Page 105 of Pride High 3: Yellow

“Omar!” Silvia said, alternating between staring and looking around for witnesses. “Aren’t you going to put any clothes on?”

“Once I dry off,” he said with a grin.

“Um… Why are you getting a boner?”

“Because I’m standing here nude in front of my girl. It’s perfectly natural.”

She laughed and tossed his boxers to him, but even when he put them on, it was obvious that he was still turned on.

“I don’t know if it’ll go away on its own,” he said leadingly.

“I’m not doing ithere,” Silvia said.

“Then tell me your story so I can get my mind on something else.”

She had almost forgotten that they’d been interrupted. “Oh! Well, when I was on my way to your birthday party, with this raft actually, I saw Ricky pass out in the street. I’m the one who took him to the urgent care center.”

Omar’s smile tightened. “You’re the mystery woman he keeps talking about?”

“Yes! He didn’t have his glasses on, and we hadn’t met yet, so he didn’t recognize me. Plus, he was on all those pills.”

Omar’s brow was creased. She figured, like the other revelations of the day, that he needed a moment to put the various pieces together. Except he didn’t say anything. Although he did keep looking at her funny. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah!” Omar opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. After another moment, he added, “Yeah.”

She nodded at his crotch. “Looks like it worked.”

He glanced down at himself. Then back up at her again. “Yeah. That did the trick.”

Omar tromped over to the raft to collect the rest of his clothes. He got dressed in silence, and even though the day was warm and he wasn’t shivering, something about him felt cold. “Wanna call it a day?” he asked when turning around.

“I thought we’d fish again. See if we can’t catch something this time.”

Omar’s lips pressed together. He walked over to their poles, picked them up, and returned to her with them. “Good idea,” he said, holding out a rod stiffly until she took it. “Let’s try that.”

She grabbed his free hand when he began to turn away. “Are you all right? I know it was a lot to take in. The potential move, Keisha, the bisexual thing… all of it.”

“Yeah!” Omar said, smooching her briskly. “We’re good! Let’s just chill and catch some fish.”

“Okay!” Silvia said, trying to sound just as upbeat. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone wrong.

— — —

Cameron felt a jolt of anxiety the moment he woke up. He shoved it aside, got out of bed, and with the clock radio still playing music, fell into his routine of push-ups and sit-ups. He did more sets than usual, wanting the extra time before he had to go downstairs to see if his mother was still passed out on the couch. Usually he would have roused her from sleep and helped her get into bed, but he was sick of it. Something had to change.

Cameron opened his bedroom door and listened, but the house was silent. He could only hear rain pattering on the roof. Maybe his mother was reading at the kitchen table. He crossed the hall to the home office, where he had installed a pull-up bar in the door frame. Anthony liked muscles, and Cameron was happy to give them to him. He only managed eight pull-ups but that was okay. He was still building his strength. Cameron let go, his bare feet hitting the floor with a thud. He listened again and began to despair, because he didn’t hear a peep from elsewhere in the house.

He took a shower and got dressed. Then he went downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal, his heart heavy as he ate, because his hope had withered away. Cameron stood and walked to the living room, which was dark from pulled curtains, but he could see his mother still sprawled out on the couch in a position that looked uncomfortable. He watched her for a moment before walking to the front door, but not to leave. The rain continued to pour, so he went to the kitchen phone mounted on the wall, picked up the receiver, and dialed his boyfriend’s number.

Cameron only heard half a ring before it was picked up.

“Hey!” Anthony said. “I was just about to call. It’s really coming down! Want me to come get you?”

Cameron usually preferred to walk. “No thanks. I’m going to be late today.”

“Oh. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll explain later.”