Page 93 of Coming Clean

“It’s the best poem I’veever read.”

Connor frowned, obviouslynot buying it.

“It’s the only poemanyone’s ever written just for me and it… it means there’s a chancefor us.”

“I told him,” Connorsaid.

“Told who?”

“Mario. I told him I wasgay.”

Hope fluttered in Jeremy’schest. “You did?”

Connor nodded.

“How did he take it?”Jeremy asked.

“Not well, but not as badlyas he could have.”

“Are you okay?” Connor wasthere at least. He hadn’t decided his time with Jeremy had been amistake.

“Yes, but I’d be betterif…”

Jeremy grew impatient forConnor to continue. “If what?”

“If you’re going tostay.”

Jeremy’s heart fluttered.There really was a chance. Don’t screwthis up. “I was going to leave. I wasgoing to give up on you, on us. But now…” Jeremy swiped at hisembarrassingly wet eyes.

“I… I don’t really have theright words, but I thought maybe if I tried to change. Maybe thenyou’d get it. Maybe you’d understand how much I want you to stay.Sell the house if you really want to, but please don’t run. Give mea chance.”

Jeremy sucked at makingemotional declarations, but he had to say something. “I don’t knowthat I could have accepted the offer, even if you hadn’t shown up.I love this house. And as crazy as it may be for me to live herealone, once I realized that all the bad memories weren’t draggingme down, I didn’t want to sell it. I do want to travel, but I wantyou more.”

Connor gave him a hugesmile and Jeremy knew he’d said the right thing.

“I love this house too andI… I love you,” Connor said.

Jeremy couldn’t believewhat he’d just heard. “Y-you do? I didn’t think. I mean, I knew youcared but… Oh God, I think I’ve loved you since the day you firsttouched me. The day you were…”

“Freaking out?”

“Struggling with your past.Connor, I’ve never thought—”

He held up his hand. “Imade an appointment for next week with the therapist Sabrinarecommended. The one who inspired her to become a therapisttoo.”

“That’sfantastic.”

“So you’re really going tostay? You really turned the job down.”

Jeremy nodded. “I did. Andnow that I know you feel as strongly about me as I do about you,I’m going to stay right here. I’ll write my book and maybe teach aclass or two. I don’t know. I’ll figure it out. I’ll still makesome travel plans, but maybe you could come too and…. No, that’scrazy.”

“What is?”

“I was about to ask you tomove in, but you—”

****

Connor couldn’twait for Jeremy to finish his sentence “Yes.”