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The first time I actually met Mr. Michaels was during winter break, middle of December, right after Toby and I decided to give us another chance. School had just let out, and Toby invited me to stay the night in his shed. Of course we were both riding a high of freedom from school, and somewhere in the middle of a long and detailed introduction to the Dread Knight series—in preparation for its sequel, which was at last given a surprise New Year’s Eve release date—I lost my pants, Toby lost his everything, and suddenly we were on the floor of his shed filling the air with the steam of body heat, the smacking of lips exploring bare skin, and deep, searching looks into one another’s eyes. It was clear we couldn’t get enough of each other, and no matter what obstacles dared to stand in our way over this winter break, we were going to see each other as much as we possibly could. Around midnight, I decided we needed a snack and designated myself to be the guy who heads to the main house to grab a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos Toby told me was in the pantry. That’s where, in just a pair of loose jeans opened at the waist and a sheen of sweat over my exposed skin, I ran into Mr. Michaels. While we’d both heard so much about one another, we had never until that moment actually met. At first, it was something of an awkward standoff. To ensure he didn’t think I was some kind of midnight Doritos burglar, even though I was certain he knew exactly who I was, I extended my hand. “Vann.” He studied me an exorbitant amount of time before accepting my handshake. No further words were exchanged, but when I left the house and returned across the yard to the shed, I spotted his silhouette in the back window watching me.
Things have warmed up considerably between us since that strange night, to say the least. “Well, you’re gonna have to wait a bit ‘til you see him,” Mr. Michaels states, throwing a thumb over his shoulder toward the back door, “because that boy is taking all dang evening dollin’ himself up. Marly’s out there, too.”
“That’s okay,” I say, smiling inwardly. “I can wait.”
Indeed, I can wait. That much I’ve proven to myself since last November when everything almost fell apart.
The winter brought us closer together than either of us could have predicted. We were inseparable. Especially when cold front after cold front blew in through Spruce and everyone donned their jackets. I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked around town in short sleeves, amused at what these adorable people here in south Texas call “cold weather”. They have no clue. But several of those nights when it was too cold to sleep in the shed, I indulged Toby and wrapped us up in a big furry blanket to watch movies on his couch in the main house with his dog Winona curled up at our side. One of those nights, his mother came home from a late shift at Lucille’s and, totally uninvited (but not unwelcomed), she made hot cocoa for us, then cuddled underneath our blanket with us to finish whatever movie was on. Toby dozed off in my arms right there on that couch, and Marlene gave me a look and said, “You gotta take care of my boy no matter what happens. He’s so precious, and he’s so sensitive, and … and he’s smitten by you. Totally, wholeheartedly, irrevocably smitten.”
Those were some big words. And I took them right to heart that warm, cuddly, hot-cocoa-scented night.
And I never quite understood what she meant by “take care of my boy no matter what happens”, but something seemed to lock into place from that night onward with her. I think she decided I was the right guy for her son and didn’t have to worry about him anymore while I was around. And about that fact, she was absolutely right: I was going to do everything in my power to keep him happy.
Even if that meant going to the Strongs to attend their huge annual Holiday Bash.
Thankfully, it turned out nothing like the Halloween one. The town of Spruce is lucky to see half an inch of snow every ten years, and whenever it does, it’s another miracle if it sticks to the ground long enough to even be enjoyed. Despite the lack of snow, Nadine and her minions (wherever and whoever they were) decorated the Strong ranch in an eruption of holiday-themed ornaments, trees, garlands, colorful lights, and mistletoe everywhere. On the night of the Christmas party, she even covered a huge portion of her lawn in fake snow complete with giant snowman lawn ornaments. Everyone in all of Spruce seemed to be invited to the party, too, from the theatre peeps, to farmhands and ranchers on every edge of town, to Coach Strong’s uncle Gary and his right-hand man Harrison, to a sassy, sharp-tongued Grandma Strong who had a lot of very hilarious stories to tell about everything and everyone, to the recently-out couple of Chad and his fashionista boyfriend Lance, to Reverend Trey Arnold and his husband Cody, to even the whole of Coach Strong’s football team. There wasn’t a single face there who wasn’t happy, in love, or oozing with holiday spirit.
