The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish

Author:Roan Parrish [Parrish, Roan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2017-11-16T05:00:00+00:00

“Dude.”

Gareth tried to tug Alex’s arm away from his eyes, and Alex groaned and pulled away, rolling to face the back of the sofa where he’d collapsed the night before when they’d gotten home from Corbin’s house.

Gareth gave up on his arm and flopped down to sit on his feet.

“Dude.”

“Since when do you say ‘dude’?” Talking made his head throb worse.

“Since I need an introductory word that I can imbue with equal parts rebuke, awe, and casual interest. Which requires a long vowel and a slangy cultural context. You want to talk about it some more?”

“Just say whatever you’re going to say and then leave me to die in peace.”

At the word die, Alex was flooded with memories of the look on Corbin’s face when he’d described his aunts’ deaths. A kind of blank confusion, even all these years later.

“As I was going to say: Dude, he really likes you. Staring at you constantly like you might disappear at any moment, smelling you when you get close, always arranging himself so he’s facing you, likes you. Plus he made you a challah and you both wanted to murder me for eating it.”

“Was rude,” Alex muttered, but he pulled himself to sit up because, while Gareth was occasionally very irritating—especially when feeling unconfident as he currently did—he was also the most socially astute observer of people that Alex had ever known.

Gareth smirked at him, recognizing that his bait had been taken.

“You think so?” Alex said. “Sometimes he’s just so remote, and I can’t tell if he’s even paying attention.”

“Well, do I think he’s a complete weirdo? Without a doubt. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t also pretty deeply into you.”

“Don’t call him that.”

Gareth’s eyes widened and his mouth quirked up. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head and shot Alex an eyebrow raise. “Wow. Okay, then.”

They sat in silence for a while. Gareth flipped on the television to the Food Channel, where it now stayed. “Listen, I’m gonna take off for a while. Go camping. I miss it, and it’ll be good timing. Why don’t you invite him over? Try out some of those Chanukah recipes you want to use for the shop over the holidays. Just, bring him here instead of only awkwardly hanging out at And Son, okay? Christ, I hate that stupid name,” he muttered.

He bit at his thumbnail, a strange expression coming over his face.

“And for the love of god, don’t go back to that house until you’re ready to fuck the kid within an inch of his life, because I swear there’s something going on there.”

“Going on? Care to elaborate?”

“No. Just, the vibe is all . . . something, I don’t know. Not bad, just really tense. Didn’t you feel it? Like we were being watched?”

“Nope. I was drunk. And distracted.”

“No kidding. I’ll leave in a couple days. No way I’m trying to buy gear today because everything will be swamped in the aftermath of your favorite holiday.”

Alex made a face, but was too hungover to properly express his disgust at people celebrating Thanksgiving.

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