From behind a closed curtain, a lone voice said, “Amen to that.”
“Nonetheless, thank you.” Darius peered over Josh’s shoulder. “Did they say how long the scan would take?”
“No, but we can wait over there.” Josh indicated with a tilt to his head at a square of hanging pale green curtains. “I’m sure it won’t be too long.”
They claimed two chairs in the tight space, pushing aside the curtain that faced the hallway as they waited for any word of Estelle. Josh attempted to alleviate the mood by recounting stories of his high school days with Mitch and Brains, who Josh explained was another friend Darius hadn’t met but soon would. The stories usually ended with the trio in the principal’s office and sentenced to after-school detention. By the time the doctor appeared, Josh was beginning to make up some of the details, embellishing for the sake of humor.
The doctor walked into the treatment area, his dark, thick brows knitted together. Josh’s heart leaped into his throat, as he feared the worst. He inched to the edge of his seat, waiting for the news.
“Mrs. Moore—”
“Miss Warner,” Darius corrected.
The doctor looked at Darius, then to Josh. “I didn’t know your mother’s last name so I used yours,” he explained. “I’m sorry if I messed anything up.”
The doctor smiled. “It’s understandable,” he returned. He focused on Darius, explaining his mother had suffered a mild concussion and should be able to go home the next day.
Darius wiped a tear off his cheek as he thanked the doctor.
“I want to address your mother’s alcohol level,” the doctor continued. “She was greatly inebriated and her liver enzymes are elevated. Does she drink to excess often?”
Darius nodded as Josh looked away, feeling as if he shouldn’t witness the intimate conversation. He went to stand, but Darius asked him not to go.
“I can suggest a local treatment center that has had good results with my patients,” the doctor said. “Medicare and Medicaid are accepted. Would you like me to have a conversation with her when she’s feeling better?”
“It might hit home if you do it. She doesn’t listen to me.”
“That’s not uncommon when it comes from a family member.”
“When can I see her?” Darius asked.
“We’re admitting her now. If you follow me, I can get someone to show you to the right floor.”
Josh and Darius stood, and Darius turned to Josh. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, but I can take it from here. Seeing us together might make her angry, and I need to talk some sense into her and need her calm for that. You understand, right?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Josh’s car key, handing it to him.
“Of course,” Josh returned, feeling deflated. The logical part of his brain understood, but the emotional part felt hurt, but this wasn’t about him. “Call me later, and you know you can rely on me if you need any help.”
Darius nodded and rushed down the hall, following the doctor. “Thanks,” Darius shouted out as Josh watched them take a sharp turn and disappear from sight.
Chapter Nine
It had been three long days and even three longer nights since Josh received any word from Darius, no call, no text, no anything. He buried himself in schoolwork and the bakery, since Celeste’s employee who had gallbladder surgery extended her time off with the excuse of being unable to sleep due to the still inflamed incisions. Josh figured that the normally hard-working woman was enjoying a long overdue break. He didn’t mind because the time spent at the bakery kept him busy and surrounded by people and away from thoughts of being dumped by Darius. It had only been less than a week since he’d met Darius, but Josh felt that he had known him for most of his life. He tried to deny his thoughts and feelings these last few days, but it was impossible, and he kept coming back to one thing, that he was in love with Darius Moore, the softhearted boy from Detroit who had the kindest eyes Josh ever had the pleasure to look into.
Now at the bakery, Josh sniffed at the air, the smell of burning muffins coming from the kitchen.
Shit!
He forgot to take out the rosemary and sage corn muffins from the oven, which had sold out by midmorning, Celeste baked another batch due to their popularity. Racing to the oven, he shoved on oven mitts and yanked open the oven door. Black billowing smoke rolled out and began to fill the kitchen. Coughing, Josh removed the ruined muffins, setting them in the sink.
“Let me guess.” Celeste dashed in to the kitchen. “You were thinking of someone else’s buns and not the buns in the oven.”
“Ha, ha,” Josh said, not sharing in the humor. “And those burned up things in the sink are not buns but muffins.”
