“Dreadful,” Sky said, without hesitating. “It boggles my mind even more, why you haven’t run screaming from us and this place.”
“It’s not that bad. The mayor’s pretty cool, right?” Mason attempted but Sky shook his head.
“Even the gay couples are obnoxiously straight here. It’s been over a week and it’s warping me. I don’t know how you can stand this.”
Mason’s brows pinched as he frowned. “Being…gay isn’tallthat I am. It’s not even in the top five things I care about if I’m being honest. That’s just sex and doesn’t matter more to me than all of this.” He gestured around them.
“Come on, you can’t really believe that,” Sky said with a dubious lift of his brows. “I don’t know if I’ll ever findthe one, but at least there’s a chance I’ll find someone I can connect with on a deeply freaky level when I’m in New York. Out here? There’s nothing. It’s a dick desert,” he grumbled as he took out his phone, making Mason choke on his beer.
“A dick desert?”
“A dick desert,” Sky sighed sadly. “We all cope with stress in different ways and I cope by hiding in my work, exercising, or getting my back cracked like a glow stick.”
“I see,” Mason said weakly and Sky snorted because he doubted it.
“When was the last time you spent a day with my mother?”
Mason shook his head quickly. “No, I would never do that. Sina would never make me do that.”
“Lucky you,” Sky said petulantly. “Ihad toand she went on and on about the funeral and why I should be staying with her and kept asking why this book is taking so long. I pointed outthat I would be writingright nowif she hadn’t bullied me into coming and helping with the estate and all this downsizing bullshit.”
“What did she say to that?”.
Sky pretended to take a drag off of an invisible cigarette.
“Don’t be silly, darling. You’d find some other excuse if you weren’t here,” he said in the same flat, disdainful manner.
Mason swore and shielded his face. “God, it’s like she’s in the room with us. No wonder you’re in a shitty mood.”
“It gets worse,” Sky groaned. “I promised I’d meet her for lunch tomorrow. I’m going to take a bath with the toaster if I don’t get laid soon.”
“Settle down. It's been nine days.”
Sky shook his head. “It’s been a little—a lot—longer than that. Closer to two months. I was dealing with some stuff before Nana died. Then, Mom conned me into coming back and staying. ”
“Is everything okay?” Mason sounded genuinely concerned so Sky laughed and waved it off.
“Work/writing stuff. I dug myself into a hole with my current manuscript and stacked some deadlines. Nothing major or serious, just hermit mode. I have a habit of losing track of time and life and letting everything else go until it’s finished, or I reach a place where I can safely leave it.”
“Safely? I didn’t realize writing could be so dangerous,” Mason mused, his frown intensifying.
“Are you kidding?” Sky laughed. “The best writers have always been the ones who chased danger and risked the most for their craft. I think the worst thing an author can do is seek safety. And it’s when Ican’tleave my work and when it tortures me the most that I know I’m doing it right.”
“Now, that does sound like you, Sky.” The serious frown broke and a warm smile spread across Mason’s face, his eyesglowing as he watched Sky. “You’ve always been brave and known exactly who you are and never let anything stop you. That’s amazing.”
“Ew.” Sky’s face pinched as he leaned away, confused and unsure of what he was supposed to do or what came next. “Don’t get sentimental now. I’m already emotionally tapped out.”
“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.” Mason laughed as he went to get himself another beer. “I’ve missed the hell out of you and you’re out there, doing all kinds of amazing things. I’ve always been your biggest fan.”
“That’s just going to go to my head,” Sky warned into his bottle before taking a drink and washing down a grimace. “And make this more confusing.”
“Sorry, I can’t pretend you aren’t awesome.” Mason winked as he twisted the top off, his beard and the rippling and flexing muscles under his tight T-shirt momentarily distracting Sky. He had always been athletic and fit but the beard had made him even hotter.
Fuck him for aging so well and being so fucking perfect.
It was easier, when Sky hated Mason. He had a reason to avoid looking at him or talking to him and it was too tempting, knowing that Mason was gay and thought of Sky inthat waytoo. And he was so fucking sexy, with his stupid, handsome, bearded face and his ridiculously perfect body and big ass.
There. I hate him again.
