Page 48 of Snow Globe Secrets

I really didn’t want my tone to switch to whiny son, and I know my dad thought he was being funny and, in a roundabout way, thanking Randall for being saddled with me unexpectedly, but he was being really cringey. I could have handled that except that with every word, I could feel Randall’s energy tighten. I kept my eyes on the road as I responded, my “Dad” coming out like I was a teenager again, and Dad was saying stupid shit to my first boyfriend about being a gentleman.

“What?” He laughed. “It’s true. Clothes and books everywhere.”

Randall cleared his throat. “Your son”—I could hear him trip on the word “son”—“was a perfect gentleman. No clothes on the floor …”

Except when you were tearing them off me, I thought, and I couldn’t help but glance at Randall then and raise my eyebrows. Based on the flush of his cheeks, I thought that maybe he was thinking the same thing. I mouthed the word parfect in hopes of lightening the mood.

I snapped my eyes forward once again as Randall continued talking about me to my dad.

“He helped cook and cleared the table and …” Yup, that’s all we did, cook and clean and …

I decided it was time to wrap up our conversation.

“Hey, Randy,” I tried the name on for size and hated it. “Don’t give away the whole story. We’ll see you guys in a few hours, Dad, and give you the complete rundown. Not to make you too envious or anything, but popcorn and Marvel movies may make an appearance.”

“Okay, okay. I can’t wait to see you both.” My dad’s excited tone was so genuine, and I knew at that moment what it meant for him to have his old friend back. All I could do was hope he could handle the secrets Randall had to tell.

“Yeah, Dad. Us, too,” I said without thinking as if there was an “us” that I was authorized to speak for.

“We’ll check in if we run into any trouble or delays. Otherwise, I’ll call when we’re heading over the bridge, like we usually do.”

“Okay, kiddo. See you soon. Love you, son.”

“Love you too, Dad. Same to Mom.”

“Will do, kiddo. See you soon, Randy.”

“Yeah,” was his terse reply, though if I didn’t already know his verbal cues, I could see how someone might think it was the British accent coming through. “We’ll see you soon.” At least he was speaking for both of us as well.

I hit the button on the steering wheel, and Randall and I were once again alone.

He’d been holding his phone, and I expected he would take it up to get back to work. Instead, from the corner of my eye I sensed him lay it in his lap as he sighed and leaned his head back on the headrest. I really wished I didn’t have to hear that sigh, and my brain churned to think how I could make it better.

“Austin.”

“I know, babe.”

“No, you don’t. I don’t think I can go through with this. They’re your parents, for God’s sake. They’re my friends.”

“Randall.”

“I know I chose to isolate myself when I moved here. I started out in Boston, which I hated, and I may have gone overboard in the opposite direction, buying that remote house.”

“Your home is a dream, Randall.”

“But when I got back to the States, I was a mess. I’d not really dealt with my breakup. I planned my way out of my relationship, but that was just the logistics, not the emotions. Everything was organized and orderly and neat.” He spat out the last word as if it was something to be ashamed of and not everything that I loved about him.

Well, fuck, I’d met a man two days ago, and I was already prepared to defend the thing I loved about him. The thing I loved about Randall. I loved Randall.

My head knew it was too soon, but my heart was busy telling that organ to shut the fuck up as I assured Randall, “You did what you had to do, babe. You walked away from that asshole with your dignity. You walked into a huge deal for your company, and that also happened to be an opportunity to bring the work you love back home to the States. Working for New Day fucking Tech, no less. One of the biggest computer technology companies in the world.”

“My family doesn’t know I’m here. My friends didn’t know I was here.”

“You left your family in the Midwest for a reason, and you left my parents for a reason too. You dealt with your trauma in your own way, without adding to it when you came home. I get that.”

“And what is all this if not trauma?” Without taking my eyes from the road, I could tell he was waving a hand between us.

That hurt a little to hear. I was thinking about falling in love, and he was describing our time together as trauma. I took a beat to center my emotions and looked at Randall, who was wide-eyed as if he’d surprised himself with his outburst.