“No.” He went on to explain about the phone call earlier—and Patrick’sdisconnectednumber. In recalling the moment, his emotions boiled over. “It wasn’t like I was fuckingstalkinghim. I was giving himspace.Then he goes as far aschanging his fucking numberlike he can’t get rid of me or something.” He swallowed through a knotted throat, eyes burning. “Do you know how fuckinghumiliatingthat is? If he never wanted to see me again—why didn’t he just fuckingtell me?But no, he fuckingghostsme instead. What ashitmove.”
“Mm.” Daniel said no more.
Derek frowned. “What?”
“Nothing, really,” Daniel murmured, “except… maybe you’re being a little hard on him? Gideon explained his situation to me. Hisreligioussituation.”
“So… what? He gets to make a shit move and claimreligiousexemption or some bullshit?”
“Derek…” Daniel touched his arm. “You really like him, so of course it’s going to hurt when it seems he just tossed you aside and walked away. But few things in life are what they appear to be on the surface. I know Gideon told you that he has—to some degree—been in Patrick’s place. And I… in some respects, have been in your place—with Gideon. I sort of still am. I realize our situations aren’t identical, but they are similar. I can’t go into detail without betraying Gideon’s confidence, but if you honestly believe there was somethingrealbetween you and Patrick… don’t give up on him. I know it’s horribly cliché, but there’s much truth to the adage,if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”
Derek stared at him.
Daniel smiled. “I’m sorry, but I love it—becauseof the golden truth within. Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, but I truly believe that if two people are meant to be together… love will find a way. You just have to give it time.”
“Love?” Derek whispered. “We only just met five days ago. It’s too soon to be love.”
“Don’t be so sure. Love isn’t bound bytime. Listen to yourheart… it will tell you the truth of the matter.”
Shaking his head, Derek smiled small. “Fuck… you really are a hopeless romantic.”
Daniel shrugged, his eyes warm. “Guilty as charged.”
“Why hasn’t Gideon married you already?”
Daniel smiled. “Beats the hell out of me.” He blew on his nails and brushed them against his shirt. “I’m a helluva catch.”
“Fuck, yeah.” Derek nodded. “Youare.”
“Thanks.” Daniel chuckled softly, then affectionately squeezed Derek’s shoulder. “You’re going to be all right. You’ll see. If love wasn’t worth fighting for… it wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Sighing, Derek mumbled, “Yeah, I guess.”
“If Patrick harbors just a spark of affection for you… it’s enough to bring him back. It only takes a spark to ignite a wildfire.” Daniel kissed his head and left him alone to stew in his thoughts.
If Patrick harbors just a spark of affection…
That was a big “if” that Derek—in his current state of mind—found little comfort.
. . .
God, what is happening to me?
Genuinefearinvaded Patrick’s soul as he drove home. Was this what Brian was talking about when he warned howfasta person could be led astray, tempted, and enticed? Patrick seemed to have lost all control of himself—hiswillpower.Not just his willpower—but thedesireto resist. And that scared him most of all.
The house was empty today and Patrick was thankful. He couldn’t face his parents—especially his dad—just now. He grabbed a chilled bottle of Snapple tea and went to his room. Though he was glad his parents weren’t home, being there alone made him edgy and a little frightened. Why? He didn’t know—it wasn’t as if he might break and call Derek. All means of communication were now severed. He didn’t even know Derek’s last name or anything about him…
A sudden shiver rippled through Patrick as his stare fell on his laptop. Images from theGideon’s Angelswebsite burst through his mind. He hadn’t stayed long on the site, but chances were—somewhere on that site was contact information for Gideon. A phone number… email… possibly a physical address…
Stop it!Patrick tore his eyes from the computer and sat on the edge of his bed. What was hedoing?He’d changed his number and deleted Derek’s info to cut off all communication. He glanced tentatively at the laptop; was heseriouslytrying to find another means of connecting with Derek?
Shaking inside and out, Patrick slid off the bed and onto his knees, burying his face in his arms. “Please, Lord… help me,” he choked on a quiet sob. “Please help me find my way back… I-I feel solost.Show me the way, Lord…please.”He pressed his face into the bed, trembling with sobs.
Patrick didn’t know how long he remained there on his knees, sobbing before God, and thought maybe he’d started drifting off at one point. He sniffed and straightened, rubbing his eyes. He searched inwardly for any change, but his heart felt as heavy and his mind as confused.
“I don’t understand,” he whispered to God. “Why won’t you help me… give mesomethingto let me know you’re there… that you’re listening.” He sat back on his heels and ducked his head, warm tears rolling down his face. “Why…”
His words drifted away as something beneath the bed caught his eye. He began to tremble as he stared at the object of interest. His heart fluttered and, at first, he couldn’t move. Managing a deep, shaky breath, Patrick reached under the bed, his fingers shaking as they closed around the item.
Patrick crawled onto the bed and slowly unfolded the crumpled piece of paper. His heart raced, bouncing off his ribs, as he stared at the restaurant name scribbled across the paper in blue ink, along with the time—6:00 p.m.—andDerek’s phone number.
