I Got You | A Gay Romance: A Boyfriend for Rent Book | Gay For You (26 page)

"His mom has certainly changed her tune trying to pretend she's mom of the year, but ... I don't care. I'm just glad he's alive."

"So, she's going to take care of him?"

Yeah, right. Jake didn’t trust that woman as far as he could throw her.  "Well, she says that but—"

"Good. He should be with family." Benjamin nodded.

The words miffed Jake a bit. There was a time when all Alberto and him had was each other. "I am pretty much his family."

Benjamin sighed as if trying to put into words exactly what he had to say was difficult. "I know but ... it's amazing how a tragedy can bring people together, you know? I mean, maybe this whole thing happened so he and his mom could make amends."

The words stung. If this was the way God operated, Jake wanted no part of it. "I don't think God's that cruel."

He pulled Jake in for a hug. He didn’t mean to say something like that. Maybe Jake was overreacting. "Don't be so sensitive. I only mean ... your responsibilities with him are over. You don't have to come here every day and now maybe that's another sign we can move on with our life together."

Jake didn't know how to feel. Maybe on some end he was right, but he couldn't imagine not being by Alberto's side. They'd been friends forever. As far as he knew, Alberto needed him now more than ever.  He was in such a fragile state right now, what if something awful happened?

How did he break the news to him? He swallowed hard and just said it. "I'm not ... it's just not a good time yet. You know?"

Benjamin's embrace loosened. Jake knew the words must have hurt him. But there was just no way, not now, that he could leave his best friend. "Sure, but ... here's the thing. I can't stay here any longer."

Jake was confused. It wasn’t like Benjamin to be rushed to make a decision. He was the calm, level headed, rational one in their relationship.
Was he joking?

"What do you mean you can't stay here? It's just a few weeks more, maybe a few months then we can revisit the idea of—"

Benjamin interrupted him. "No. Christina, she ... she's filing charges against me, bullshit charges and anyway with her family connections, they'll stick. I have a warrant out for my arrest, Jake. And if we stay in town, I will get arrested." Warrant? What kind of bullshit had she accused him of? Why did she hate him, hate them both so much that she would go out of her way just to be so spiteful? He hated his sister for this. It was her fault they were in this situation.

"Warrant? Wait. What? What is she charging you for?" The news was shocking. What was up with this woman? Had she not made their life a living hell as it was and now she was going to kick Benjamin while they were down?

"Does it matter? Bullshit stuff. Shit she made it up. Either way, I can't see my fucking son and we can't stay here. We have to go, now, tonight or we'll never get a chance to be together again." There was an edge to Benjamin’s voice that Jake rarely heard; a sound that told him how hurt he was about the situation, hopeless and desperate. He was depending on Jake, when so many other people had backed away from him. Their relationship hung in the balance.

Jake’s mind spun in circles. The fact he had to make this decision and so quickly was overwhelming. "Benjamin, please. Let's think this through."

"What's there to think about?" Benjamin asked. Then, he sighed as Jake scrambled for words. Benjamin shook his head. "I see ... so you feel like you have to choose between your best friend and your boyfriend. I've sacrificed a lot for you, a lot and it was worth it ... but I've made my choice about you a long time ago."

The fact that he was even hesitating about the decision told him a lot.  But Jake also knew, if any time was the time to let Benjamin go, to make it easier for him to patch things up with his ex-girlfriend well enough to see his son again, now was the time. It hurt to make that decision, but maybe this was for the best.

Jake watched Benjamin walk away, his shoulders hunched. He looked like a broken man. Benjamin didn’t express himself often, nor was he one to show when he was hurt publicly. It just wasn’t his way of doing things. Jake panicked. What if this was the last time he’d see him again? What if this was the end of their relationship? He knew that Benjamin felt betrayed and that he didn’t trust many people. "Benjamin, please wait."

"I'm leaving tonight in four hours. All my shit will be packed. I'll put your things in a box outside. Be there or I'll know your answer," he said, not even looking back as he did. His words hung in the air and the pressure to make a decision was immense. Part of Jake wanted to call his man back and tell him to wait up, that he was on his way. The other part of him felt like Benjamin was just being selfish, not thinking of how difficult of a decision it was. Alberto needed him. With all they’d been through, there was no way he could abandon his best friend.
Not now.

CHAPTER 43

It hurt to look at his cell phone that evening in Alberto's hospital room, looking at the time click away knowing he wouldn't be leaving with Benjamin. He could feel his boyfriend's heart hurt. He could feel every pain Benjamin must have felt getting into that truck, maybe still with those foul words spray-painted on the truck; a reminder of all he'd sacrificed for their relationship. But there was no way he could leave Alberto now.

He hated to admit it because he was happy his best friend was awake, but why did it have to happen now of all times? Now, when he and Benjamin were ready to start over again with their lives.

He promised himself, he'd give Benjamin a few days to calm down. After he was sure Alberto was on his own feet and on a road to recovery, he'd meet up with Benjamin. But something told him those days were over.

"What are you thinking about?" Alberto asked him a few days later.

"Me?" Jake said, pulling away from the hospital window.

"No, the person standing next to you," Alberto said, chuckling.

"Nothing, just life ... how strange it is." That was an understatement, of course. He wished for times to be much more simpler, back before everything changed, when it was just the two of them, young stupid kids having fun trying to survive another day of being closeted. It’s not that he regretted meeting Benjamin. Shit, it was quite the opposite. Benjamin was the best thing to happen to him. It’s just, why did life have to be so complicated sometimes?

