Page 63 of Out of Bounds

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They strolledthrough town and passed adults going about with their evening plans. It was a stark contrast to campus, where their fellow undergrads roamed in large packs on the hunt for the next party. Brennan and Cliff headed away from campus in the direction of the loft without either making mention. It was happening, like planets following their orbit around the sun.

At a stoplight, as they waited for the Walk sign to come in, Brennan’s fingers danced dangerously close to Cliff’s. He knew they were in public, but he hoped for contact. Brennan was never good with delaying gratification for himself.

And then the skies opened up, fireworks went off, and Cliff’s warm, large fingers interlocked with his. He continued to look straight ahead. It was a tacit acknowledgement, and Brennan’s heart soared appropriately.

Who from Browerton was going to see?

“Not a couple, my ass!” the man’s voice yelled behind them.

Cliff’s hand was out of his grasp in a millisecond. His eyes were on the road, but also bulging with panic.

Brennan thought he recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it. He turned around, ready to throw down, and instead breathed a welcome sigh.

Cameron, the guy from Azucar with the stepson, waved to him from the outdoor patio of a pub. He was part of a group of six guys lounging on benches around a small fire pit.

“It’s you,” Brennan said.

“You two are adorable.”

Brennan nudged Cliff in the ribs. They were safe. He felt Cliff exhale beside him, but still remain tense. Brennan felt a wallop of pity for him. Life in the closet was like living on perpetual high alert.

“Good to see you again.” Brennan waved back.

“Do you know who Lola Lopez is?” Cameron asked.

“No cheating!” his husband called from his bench.

“The TikTok girl?” Brennan had watched way too many of her lip synching videos. They were like heroin for his attention span.

“TikTok! Fuck, I feel old. I wish my stepson were here. What are you guys up to? Do you want to play pub trivia?”

“We’re not twenty-one.”

Cameron waved his concern away. “They don’t care. We’ll make sure you don’t drink. Come on, we’re all old and we need the youth perspective to win.”

The guy could not have been more than thirty. Perhaps having a kid aged you a full decade.

Brennan turned to Cliff, whose deer-in-headlights panic melted away.

“Let’s do it,” Cliff said.

21

CLIFF

Cliff entered a whole new world filled with firsts. He was in a bar - technically a bar patio, but close enough. He was playing pub trivia. And most importantly, he was hanging out with openly gay men.

Six guys sat around a fire pit. The guy they met at Azucar, Cameron, introduced the rest. There was Cameron’s husband Walker, definitely the oldest of the crew. Then Henry and Nolan, and Greg and Ethan. Cameron explained that they’d all gone to school together except for Walker.

A group of gay friends. What a concept. Even though they were all older, and he’d just met him, Cliff felt an immediate comfort level with them. His walls turned to dust.

Nolan brought over a fourth bench. Cliff and Brennan took a seat, their knees immediately finding each other. Cliff didn’t pull away.

“What’s our team name?” Brennan asked.

“Taints Misbehaving,” Cameron said with pride.