Page 8 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

“And here I thought being close to the end of your shift would put you in a better mood,” Trisha said from her usual spot in the corner.

“So, any reason you’ve been a grumpier shit than usual? Or are you just turning your charm up high?”

“Yeah, that was convincing.”

And then there was what Dean had said.

Trisha cleared her throat, jerking him out of his thoughts.

His eyes snapped toward her, and the woman nodded toward the clock.

It had slipped toward the end of his shift, with some time to spare, and he hadn’t noticed.

Trisha wasn’t normally one to push him out the door, and Sloane took that as an indicator of how cranky he had been.

It didn’t change his mood in the slightest. If anything, it added more surliness on top.

“See you tomorrow,” she said as he heaved himself out of his chair.

Not before he worked a few hours with Simmons first, a prospect he wasn’t looking forward to.

The guy normally irritated him no more than most people, but lately, he’d grown even more aggravating.

It had taken all Sloane’s willpower to stay relatively calm, reminding himself it wasn’t Simmons’ fault that he was in such a foul mood.

The mood seemed to emanate from him more than usual if the people he passed on the way back to his apartment were any indication.

A few people who were friendly with him raised their hands in greeting, only for their arms to drop to their side as they averted their eyes.

Sloane didn’t think he looked that grumpy, but the continued avoidance of other people was both welcome and irritating.

Sloane had just slammed his apartment door closed when his phone started buzzing.

Fumbling to pull the device out, he nearly dropped it in his haste.

A flash of disappointment, followed by guilt, shot through him as he took in the picture of his mother on the caller ID.

Sighing, he flopped onto the edge of a nearby seat, answering the phone and pressing it to his face before bending over to unlace his boots.

“What’s up?” Sloane asked.

His mother’s wry tone answered. “Oh, you sound like you’re in a lovely mood.”

“I always sound in a bad mood, something everyone likes to remind me of.”

“I don’t think you sound like that.”

“Except for right now.”

His mother chuckled. “I’m not the only one. Shawna told me you were ‘meaner than usual’ to her.”

Sloane kicked a boot off with a snort. “I wasn’t mean to her. I told her the truth.”

“With all the grace and tact we expect from you, I’m sure.”

“If she wanted that, she should’ve asked you for advice. I can’t help it if she repeatedly runs into the same problems with these boys. You’re living with her; you should know what she’s up to.”

“I also remember someone having a problem with a handful of girls at that age.”

“I didn’t go crying to everyone else about it.”

There was a pause before his mother spoke again, worry in her voice. “I don’t want to pry too much, Sloane, but this doesn’t sound like you. I know your sister tries your patience, but you’ve never spoken about her like this before.”

Sloane sighed heavily. “I know, I’m sorry. I know she’s not ‘crying’ about anything. I’m just being an ass.”

“Normally, that would have me making a joke, but this doesn’t sound like your normal bluntness.”

Sloane stood up, shifting the phone around as he yanked his top off. “I’m just...grumpy.”

His mother clicked her tongue. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Sloane.”

He hated it when she took that tone with him. There were very few people in the world capable of making him feel like he was being a stubborn ass just because he was keeping things to himself. Even fewer people could get away with it, including his mother and Dean.

“Mom,” Sloane warned, grinding his teeth.

“Do not make me invoke the full name.”

Sloane cringed. “Mama.”

“Don’t you ‘Mama’ me. You tell me what’s got you in such a foul mood.”

“It’s nothing, Mama,” Sloane protested.

“You got to the count of five.”

Sloane tightened his grip. “I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

“One.”

“Mom, seriously.”

“Two.”

“I’m not ten years old anymore!”

“Three.”

“It won’t work.”

“ Four .”

“Mama…”

“Fi—”

“Dean and I had a fight!” Sloane finally snapped.

There was another pause, followed by a sigh. “Well, that explains why you’re not talking about this with him, at least.”

Sloane slumped onto his couch. “You don’t sound surprised.”

“Honey, you two have been friends since you met, what, six years ago?”

“Sounds right.”

“It’s honestly a surprise you haven’t fought until now.”

Sloane frowned. “Thanks, Mom.”

She huffed. “You listen to me. I’m not saying that as anything against either of you, but let’s be honest, people fight.

It’s what they do. Personalities clash, people get ideas stuck in their heads and let them fester, and sometimes, we say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Any of those things and more can make even the best of friends turn on one another and have it out.

It’s a sign of how well you get along that it hasn’t happened till now, but it was bound to happen. ”

“Especially when you think about how pleasant I am,” Sloane huffed.

“Hard to love isn’t the same as not worth being loved, and you are.”

“You’re my mom. You’re supposed to say that shit.”

“Dean obviously thinks so, too.”

Sloane closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Apparently, Dean thought Sloane was worth loving in a way he’d never expected. Dean’s words echoed in his head, and Sloane felt another headache coming on.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“There’s no guessing about it. He loves you, just like we do. Now, you want to tell me what the fight was about?”

Sloane groaned. “Not really.”

“Because you think it’s ridiculous or because of you?”

Sloane frowned. “Why do you have to think I’m responsible?”

“Please, I raised you, remember? If this were his fault or something that just happened, you’d tell me. If you’re a big reason it happened, you’re going to shut your mouth and keep it to yourself. You did it when you broke the microwave.”

“I was eight!”

“And some things never change.”

Sloane’s shoulders dropped. “I...freaked a little.”

“How much is a little?”

“Dean’s been seeing someone.”

“Okay, where’s the problem?”

“He’s been seeing someone, and I think it’s been for weeks, and I only found out because I happened to stumble across them while they were out on a date.”

