Disclaimer: This story deals with homosexual men. If it offends you, X out of the story and read something else. If you are not 18, do not read. And if you want a fast fuck story, go elsewhere; this is not a fast sex story, but more of a love story. If that does not interest you, do not waste your time reading. Otherwise, enjoy. Email me for any kind of comments.
Sorry for the long delay. Sometimes it takes forever for me to be inspired to write or for the ideas to come to me. Just recently it all hit me at once. Go figure. I have two papers that I haven't even prepared for and a final exam that needs cramming, but NOW is when the creative juices start to flow again. So in the event I fail my classes, all you readers better enjoy this chapter! And there will be only one more posting after this, and it should be posted within the next few days. Happy reading. Oh wait, one more thing. I wrote this kind of fast, so it there are any typos and whatnot, I apologize in advance. Ok, now happy reading.
Turn of Events: Chapter 15
Someone once told me that life is always changing. That it never stays the same. And fuck, I hated that fact. I wondered who told me that? Or maybe I already knew all that, considering how my life had been like a maze, full of unexpected twists and turns.
After Halloween passed, the rest of the fall semester of junior year passed quickly. Thanksgiving came and went and then December was upon us. With December came the excitement of Christmas and winter break, as well as cramming for finals and all that last minute preparation that procrastinators like myself, always scrambled to do.
I had thought winter break would be more relaxing, considering there was no school. I thought maybe I'd have a chance to sleep in, lay in bed until noon, lying beside a naked Grant after having an all night sex marathon. But sadly, that was not the case.
In fact, winter break was insane. Right after finals, the holidays were riding on our asses. Hence, there were Christmas parties with Julie's family, Danny's family, and me and my grandmother, as well as Grant attended everything. So that was a whirlwind in itself. And that was just a warm up!
After Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, David and Blair finally came to visit. I was excited to see David, but indifferent towards seeing Blair. But I loved Grant and Grant, for whatever the hell reason, wanted to see Blair, so if you love someone enough, well you make sacrifices. Even if that meant spending an entire week and a half with a fathead idiot!
Blair, for his part, was considerably more mellow and nicer. I like to think that's why we seemed to get along better during his stay. And when I say get along better, I mean there were no flying insults. Ok, maybe some insults, but I think they were in jest. Well, I hope. Either way, Blair and I were in a festive mood, and had an understanding that we would make things work for Grant. Plus, maybe Blair was more open-minded than I had initially given him credit for, although I'd never admit that to him. Perhaps Blair just needed a breather from Texas and was in a way, repressed himself. As in not free to think outside the box, especially with that psycho mother of his! Now that he was in New York, he was more accepting and fun. We came across numerous gay couples, male and female, and Blair maybe stared a bit longer than necessary, but didn't say anything or have a nasty expression on his face. Which I was glad for. I was a reactive person and could be explosive at times. If I felt I was attacked, I'd go in offensive mode or defensive mode. Whatever.
While Blair and David stayed, we did things as a group, like watching the ball drop in Times Square. Having dinner together, shopping, ice skating, sometimes seeing a show with Julie and Danny, stuff like that. But on many other occasions, we split into pairs. Grant and Blair would spend time alone, catching up, like any best friend duo would. I didn't want to intrude on their time. Perhaps that is the real reason why Blair resented me in the beginning, besides not knowing we were a couple.
While they went off and did their own thing, David and I would hang out, which was good. At first, when I met him, I was totally gung-ho about disliking David, ignoring him in Texas, and then moving back to New York, never seeing him again, but David was a wormer. He wormed his way into my heart and he really grew on me. Sure I hadn't known him long, but I really did feel as though I loved him as a father. He was a good man. Ok, he was an idiot when he was younger, but who wasn't? That's what being young was about. Being a total idiot and kind of getting away with it just because you were young. I think it had something to do with discrimination through ageism or something. I considered myself super smart, but even I had my dumb moments. Plus, making mistakes when you're young is the time to make mistakes. That way you can fix them when you're older. And that's what David was doing. Our relationship just seemed to get better over time.
David also broke the news to me that he and Kelly had officially filed for divorce. Their relationship was definitely over.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.
David cocked his head at me, as if he didn't believe me. He took a long sip of his coffee and I smiled.
