The 12 Days of Hipster by Raine O'Tierney

Author:Raine O'Tierney [O'Tierney, Raine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-63533-127-1
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17: A Brotherly Heart-to-Heart-On

“YOU, UH, wanna talk about it?” Rell asked as he drove Tyler back toward the apartment they still shared for the next few weeks.

Tyler turned on the radio, flipped through the stations, didn’t like what was playing, and flipped it off again. It was the third time he’d gone through those motions.

“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what gives.”

“You give,” Tyler muttered under his breath, and Rell laughed.

“Well, since I haven’t seen you in two days, I’m pretty sure I’m not the problem. Xondee do something again? Or did you and Sondra get into it?”

“It’s nothing.”

Silence made time seem to stretch forever. They were driving the familiar highway home, but it was like Rell was going twenty-five miles per hour, and Tyler repeatedly glanced at the speedometer to make sure it wasn’t true.

Even if he’d wanted to talk, which he did not, Tyler didn’t know what to say. A woman had burst into David’s bedroom shouting gibberish. That might have been a little thing, if Tyler hadn’t been bare-assed and pressed up against David when it happened. So there was that.

But whoever she was, she and David were close and….

Tyler humphed. Whatever. David didn’t have to tell anyone about him. He could be his little gay secret.

“Wow, you could shatter glass with that expression. Is it David?”

“What about David?” Tyler said suspiciously. “David’s no one. David’s barely a friend.”

“Whoa, jeez, okay.”

No, that wouldn’t work. If Tyler kept David from Rell, then he couldn’t be justified in being pissed at David for keeping him from whoever the asscrabs Diana was.

“He’s coming to Susset for a Winter Sounds concert. He’ll probably meet Mom.”

“Whoa, what? You’re bringing David home to meet Mom?” Rell asked, sounding alarmed.

“Friends meet each other’s parents all the time.”

“You literally just said ‘He’s no one. He’s barely a friend.’”

Tyler didn’t say anything, not knowing how to take the next step.

“Are you leading him on, Ty?” Rell’s voice was strangely kind but still firm. “You know the guy likes you. I mean, you’d have to be blind—which you are—and stupid—which you’re not—to miss the fact he has a heart-on for you.”

“No, I know. Did Crowley come home?” Tyler asked quietly, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah. Things are better. I apologized. We made up.”

“Which means you broke the springs in the couch bed.”

“Pretty much.” Rell grinned. “But you still haven’t answered me, Ty,” Rell said. “Are you leading him on? Did you tell him you’re straight?”

Here it was. Tyler fiddled with his mustache, twisting the end like a supervillain. It had become a nervous habit, and he was seriously considering shaving the whole thing off. Beard, mustache, it’s a facial-hair fire sale—everything must go!

“Like, he knows you only play gay on television, right? To make a point? I seriously don’t want you to hurt the guy because of one of your statements.”

“Shut up, Rell.”

“The skinny jeans and the whole ironic everything and the taking a guy to prom? You do have a vibe about you—so you should make it clear.

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