She made a soft noise. “I see, so he didn’t tell you.”

“No.”

“And you took it badly.”

“I might have been...a little rude. Okay, I was really rude, and it felt like I was beating up the poor bastard who didn’t do shit wrong except like my best friend. And Dean kept looking like I kicked his puppy.”

“Doesn’t sound like the Dean you’ve talked about.”

Sloane grunted. “Yeah, he saved that for later when he caught me alone.”

“And gave you an earful.”

“And then some.”

Sloane had thought he was prepared for the showdown with Dean.

He had, after all, been out of line and reacted poorly to a situation that Sloane knew was out of character for Dean.

That Dean had hidden something so...normal from Sloane should have been a warning sign there was more at play.

Instead, Sloane had let his stung feelings and wounded pride get the better of him, and the next thing he knew, he was emotionally shoving Dean into a corner.

“Alright, so you fought because he kept something from you.”

“I was just...so mad, Mama. Why would he keep that from me? Why wouldn’t he tell me? I kept thinking maybe he thought I might be upset because, suddenly, the whole gay thing would be real to me. Or that I might be a dick to someone new because everyone expects it from me,” Sloane admitted.

“And then you turned around and did just that.”

Sloane rubbed a hand over his face vigorously.

“I know I was an ass, okay? I know that, and I was an even bigger ass when he was here, trying to tell me off for being an ass. I thought I would apologize and maybe try to figure out what was wrong with him. Then he was here, and I just got so mad, I was pissed. I kept demanding he tell me why, why he did it, why he would keep it from me, just why, why, why. And then?—”

“And then?”

Sloane shook his head. “Then, I found out why.”

“Honey, Sloane, talk to me. You know nothing you say leaves this phone.”

Sloane knew, but that didn’t make it any easier to say.

Dean’s secret had come out in such a desperate, raw moment of pure emotion.

Sloane had never seen such pure agony on Dean’s face, and the sound of his friend’s heart breaking in front of him had left Sloane dumbfounded.

It had taken him several minutes before his brain had clicked into place, realizing he should have tried to stop Dean from leaving before it was too late.

“He’s been in love with me, Mama,” Sloane heard himself say.

“Oh.”

A sad smile crossed Sloane’s face, and he nodded in the face of his mother’s breathless understanding.

No doubt she wondered the same things Sloane had since Dean had dropped the news.

How many times had Dean taken a hug from Sloane as a sign of something more?

How often had Sloane unthinkingly paraded himself on display, teasing Dean?

They had been friends for years, and Sloane had unthinkingly tormented his best friend with hopes of something else between them, and a piece of Sloane died every time he realized.

And he couldn’t help but wonder what Dean saw in that thread of possibility.

His mother cleared her throat. “That would explain why he was so slow to tell you about this new guy.”

“It does?” Sloane asked with an incredulous laugh.

“Because of his feelings for you.”

“Again, that makes sense?”

“In his heart, he’s still got feelings for you, Sloane.

Feelings he never planned on telling you.

Despite that, I think he took a big risk, privately, by seeing this new guy.

I think, deep down, he felt that by committing to this new guy, he would finally have to leave what he felt he could have with you behind. ”

Sloane frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

She laughed. “And when have people ever made sense? The heart wants what it wants, and we’re stuck riding out the waves it creates. He’s been living life knowing he has to let go of you, in that way, but afraid to do so.” She hesitated. “Though I can see what he saw.”

Sloane pulled the phone away from his ear to give it a bewildered look before replacing it. “Excuse me?”

“I just mean, the two of you are a good pair. You mesh well. Dean accepts you the way you are but doesn’t let you get away with murder.

You keep him out of his head too much, but you make sure he’s still himself.

There’s an ebb and flow to the way you both work.

In all honesty, if you were even remotely interested in men, I’d be telling you you’re an idiot for not snatching him up while you have the chance. ”

Sloane sat, letting her words sink in slowly.

While it hurt his heart to remember the times he’d made a passing comment about how good he and Dean would be if he were into guys, he realized he had accidentally stumbled upon the truth in those moments.

Having Dean around was soothing, comforting, a balm to Sloane’s frazzled nerves.

And Dean always seemed so much happier, so much more himself around Sloane.

It was as though the two of them brought something to the table the other needed without any effort whatsoever.

They just worked.

“I’m not that person,” Sloane finally said, his stomach growing more leaden.

“I’m only saying it’s a pity you’re not.”

Sloane couldn’t find any argument with that.

“How do I fix this, Mama?”

“I’m sorry, Sloane, but you can’t fix his heart. You can’t give him what his heart desires, and he’s going to hurt over that. It’s inevitable.”

His heart sank, and he nodded, knowing it was the truth before she’d even said it but hating it all the same. Sloane already felt helpless in the face of whatever demons Dean had dragged back from the desert, and now this?

“How can I help him without making things worse?” Sloane asked softly.

“Be there for him, Sloane. When he’s ready to come around, when he’s ready to move forward, be there for him.

You can’t fix this, but the worst thing you can do is hide from him or pull away.

Right now, he’s revealed his darkest secret to you, and he needs time to make peace with that.

When he does, you need to be what you’ve always been, his best friend. ”

Was that possible after what Dean had told him? Sloane would gladly give Dean whatever he wanted, whatever he needed, but would Dean be able to look him in the eye again? Would the two of them ever be able to get back to what they had been, or had things between them changed forever?

Sloane’s gut twisted, and some part of him believed it was the latter.

“I just...want him back,” Sloane admitted.

“Then be there when he comes back, and he’ll stay.”