Closing Time

by E. L. Todd

  “Found any honies?” I asked.

  He smirked. “No, not quite.”

  “I got a ton of single girlfriends if you want to be set up,” Flynn offered. “And I know the loose ones from the not loose ones.” He gave my brother a wink.

  I gave my boyfriend a look of hatred.

  “Sorry,” he said with a shrug.

  Peter watched us closely. “You guys are cute together.”

  “Cute?” I’ve never heard my boyfriend say that word.

  “Yeah. I’m glad you found a good guy. If I ever see Kyle again, I’ll smash his face in.” My brother sipped his wine.

  Flynn held up his hand and gave my brother a high-five. “We’re going to get along great.”

  “Yeah,” my brother said with a smile.

  After the food was brought, my brother became quiet. He seemed uncomfortable, under the weather.

  “Everything okay?” I asked him.

  “Um…no.” He put down his fork and looked at the table.

  “What is it?” What happened? Was my brother in trouble?

  “There’s something I need to tell you…I’ve been dreading it. But I think of all people, you’ll understand the most. My friends know, but you’re the first family member I’ve decided to open up to.”

  Oh my god. Was he sick? Did he get in trouble with the law? “Okay.”

  Flynn kept his silence and didn’t make any jokes.

  Peter sighed. “Well, there’s no other way to say it than just to say it. I’m gay.”

  Oh. I took a long moment to process his words.

  Flynn said nothing, resting his elbows on the table.

  My brother stared at me and waited for me to say something. “Hazel?”

  “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I just thought you were going to say something worse, like you had cancer or something.”

  “I’m in perfect health,” Peter said.

  The fact my brother was gay was shocking, but I guess it wasn’t that surprising. He was always sensitive and talked to me about my problems. I’d never seen any girls come around and he loved to watch The Golden Girls. “I’m happy for you. I know that must have been hard to keep from everyone.”

  He stared at me like I was crazy. “That’s it? You aren’t mad? You aren’t going to talk me out of it? You aren’t going to ask me to see a psychiatrist?”

  “Why would I…?” I didn’t think it was a big deal.

  My brother was in shock. “So…you’re cool with this?”

  “Yeah.” His sex life was none of my business.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I just…I thought you would hate me or something.”

  “I dance with gay guys all the time. I’ve never had a problem with homosexuality.”

  “That gives me great relief.”

  “And if I didn’t, it wouldn’t change anything. You’re my brother. I support whatever you believe in.”

  He smiled. “That means a lot to me.”

  Flynn put his hand on my thigh. “I share the same viewpoint.”

  My brother nodded. “Well, that was easier than I thought.”

  “If anything, I respect you more,” I said. “I know coming out isn’t easy and it probably never will be. The fact you’re standing up for what you believe in is admirable.”

  He rested his elbows on the table. “I guess I forgot how cool my baby sister is.”

  “I am pretty cool,” I said.

  ‘The fact that you have to say you’re cool automatically makes you uncool,” Flynn said.

  I eyed him. “Seriously? Coming from the guy that thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread.”

  “Well, it’s different,” Flynn said.

  “Because you’re a boy?” I challenged.

  “My sexiness is an undeniable truth,” Flynn said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Sometimes I wonder why I stick around.”

  Flynn smirked. “I don’t.”

  “Anyway…” I turned back to my brother. “I’m assuming you haven’t told Mom and Dad.”

  “No,” Peter said with a laugh. “That’s why I didn’t come out until I moved here. There’s really nothing they can do about it now.”

  “Are you going to tell them?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.” My brother shrugged. “I’ll be treated like shit. After seeing the way they constantly put you down, I’m not looking forward to it.”

  “It’s not much fun,” I said honestly.

  “Why do you guys care anyway?” Flynn asked. “If they can’t accept their kids for who they are, you shouldn’t give them the time of day. They’ve turned their backs on you, so you should turn your backs on them.” His voice was venomous.

