Outrunning Shadows

Chapter 12: The Date

Chapter 12 – The Date





Once everyone had arrived and they gathered in the dining room, Evan offered a prayer of thanksgiving and they all started eating. Present at his affair were: Engrid, Evan, Andrew, Myrtle, Dora, Marge, and Penny. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief, this was not another of Engrid’s schemes to get him hitched. Maybe she sensed that he and Evan were gay, but was unwilling to accept that. Perhaps she believed him when he assured her that they weren’t. He felt terribly guilty about lying to her to her face, but he didn’t see any other alternative. He also feared that it would hurt her worse in the end when she does finally find out that her precious Evan is a faggot and he’s banging her new next door neighbor. But for now, all was peaceful and serene. So far, it was a typical Sunday lunch at Engrid’s house. Not an unusual affair by any means. She had made chicken tetrazzini, frozen corn from a bag, some black eyed peas, and a few other accessories.


Engrid began the conversation, “So, Evan, how were things at church this morning?”


“They were fine. Busy, but then it always is.”


“I know that feeling. I got to church this morning and the sounding board in the organ is out of whack again. I guess I’ll have to call that holy terror Inez Braughtenberger. She’s a fine piano tuner and organ repair person, but Lord what a mess.”


“What do you mean? Penny asked.


“Well, she smells like stale coffee and cigarettes, for one thing. Then she has that voice that sounds like fingernails raking across a chalkboard. Plus she’s always fussing at me about the climate control system in the church. I keep telling that old battle axe that I don’t have control of the thermostat. If she wanted to fuss and strut about the climate control, she needed to call Harold because he’s the chair of the blasted building and grounds committee.”


“Go get ‘em girl,” Andrew said under his breath.


“Well, I mean if you’re gonna fuss and strut about something, you ought to do it in front of someone who can do something about it.”


“True,” Myrtle conceded.


“Guess what, Engrid. I got a letter from Morgan yesterday! I just mentioned him to you the other day.” Dora said, deflecting Engrid’s wrath away from poor Inez Braughtenberger.


“You got a letter? Where is he nowadays?” Engrid replied.


“Yeah. He and Nathaniel broke up not too long after they left here, you know.”


“Really?” Evan said.


“Yeah, Nathaniel taught himself Dutch and moved to Amsterdam of all places.


“Is that so? So, how’s Morgan doing? Do you hear from him often?”


“Oh yes, he writes me a couple of times a year. He tells me what he’s been up to.”


“So, what’s he up to?” Evan asked.


“He’s getting married.”


Engrid almost spewed her sweet tea across the table. “Really? Married? Morgan?”


“Absolutely. I’m trying to remember the guy’s name.”


“He’s marrying a guy?” Myrtle asked.


“Well he is gay,” Dora said as if the entire world should already know that fact.


“Oh, I didn’t realize that.”


“He is quite definitely gay,” Dora confirmed, “Anyway, I can’t remember the guy’s name. But enclosed in the letter was an invitation. He said that Engrid and Evan could come and if they wanted to bring guests, they were welcomed to.”


“I just don’t know about that. Two men getting married.” Engrid said. There was more concern in her voice than animosity. As if it was okay but still a bad idea.


“Well, you’re invited all the same.”


“Where are they getting married?” Evan asked.


“Out in San Diego. That’s where Morgan’s been living the last couple of years.”


“How long have they known each other?” Engrid asked. To be disapproving, she surely was curious.


“About six years. They met when Morgan lived in New Orleans. Morgan and Jason, that’s the guy’s name, met several months after Nathaniel left and moved to Chicago. I believe was where he went. I think he left from Chicago to go to Amsterdam- if I’m remembering the updates in the correct order. Anyway, Morgan’s kept me up to date all along and Jason is a fine, upstanding young man. They’re absolutely crazy about each other.”


“I just don’t see how,” Engrid said.


“Well, nothing about love makes sense. Didn’t marriage or child rearing teach you anything?” Myrtle said.


