Welcome, Caller by M. Dean Wright

Author:M. Dean Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQ+ Romance, Gay Romance, New Adult, Romance, Queer Romance, Transgender Romance, Romantic Comedy
Publisher: M. Dean Wright
Published: 2023-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

22

Malcolm tries to be kind to everyone. It’s kind of a principle of his, especially after a particularly nasty episode back in high school that led to him nearly losing every friend he had. After that, he vowed to be a genuinely nice dude. When people think about him, they’ll think, yeah, that guy was pretty swell.

The thing is, Malcolm hasn’t really made a new friend since his current friend group was established. So he’s not entirely sure how to go about this whole “being friends with Peter” thing. He might be a bit rusty at the process of it all.

He decides to go to the record shop. That’s a good start, right? Step one: be in the general vicinity of the person you’re trying to be friends with.

He stands outside of Roisin Records for a solid three minutes before finally forcing himself to go inside. It feels different now, just slightly. The last time he was here, he was in the middle of a full blown panic attack. But then again, it was also the place where Peter really saw him for the first time. Where he turned off the lights without a word, and put his headphones on Malcolm’s ears so gently, careful not to touch him without a warning. Malcolm thinks about that moment most nights.

“Hey, you made it inside,” Peter says when Malcolm enters the store. “I thought you were gonna stand out there forever.”

“Shut up,” Malcolm says, grateful that Peter doesn’t ask further questions, but embarrassed that he saw him standing outside like a dolt in the first place.

Peter laughs and leans over the counter, resting his weight on his arms. He brings a hand up to rub against his shoulder as his eyes flick around the store. “What, uh, what brings you by?”

Okay, so Peter’s feeling awkward too. Strangely enough, that makes Malcolm feel better about his own anxiety. It was easier to be friendly when the circumstances kind of forced it out of them, but when it’s just two dudes in their twenties trying to turn years-long hostility into friendship...well, it’s harder than it sounds to act normal about it.

“I’m looking for a record,” Malcolm answers after a too-long pause.

“Obviously, dumbass.”

The insult makes Malcolm smile. That’s something he’s more familiar with.

“Asshole,” Malcolm says. “I’m...looking for something for my friend. They want to get into more, uh...‘70s punk. Yeah.”

“Good choice,” he says. He hops up onto the counter and swings his legs over, jumping down with a dramatic roll of his torso. Malcolm rolls his eyes.

“You could’ve just walked around.”

“Yeah, but I looked cool, didn’t I?”

He did, but Malcolm refuses to give him the satisfaction.

“Which friend is this?” Peter asks.

“Goby,” Malcolm says, throwing out the first name that comes to mind.

“Goby. That’s the lanky one with the pumpkin hair, yeah? Your roommate?” Peter asks, walking towards the punk section.

Malcolm nods. “One of them, yeah.”

“What kind of music are they into?”

Malcolm considers this for a moment, trying to think of the few times that Jazz let Goby control the aux in the truck.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.