  “Not a fan?” Peter asked with a laugh.

  “Not in the least,” Flynn said seriously. “Their constant disapproval of Hazel has hurt her more than anyone realizes. It’s unacceptable.”

  Peter gave me a fond look. “I think she turned out okay.”

  Thanks to a special someone. “So…you seeing anyone?”

  Peter gave me a wide smirk. “I have a boyfriend. We live together.”

  “Ah…the secret roommate.” Flynn winked at him.

  “He’s great,” Peter said. “He’s a lawyer too. We met in college.”

  “Cool,” I said. “I’d love to meet him.”

  “Let’s double date,” Flynn offered.

  “Thanks…I really appreciate how supportive you’re being about this.” Peter looked down at his food, embarrassed.

  “There’s nothing to be supportive about,” I said. “There’s nothing wrong with being gay. You basically just told me you painted your house a different color.”

  Peter smiled. “Everything is going so well. My friends were surprised but they came around pretty quickly. The only reason why I was concerned about your opinion is because you’re the only family member I actually like. I didn’t want to lose you. I already know how Mom and Dad will react. I’m pretty certain they’ll disown me.”

  I was pretty certain they would too. “We don’t need them, Peter.”

  “You certainly don’t,” Flynn added.

  We finished dinner and discussed various topics. After Peter told me the truth, he seemed relaxed. He was actually happy. We didn’t bring it up again and we didn’t discuss when he would tell our parents. We just enjoyed our time together, being a family. I didn’t have anyone of my own, but at least I had my brother. And with Flynn and my friends I made my new family. Maybe it was unorthodox and weird, but it made me happy. For the first time, I felt like my life was put back together. Everything was good. Everything was great.

  After we said goodbye to my brother, we walked down the street hand in hand.

  “Want to get a drink?” he asked.

  “Why?”

  “I want to get you all liquored up so I can take advantage of you.”

  “You don’t need to get me drunk to accomplish that.”

  He smirked. “But I like it when you’re drunk. You’re less inhibited.”

  I was more relaxed when I was drunk. I did things in the bedroom I wouldn’t normally do. “Okay.”

  We walked into Stellas then sat in the booth. Flynn ordered our drinks then put his arm over the back of my chair.

  “I can’t believe my brother is gay.”

  “You really had no idea?”

  “No. I mean, I guess it makes sense in retrospect but I never would have suspected it.”

  “I think it’s great,” Flynn said. “I can’t imagine how painful it would be to hide yourself from the world so long.”

  “Yeah…”

  “If I had to pretend to like boys, I would hate my life,” Flynn said. “Especially when I’m so strongly attracted to one woman…” He rubbed his nose against mine then sipped his whiskey.

  I drank my wine then stared at Flynn. Sometimes I couldn’t believe he was real. Every guy I met was a total jerk, and it was hard to believe that this perfect man loved me as much as he said
he did. He was always there for me, being the rock I’d been missing my whole life. Flynn was so lively and full of joy that it spread into my veins, becoming infectious. He was truly amazing, the perfect man for me. He had my whole heart and everything else.

  “What?” he said, catching my look.

  I smiled then looked away. “Nothing.”

  “No, it was something. Now tell me.” He leaned close to me.

  “I just love you. That’s all.”

  “Well, if that’s what that look means, you can stare at me like that all you want.” He finished his whiskey then set the empty glass on the table. He pushed my glass closer to me. “Bottoms up.”

  “You really want to get me drunk, huh?”

  “Drunk sex is the best sex. You say funny things.”

  “I do?” I asked, suddenly embarrassed.

  “Oh yeah. Now drink.”

  “You’re not doing a good job convincing me.”

  “Drink it or I’ll take you in the men’s bathroom.”

  “Again…not convincing me.”

  He smirked then nibbled on my ear. “Come on. Finish it then I’ll get you another.”

  I lifted the glass then drank the remaining liquid.

