Page 20 of Fanboy in the Falls (Devon Falls #3)

This all has to be another dream, right? —Gabe Gomez

“Well, little fox. Are you ready to see all of us?”

Tom and Colin stand before me, both abnormally tall in the dark light of Dave’s bedroom, which is where I’ve been sleeping since he left.

Their perfect forms look odd against Dave’s decor of posters for heavy metal bands and one mounted deer head.

I gulp back a breath and arch up off the bed as they both slowly begin to unbutton their pants, dropping cloth centimeter by centimeter as my cock grows within my jeans.

“Yes,” I whisper. “Want this. Want all of you.”

And just like that, my jeans magically disappear, along with the rest of my clothes. They both lose their clothes less than a second later, and now they’re standing completely nude above me, hard and strong and soft all at the same time.

I gulp. “What are we going to… do?” I ask.

Tom leans over to trace a hand over my knee and down my ankle. “Whatever you want, little one,” he says softly. “But first, there’s something I need to do.” He straightens up and turns to Colin. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time,” he whispers. “And it’s time I showed you that.”

He leans over to kiss Colin, and I—

“Gabe? Gabe!”

The voice that’s pushing against my ears is high and light. Definitely not Tom or Colin. Shoot. That’s Lou. I sit up fast on the couch as I force my eyes open and grab for him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Lou rubs at his eyes with the corners of his hands.

Butterfly eyes, my mom used to say, whenever I did that.

He’s wearing the My Little Pony pajamas we recently found at the secondhand store, and his hair is sticking up in tufts across his head.

Real life comes back into focus: I fell asleep at Colin’s house and woke up just in time to pick up Lou from school.

I had to rush there and then back here to make him dinner…

and then I, apparently, fell asleep on the couch and Lou put himself to bed.

I’ve been told that’s not a thing most kids do. But Lou’s always been one-of-a-kind.

“Oh, shoot.” I drop my head into my hands. “I fell asleep, didn’t I? We didn’t even read stories!”

“It’s okay, Gabe.” Lou hops up onto the couch and snuggles up against me.

“I read a story and locked the door and everything, just like you do! But now someone’s knocking on the door, and I’m not sure who it is.

” He frowns and studies the front hallway of the house like it’s a mystery ready to be solved. “Maybe ghosts are here?”

I pick my cell phone off my table and nearly choke when I see the time; it’s after eleven o’clock. And then I nearly choke again when I see my notifications: nine missed calls and texts.

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. “Not a ghost, kiddo,” I tell him. “Just some friends of ours.” I stand up and lean over to kiss the top of his head. “Can you go back to bed for me? I’ll come check on you after I get the door.”

“Do I have to?” Lou whines the words more than says them. “I want to see who’s here!”

There’s a sharp rap at the door again. “Coming!” I call. “Okay,” I tell Lou. “Tell you what. If you go back to bed now, we’ll get donuts before school tomorrow morning.”

“Okay!” Lou easily accepts the bribe and races off down the hallway. “But we’re getting chocolate!”

“Obviously!” I call back. Here’s hoping I have enough money in my bank account for donuts from Marion’s bakery tomorrow.

There’s another rap at the door as I pull myself up off the couch and start down the hallway. “Don’t knock so loudly,” I hear someone say. “The mayor lives next door. If we wake her up, we’ll be on the front page of the Devon Falls Register tomorrow morning.”

“For knocking on a door?”

“Well, I don’t think people knock on doors in the middle of the night in Devon Falls.” There’s a sigh. “Maybe we should go. He’s still not answering his phone.”

“Fuck. We scared him off.” That’s Colin’s voice. I’m sure of it.

“Maybe we did.” That’s Tom. “I know it was probably a lot to take in. That was his first time with anyone, as we know all too well from last year’s picnic debacle.”

I stop with my hand against the knob. Tom’s right. This afternoon was a whole lot of firsts for me. And those firsts were beautiful. Perfect. So much more than I ever could have imagined.

I never knew that being close to someone—two people, in this case—could feel like that. Like being enveloped in care and comfort and lights of happiness. Everything about what happened just felt so right.

My mind snaps back to that dream I just woke up from, the one where Tom wanted to kiss Colin. Does Tom have feelings for Colin? I can’t seem to shake that idea from my brain, for some reason, even though Tom’s never said that out loud.

“What if something’s wrong? Maybe I should break the door open.

” That’s Colin’s voice, and the words would be funny if I didn’t know he’s totally capable of doing exactly that.

I’m trying not to laugh as I finally pull the door open and take in the two of them.

