Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (16 page)

As they parked and left the car, a family of parents and children were getting into their vehicle a few spots down. William envied how picture-perfect that family seemed and wondered if it would remain that way. Then he and his brothers plodded up the stairs to the third floor, located the right apartment number, and knocked on the door.

“What are we supposed to say?” Errol whispered.

The door opened before anyone could answer. The girl standing there looked like someone Spencer would bring home, pretty and young, wearing a generous amount of makeup and perfume. She seemed confused until she spotted Spencer. Then she made the connection.

“Oh hi! You must be… I’m Gina.”

“Are we supposed to call you Mom?” Spencer grunted.

“We’re here to talk to our father,” William said, “not you.”

“Okay.” Gina appeared wounded. “Come in.”

“No thanks,” Spencer said. “We’re fine right here.”

“Hold on. I’ll get him for you.” Gina started to shut the door, then perhaps deciding that would be rude, left it cracked. After she had retreated, they were left with a partial view of a living room. Christmas music was playing, and they could feel heat leaking from the apartment. Then their father appeared, expression jovial, as if their visit was a happy surprise. “Boys!” he said, opening the door wider. “Come in!”

“Shut up!” Errol said, surprising them all. “You really hurt Mom, you know that?”

The grin slid off their father’s face. “I know things haven’t been easy, but that’s between your mother and me. Nothing has changed between us though. I’m happy to see you three.”

“These are for you,” William said, thrusting out the presents. “They’re from Mom. Your wife. Merry Christmas.”

Lewis took them, looking ashamed. “Boys—”

“She’s just a girl!” Spencer said. “You’re dating someone our age!”

“That’s no concern of yours!” their father said, mustering some anger.

“I think it is,” Spencer growled, trying to push past them. “You’re ruining this family!”

William did his best to block his brother, which wasn’t easy, but he worried alcohol might throw the situation out of control. “Mom didn’t ask us to bring these presents,” William said. “She never wants to see you again. Stay away from her. If you need to talk to her, or give her something, you go through us. Understand?”

“Go through one of them,” Errol said, his voice cracking. “I don’t want to see you again either. I’m done.” He turned away, the warm light of the apartment reflecting off tears as he went.

“I don’t know if I want to see you anymore,” Spencer said, “but I’d rather you talk to me than her.”

His father locked eyes with William. “And what about you?”

William swallowed against his anger, trying to tame it. “If there’s something you need from the house, let me know and I’ll bring it to you. We’re trying to stop her from getting more hurt than she already is. That’s all.”

“Okay,” Lewis said. “I understand. Won’t you come inside? Please?”

“No,” Spencer said. “We need to go find Errol.” Then he stomped away.

That left William alone with his father. “I should go.”

“I love you boys,” Lewis said. “Tell your brothers that for me. Okay?”

Gina reappeared, hanging back, expression worried.

William nodded at her. “Merry Christmas,” he said. Then he turned and walked away.

Chapter Seven

Change arrived like a tidal wave, the waters washing away anything weakly rooted and providing life-giving nourishment to what remained. Such catalysts often came without warning, with the exception of when one calendar ended and another began, the traditional time for change. William’s life no longer resembled that of the previous year: out of the closet, dating an awesome guy, and living in a broken home. The good came with the bad, he supposed. At the moment, he was looking forward to more of the good.

William stared at himself in the mirror, his old habit nearly forgotten. These days, when considering his reflection, he only thought of one person. Kelly. That’s what the freshly pressed slacks were about, and the dress shirt with a little too much fabric around the waist. Larger shirts tended to be tailored for chubby guys, but those were the only ones that fit his shoulders right. He tried tucking in the baby blue fabric tighter, then considered the navy blue tie, which was an absolute mess.

“Moooooom!” he whined, heading down the hall to her bedroom. “I need help!”

His mother was unloading towels from a laundry basket, placing two on the counter of her private bathroom even though she only needed one these days. She was coping better with that fact. Kate turned around and saw him, hands on her hips as she cocked her head and sighed. “Aren’t you handsome!” she declared.

“Thanks,” William said, moving closer. “I can’t get my tie straight.”

“Just like your father,” she said without bitterness. “Here.”

He studied her face as she loosened the knot and redid it. Her expression remained warm until he spoke. “Do you think Kelly will like it?” Then he saw a flicker of irritation.

“If he doesn’t, that’s his problem.” She frowned slightly. “There are other fish in the sea.”

“Mom! It’s Valentine’s Day!”

“That doesn’t make it any less true,” she said. Then she patted his shoulder, her work finished. “There you go. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

She only said that for his benefit. For whatever reason, since his father moved out, Kate and Kelly hadn’t seen eye to eye. His boyfriend insisted they had a misunderstanding, but his mother assured him otherwise. William decided they both were telling the truth as they understood it, which made the issue difficult to resolve.