"Ok, fine, you got me. I'm not sorry you split with her. She always struck me as a little not all there, you know what I'm saying. But I am sorry you split and you're unhappy about it, as I can tell," I said sincerely.
David laughed. "Alright, that's believable."
"So, obviously, attempts at trying to work things out didn't go down well?" I asked.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Yeah. I tried. I'm not sure if she tried. Well, that's not true either. We just didn't see eye to eye on everything and it's not something you can try to change. I mean, people have their beliefs and ideas and when it's engraved in your brain^Å" he trailed off. "We just couldn't come to terms with our differences, that's all," he finally finished, with some difficulty. "I'm sad, but it's for the best."
"Differences? Meaning, me?" I asked quietly. "And Grant?"
David sighed again and paused. "Yes," he admitted.
I looked into my lap.
"Pete."
I looked up at him and he smiled reassuringly. "I don't^Åwell, I don't regret any of this. And I'm not bitter or whatever towards you. I'm more mad at myself and especially at Kelly for being so bigoted. So full of hate towards good people. You're a good kid. You've got a mouth on you, but you're still a good kid. And Grant. Well, Grant, she's known forever! To ditch him just like that? That's horrible. She just^Åhas no character or real morals. And she claims to be God-loving and all that. God loves all people, for he created them, right?"
I nodded, a small smile on my lips.
David turned serious. "You have to make sacrifices sometimes, when it's the right thing to do. Or for someone you love."
I averted my eyes, still uncomfortable with this whole father-son, loving thing. I was getting there, ok? Give me some time!
"I thought I knew Kelly. I fell for her, but I guess I didn't know her completely. I don't think you ever really know someone, or the real them, until a time of crisis. Only in the face of adversity, does a person's true colors come out," he said in a soft tone.
There I was, feeling uncomfortable again. I understood what he was saying and he was being wonderfully profound, but what do I say to that?
"It's for the best," David repeated. I looked at him sympathetically, knowing this was probably killing him inside. "I'll be ok. In time."
I smiled at him. David shook his head and his expression visibly cleared.
"So, I think we should visit this teahouse of yours. You're always talking about boba. What's that like? What is boba exactly?" he asked, looking slightly perplexed.
I grinned.
After Blair and David left, Parker and his girlfriend came for a few days. They were doing some sightseeing throughout the northeast coast and didn't plan on spending all their time in New York.
Then when they left, Grant and I had a few days to calm down before it was time to buy books and get back into the swing of things for the spring semester. That time was spent doing laid back things with Julie and Danny, especially Julie, before she shipped back off to California. And during this little free time, Grant and I had sex. A lot of sex. With everyone visiting, our sex life had either gone out the window or had become quickies in hidden places, like the shower or something. It would be awkward to have sex loudly with David and Blair hanging around. Having sex with my Dad around, yeah, not cool. And I don't think Grant wanted to freak out Blair.
I did get to see Jet briefly, because she was visiting her mother in Connecticut and could easily drive to see me. But it was understood that I would visit her in Texas over the summer. And now that David and I were on better terms and he had his own house, I had more of a reason to stay longer in Texas.
Yet all good things had to come to an end and before I knew it, in a blink of an eye, it was the first day of classes. Those were usually ok, but I hated when the semester really got rolling, because that meant work, and I admit, I had my lazy moments. I was having a case of senioritis and I wasn't even a senior yet! But being a junior in your spring semester, when the weather was getting warmer, and having a hot boyfriend that you wanted to have sex with all the time, well, that meant senioritis for me!
But I trudged through it all. January passed. February passed. March came and Spring break came. The only bad part about spring semester was that Grant and I were so busy. This was our busiest year, considering we were juniors and were taking all our important classes, prior to senior year. Not to mention our schedules were complete opposites of one another, like last year, and we had trouble spending quality time together. Between meetings, projects, seminars, appointments, studying, classes: Grant and I barely saw one another. And I noticed something else. Grant had become distant sometime around February and it lasted all throughout Spring Break I couldn't pinpoint when exactly in February this change occurred, but it did. It wasn't that he was busy, but he wasn't all there. We would be relaxing on the couch, both exhausted and too tired to do anything, but I felt like he wasn't even in the room with me. I never brought it up, because I figured he was just busy and tired like I was, so why bother prying? Or maybe it was because I didn't want to know if there was a problem. I feared change, remember?