“Didn’t work with the joke.” Celeste walked up and placed her hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Honey, please call him. No matter the news, it’ll make you feel better when you hear it. Trust me. I’ve been around the block more times than I’d care to admit.”
“I will.”
“That’s what you’ve been saying since Tuesday. It’s now Thursday.”
“If I don’t hear anything by tomorrow afternoon, I promise I will text Darius.”
“If it was me,” Celeste said, “I’d want to hear his voice. Just saying.” She walked over to the sink and surveyed the still smoking damage. “My poor babies. Mama still loves you.”
“Celeste, at times you really are … original.”
“Better than being unoriginal.” She turned on the taps and began cleaning Josh’s mess, whistling a cheerful tune.
The door chimed, and Josh groaned. He was not in the mood to deal with customers.
“Sweety, would you go see who that is? I might be here a while. I’m going to need a chisel to remove this.”
Grudgingly, Josh went to see who it was.
“Josh.”
Josh stopped in his tracks. “D–D–Darius.” he stuttered. “Miss Warner, nice to see you.”
“Estelle, please,” she insisted. “Nice to see you again, too.”
“What are you doing here?”
This time it was Darius who spoke. “The sign outside said something about rosemary and sage corn muffins?”
“The signs wrong. I burned the last and only batch five minutes ago.” Josh shrugged. “They were really good muffins too. Maybe you can come back tomorrow for some?”
“We can do that,” Estelle began, “but we are not here for muffins, no matter how interesting the recipe. I’m here to say thank you for the other day.”
“Darius already did.”
“That’s because he was raised with manners.” She leveled her gaze. “I was too. Thank you.”
Celeste walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on the front of her apron. “Estelle. Darius. It’s so nice to see you both,” she exclaimed. “Estelle, you’re looking amazing. So much better than the other day. How are you feeling?”
“I’m here to extend my thanks and to apologize,” Estelle said. “I was upset and worried and shouldn’t have come here causing trouble. I was disrespectful … to you both.”
“No worries,” Celeste said. “The important thing is you’re feeling better.”
“That I am,” Estelle assured.
“Have a seat in the café, and I will bring you a coffee,” said Celeste.
For the first time, Estelle smiled. “How about one of those apple cinnamon muffins? I believe it is the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Celeste returned the smile. “Coming right up.”
Josh watched as Darius mumbled something to his mother. Estelle nodded and made her way to the café as Darius approached the counter. “My mother’s not the only one here to apologize.”
“You don’t owe me one.”
“Yes, I do,” Darius said. “I should’ve called, texted … anything, but I was a coward. You don’t deserve to be mistreated, and that was exactly what I was doing. You not only cared for my mother when she needed it, you cared for me too. You made me feel welcome and attracti
ve and above all, loved. Thank you.”
Emotion tightened Josh’s throat. “I’ve been going crazy these last few days,” Josh admitted. “I wanted to respect your time with your mother, but another part of me, the really big part, wanted to go to your house and tell you how much I love you.” There, I said it, Josh thought. No turning back now.
“What did you say?” Darius’s mouth remained slightly ajar.
“Boy,” Estelle yelled from the café, causing Josh to almost jump out of his skin. “He said he loved you. Clean your ears out and tell him you love him back, or I’ll do it for you. I’m tired of seeing your moping face around the house. It’s obnoxious.”
Celeste choked back a laugh—poorly.
Darius visibly swallowed. “What my mom just said. I love you. I realized it while at the hospital. I wanted to tell you then, but I felt it was the wrong time. I should have. It would’ve made your life a little easier if I had told you.”
“What matters is that you said it now.”
Celeste cleared her throat. “Aren’t you going to kiss?”
Estelle interrupted, “Aren’t I going to get a cup of coffee and a muffin? Get over here and let those two seal the deal.” She scrunched up her face, a look of disapproval. “Is it always this clumsy for gays to kiss and profess their love?” She cursed under her breath as Celeste made herself scarce.
