Page 6

“Thank you, Jill.” Rylan nodded at the waitress. A disappointed look flashed on her face as she rose and headed toward the kitchen.

“How did Tristan and Declan make your life hell?”

“For most of my childhood, I remember happy times with my mother. That was until my mom died when I was thirteen.”

Cameron squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue.

Rylan swallowed. “I’ve always known I was gay, but I never spoke about it to anyone. My mom always knew. In the last few months of her life, she couldn’t sleep because of the pain and to distract her, we would talk. I confessed to her and without missing a beat, she said she’d always known. She said I would always be her baby and I should be free to be whoever I wanted to be.”

His mother was a bright beacon in his life. His father, James, was a closed-minded asshole but for a reason he would never understand, his mom loved him.

“I was never close to my father or brother, but after she died, they kept their distance and pretended I didn’t exist. It worked out for both of us.”

The conversation paused when Jill arrived with the food and although Cameron thanked Jill, his eyes never left Rylan. When she left them alone, this time Jill not bothering to flirt with Cameron, Rylan snagged a fry off his plate and chewed. The greasy, salty flavor exploded on his tongue and he almost moaned aloud. He’d forgotten to eat both lunch and dinner because of the two dresses he completed for next Friday’s appointment, and he was starving.

Rylan sipped his water before he continued. “When I was fourteen, Tristan moved to town and Declan became close to him. By that time, I learned to keep my head down and worked hard for a high grade point average. That way, I could apply for scholarships for colleges out-of-state, and the inheritance would go to my college tuition and I wouldn’t have to worry about my future.”

He laughed. He paused his story so they could eat. Rylan devoured his burger and fries, almost embarrassed he was so hungry, but Cameron gave him a smile whenever he took a bite, so Rylan continued eating.

As he wiped his mouth with a napkin, Cameron reached for his malt and slid it in front of him. Rylan almost complained that he was full, but vanilla wafted toward him and Rylan tried it. The creamy, sweet flavor coated his tongue and this time, he didn’t hold back his moan as he closed his eyes and savored the ice cream.

“Good?”

“Yes. I don’t remember the last time I had a malt.” Rylan glanced up and noticed a slight blush on Cameron’s cheeks and Rylan giggled, laughing harder when Cameron joined him.

When they finished their dinner, both of them leaned back against the booth. Rylan couldn’t keep his eyes away from tracing Cameron’s face and he noticed Cameron smile came readily as the night continued.

“So, you grew up here and didn’t move away.”

“It didn’t matter how hard I worked. The scholarships I received didn’t pay for even half of my tuition and the money I thought I would get from my inheritance is long gone.” Rylan rubbed his chest as he thought about the loss of his mother and the overwhelming disappointment he felt when his plans disintegrated.

“What happened?”

“My father has a gambling problem and found a way through his best friend, who was also my mom’s lawyer, to steal both my and Declan’s inheritance and it disappeared soon after he received it. When I realized there was no money, I applied for every scholarship I could find and worked part-time to survive. For the longest time, I thought the scholarships I applied for didn’t pan out, but I found out that my father opened my mail and destroyed any scholarship I received.” Rylan shook his head.

“You would think they would want me to leave, but my father said he knew that would make me happy and anything he could do to ruin that, he would take. So I stayed home and applied at CSU.”

Cameron squeezed his hand. “You’re smiling.”

“I applied and received several scholarships after my freshman year. I opened a separate mailbox, and I worked, saving money while not paying rent.”

“Where do you work?”

“I’m a stylist and make-up artist for some of the richest women in Denver. I’m working on my business and fashion degree.”

“Where are most of your classes?” Cameron asked.

“Aylesworth Hall, but I have a couple in Rockwell. What’s your major?”

“Computer science.”

“I haven’t seen you before.” Rylan mumbled when he realized how close their classes were to each other.

“Yeah, I would have remembered you.” The blush on Cameron’s face made Rylan beam at him.

Rylan felt carefree and for the first time since his mom had passed, he found that he could be himself with Cameron. He demanded nothing nor did he look at him with disgust because he laughed too loudly or had chosen fashion as his major.

Although he was gay, he’d never been intimate with another man. He held himself back from others, not wanting to get involved and have the news reach his family, because almost everyone knew Declan in their small college town.