In the middle of March, over Spring break, I did ask if he was ok. I casually threw it into the conversation and he said he was fine, just overworked. So I let it slide. We went out together, made love, so I figured we were good. Our lives had become so routine and we were like an old married couple anyway. How exciting could things be, right?
Well that all changed in April. Grant had become even more distant and seemed to be avoiding me. He was never around anymore and it was getting harder and harder for me to brush that fact aside. And my fear and paranoia was growing everyday and I was almost thankful when Grant broke the surface and told me mid- April that we needed to talk and he had something to tell me.
"So, what's up?" I asked. For some reason I was nervous and I felt like I was about to get into trouble. My body was tense on my couch as I sat there, with an unnaturally straight back.
Grant looked nervous and sick to his stomach as he rubbed his hands together. His forehead was sweating slightly. "Umm^Å"
I waited.
"There's^Å" he hesitated.
"Grant, you know me right? I'm not a patient person. Spit it out," I said. I tried to keep my tone light, but it came out more of bark. I was just too nervous.
"There's this guy^Å" he began in a whisper.
I stopped breathing. A lump formed in my throat. My heart started racing. There was a tightening in my stomach. It took a great deal of effort on my part to get rid of that lump lodged in my throat.
"Yeah?" I asked in a controlled tone, praying this wasn't going in the direction I knew it was going in.
"His name is Thomas Kim," Grant whispered in an ashamed tone, avoiding my eyes. We have a class together. I never noticed him before," Grant said haltingly. "But I was having trouble and after the first exam, well, I did really badly and he offered to help me. We started getting together to study. At first it was once a week, then a couple times, before we were getting together practically everyday."
He finally looked up at me. His blue eyes were filled with guilt and I was tempted to cover my ears so I didn't have to hear what was coming next.
"Well^Åthe more we started spending time together, the less we were studying," Grant continued.
I tried to stay calm. "Ok^Å" I drawled out, not sure what else to say. I just didn't want to sit there like a silent idiot though.
When Grant didn't seem like he was going to go on, I cleared my throat. "And?"
A few more tense seconds passed and it felt like I was in France waiting for the guillotine to drop over my head and kill me. Well, if it were pre -1980.
"And^Å" Grant hesitated again, but I looked at him hard. "We were having dinner together, hanging out after school, and^Åuh, well, umm, Thomas, he, well, he kissed me and^ÅI^Åwell, I kissed him back," he said guiltily.
Grant peeked at me and I felt a sudden pain in my chest. It hurt so bad and it radiated throughout the entire top half of my body. I swallowed hard and gripped my shirt with my fists. I glanced at Grant and my heart broke. He was just so beautiful, with the way he was looking at me, his blond curls hanging over his forehead, shading his bright blue eyes. How could something so beautiful hurt me so badly? How? How did this happen.
I cleared my throat again and looked at my hands. They were white and I couldn't help wringing them together, pulling at my fingers.
"When did all this start?" I asked. "The hanging^Åout?"
"Since the end of February," he answered quietly.
"When did you kiss?" I asked. Oh, there was that chest pain again. After this little talk, I might have to check myself into the ER.
"In March, right before Spring break," he replied.
It all made sense now. Grant become more distant over time during the beginning the of the semester, and becoming even more withdrawn over break. He was feeling guilty and was avoiding me as a result of that guilt.
"That's why you were so weird all this time," I muttered.
"He just^Åwell, he kept going after me. He kept asking me to go somewhere over break."
"So it wasn't a one time kiss?" I spat out angrily. "It must have been a lot of secret kisses if he was asking you to go away with him!" I started sweating and I felt like I was going to explode my brains out with anger. "How long have you two been fucking dating?" I hissed.
Grant cringed. "We're not dating."
"Not dating?" I demanded. "You're not only a fucking cheat, but a fucking liar!" I yelled. "Dinner?" I spat out. "Hanging out everyday, kissing. What else did you guys do? Did you fuck him? I'm sure he offered you his scrawny, pale ass!" Then a thought hit me. "Did you let him blow you?" For some reason I had a feeling Grant had done more than just kissing.
"He went down on me. Once, right before break," he whispered. "I did try to stop him."
"Well, obviously you failed!" I shouted, jumping up. I started pacing the room, tugging at my hair, breathing hard. "Deep breaths Pete. Deep breaths," I said under my breath. "Can't afford anger management classes, Pete, or jail time. NYU tuition is expensive. Fucking breathe Pete!"
