“Grindr hasn’t exactly been the land of opportunity for me, either. But then, I played the game just as badly as they did.” Micah couldn’t help thinking of Pikachu95 once more. “I’m not going to tell you not to do it, because that would be hypocritical. Just be more careful with it than me.”
Dane nodded, and cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being better about all this than I thought you would.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve matured a lot lately.”
Dane snorted.
“No, seriously. Anyway, what’s your next course of action?”
Micah grew slightly unnerved when Dane just stared silently at him.
“What?”
“Can I kiss you?” Dane swiftly moved in on him, his arm reaching out to cup Micah’s chin.
“No!” Micah leapt up as if he had been burnt.
Dane looked surprised, then hurt. A virtual cacophony of injured expressions danced upon his face. “Why not?”
“Because, contrary to popular opinion, I’m not the Closeted Teen Guy’s Blow-Up Doll to practise upon.”
Dane stared down at his hands, now in his lap. “Sorry.”
Micah sighed. “No, look, that came out harsher than I meant it. Just, I know where you’re coming from. But I can’t be that guy. You need to find your own boyfriends, have your own kisses that you want and go after, and I have to do that too. Just… be smarter than me. And always use a fucking condom.”
“I’m not that stupid,” Dane said, flushed.
Micah briefly closed his eyes, and opened them again. “Yeah, well, I thought I wasn’t either. Shit happens.”
“Are you okay?” Dane asked.
Micah thought about it for a moment. “Yeah.” And he meant it. “I’m getting there. What about you?”
“I don’t know if I can do this tonight.”
“It’s your decision. Just remember, though. You said on some level you wanted to get caught by me. Doesn’t that mean you want your family to finally know as well?”
Dane shrugged, then nodded. “Did you mean what you said?”
“About what? I’ve said a lot of things just now.”
“That you can forgive me. Because of the closet.”
“Yeah. I can.” The words came to him easily. Micah meant every one.
“And you think we could be friends?”
“As long as you don’t try and pash me again.”
This time Dane laughed. Micah stuck out his hand, and they shook on it.
But Micah saw the smile falter just as he left the room, and Dane was alone with his thoughts once more.
Chapter 17
BACK IN his room, Micah threw himself on his bed with a melodramatic sigh.
“Life is fucking strange,” he said to the ceiling.
It didn’t respond.
He heard Dane’s door open and close, and the sound of heavy footsteps going down the stairs. Poor guy. Micah hoped he was feeling at least a little bit better knowing that his secret was shared with at least one other person.
As usual, in a quiet moment, Micah was like most other young people his age. He pulled out his phone to fill the silence. After having dealt with Dane, at least momentarily, it was time to put an end to his other problem. He held down the Grindr app until it began shaking and the delete button appeared. Pikachu95 was obviously never going to respond.
But he found himself opening it for one last try.
And there, among the new messages, was the one he was hoping for but not expecting.
Yeah, I remember you. You’re hard to forget. Thought you were avoiding me.
Should he admit he had been? Or see if they could meet up and then admit it, face to face? How about that coffee?
He sent the message, closed the app, and smiled to himself. Deletion would have to wait for now.
GOING DOWNSTAIRS for dinner, Micah could hear the Mitchells on the patio. And really bad music.
Was that Peter Allen? Who the hell was listening to Peter Allen, and why was everybody else letting them?
Stepping into the sunlight, Micah was greeted by the sight of Sam dancing around his brother, shaking imaginary maracas and singing about going to Rio. Dane looked mortified, but also kind of happy. The rest of the Mitchells were laughing and Maia was singing along, doing the rumba in her chair.
“Am I missing something?” Micah yelled over the music.
“Micah!” Sam cried, sashaying over to him. Micah saw that he had tied the bottom of his t-shirt into a knot, accentuating the whole Peter Allen experience. “You’re not the only gay in this house! It’s true what they say: the gays are taking over the world!”
“Dane’s gay?” Micah asked, with a straight face. Every pun intended.
Sam slung an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, he’s already told us you knew.”
“Yeah, like half an hour ago,” Micah said. He sat down next to Dane. “So, did you give my member number to the Gay Agenda? If I collect a thousand points I get a free year’s subscription to DNA.”
“I’ll let them know,” Dane said.
“Look! He’s smiling!” Sam collapsed into a chair opposite them and wiped the sweat from his brow. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen that.”
“I don’t think he thinks you’re an arsehole anymore,” Micah told Dane.
“You thought I thought you were an arsehole?” Sam asked, upset. “Well, I did think you were acting like an arsehole for a while—”
“Sam!” his mother cried.
Maia giggled.
“—But it doesn’t matter now!” Sam said. “The Mitchell Clan is one again!”
“I’ll drink to that,” the patriarch of the family said.
“Any excuse,” Sam and Dane said together.
Micah had to admit it was impossibly cute, how things could change in an instant.
I GUESS I can do coffee. When?
Micah was about to type a response when Sam sat beside him. Micah had escaped to the pool to get some privacy, but of course that meant Sam had to check up on him. “What are you up to?”
Micah quickly tapped Tell me where and when and sent it before Sam could try and peer over his shoulder. “Nothing.” He saw Sam was still wearing his T-shirt a la Peter Allen, and reached over and yanked the knot free so it covered up his stomach again.
“Hey!” Sam protested.
“You can’t carry that look off.”
“You’re just turned on by me. Can’t stand the sight of my washboard abs.” Sam lifted the hem, exposing his treasure trail.
“There are better abs in the change room,” Micah said.
“Really?” Sam leaned in. “Who?”
“Like I’m going to tell you!”