Page 169 of Pride High 3: Yellow

“Exactly. Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s not great. What did he want?”

“To know where you are.”

“Damn. They don’t waste time.”

“I didn’t tell him anything,” Ricky said, moving closer. “But it gets worse.”

“How so?”

Ricky swallowed, his eyes watery. “My parents are sending me to Seattle for the summer. To stay with my grandparents.”

“What?” Diego closed the distance between them and grabbed Ricky by the arms. “You can’t go!”

“I don’t want to!” Ricky squirmed free of his grip and wrapped himself around Diego’s torso. “Not at all,” he added with a sob.

“Then come with me.”

Ricky pulled back. “What?”

“Come with me,” Diego repeated, gripping his boyfriend’s shoulders to look him in the eye. “We’ll go to El Paso together.”

“For the whole summer?”

“No. Forever.” His heart caught fire with the idea. “I’ll take care of you! We’ll live with my grandma, but only at first. We’ll have our own place down there. Just me and you. Nobody will be able to tell us what to do anymore, or keep us apart. Think about it!”

Ricky seemed bewildered by the idea, his head shaking slightly. “What about school?” he asked.

Diego scoffed. “Fuck school! What do I need it for? I’ll be working full time, but if it matters to you, enroll down there instead. I’ll give you anything you need. Look…” He walked to an alcove in the cave wall where he’d stashed a duffel bag. He returned with it, tossed the bag to the ground, and knelt to unzip it.

Ricky got down on his knees to see before looking up at him with wide eyes. “How much money is that?”

“Enough,” Diego said. “Why do you think I’ve been selling weed?”

Ricky frowned in concern. “Isn’t this supposed to be for starting your own repair shop?”

He shrugged. “That was the idea, but this works too. I’m gonna take care of you. I promise.” He stood and held out his hand. “From now on, no one will ever keep us apart.”

Ricky’s expression was hard to read. His eyes were searching Diego’s like he sought some answer there. That’s when it finally clicked. What he wanted to hear, and what Diego needed to say. Even though the words felt alien to him.

“I love you.”

Ricky’s eyes lit up. He grabbed his hand, let himself be pulled to his feet, and threw his arms around Diego’s neck for a kiss. And he didn’t stop. Not until Diego smiled against his lips and pulled back.

“So is that yes?” he asked.

Ricky nodded. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. In case Anthony has a change of heart and tells someone where we are.”

“We can trust him,” Ricky said.

“That hasn’t been my experience. Maybe we should leave tonight instead. Or right now.”

Ricky laughed like it was a joke. “I want to finally have our night in Candle Cave. It’ll be the start of our new lives together.”

Diego grinned. “Whatever you want,” he promised. “Anything at all.”