"Strange? That's for sure. Have you ... met anyone?" Alberto reached over and grabbed a magazine from the nightstand. There was nothing else on TV.

Jake swallowed. What a subject to talk about. "I'm single."

"Oh," Alberto said, flipping through his magazine. "That's good, I guess."

"Sure," Jake said.

"They ever catch those assholes who ...?"

A wave of guilt washed over him. "No. But ... karma has a way of catching up to them." At least Jake hoped. And if not, he hoped all the training he’d been doing the last few months could be put to use.

Alberto rolled up the magazine in his hand and tapped it on his lap. "I want to go back to school. Maybe not today, maybe not next week but soon."

"Are you sure you—?"

"Yes, more than ever and I'll tell you something else, I want to go to that ball." Alberto tossed the magazine aside.

"The Spring Ball? With whom?" Jake asked, chuckling. The idea of it, having to see those people at school again and likely run across Steve again was outrageous. That’s going right into the snake pit.

"With you, of course." He folded his arms and looked at Jake as if he were stupid to even ask such a thing.

Jake laughed at the audacity of the idea. "What?"

Alberto lifted his chin and spoke with conviction. "If there's one thing I learned from being in a coma for so long, it's that life is short. I'm not letting a bunch of punks shame me into not being myself. I have a right to be me."

The words weighed heavy on Jake's consciousness. Alberto had a lot of courage, a lot of strength he wished he had especially now. And although he’d come such a long way with Benjamin’s help, sometimes he felt he’d never have the strength he truly needed to make it through this tough world they lived in.

"Will you be mine?" Alberto asked, sitting up in his wheelchair.

Was this another one of his best friend’s jokes? What was he talking about? He turned to look at Alberto and asked, "Your what?"

A smile spread across Alberto’s face. "My date for the ball."

The months he'd learned to be comfortable in his own skin, all the sacrifice and hiding he'd done with Benjamin, it had to stand for something. If not this, then what? A smile formed on Jake's lips. "I'd be honored."

"Oh, hey," a voice said. Jake turned to see his dad with flowers and balloons entering.
Shit.
He was the last person he wanted to see.

"Hey dad," Jake said. He could barely look at him. He had such shame. There was no way that he hadn't heard all that happened and he didn't know how to face him. Sure, he should have gotten that conversation over with a long time ago, but he just couldn’t make himself do it.

"I should go," Jake said. He had to get out here. He wasn’t ready for that conversation and he’d been avoiding any opportunity to talk about it with his dad. He stepped toward the exit and mumbled, "Talk to you later."

"Son," his dad said, his voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Yes, sir?" Jake swallowed. No matter how old he got, he became like a little boy when he was around the man that raised him.

"Meet me at my truck, will you? I gotta pick up some shit in town and need your help." By the look in his dad's eyes, the uncomfortableness, the anguish and the pain he worn, "no" was not an option.

CHAPTER 44

"Get in," his father said as he approached. Jake leaned against his father’s truck, not sure quite what to do with his hands.

"It's cool, dad. I just —" Jake said.

"I'm not going to say it again," his dad said.

He wouldn't win this one. Truth was he'd been avoiding his dad and was glad he was out of town so much lately, but now he couldn't keep running. He was going to have to face him. The rumors had reached his dad and he’d have to face him once and for all.

Jake jumped in the truck and slammed the door shut.

"Not too hard, I just got it fixed," his dad said, pulling onto the road. There was silence between the two men, the tension so thick it'd take a jackhammer to dig through it. The truth was, he couldn't remember the last time he'd really been alone with his dad for this long and certainly couldn't remember when they'd had a full-fledge halfway decent conversation. He guessed it was because if he kept his distance, his conversations superficial, he wouldn't have to face the feelings he'd pushed aside all this time.

His dad cleared his throat, "Gonna head to town and pick up some concrete for the back porch. You look like you've got some muscles now. Mind if you help me?"

That wasn't a request or an option. He wondered for a moment if his father was proud of him for putting on so much muscle weight. He’d always teased him for being skin and bones, something that only gave the kids in school growing up even more of a reason to make fun of him.

"Sure thing, dad," Jake said. He tried to sound chipper and positive. Maybe he could find a way out of the conversation he knew was about to happen.

"Good," his dad said, shifting gears. Jake stared out the window. He wanted to just get this trip over with. The silence drove him bananas and he reached for the radio when his dad said, "So, I spoke with your sister."

A lump formed in Jake's throat and his heart froze. This was not the conversation he wanted to have at all.

"Yeah?" he said, playing dumb. This was not what he wanted to talk about. He wondered if he should change the subject, talk about the weather, maybe how his work was going, something, anything but this.

"Yep," he said, letting the word linger in the air as if he were making an intimidating chess move.

"What'd she say?" Jake’s heart pounded and his throat ran dry. He wished Benjamin was here to help him through this, but he’d have to battle this one on his own.

"What do you think she said?" his dad asked. The question sat there like a big elephant in the room and gave Jake time to think about what he was going to say, how he was going to respond. How the fuck do you tell your father why you’ve fallen in love with your own step-brother? How do you tell him that you tried to resist, that you tried not to feel the things you did toward him, but the more you tried, the more the passion drew you together like a magnet?

Jake sighed. He told himself to calm down. He could almost hear Benjamin’s voice in his head telling him not to overreact. He could breathe through this, he could. "Dad, I can explain. It just sort of happened."

"What do you mean, it happened? Now, I raised you different—"

"Raised me? Dad, you didn't—" Jake sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this conversation. "Forget it."