Rock Bay 2 - Letting Go (21 page)

“Can’t you just find a nice girl? You did say you were….” She trailed off like she didn’t want to say it out loud.

“Bisexual, Mom. It’s not a swearword. And yeah, I suppose I could. But I feel more for Mason than I’ve ever felt for anyone. Don’t you want me to be happy?”

“You’ll never be happy if the whole town stares at you every time you walk out of the house. We know what’s been happening, darling.”

“They already are staring and I don’t care. I
am
happy. Maybe for the first time ever. Brock is going to be a tough enemy, but I hated having him as a friend. This might be hard at first, but I think it will be the best thing for me in the end.”

“I just hate the thought of everything you worked for disappearing.” His mother looked sad, and sad was better than blind hatred. Drew wondered if it was possible to get her on his side.

“Mom, you and Dad can help that. You know just as many people as Brock. Get some of them on my side. Back me up, show that you don’t care. It has to help something.”

“I don’t know….”

 

“Do you still love me, even if I’m with a man?”

She hung her head. By the time she picked it up, her eyes were shiny with tears. “Of course. I hate that this is what you’ve chosen, but I’m not going to be one of those horrible people who turn their children away because of it.”

“Do you think you’d like to meet Mason?”

His mother shook her head. “I’m not ready for that yet. Maybe someday. Besides, I don’t think your father is ready to accept this. He didn’t see what I saw all along.”

What?
“What do you mean, Mom?”

“I knew, baby. I always knew that you looked at your friend Tally differently. I knew that the women you dated weren’t making you happy. The way you look now, when you talk about your young man? I was waiting to see that look on your face again someday.”

“So you knew all along?”

“Yes. I tried not to see it, but I did. The selfish part of me wanted you to stay the way you were, but the mother in me wanted you to be happy. I think maybe you are attracted to women, but this man, or maybe another man, is what you need to be happy.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I mean… other than you look happy, and I haven’t seen you like this for years.”

“Grace!” Drew’s father barked from the doorway, where he’d just reappeared.

“Yes, Gerald?” His mother, who was usually so soft, so withdrawing when it came to what his father wanted, looked back with steel in her eyes.

Go, Mom.

“This conversation ends right here. Our son isn’t gay, and he won’t be seeing this man anymore.”

“Our son is happy, and we won’t be having this conversation again. Drew, you may go. Have a good week, dear.”

Drew stood slowly, trying not to gape at his mother. He supposed that he was a good enough reason for her to show some spine for once in her life.

“Oh, and, darling, I’ll see what I can do about that other thing. I’d hate for that horrible boy Brock to win.”

Drew realized he liked his mother a whole hell of a lot more than he’d ever realized. “Thanks, Mom.” He nodded at both of his parents and ducked out the door.

 

“
Y
OUR
mom said what?”

 

“That she’d work on her friends and try to get them not to listen to Brock.”

 

Mason couldn’t believe it. From the tone of Drew’s voice on the phone, neither could he.

“It’s so awesome that she stuck up for you. Does that mean she’s okay with us?” It could’ve been such a disaster.

“Not exactly. She said she always knew I was interested in men, and she wants me to be happy, but she’s not ready to meet you or to acknowledge us.”

“Hey, that’s okay. It’s better than her hating you, right?”

Drew’s long sigh echoed over the phone. “Yeah, but my dad’s still pretty pissed, and you have no idea how he gets when he’s mad about something. I’m not sure if my mom will ever get him to come around.”

Mason shrugged, even though Drew couldn’t see him. “He might not.” It probably sounded harsh, especially to someone going through it years after so many did. But it was true, and if Drew wasted a bunch of time waiting for people to accept him who might never get there, he’d be unhappy. Mason didn’t want him to be unhappy.

Drew was quiet for a long time. Mason started to worry that he’d pissed him off. It had always been one of the things he did best back when he’d been with Todd.

“You’re right,” Drew finally said. He didn’t sound pissed, he sounded thoughtful. Quiet. Like he was trying to figure out his future.

“Hey, do you want me to come up there and hang out with you tonight? My shift tomorrow isn’t until eleven, if you want some company.” Mason was offering company, a comforting body, someone to talk to who might not understand from experience but got it in the larger sense.

“Would you?” Drew’s voice was small and sad and hopeful.
“Of course.”