“Put on some cologne,” Kate said. “Not too much, okay? And don’t be out late. You have school tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He hurried back to his bathroom, finally satisfied with his appearance. After a few sprays of cologne, he went to his bedroom and gently picked up the bouquet of red roses resting on the bed. They had cost a fortune, convincing him they were a good gift, but now he wasn’t so sure. Kelly had never shown any interest in flowers. Maybe he wouldn’t like them. Too late now. He checked the time, then went downstairs and stood before the front door, trying to think of poetic words he could say when Kelly arrived. “Welcome to a night of romance, my love,” or “These flowers aren’t nearly as beautiful as you, but I bought them anyway.” Yeah. Real smooth. He heard a car pull in the driveway followed by Kelly’s footsteps on the walkway.

William felt so jittery that his hand shook a little as he opened the door rather than waiting for a knock, breath catching when he saw the handsome man there. Kelly was decked out in dark colors: a black button-up shirt, charcoal gray pants, and shoes that glistened like polished onyx. “Uh…” William said, cheeks turning the same color as the flowers he thrust out.

Kelly acted appropriately impressed, taking the bouquet and holding it close, eyes sparkling as he inhaled. “Thank you,” he breathed.

“You’re welcome,” William said. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Kelly responded with a kiss. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah!”

They used Kelly’s car—or at least the one his parents let him borrow—because it was nicer than William’s and tonight was special. Not just because of the holiday. They were treating themselves to a romantic dinner. The restaurant they had selected wasn’t a steak house, or a Chinese place, or a seafood joint. The website promised in a cursive font that it served “fine cuisine.” Alongside this claim were images of elegantly folded cloth napkins and petite cutlery. William’s palms were already sweaty as he imagined knocking over a wine glass and making a mess. Not that they were old enough to drink.

“I’m so excited,” Kelly said, not sharing his nerves. “I already know what I’m going to order.”

“We agreed not to look at the online menu!”

“I couldn’t help it. I’ll still pretend to be indecisive. Sound fair?”

William shook his head. “You know I can never make up my mind, especially if the other person has already chosen. I’m just going to close my eyes and point.”

“Or I can order for you.” Kelly laughed, but the idea sounded good to William.

The dynamic of their relationship often felt a little odd to him. Kelly, despite his fierce drive and hot temper, tended to be softer in more intimate situations, treating William as the more masculine one. He didn’t feel that way. He wasn’t as aggressive as most guys, Kelly included. Of the two of them, he also had the least experience and was the most submissive. He thought back to the most recent time they had slept together. Kelly had a condom handy, and as things became heated, William told him to put it on. Words weren’t always sufficient, because Kelly had then put the condom on William. That arrangement hadn’t even occurred to him. William made a lame excuse not to go through with it, and when the topic came up later, he had said he needed more time and left it at that.

“Here we are,” Kelly said. “Holy shit, look at that parking lot! We’ll be lucky to find a spot.”

“Are all those people waiting to be seated?” William asked, grimacing at the crowded curbside.

“Looks that way. I’m glad we made a reservation. Where’s the valet parking? I expected better!”

William laughed at his joke, then pointed at an older couple walking away from the restaurant. “Follow them. We’ll take their spot.”

They slowly stalked the couple, cruising along behind and waiting for them to get into their car and drive away.

“Finally,” William said, once they had parked. “I’m starving. Think there’ll be chips and salsa on the table?”

Kelly raised his eyebrows. “Uh, no.”

“I was being funny. Come on, give me a little credit.”

Kelly smiled, reaching over to take his hand. “Only because you’re cute.” He led them through the waiting crowd.

William felt like a VIP for being allowed to move ahead of the line, and as Kelly gave his last name and the hostess ran her finger down a list, William took the chance to look around. This place was definitely nice, tablecloths and all, but it was also packed. He had imagined bored waiters and classical music, but the interior was loud with burbling voices, the staff too busy to turn up their noses at anyone using the wrong fork. That was good.

They were shown to their table, which was small and in the middle of the room. This made William squirm, feeling like he was on display.

Kelly didn’t seem to mind. “This is so cool,” he said, grinning at their surroundings. “Could you imagine if we could afford to eat here every day? On our lunch break? It sure beats the school cafeteria.”

William would rather be seated on one of those cafeteria benches, poking at a tray of hot gloppy food, but he didn’t say so. Instead he peered at the menu, annoyed by how many words were… French? Italian? He wasn’t sure, so he chose a main course that was easy to pronounce and made his peace with that.