  “Good girl.” He snatched the empty glasses then headed to the bar.

  I stared at his backside and sighed in happiness. He was lean and limber but I loved his body. He was compatible to me. If I was with someone like Mike, I’d be afraid he would roll over in the middle of the night and squish me.

  Flynn’s back muscles were lean and tight, and I could see them move through his shirt. He approached the bar and waited for the bartender to notice him.

  Was this how the rest of my life would be? I’d be spending every night with Flynn, playfully bickering with him until we went to bed and made love. I’d be happy every single day until the sun finally set forever. That didn’t sound so bad. That’s exactly what I wanted.

  In the midst of my pondering, I saw a dark-skinned woman approach him. Her slender neck and perfect curves caught my attention. Her eyes were deep like dusk, and her legs ran for days. Without seeing her before, I knew exactly who she was. Instantly, the anger flushed through me like a revved engine. Steam came out of my ears and I was about to go on a rampage. This woman took Flynn away from me, making me believe he was a liar and a cheater. She wanted my man back but she wasn’t going to get him.

  Not on my watch.

  I left the booth and stormed over there, ready to deck this bitch in the face. Who the hell makes such an elaborate plan to break a couple up? If she claimed she loved Flynn, she obviously didn’t. When someone really cared for another person, they wouldn’t sabotage their happiness like that. When I arrived at the bar, Flynn was glaring at her with fury. He was just as pissed as I was.

  “Hey.” I inserted myself between Flynn and the manipulative whore. Judging the surprise in her eyes, she obviously had no clue I was there. “You. Me. Outside. I’m kicking your ass all the way until the sun comes back up.”

  The crowd whispered to each other then backed away.

  “Excuse me?” Zahara asked.

  “Let’s go. I’m going to permanently disfigure that pretty face of yours.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this. I didn’t normally get riled up. Of course I would defend myself if I needed to, but I never sought out a fight. But that’s how pissed I was.

  “Uh…” Judging the uncertainty in her eyes, she clearly didn’t want a fight.

  Too bad. “No one fucks with my man and gets away with it.” I grabbed her by the hair and dragged her through the bar.

  “Ahh!” She screamed while I yanked her across the tile like a dog. “Flynn!”

  “You think he’s going to do anything for you?” I pushed her through the door until we were on the sidewalk.

  Flynn came behind me, his arms across his chest. He clearly didn’t care that I was going to beat the shit out of his ex.

  “I’m sorry, okay?” She held up her hands, not wanting to be hit in the face. “I didn’t know what else to do!”

  “So you rip us apart? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I…” She backed away. “I’m sorry. I said I was sorry!”

  Flynn stood there, looking indifferent.

  “Well, this will teach you not to do it again.” I raised my fist and stepped to her, but she took off at a dead run. She sprinted up the sidewalk and pushed people out of the way.

  I stayed behind and watched her run like a scared little girl. “Coward.”

  Flynn put his arm around my waist. “I don’t think she’ll bother either one of us anymore.”

  “She’d be stupid to even think about it.”

  He gave me a fond look. “That was really hot.”

  “What? Me losing my temper and going on a rampage?”

  “Yeah…really hot.”

  “You didn’t think I was being immature and catty?”

  “Nope. If some guy did that to me his face would be slammed into the concrete.” He pulled me close then gave me a scorching kiss. “Now let’s get home so I can fuck your brains out.”

  “That’s romantic…”

  “I wasn’t trying to be.”

  When we got home, Flynn grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and took it into the bedroom. Cade sat on the couch watching TV. He eyed us then turned up the volume.

  “I can tell I don’t want to hear what you two are doing.”

  We both ignored him then went to bed.

  Like a trashy couple, we drank the wine right out of the bottle. It was red and bitter, but we drank it anyway. Flynn kept watching me, waiting for my face to start tinting.

  “This isn’t romantic at all,” I said as I started laughing hard.