T
HINGS
hadn’t gotten much better with Drew’s dad in the past few weeks. That much Mason knew. Drew wasn’t talking about it, though. Mason had decided just to be there for him as much as he could and make at least part of Drew’s life fun and happy. And he thought he was doing a pretty damn good job of that. He was on his way up to Drew’s for probably the fifth night in a row… or was it the seventh? The only nights he’d spent at home lately were the ones when he had early shift at the hospital. Luckily Amy hated early shift, and she loved working with Mason.

Logan was following in his own car behind Mason. In his words, he was tired of getting ditched, but Mason knew he liked hanging out with Drew, Lex, and Tally, and even Amy, who flipped him massive amounts of shit but loved on him like a little brother. Travis and his girlfriend had joined their group most of the nights, since they were leaving soon. Mason liked having them around. He knew he’d miss them a lot when they took off for San Francisco. Even with all the social fun he’d had in Seattle, he’d never had close friends other than Logan. It was nice to feel like he was part of a group. The best part was that it was new for everyone involved, so everyone appreciated it equally. Lex had only ever had Amy, Tally, pretty much no one, and Drew had had the douche squad before. Not too hard to compete with that.

Mason’s phone rang just as he was pulling onto Old Main, the biggest drag through town. It wasn’t what you’d call large, just a cluster of old brick storefronts and some renovated lofts like the one where Drew lived.

“Hello?”
“Hey, babe. You close?”

Mason chuckled at Drew’s choice of wording. “Not yet. You wanna do something about that?”

“Aww, man. I’ve got a room full of people,” Drew groaned. Mason knew he didn’t mind, though; they’d gotten more and more comfortable teasing each other over the past month or so.

“We’ll wait till they leave, then. Logan and I will be there in a minute. Just passed Lex’s shop.” “Cool. Hurry. I’ll see you two soon.”

D
REW
greeted Mason at the door with a hug and a long, lusty kiss. That little game Mason liked to play, getting him all worked up when they weren’t in a place to do anything about it, drove him insane. But it was really damn fun. More fun than he’d ever had in his life. More comfortable than he’d ever been too. He didn’t even think about kissing Mason in front of their friends. Didn’t hesitate to show affection anymore, like he’d always done in the past with just about anyone he dated. Drew had to say that he really liked it.

“Hey, Drew! Stop kissing your boyfriend and get in here. We’re hungry,” Lex called. Logan, who’d already slipped around them, snorted and slammed a cheese-smothered nacho into his mouth.

“Yeah, we’re starving.”

 

“Boyfriend?” Mason repeated softly to Drew.

His tone held a bit of wonder.
Drew didn’t know what to say. He was glad the rest of the room had continued in their usual loud manner and he didn’t have eyes on him. He’d thought of Mason as his boyfriend for a long time. He sure as hell wasn’t thinking about anyone else.

“Um,” he started. He stared at Mason, whose face was framed by his hands. “I’ve been thinking of us that way for a while. I mean, you don’t have to, but….”

Mason smiled and reached up to touch Drew’s face. “I like it. I’m sure you’ve figured out that my last boyfriend wasn’t a resounding success, but with you, things feel different. Good.” He slung his arms around Drew’s neck and kissed him again.

“Okay, now that we have that settled, can we eat?”

Drew hadn’t noticed Logan sneaking up behind them. He felt his cheeks heat a little, but smiled at Mason’s snorted laugh.

“Dude, Loogs. Do you know what privacy is?”

 

“Uh, the opposite of a room full of people?

C’mon. My nachos are getting cold.”
“
Your
nachos? We’ll see about that.” And with that, Logan and Mason erupted into

what Drew had come to know as their usual bitching and fighting but loving it the whole time banter. It followed them into the living room, where he’d set up tables of snacks. They fought over the best nachos, hip bumped each other, and nearly knocked over the table. Drew loved to watch them, though. He hated the idea of them being separated again when the summer was over.

“A toast!” Tally announced when everyone had a plate and a seat around the game table. “To good friends and new relationships and those who will be missed.” He raised his glass at Travis, Cheri, and Logan. “The end of summer will be here before we know it, and things will change, but this past month has been the best of my life.”