That was some hell of a pep talk. And completely useless. Because I was still fucking pissed.
"Pete, I'm so sorry," Grant choked out. "I fucked up. I fucked up bad. Please forgive me."
I didn't answer.
Grant stood up as well as I continued to pace the living room.
"I'm so sorry. You have to believe me. It all happened so fast. Thomas doesn't mean anything to me. He went after me^ÅI just had a moment of weakness. I was confused. He was confusing me!" Grant rambled desperately as I remained silent, fuming. "I love you so much. You have to know that. You're my whole life. Please forgive me. I love you," he begged, tears in his eyes.
I whipped my head around to look at him and he flinched. I could feel the strain of my facial muscles and knew I was probably glaring at him.
I paced back and forth, tugging on my hair. A few more tugs and I would be a bald man. What a waste of perfectly nice hair that would be. Ah well, it was hair. It grew back!
Grant tried to approach me and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I sensed his presence. I spun around sharply and held up my hand.
"Don't!" I ordered. He stopped in his tracks. "Don't touch me. Don't come near me! I'm fucking serious, Grant. I need space and you're going to give it to me. A kiss, cuddle, or fuck won't make up for any of this! I'm not that easy, you know, unlike some people," I said eyeing him up and down purposefully.
Grant had no words to say, but his blue eyes were glistening with tears.
"I need to figure this out," I mumbled. "It's April already. School's over in the beginning of May. Until then^Å" I said to myself.
Grant looked confused. "Until then what?"
I made a decision and looked him square in the eyes. "I'm gonna move into Danny's until school's over. I can't fail my classes and neither can you. And I can't concentrate if we're living in the same house after all of this," I said pointing between the two of us.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to protest, but looking at me, he seemed to change his mind.
"I'll leave. You shouldn't leave. This is your house," Grant said looking dejected.
"Don't be an idiot. Where will you go?" I snapped. "Rent an apartment? It`s too damned expensive. I just have to go," I said and with that I walked with long purposeful strides into our bedroom.
I ran to my closet and pulled out a large duffel bag. I felt a surge of energy to get away from here, away from Grant. I haphazardly began grabbing at hangers and throwing in sweaters and jeans into the bag, not bothering to fold them. Then I rushed to my dresser to get some underwear. I packed what I could but knew I could always come back to get more. But I preferred not to. I didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Grant. Then again, if he was never around, that wouldn't be a problem?
"Pete, please," Grant interrupted my thoughts. "Can we talk about this?"
"We just did!" I yelled over my shoulder as I stuffed my bag to the max and tried to zip it up quickly. "Fuck, come on!" I shouted at the bag and finally, it closed. I heaved it over my shoulder and started to walk out the door, but lost my balance slightly, due to the heavy weight of the bag.
Grant ran in front of me, blocking my path. "You told me to come to you and tell you the truth if I was ever attracted to another guy. I did and now you're moving out? I only did what you asked me to do! And now you're mad! How fucked up is that?"
I only heard one part of his sentence.
"Attracted to him? You're attracted to him?" I asked, dropping the bag onto the floor, which nearly severed my shoulder, or popped it out of its socket.
Grant's eyes grew wide and he stepped back. "Umm, well."
"You like him?" I asked quietly, feeling like I just got punched in the gut and the wind was knocked out of me and I had trouble forming words. "I thought you were just tempted for some variety and some sex. Maybe you were feeling a little stifled with our situation but I didn't know you actually had real feelings for him."
"I don't!" Grant exclaimed. "Not like that. I was just confused. He was a friend, that's all. A friend who was so flirty and it just got me^ÅI don't know, confused. I don't see us going anywhere or being anything. I know I love you and only you!"
"I have to go," I said picking up my bag again and making for the door, but Grant mimicked my movement and blocked me once again.
"Pete," Grant said, grabbing my shoulders and stopping me.
"I need to think about all this. It's all too much," I said seriously, looking him in the eyes. I kept my face neutral, or tried to, but I couldn't stop my lips from trembling slightly and I swallowed hard. I think Grant saw through my game face as he stared into my eyes. If he looked at me any longer tears would start to pour out. And I really didn't want Grant to see that. I wanted to preserve a small shred of dignity.