“Good evening!” a voice said. “My name is Stefan and I’m here to make your dining experience pleasurable. Can I start you off with a bottle of wine or an appetizer?”

William didn’t know how to answer. He simply stared at the red vest, gaunt face, and slicked-back hair.

“What sort of wine do you recommend?” Kelly said smoothly.

Stefan looked back and forth between them. “We have a variety to choose from, but could I ask to see some identification?”

“Busted,” Kelly said.

Stefan looked to William. “You’re not twenty-one?”

“No,” he answered, feeling flattered. “I’m seventeen.”

The waiter seemed displeased by this news. “A selection of appetizers then?”

William’s eyes darted back to the menu. The appetizers cost nearly the same as the main courses. He and Kelly had already agreed not to get one, since they didn’t have that much money. “No, thanks. Could I get an orange juice?”

“I’d like a Coke,” Kelly said.

“An orange juice,” Stefan repeated in deadpan tones. “And a soda.”

“That’s right,” Kelly said. “Thanks!”

Stefan walked away, then they eyed each other.

“Steff-on,” Kelly said, imitating the way the man had said his name.

William snorted and tried his own imitation. “What vintage of wine will you be drinking tonight? You
are
twenty-one, aren’t you?”

They laughed together, forcing themselves to be serious when the waiter returned with their drinks and took their food orders.

“This is nice,” Kelly said, once he was gone. “We should go out more often.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that,” William said. “Have you ever been to Galveston?”

Kelly leaned forward. “Not since I was little. I wouldn’t mind visiting there again.”

“Good, because I thought we could go. Your brother too, since he’s been interested in—”

“Royal worships the ground you walk on,” Kelly interrupted. “You know that, right?”

“Oh.” William grinned. “Thanks.”

“As much as I love him, wouldn’t he cramp our style?”

“Not really. The Coast Guard is having a family night next weekend, and I thought we could all go together and check it out.”

Kelly leaned back, nostrils flaring. “The Coast Guard? I’m surprised you’re still into that.”

William blinked in surprise. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought that was mostly about you not wanting to be gay.”

“I’ve told you how much it means to me,” William said. “Ever since I taught myself to swim.
How
I taught myself. I nearly drowned, and that’s why I decided—”

“—to be a lifeguard, and later you learned about the rescue swimmers.” Kelly shook his head. “The whole military thing though…”

“What’s wrong with the military?”

“What’s wrong with killing other people?” Kelly retorted.

“That’s not why I’m joining the Coast Guard, and you know it. And besides, the military keeps this country safe. I support our troops.”

“I’ve got nothing against the troops,” Kelly said with a shrug. “I just don’t like what politicians do with them. Protecting our borders is one thing—”

“Then you would like the Coast Guard. You should go with me. It’ll be fun. They’re giving tours of the different vessels.”

“You mean the boats? Didn’t you say this was a family night? You don’t have any family in the Coast Guard.”

“No, but it’s an open house. I emailed them to make sure it would be all right. My mom said she would get me a motel room. It’ll be fun.”

Kelly’s expression became devious. “Forget family night! Have your mom get us that room! We’ll leave my brother at home and make it a weekend to remember.”

“Seriously,” William said. “This is important to me.”

“I know.” Kelly toyed with the corner of his napkin. “Maybe you should explore your options. Think about where else the future could take you.”

“I’ve been training for this for most of my life,” William said. “I swim. That’s what I do.”

“What about the Olympics instead?”

“Endurance is my strength. Not speed.”

Kelly looked him over. “You could lose some weight.”

“Gee, thanks!”

“Just so you could get faster. That would help, right? You could slim down and start focusing on competitive swimming.”

“That’s better than wanting to rescue people? To save lives?”

“Yes, because at least then we could—”

Stefan arrived with their food, setting down large plates with ridiculously small portions considering the price. “Is there anything else I can get for you? More juice?”

“No,” Kelly said. “It looks great. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Stefan said without joy. Then he moved to check on a neighboring table.

William noticed the tension on Kelly’s face and imagined it matched his own. He loved Kelly, but it wasn’t unusual for them to butt heads like this. “Let’s focus on the food,” William said, trying to make peace.

Kelly examined the contents of their plates. “I thought yours would be bigger.”

“Words no guy wants to hear,” William joked.

They flashed each other smiles, then started in on the food. William had a tiny strip of steak, three stems of braised asparagus, and some sort of grain he didn’t recognize. The portions might have been lacking, but the flavor was impressive. He just wished there was more of it. “How’s yours?” he asked.

Kelly shook his head as he swallowed, but his response was positive. “Makes what I usually eat taste like dog food. Maybe I should apply for a job here. Do you think the waiters get a free meal every shift?”