Page 51 of Broken Halos
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” I said, channeling Coach Taylor.
“God, I love you, Archie.”
I gave him a swift kiss then led him across the hall where a tall, slender man sat in the chair facing my desk which meant his back was toward us. His head was bent forward like he was praying or staring down at his hands or perhaps his feet. He straightened and turned his head when he heard us walk into the room. He offered a small smile to me then shifted his attention to the man who entered behind me—the man I’d love beyond my dying breath.
Kaleb Jacoby’s eyes widened in shock, and he leaped to his feet. “Ollie?”
KALEB STARTED TO WALK TOWARDme, but Archie stepped in front of him. “Please return to your seat, Mr. Jacoby.”
“I…um…sure,” he said, looking and sounding as stunned as I felt last night. “I’m sorry.”
Archie held out his hand for me to precede him then pulled out his desk chair, gesturing he wanted me to sit down. Like I’d done for him before, Archie stood behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I want to be very clear about something, Mr. Jacoby,” Archie said firmly. “Interviewing potential residents is part of the normal process. I need to make sure I’m not allowing people to move in who disturb the peace at Ryan’s Place which includes weeding out self-hating gays who borderline on homophobia. Am I clear?”
Kaleb nodded. “I’m not self-hating or homophobic. I…had a troubled past, but I’m not the same person anymore.”
“Before you convince me,” Archie said, “you’ll have to convince Oliver. I believe the two of you have met before, Mr. Jacoby.”
Kaleb closed his eyes and swallowed hard, and for a brief moment, the boy I’d fallen hard for as a teenager replaced the man in the chair across from me. “Ollie, there’s nothing I regret more than the way things ended between us.”
“Ended between us?” I asked incredulously. Archie’s fingers dug so hard into my flesh I almost flinched. “Ended between us?” This conversation was going to take forever if I kept repeating myself. “Kaleb, you pretended to care about me to trap me into revealing I had no intention of converting to a straight boy.”
He shook his head vigorously. “That’s not true, Ollie.” He took a shaky breath and held up his hand. “It’s partially untrue. I did initially agree to bait you, but I fell hard for you, Ollie. I kept lying to Skip about the private time we spent together. I told him you were staying true to the mission statement you’d signed. My feelings weren’t faked, and I didn’t tell the asshole anything.”
“He presented my family with photos of us together, Kaleb.”
“He must’ve followed us and took those pictures. I never told him about our alone time in the abandoned subways beneath the city. Please believe me.”
“How can I?” I asked. “What evidence do you have to prove you weren’t lying to me all along?”
Kaleb reached inside his pocket and pulled out a worn, folded picture and a movie ticket stub that was tattered around the edges. “Do you recognize this ticket?”
“It was our first date,” I whispered. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
“I stole one of the photos from Skip’s desk to keep.” The picture showed a younger version of myself leaning against a concrete pillar while a young Kaleb kissed me. I tried my best to forget those stolen moments with him, but it only took one picture and a movie ticket for them all to come flooding back. “I tried to contact you to explain and apologize, but Skip told me your parents sent you to live with your aunt and uncle in New Jersey.” His words felt like a dagger to the heart.
“Is that right?” I asked, not trying to hide the bitterness in my voice.
“You didn’t go live with your relatives?” he asked, brows furrowing in confusion. I shook my head. “Where’d you go live then?”
“Under a bridge,” I said with more calmness than I felt. A part of me wanted to tell Kaleb every sordid event he put into motion, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t shame my faith by acting that way.
“No, Ollie. P-p-please, tell me it’s not true,” Kaleb asked then burst into tears when I wouldn’t recant what I’d said. “Oh my God. You must hate me.”
“Hate is a wasted emotion, and it destroys a person. I should know because it nearly claimed me. I was one of the lucky ones who survived the streets, but not without scars on my soul. With the grace of God, I have a new life that I love.” I covered Archie’s hand on my shoulder.
“You have every right to blame me for everything that happened to you, but I never meant for you to get hurt. I am so very sorry.” Kaleb rose to his feet and looked at Archie. “It’s obvious I’m not a good fit in your home, Mr. White. Do you know the name of another facility that would be willing to take me on?”
Archie removed his hand long enough to pull a business card from his desk. “I don’t know if Mrs. Madison has any rooms available at her boarding house, but you can give her a call.”
“Thank you,” Kaleb said softly, looking at the card in his hand. “This is more than I deserve.” Kaleb returned his sorrowful gaze to mine once more. A better person would’ve put their grievances aside so he could stay, but as I reminded Archie on numerous occasions, I was only human. I believed Kaleb was telling the truth. Why else would he keep those mementos? People tried to avoid the things that made them feel guilty, not hang onto them. I still couldn’t stomach running into him when visiting Archie, and I certainly couldn’t make love with him living in the same house. “I’m sorry, Ollie. If there was any way I could right all the wrongs, I would. The times we spent together were the only bright spots in my life. I’m so happy you’ve found love and happiness. I wish you all the best.”
“Take care, Kaleb,” I said. He nodded then left the room.
Archie followed behind him and closed the door, shutting us inside his office so we could have some privacy.
“Esther is just going to press a glass to the door so she can overhear us,” I told Archie.