Grant slowly let go of my shoulders and his hands dropped to his sides. I hoisted my bag a little higher and walked past him. Grant remained frozen on the spot.
I continued walking. This time he didn't stop me.
I trudged across the street, the bag feeling heavy, my heart feeling heavy, my feet feeling heavy. I knocked on Danny's door and a minute later I came face to face with my best friend. He instantly smiled, but it quickly faded away into a look of worry.
"Hi^Å" he trailed off. "What's wrong?" he asked taking in my expression.
"I need to crash," I said in a tired voice. I looked at him and he seemed to sense that I had no strength to explain the situation. He nodded and opened the door wider for me to come through.
I walked right into his room, waving off his mother, and chucked my bag on the floor. Then I flopped onto his bed and closed my eyes.
I heard Danny shuffling around the room, and vaguely remembered him pulling the covers over me, but with the tears falling onto the pillow, and my breathing constricted by my crying, I couldn't focus on anything else. It felt like seconds, but was probably longer than that- I fell into a deep sleep.
I took a deep breath. It was now or never.
For the past five minutes I had sat hunched in my chair in the coffee shop, feeling depressed and resigned, knowing I had to do what I was about to do. For Grant's part, he looked nervous and tense, fidgeting nonstop.
I took another deep breath and steeled myself. "We need to take a break," I blurted out. I looked into his eyes and awaited his reaction.
Tears immediately pooled in his eyes. "What?" he croaked out.
Grant and I had been apart for over a month. As I predicted, we were both so busy and had different schedules, that it was easy to avoid one another. Over that time I did a lot of thinking. As much as I tried to focus on my schoolwork and work, thoughts of Grant always filtered into my head at any given moment. Like, if I paused to rest my eyes when I was studying late at night, I'd see Grant and visualize him kissing some short, Korean dude. Thank God I never saw this Thomas Kim, otherwise, I wouldn't be held accountable for my actions. I guess I could always plead insanity, but I was far too intelligent to even act like a loon. Thus, avoiding Grant and his little friend was in my best interest.
"I thought you moving out was our break," Grant said, a quiver in his voice.
"I did a lot of thinking while we were apart," I explained, forcing myself to remain strong and my voice even, "I don't hate you. I have forgiven you, for you know. I even still trust you because I know you didn't cheat out of spite or horniness, but because you were pursued. I can't blame you really. You've done a lot in the past few years. You came out, you moved far away from home. You're so confident and it's so sexy and everyone can see it. You're just^Åfinally, acting on being gay. You're coming into your own, embracing your sexuality. You're taking a chance to experiment with the many hot men of New York, although I doubt Thomas Kim holds a candle to me," I said, laughing dryly. It was my poor attempt to make light of this very sad situation.
"Pete," he said in a trembling voice.
I ducked my head. "Please don't make this harder than it already is. I love you Grant. You're my unexpected love, a surprise. You're someone I don't regret. But if we ever have a real, solid chance in the future, we need to be apart. We need this break," I said firmly.
"Why?" Grant asked. "I know I want you. There is no one else. I only want you. How can I prove that?"
"Grant, please. You need to get, I don't know, exploring other men out of your system. That way you can come back to me and only me. Until then, well, we shouldn't spend so much time together. Maybe for next semester, apply for last minute housing. Meanwhile, I'm heading away for the summer. Going to Texas to spend time with David, and everyone else."
"Exploring?" he demanded. "You didn't explore, if I remember correctly."
I looked at him, shaking my head. "You're right. But I was out for years and have allowed myself to be attracted to other men, to make out with them, to feel comfortable with them in my own skin. But we both need this break. You can explore. I can explore. It will only make our bond stronger in the future."
"Why are you doing this?" Grant asked, almost angrily. "You want me to date? I want you!"
I could tell he was getting angry now. His voice was growing louder and was attracting some attention within the coffee shop.
"I'm doing this for us," I said. "You'll see," I said quietly. "It's for the best."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Grant asked just as quietly.
I stood up and started walking away from me. Without looking back, I called out over my shoulder, in a soft tone, "I love you."
"I love you," he whispered back as I walked further and further away.
The pain of walking away from Grant, leaving him for the second time in my life, was the most painful experience. I was becoming an expert on pain. And that fucking sucked. Big time.
"Why are you running?" Danny asked.