Lex leaned against Tally and kissed him on the cheek. Everyone else hugged and squeezed hands. It was hard not to get emotional, to think of their new group already breaking up so soon. Of course, it had to be Logan who broke the moment.

“Okay, ladies. Enough with the waterworks. I think it’s time to eat.”

Tally reached across the table with his napkin and swatted Logan on the back of the head. “Just for that, you don’t get any nachos.”

Drew let himself laugh out loud at Logan’s scandalized face. He slung his arm around Mason’s shoulder and leaned back in his seat. He couldn’t imagine anything ruining his perfect night.

L
ATER
, way later, when their friends had helped them clean up and it was just the two of them tiredly heading for bed, Mason came up behind him and wrapped his wiry arms around Drew. “It was a good night.”

“It was,” Drew agreed. “I wish there could be way more like it.”

“There will be. I mean, some of the people might be a little different in the future, but I’ll be there, and you will, right?”

“Of course.”

Mason squeezed him and pushed him over the threshold into his room. “Then it’ll all work out.”
“Hey, Mase?” Drew said quietly when they were showered and in his bed, kissing sleepily.
“Yeah?”

“Remember how a few weeks ago, I said I wanted to try it with you inside me too? We never have. I still want to.”

Mason scooted closer and threaded his fingers into Drew’s hair. “Are you sure about it? I mean, you like to be in control of yourself. I might make you lose it.” He smiled slyly, but Drew knew he was partially serious.

“I don’t have to be in control anymore,” Drew protested. He hated the idea of being that uptight stick-in-the-mud that he’d been a few months before.

Mason smiled and ran a fingertip down his nose. “Yeah. Not in a bad way, and you’ve loosened up a lot, but you do like to be in charge, and it won’t work that way once I’m inside you.”

“I want to try it.” Some part of him needed it to feel like he and Mason were completely together. Drew knew it didn’t have to work that way, and for a lot of guys it didn’t, but he still wanted it.

“If you’re sure, then I’d love to be your first.” If Drew had his way, Mason would be his only. He’d been feeling like that more and more lately. That he didn’t want anyone else, not in the present, and not in the future either. He couldn’t

imagine wanting anyone else as much as he wanted Mason, couldn’t imagine anyone else in his bed all night, waking up in his arms, making him eggs and toast, laughing at his dumb jokes.

“I’m sure,” he told Mason. He was.
M
ASON
leaned over Drew and tried to hide the way his hands were shaking. He’d never realized how important sex could be. Before it had been fun, or with Todd, fraught with double meanings and possible guilt trips. It had never been so real, so vital, so… well, yeah.
Important
.

He loved how Drew always reacted to his kisses. Arched back, gorgeous moans. He loved how, even before Mason tried to touch, Drew’s legs parted to give him room to explore. Mason had to hand it to his sometimes uptight boyfriend— and it still thrilled him to use that word. Something had changed in Drew that night, between when they’d crawled in bed and when he’d said that, yes, he really did want Mason inside him.

“You’re so sexy,” Mason murmured. He meant it. Damn, but Drew was fucking sexy when he lost that tightness he usually had around his eyes. When he lost control. Mason sucked on Drew’s nipples just to hear him moan.

“Oh, shit. Do that again,” Drew muttered. He pulled on Mason’s hair until it almost hurt in the hottest possible way. Mason licked his fingers and slid them behind Drew’s balls, rubbing and pressing, but not going inside. “C’mon, babe, I wanna feel it.”

“Grab me the lube?” Mason asked. When Drew pressed it into Mason’s hand, he flipped the lid impatiently and slicked up his fingers. “It’ll be a little cold at first. Okay?”

Drew nodded but drew his breath in sharply at the sensation. “It
is
cold,” he said with a breathless laugh.

“Told you.” Mason leaned over and kissed him slow and deep; then, when he had Drew all nice and distracted, he sank one finger in to the hilt. “Just relax,” he whispered, then kissed his way down Drew’s body to take in his cock. Mason sucked and rubbed and stretched Drew’s entrance, listening for a hitch in his breath, watching for that telltale back arch. It was there, oh,
damn
there it was. Drew moaned, and Mason moaned with him. He loved making Drew crazy, wanted to do it as often as possible.

Drew stiffened for a second when Mason added another finger, but then he relaxed, just like before, and those hot, breathy moans continued.