Page 7 of Pride High 2: Orange

Anthony dodged and squeezed past relatives until he reached the front room. His mother was already smiling at him like he was a saint. Aunt Dorothy stood next to her, tiny, wrinkled, and ancient. He liked her too, since he’d always been her—

“Sweetheart!” Dorothy said. “You’ve gotten so handsome. Oh, I just adore your hair!”

She was great. Anthony kissed her on the cheek. He would have hugged her but she was already holding out a small Tupperware container for him. “I made your favorite,” she said, her arms shaking with the effort. “Except I forgot to put them in the fridge last night, and it was a long drive from Missouri, so you better eat them right away.”

Anthony’s mother, Dawn, was already tacitly pleading with him.

“I’ve been saving my appetite,” Anthony said, taking a circular container from her that was made for transporting eggs. Six of them, in fact.

“All for you,” Aunt Dorothy said. Her makeup was heavily applied and slightly askew, and he absolutely adored how that looked. He only wished she didn’t insist on cooking for him.

His stomach churned in anticipation. Warm day-old deviled eggs. This was going to be a blast. Literally. He was cracking open the lid when the doorbell rang.

“I got it,” his brother Mike said, wincing when he saw what Anthony was carrying.

“I hope they’re good,” Aunt Dorothy said. “I couldn’t get to the store, and Harvey always buys the discounted eggs.”

Oh god. He was going to die!

“Your little friends want to know if you can come out to play,” Mike hollered, standing aside to reveal the open door. Three faces stared back at him, Anthony’s heart filling with love. And not just because one of them was his boyfriend. He was happy to see Ricky and Mindy too.

“Do you mind if I share these with my friends?” Anthony asked.

Great-aunt Dorothy couldn’t have been more pleased. “He’s such a nice boy,” she said, looking up at her niece. “You did a wonderful job raising him.”

“He makes me very proud,” his mother said, shooting him a grateful expression.

“Do you mind if I hang out with them?” Anthony asked, wanting to cash in on that credit.

“Not at all,” his mother said. “Have fun.”

Anthony hugged them both before he slipped out the front door and shut it behind him. He held up a finger before anyone could talk, and after a pause, sighed in exaggerated relief. “It’s madness in there,” he explained.

“Another successful jailbreak,” Cameron said, his voice filled with affection.

Anthony wanted to kiss him, or at least hug him in an intimate way, but of course they couldn’t do such things with witnesses around. Not without revealing their secret, which he was sick of keeping. And wouldn’t for much longer. They had decided to come out. To everyone. And despite how terrifying the prospect was, continuing this charade was even less appealing.

“Have you eaten yet?” Cameron asked, eyeing the container of eggs warily.

“Thankfully not,” Anthony chuckled.

“I want to get a milkshake,” Mindy said.

“I’m hungry for a burger,” Ricky chimed in.

“You mean real food?” Anthony asked. “Good. Let’s go.”

Ricky called shotgun on the way to the car. Then he looked over at him with concern. Anthony smiled to show it was okay. They both had feelings for Cameron, but he didn’t think Ricky was the type to go after someone else’s man. Especially now that they were friends.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Anthony said as he climbed into the back seat.

“Maybe we should make it a yearly tradition,” Mindy replied as she buckled up.

“I’m up for it!” Ricky said.

“Me too.” Cameron adjusted the rearview mirror so their eyes could meet. “We still have room for two more.”

God he was wonderful. He knew that Anthony had been—and deep down still was—madly in love with Omar. And yet he was still willing to include him in their plans.