I was in his room, on his computer, looking up flights to Texas. I was planning on getting away from Grant, from New York, and all those negative memories that happened so recently. I wanted to spend some time with David, Jet, Lawrence, Parker, and Stacey and feel good again. Perhaps just enjoy being single and being happy without Grant. I had been in a relationship for years. Since high school. A serious relationship no less. Grant and I both didn't have a chance to grow as individuals. Instead we just somehow became attached. I couldn't depend on Grant for my happiness. No one should hold that kind of power over me. I didn't want that. I think that was my biggest mistake.
"I need to leave Danny. I can't be here this summer. I see Grant everywhere, even if he's not around. He's in my head constantly and hanging around here, pretending to be happy, well, it won't do me any good," I said honestly. "And it's good for me to spend time with David and my friends."
"What about me?" Danny pouted. "And Julie?" he said making a sad face.
I laughed. "I love you man, but no worries. You know we'll still see each other all the time. We're like brothers."
"But how will we get to hang out? We've been so busy all year long and you're all up in Grant, until recently. Plus, I'll be in California for a large majority of the summer. So how can we hang out? Especially if you're spending all your time in Texas?" Danny exclaimed dramatically with a slight grimace when he said Texas.
I looked at Danny and smiled. "Well, aren't you leaving to see Julie soon?"
"Yeah, she's doing an internship, designing, and met a friend for some fashion stuff," he paused. "Hey! You should come!"
"What?" I asked. "Be with you two lovebirds while I'm single and miserable. Umm, yeah, I'll pass."
Danny rolled eyes. "No seriously. Just stay for a little while. Like a month," he suggested.
"I don't know," I said.
Danny got on his knees and I laughed.
"What are you doing?" I snorted.
"Please!" Danny pleaded. "I barely saw you this year! And Julie misses you! She tells me all the time!"
"Liar!" I scoffed, but I couldn't stop smiling. "Fine," I grunted. "Let me check out the flights now," I said and Danny started jumping up and down, bouncing on his bed.
I shook my head and smiled. I knew I would cave. He knew I would cave. In truth, I missed Danny and Julie. Being with Grant, I did end up neglecting my two best friends, even if it wasn't intentional. I couldn't blame it all on schoolwork.
I guess I would be heading to California as well as Texas this summer. Look at me, the world traveler.
"Julie. Julie, seriously, I can't breathe."
Julie pulled back, giggled, and kissed my cheek. "I can't help it. I missed you so much! We don't hang out enough!"
"I know," I said. "But I'm here now."
"After I twisted his arm," Danny input.
"Ouch!" I grabbed my side where Julie had pinched me.
"Twisted your arm? To see me?" Julie demanded with her hands on her hips.
"Calm down," I said holding up my hands. "I'm a guest! Don't make me regret coming here. Ouch!" I cringed as I was cuffed upside the head. I shot her a dirty look causing her to giggle more.
"Come," she said, grabbing Danny and me. "Come meet my friend. The one I'm working with over the summer. He's really good at fashion stuff. I told him we'd have dinner together."
The entire ride to downtown LA to the restaurant, the three of us talked nonstop, trying to all talk at once, trying to catch up. There was so much to say. I refrained from talking about me and Grant, deciding not to ruin the joy of my arrival. I wanted to just enjoy being with my friends, reminiscing on the good times and knowing what good things were happening. It was nice to see Julie so happy. At least someone was happy. Yay!
We walked into the restaurant and I instantly noticed an average sized guy standing by the host area with his back to us.
"Hey home boy!" Julie sang out cheerfully in greeting.
The brunette guy turned around and out eyes met.
My mouth fell open as I stared into a pair of dark brown eyes, brimming with emotion.
"Doug!" I nearly shouted.
His grin widened. "Pete."
"You two know each other?" Julie asked, looking genuinely perplexed.
I pointed to Doug, feeling his eyes on me. "It's Doug. We dated," I told her. I looked at Doug and shook my head, smiling slightly. "It's my Doug," I murmured under my breath.
"This is a pleasant surprise," Doug said inching closer. "Nice to see you again, Pete."
"You too," I said, unable to keep the smile off my face.
Danny and Julie just stared back and forth between us. Julie looked confused. Danny looked worried. But Doug and I didn't notice their looks. We were just lost in each other's eyes.