Darius rolled his eyes as Josh continued, “I know it’s early days still, but don’t ever feel like you can’t talk with me about anything. I felt that I’d lost you forever.”
Darius leaned in. “You’ll never feel that way again. Promise.”
And then that kiss finally happened.
THE END
DECEPTION
The Boys of Banana Court:
Isaac and Mohammed’s Story
Isaac Bronstein likes his life the way it is. He lives in a town, he loves his two best friends, and is doing great in school and at work. So, what’s not to like? It’s the other people in his life who find his existence disappointing, namely his parents, especially his mother, Sandra.
Mohammed Connelly is straight. He’s been straight all his life. So what if he has sex with men? That doesn’t mean he’s gay, does it? If he were, why would he have a girlfriend and why would his parents constantly be dreaming of his wedding day? There was only one problem—Mohammed didn’t want to get married to his girlfriend, or any girl for that matter. He just couldn’t see it in his future. What he could see was sharing a life with Isaac … who happened to be a man. Certainty turns to uncertainty when he begins to ask himself—Am I man enough to be gay?
Reader Advisory: This Gay Romance will make your heart race and your breath catch. You are not dying. It’s just a hot read!
Dedication
For Darcy. Miss you.
Chapter One
“Dude, I’m freezing my balls off.” Isaac Bronstein was tired of waiting in line. When his best friends since high school suggested hitting the new club, Scandal, he didn’t expect to be standing outside in the cold for over a half hour.
“Dude,” Mitch Montgomery scoffed. “I told you not to wear a tank tonight. It’s almost Christmas. You should expect it to be cold. It’s sweater weather.”
“This is Florida, not Maine,” Isaac replied, stating the obvious and rubbing his hands over his arms in an attempt to warm them up. “It’s called the Sunshine State for a reason.”
“It was sunny today,” Josh Connors shared. “In fact, I went to the beach today. It was nice and peaceful.”
“Yeah, because you were the only fool there. Everyone else stayed home.”
“Well,” Mitch began, “if you didn’t feel the need to show off your fresh ink you’d be warm right now.”
Isaac peered at the inside of his left forearm at the dramatic colors of his tattoo. His sleeve was almost complete, a Japanese style design running the entire length of his arm. He smiled at the yellow, red, and orange scales of the Koi fish, its vibrant green eyes staring back at him.
“I’m proud of it, and I love it.”
Josh and Mitch looked too. “It is cool, dude,” Josh said. “Makes me want to get a tattoo.”
Mitch redirected his gaze to his friend’s blue eyes. “Can’t believe you haven’t yet.”
“It’s because he’s a big chicken,” Isaac said through a laugh.
“Do you know how many people have a fear of needles?” Josh shot back. “Plenty.”
Mitch clucked like a chicken before Josh sunk a playful punch into his buddy’s arm.
Still laughing, Isaac stepped out of the way and onto the foot of a drag queen who was standing behind him. He apologized profusely, fearing that the towering, broad-shouldered Diana Ross wannabe would pummel him.
As the line snaked forward, Isaac could feel the heat coming from the open double doors of the warehouse-sized space. He inched as closely to the warm air as humanly possible.
“Why are we doing this?” he asked. “Is it worth it?”
“For you to meet a guy, bro,” Mitch and Josh said in unison.
Mitch shoved his hands in his front pockets and continued, “It’s winter break, and everyone’s in town. Plus, this being a new club and all, the tourists are here for the holiday, so it’s the perfect time.”
Ever since Mitch found Austin, and Josh started dating Darius, his friends were on a mission to get him hooked-up. He knew that their hearts were in a good place, but he was beginning to feel like the ugliest runt in the litter.
“Dudes,” he groaned. “I can score my own dates. It’s nice that you want to help, but I’m beginning to feel like a personal cause or charity case or something.”
Mitch’s firm hand landed on Isaac’s shoulder. “You are our personal cause but never a charity case. We love you and want you to be happy.”
“You want to make me happy?”