  He smirked. “Looks like you’re finally drunk.”

  “Did you see her run away from me?” I hit my knee because I kept laughing. “She was practically flying. God, she’s such a pussy.”

  Flynn sipped the wine while he watched me, totally amused. “Well, you can be pretty scary when you want to be.”

  “Are you kidding? I weigh a hundred and two pounds, I’m so skinny you can see my ribs through my skin, and I have no boobs.”

  “Why would having boobs matter in a fight?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  My foggy mind realized how irrelevant it was. I started laughing again, snorting at the same time. “I don’t know! They are like boxing bags.”

  “What…? Okay, you’re far gone.” He put the bottle on the nightstand then crawled over to me. “Now I’m ready to have sex with you.”

  “Ready?” I pushed my hand down the front of his jeans, being bold in a way I could never be when I was sober, and started to rub him hard.

  He flinched then closed his eyes for a moment.

  “Your dick is so big,” I blurted.

  He tried not to laugh. “Thank you.”

  I undid his jeans and tried to get them off, but for some reason I couldn’t figure it out. “Damn, your pants are stuck.”

  “No. I just need to straighten my legs.”

  “Did you spill glue?”

  He chuckled then got them off. “No. I figured it out.”

  I pulled him back to me then pulled down his boxers. “The first time we had sex, I didn’t think it was going to fit. I thought you were going to break up with me and leave.”

  “Did you now?” He grabbed my legs and pulled me until I was flat on the bed. His lips moved to my neck and he kissed me, moving his tongue across the skin.

  I arched my back then moved my hand up his shirt, feeling his body. “You’re really hot…”

  “Thank you,” he whispered into my ear.

  “I want to marry you. That’s what I was thinking earlier.” I never would have said that in a million years if I were sober.

  He pulled away and looked at me straight on. “You want to get married?”

  “Duh.” I giggled. “Are you kidding me? A lifetime with the most perfect man in the world
sounds amazing.”

  “And the most cocky.”

  “I love it when you’re cocky.” Shit, did I just say that?

  He gave me the widest grin I’d ever seen. “I knew it.”

  “Wait…I mean, JK!”

  “Nope, I heard you. You’ve been caught.”

  “Damn it,” I said with a sigh.

  “So…you want to marry a cocky man?”

  “I want to marry you.”

  “You don’t think it’s too soon?”

  “It’s way too soon! I’ve known you for like eight months. But I want to do it anyway.”

  “Interesting…I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You want to marry me, right?” My insecurities started to emerge.

  “Very much so.”

  “Oooh! Let’s get married and piss off my parents! No, let’s go on a romantic honeymoon and have lots of sex. Oh my god! Babies! Let’s have lots of babies.”

  He pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh. “That sounds like fun.”

  “I want to be Mrs. Robbins. Mrs. Hazel Robbins. It sounds so good.”

  “It rolls right off the tongue.” He moved his lips to my chest and started to unbutton my jeans.

  “I thought there would never be a better guy than Cortland…he’s so perfect. But you’re so much better.”

  He flinched for a second then kept going. “I am better—for you.” He got them off then pulled my underwear down. When it was around my ankles, he took them off then rubbed himself with the fabric.

  “You’re such a pervert.”

  “For you.” He tossed them aside then moved back over me.

  I grabbed his shirt then yanked it off, anxious to feel him inside me. My hands moved across his chest. “You’re so hot.”

  “You said that already,” he said with a smirk.

  “I love your tattoo.” My hand moved over his forearm. “I like that you’re kinda bad but you’re kinda good at the same time. Perfect mix.”

  “Good to know.” He pulled my shirt off then unhooked my bra.

  I covered my face. “My tits are so small!”

  He grabbed my hands and yanked them from my face. “They’re perfect.”

  “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  “No, I’m not.” He smiled down at me. “It’s all about proportion. Frankly, if you had a big rack it would look weird.”