Something Like Thunder

Author:Jay Bell [Bell, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay Romance
Published: 2015-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Hitting the new Tex-Mex place tonight. Join us?

Nathaniel read this text message on the sly, hoping Kenneth wouldn’t notice. He kept his response as short as possible.

No. Sorry.

He set aside the phone, trying to focus on the task at hand. A moment later, the phone started vibrating.

“Make it quick,” Kenneth said with a hint of irritation.

Nathaniel grabbed the phone and hit the button to answer it, but he didn’t speak until safely in the hall. “What?”

“I’m not going to say that it’s Friday,” Caesar said. “But it’s Friday.”

“I know. Just have fun without me, okay?”

“You can make this one. Rebecca isn’t free until eight, so it’ll be a late dinner. We’re going to mock how ‘authentic’ the food is. Tex-Mex in Connecticut. Can you believe it?”

“I’m sorry,” Nathaniel said.

“What if we wait until nine?”

“No. I’ll make it up to you somehow. Both of you, I promise. I gotta go.”

He hung up before Caesar could respond. He felt guilty but went back inside the office and lost himself in the work. At least he tried to, but as the hours went by, the numbers blurred together and began to resemble little fajitas and margaritas.

“I realize budgeting isn’t exactly fun,” Kenneth said, “but you haven’t been the same since that phone call. Bad news?”

Nathaniel chose his answer carefully. “Peer pressure.”

“Ah. You understand the general principle of what we’re doing here, right? It’s not that I can’t handle the work on my own. I usually do.”

“I definitely understand it all,” Nathaniel said, sounding hopeful.

Kenneth smiled. “All right. Go have fun.”

Nathaniel checked his watch on the way out the door. It was nearly eight now, which meant he had time to join them. He hurried to his car and cruised across town to a mall parking lot, where some failed grill had been turned into a little piece of Texas. In theory, anyway. He could already spot cheesy decorations through the windows. Was that a stuffed armadillo? Wearing a little sombrero? The locals were clearly eating it up, in more than one way, since parking was scarce and several people were gathered outside, waiting to be seated. He spotted Caesar and Rebecca on his way across the parking lot, sitting together. Next to them on the bench, the electronic coaster that signaled their table was ready flashed with lights but went unnoticed. Caesar was distracted, pointing briefly at Rebecca’s face. She brushed at it self-consciously while Caesar laughed and shook his head. She wiped the other cheek, Caesar shaking his head again before reaching out and rubbing her chin with his thumb. His hand remained there, even when his thumb stopped moving. Then he dropped his hand and leaned forward. Rebecca did the same.

Nathaniel halted, the toe of one shoe scuffing against the pavement. He stared in disbelief, watching two sets of lips meet that were never supposed to. His best friend. His boyfriend. Rebecca pulled away first, laughing at Caesar, who still leaned toward her, remaining stubbornly in place until she returned for another peck.

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