Josh and Mitch nodded.
“Then get me in that club or get me home. I’m beginning to get embarrassed.” Isaac pointed at his rigid nipples poking from his shirt.
“I’m turned on,” Mitch said, turning to Josh. “How about you?”
“Totally,” Josh agreed. “Those tits are hot.”
“I hate you guys. Love you but still hate you.”
“Brains,” Mitch said, calling him by the nickname they’d dubbed him with years ago due to his high IQ and the ability to retain information. “You are one cruel bitch.”
“Hurtful,” Josh added. “Breaks my heart to hear you say such things.”
Diana, the drag queen, made a noise that could only mean that she agreed with the two men.
“Stop that BS because it’s really piling up and I don’t want to get my favorite shoes messy.”
She made that noise again as Isaac finally stood before the velvet ropes. Finally!
They paid and walked into the expansive space packed with wall-to-wall bodies—hot, muscular, mostly shirtless and glistening with sweat, bodies.
“Damn,” Mitch sighed.
“Double damn,” Josh seconded.
Isaac looked around the impressive crowd of good-looking men, temporarily stunned by the beauty. He stood taller, sticking out his chest. “Where did all these guys come from? Were they bused in because I don’t see them during the day?”
“They wear clothes during the day,” Mitch said, pointing to the bar. Isaac and Josh followed without exchanging a word as Isaac tried to not trip on his tongue.
After ordering three bottled beers, they perused the crowd and danced where they stood to the latest Gaga. It had been some time since the three best friends hit the town, Josh and Mitch cultivating new relationships, and Isaac working part-time and studying for midterms, but he had taken his last just over twenty-four hours ago, and he vowed to leave it all in the past, especially tonight.
Taking a long pull from his beer, the cool liquid hit the right spot, and Isaac amused himself by imagining which guys he would have sex with if the opportunity presented itself. It was a game he played when he
was in the company of so many stellar men. After a minute, he had to stop because even his imaginary self was getting ready to call him a slut. He smiled, feeling silly and a little light-headed, either because of the cold beer or the parade of grade A beef.
Josh elbowed him. “What’s so funny,” he said over the music.
“Yeah,” Mitch chimed. “You’d better share because I’m sure it’s perverted.”
Isaac didn’t even consider holding back. He felt comfortable around his closest friends. Always had. “I’m entertaining myself by wondering which of these men I’d sleep with.”
“I do that too … that is before Austin,” Mitch said.
“Not anymore?” Isaac asked, truly intrigued. “Ever?”
He shook his head, a playful smile across his lips. “Cross my heart. Austin is all the man I need. He’s perfect in every way. Handsome. Built. Smart. Kind. Generous. Built.”
“You said that already,” Josh said.
“It’s worth saying again,” Mitch replied. “You’ve seen him. The guy is seriously pumped. Sometimes I can’t believe he’s mine.”
“And judging by the way he looks at you,” Isaac said, “I believe the feeling is mutual. He really loves you.”
Mitch’s smile got larger and goofier. “He does, doesn’t he? And I love him.”
Josh tossed his arm over Mitch’s shoulder and pulled him in for a quick hug. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”
Mitch nodded. “So you know how I feel.”
“Absolutely. Darius and I are sailing on happy, placid waters.” Josh sighed. “It was a rocky start, but all that drama and chaos almost feels like it didn’t happen, or it happened to someone else. The funny thing is, I can’t image life without him now. When I see his smiling face after a rough day, I immediately feel calm and full of peace.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Mitch sighed too, his blue eyes looking dreamy. “Guess it’s called falling in love.”
Isaac ping-ponged between his friends. “I can’t believe that we are surrounded by the most gorgeous men on the Earth, possibly the universe, and you’re talking about your boyfriends.” Before they could say anything, he added, “And it’s a very beautiful thing. Who would have ever guessed that the two biggest heartbreakers of Palmer Ranch High would be saying what you’re saying right now? Never thought I’d see the day.”
The Boys of Banana Court: Box Set Page 16