They’re standing on the front step, bathed in the soft porch light.

Tom’s wearing a hat and coat, and Colin’s only got a t-shirt on.

“Hey there. Want to come in for some hot chocolate?”

We end up in Dave’s bedroom, which I’m trying hard not to think about as the setting for my most recent dream.

I pass out hot chocolate I made with a cheap mix before I close the door.

I sink down onto the sagging mattress that my back does not love, as Tom settles into the old armchair in the corner.

Colin sits on the floor next to his feet as he cradles his mug.

I take in a deep breath. “I’m sorry I took off after what happened. I wasn’t planning to just disappear like that. I had to go get Lou, and after we got home I crashed out on the couch. I guess you two tired me out.” I shrug, and Tom laughs. He stands up and crosses the room to sit down next to me.

“Well, little fox,” he says. “You absolutely did scare the hell out of us. We worried we might have driven you away.”

I grin. “Getting off while I kissed two guys I’ve always dreamed about? Yeah, it was a little intense. But definitely in a good way.” I shake my head and sigh. “I mean, that all must have been a lot for Colin too.”

But Colin just shrugs. “It’s like we said.

You’re dangerous, little fox.” He smiles slightly.

“It was a lot, yeah. But not in a bad way. Definitely not.” He looks over at Tom, but Tom doesn’t seem to notice.

Huh. I’ve gotten used to watching them communicate back and forth without a single word.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen one of those messages go unreceived.

Tom clears his throat. “You are dangerous, little fox,” he says softly. “In the best possible way.” He leans over to take my hands in his. “I’m just relieved you’re okay.”

“More than okay,” I tell him. “But… and I’m sorry to say it like this.

” I sigh. “You two probably shouldn’t come over here anymore.

Dave might hear about it.” Colin’s eyes narrow.

“We can still, like, keep doing this until you both leave town or whatever,” I add quickly.

“But we should probably stick to your house, Colin.”

“Until we leave town or whatever.” Tom repeats my words slowly.

“Well, yeah.” I blink as I look back and forth between them. “Bethany said you two were only planning on staying until the leaf festival. Right?”

Neither of them say anything, and my heart starts to pound just a little louder in my chest as I realize I might be wrong.

Tom said he’s not working on The Good Sword anymore, and Colin definitely put a lot of work into that house.

Is there a chance one or both of them might stay here longer than the next month?

My heart’s a hammer now in my chest. I want that. I want that so much: for them to stay in Devon Falls, for us to keep exploring whatever this is together for so much longer than the next month.

If they’re still here when it’s time for Dave to come back… none of that can happen. Once Dave’s back in town, everything has to change. Just like Lou’s Mary Janes getting packed into the closet when Dave comes home.

And that’s assuming I’m not packing up Lou and running with him into the night.

“I’m not ashamed of being with you two,” I add quickly, because I need them to know that. “I hope you get that. Like, it’s so cool. The fact that you two want to spend time with me.” The corners of Tom’s mouth peak up slightly. “But…yeah.” I trail off, because I can’t finish the sentence.

“But sometimes what other people think matters more than we’d like,” Tom mutters. There’s bitterness in his voice.

“Yeah. Exactly.” He’s got it perfectly. What Dave thinks has to matter to me, however much I don’t want it to.

Because he’s still Lou’s father, and unless we eventually reach the dire point of me having to kidnap my own little brother, what Dave hears and knows and thinks about what I do absolutely matters.

Colin clears his throat. “I was going to leave after the festival. Now I’m not so sure.” He shrugs. And then he steps slowly across the room to sit on the other side of me. He runs a hand up and down my thigh, slowly. I bring my gaze over to him.

“All I know,” he says, “is that I’ve never fucking felt this way before in my life.

” He looks back and forth between me and Tom.

“So,” he goes on. “I’m all in for what we’re trying here.

Even if it only lasts a few more weeks. Even if we have to hide the hell out of it.

Whatever you both need, or want, I can do it. I’m in.”

A picture of that dream I woke up in the middle of floats across my vision, and I look to Tom next. Maybe I’m way off-track thinking he might have feelings for Colin. But if I’m right, there’s no way I’m getting in the middle of those feelings.

But Tom just cocks an eyebrow and leans farther over to press his lips against mine. “Me too.”

I let myself fall down against the bed, grabbing to take them with me.

When we’ve landed in a pile against the lumpy mattress, I pull them both against me.

Around me. This all has to be another dream, right?

I smile as I remember the words that have started every one of Colin’s races I’ve ever watched.

“Okay then,” I murmur to the room. “Lights out and away we go.”