. His hand shook, and he looked away from me. The air in the room changed, thickened.
“Hey…what’s wrong?”
“I just… I want that…what you have. I want to like boys and wonder if boys like me. I want gay friends, and to date, and what if I never get my first kiss?”
“Hey…what? Don’t do that.” I took the laptop and set it on the table. “You’re going to get your first kiss. I know you will. You, Trey, are going to drive all the boys crazy one day. You mark my words. And you know what else? You’ll be kind to people, and you’ll appreciate everything you have in this world. You’ll be a good person, and you’ll experience life to the fullest because of everything you’ve been through.” My heart bled for him. If I could take his place, I would. He was too young to be sick.
“I guess.”
“I know.”
“I never would have seen that life for myself before I met you. I didn’t think it was possible to be out and just… I mean, you’re here, you’re a nurse, and everyone knows and no one cares. Your friend Rush races dirt bikes, and your other friend Ash played football. Your best friend is a firefighter. My world was so different. I never realized we could be happy, except for people with money on TV. It’s nice to see.”
This fucking kid was going to kill me. I hated that he was sick, but I was thankful as hell to have him in my life. “The world is our rainbow, Trey, and it’s only going to get brighter. One day I’ll buy your book and get to say, I knew you when…”
“I’ll dedicate it to you.”
My pulse sped up. It might have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. “Well, I am pretty awesome.”
We spoke for a little longer before I had to go. Trey would be going home in a couple of days, until the next time he came back for another treatment. Next time… My heart broke for him.
I had a plan.
I was going to pick Rush up, and on the way to lunch, I’d tell him we had to come clean with his mom and Jude that we weren’t dating. Obviously, I got that it was really me who had to come clean, since I was the one who started this whole thing, but I was hoping he would go in on it like a team sport. There’s no I in team, or whatever people said.
Also, I was going to make sure he understood he was my friend and that I needed his friendship too much to risk trying to date him. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around all this. That it was even a conversation we were having. Did he miss the part where, as long as he’d known me, he’d never seen me date anyone? Or my obvious fears of rejection, getting close, or letting anyone truly mean anything to me? Beau excluded, of course.
I still didn’t know why I had to go to lunch with him and the journalist, but then, he was in this situation because of me, so I figured I owed him.
The moment I parked in the circular driveway in front of his house, my hands started shaking a little and I began having second thoughts. Which was stupid, because what the fuck was the big deal? I was picking my friend up.
My friend who wanted to date me.
And his mom was there…
Who thought we were already dating…
And his hot BFF, who I was pretty sure wanted to bone him.
And we were going to lunch with a journalist who wanted to write our big, gay, motocross love story, when really, I didn’t even like the sport all that much.
Nope, no big deal at all.
Still, I squared my shoulders, held my head high, and got out of the car. I was Lincoln fucking Gray. I brought men to their knees. I built myself up from nothing, and I wasn’t going to let this situation with Rush control my life.
About 2.2 seconds after I knocked, the door opened and Rush’s mom was there.
“Lincoln! It’s so good to see you again!” She pulled me into a tight hug that, not gonna lie, made me freeze up a bit. I mean, I had Beth, Beau’s mom. She’d been like a mom to me since Beau and I got close, but like everything else where Rush was concerned, it felt different.
“Hi! You too!” I said a little too enthusiastically.