“We’re not, though. This is just… casual.” That word sounded wrong, but what else could I say about what we were doing?
Hal looked skeptical. “Yougushabout him, Kit. Every single text I’ve gotten from you since you’ve met him has been Devon, Devon, Devon. Plus, from the moment I saw you two together, I knew you were both crazy about each other.”
“We only got here an hour ago. How much could you have seen?”
“It took me less than a minute to see you two are utterly smitten. Both of you light up when you look at each other, and you never stopped touching until Ryder took Devon to see the horses.”
“Sorry. That must have been awkward.”
“It was sweet, actually. You two weren’t pawing at each other like a pair of horny teenagers. It was deeper than that, more like a magnetic attraction.”
“There’s that for sure.” After a pause, I admitted, “The funny thing is, we haven’t actually fucked yet. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done plenty of other stuff. But somehow, we’ve always stopped short.”
“Why is that?”
“This is already pretty intense, since we’re together all day, every day, sleeping in the same bed, and having all these shared experiences. But we both said we weren’t looking for a relationship at the start of this, so maybe that’s our way of trying to apply the brakes to what feels like a runaway train.”
He asked, “Why did you say you weren’t looking for a relationship?”
“I never told you this, but my last relationship was hell. It destroyed my self-esteem, what little I had to begin with, and itmade me really distrustful—although I’ve always found it easy to trust Devon. As for him, he thinks he’s got less than two months to live. The way he put it was that he didn’t want to start something he couldn’t finish.” I thought about it and added, “Maybe he’s also concerned that I’ll get too attached to him if we call this a relationship and start sleeping together, and he doesn’t want me to end up heartbroken after he’s gone.”
“Is there really no part of him that thinks the psychic could have been wrong?”
“There must be, but here’s the thing—curse or no curse, his dad died at twenty-eight. Devon mentioned that in a conversation we had early on, when I asked what he’d do if and when he lived past thirty. He said he’d still try to live every day as if it was his last, because he’s always understood that life is short. So, maybe all the psychic’s prediction did was give him an excuse to quit a job he hated, and to get out there and live the life he always wanted.”
“There’s a lot at play here,” Hal said.
“I know.”
“I’m really happy you met someone though, and I hope everything falls into place once his birthday comes and goes.”
“Thanks. That’s my hope, too.”
My friend smiled at me and got to his feet. “Let’s go to the house, and I’ll make us some tea. It’s getting cold.”
As we left the studio, several dogs, a donkey, and a couple of chickens started to follow us, which made me laugh. “This is amazing,” I said. “I could never quite picture what your life was like out here in the country. Turns out, it’s even weirder than I imagined. It seems wonderful too, though.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I’d definitely describe it as both weird and wonderful.”
The ranch was made up of four main structures oriented around a huge, ancient-looking oak tree, which felt like the heartof the property. In addition to the studio, there was a large stable, a cute farmhouse with a wide front porch, and an honest to goodness big red barn, the kind I’d only seen in movies.
Inside, a huge Christmas tree dominated the cozy living room. It was so big that the top foot or so pointed sideways, bent by the ceiling. “That’s a hell of a tree,” I said.
Hal sighed, but he was also grinning. “It’s ridiculous. I told Ryder it was too big, but he didn’t listen. You should have seen him trying to wrestle it through the front door.”
When we reached the kitchen, he pointed down the hall and said, “I almost forgot to tell you, the box you were expecting from your housemates arrived this morning. I stuck it in the guest room for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you forget something when you left on your road trip?”
“No. I asked JoJo to send me a dress, along with a wig, shoes, and a couple of other things I’d had stashed away. I might have promised Devon I’d do an open mic night at a drag club while we’re here. In return, he has to do one at a bar.”
“Oh wow, you’re actually going to perform? I seem to remember you insisting that was something you’d never do.”
“I always said that because it terrifies me. But it’s secretly been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so I decided to go for it—in a town where almost nobody knows me, so I won’t be humiliated forever if I totally bomb.”
“I think it’s great that you’re going for it,” he said, as he filled a kettle and placed it on the stovetop. The appliance looked like it was from the 1970s, along with the rest of the kitchen, which I liked.
