Page 48 of The Pretender

“It’s never too late to check back in as long as you’re breathing.”

“Back at ya.”

I smile, putting some cheese and lunchmeat in the fridge. “You’re right. In my case, I think my attention was in the wrong place. I convinced myself of a false truth out of ego and stubbornness. I don’t regret it though. Every experience builds on the one before, and eventually, we end up on the same delayed flight.”

“That’s right. Nothing good comes from regret. Only action. Reconcile the past and move forward.”

“I agree.”

Balt turns to find mugs as the water boils, and I fold up the paper bags and stack them on the counter. I watch him work, his elegant movements and confident stance, and my cock actually twitches with interest. The man is sexy—sue me. But he’s more than that. Underneath all that gorgeousness is something softer that he’s built a hard shell around. I wonder what it would take to get him to show it to me.

“I always loved these weird little dried marshmallows,” Balt says, handing me a steaming mug of cocoa.

“Me too.” I blow on mine, cupping my mug. “Want to watch a movie and relax before dinner?”

“I’d like that very much.”

FIFTEEN

amadeo

The credits rollon the movie we were watching and as I stand up to stretch, I gasp.

“Look.”

Balt twists around to follow my gaze, smiling at the scene outside the window. You can barely see the other buildings on the property through the blanket of snow falling from the sky. It’s coming fast too, given the layer already covering the grounds.

“You were right.”

I sit down again, snuggling closer. “It’s probably weird, but winter is my second favorite season.”

“Second?”

“Autumn is first. Then winter, spring, and in last place, summer.”

“Why did you say it’s weird?”

“Everyone has a hard-on for summer, but I’ve always been a cool-weather dude. What about you?”

Shrugging, he reaches out and tickles my palm. “Never really thought about it. I suppose I like fall and spring the most. Winter in the city was pretty awful.”

“True. Maybe it’s winter here, at home, that I like. It’s peaceful and clean. The snow never turns black from dirty tires and exhaust fumes. It’s a good excuse to hide away from the world and, if you’re lucky enough, cuddle on the couch with a hot guy.”

“Guess I’m pretty lucky then.”

Smiling, I study his handsome face for a few seconds. “You were great today. With Brogan, I mean.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Brogan is fun.”

“They are. It helps that you’re queer too, but they don’t always get a great reception from cis men.”

“Why not?”

“There’s a lot of transphobia, even in the queer community. On top of that, Brogan doesn’t fit neatly in the ‘man’ box. They do their own thing when it comes to gender presentation, and some people just don’t get it.”

“That’s absolute bullshit. It isn’t up to other people to get it, but I know that’s easy for me to say. Acceptance is important.”

“It is. I was the first person Brogan came out to. They were so scared their parents were gonna flip out, and it was hard at first, but they never rejected Brogan. My aunt and uncle even took classes to understand and learn how to best support Brogan.”