“Since when did you care?” Engrid asked huffily, “Sorry. It’s just that this whole situation frustrates me.”


“You saw how Nathaniel and Morgan were. They were as in love as any man and woman could be,” Dora said.


“Well, but they broke up.”


“So? Regular couples break up all the time, that doesn’t make them wrong to begin with- it just means that things didn’t work out.”


“Well, all the same. It just doesn’t make sense.”


“Well, I’m going,” Dora said. “After all the letters I’ve read from Morgan talking about how wonderful and smart and funny and gorgeous and yada yada that Jason is, I want to meet the man behind the myth. I called Morgan this morning when I got home to change after church and said that as soon as they have some vacation time, they should come here and see me. I said that Evan would be glad to see him again, too. I also told him that I had a wonderful new neighbor that he needs to meet as well.”


“You invited him back here?” Engrid said.


“Of course. This is his home town too, you know.”


“I didn’t mean it that way.”


Andrew piped up, “I have some friends in San Diego that you might be able to stay with. They’re some of my friend’s parents. I met them a few times. I could call a few of my friends and ask them to ask their parents if you could stay with them for a couple of days. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”


“That’s be nice,” Dora said, “Since they’re your friends, you should come too. Then you’d get to catch up on old times and we’d get free lodging.”


“That’s a great idea,” Evan said, “Is there still room for me?”


“Of course,” Dora said, “I want you to go on the internet and tell me how much it’ll cost for us to all fly out there for the weekend.”


“When is it?” Andrew asked.


“It’s not until spring, so we’ve got plenty of time.”


“Great. That’ll be fun. I haven’t seen Morgan since he left.” Evan said.


The rest of lunch went well, with no more discussion of gay people in any form.





                                       #





When Andrew got home from lunch, a few minutes passed before the phone rang. Evan was on the line.


“So, about tonight?”


“What about it?”


“You asked me out on a d.a.t.e. Remember?” he whispered.


“I did ask you out on a date. Would you go out with me?”


“Hmmm.” Evan said coyly, “I guess I might have time. Let me check my schedule.” Andrew heard a few papers rustling. He could hear road noise and knew that Evan was calling him from a cell phone in his Cherokee. “Guess what? I’m free.”


“Yay!” Andrew said. “So, 4:30 then?”


“What are we seeing?”


“I don’t know. I figure we could go out to this little Italian bistro I know in Columbia. Benicia’s. Then, we’ll go to the theatre and see what’s playing next.”


“Oooh. Italian, eh? So, dinner and a movie. I guess I’m gonna have to start putting out soon.”


Andrew laughed out loud. Evan chuckled a little.


“So,” Andrew said, “I’ll pick you up at 4:30, we’ll drive into town, eat dinner and then we’ll go out to a movie. I’ll have you home by midnight.”


“Yes. I turn into a dreadful troll at midnight.” Evan teased.


“Evan, you couldn’t be a troll if you tried.”


“Nice try.”


“It’s true. Of us, I’m the troll. You’re the sexy, smart, funny one. I’m the ugly, dumb, boring one.”


“Hardly. But, 4:30. I’ll be ready. Ma’s going over the Aunt Georgia’s house this afternoon. So, just drop by the house. We wouldn’t want people to think I liked you or anything.”


“Of course not, it would ruin you reputation as an ice king.”


“Least I’m no ice queen.”


“Yeah. So, Mr. Marvelous, I’ll see you at 4:30.”


“See you then.”


They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. By the time they had all gotten home from church, changed, gone over to Engrid’s, eaten and cleaned up after lunch, it was already 3. 4:30 would soon be upon them.


Andrew rushed upstairs and threw open his walk-in closet door. He walked to the middle of the aisle and looked around- a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. He started pulling things out and looking at them. Opposite the door, at the other end of the aisle, there was a full length mirror. Andrew would assemble and pants and shirt combinations, then hold them up in front of the mirror, covering his body. He tried light and festive and decided he looked like a beach bum tourist. He tried Manhattan black and decided he looked like he was either in mourning or going Goth. He tried loose fitting and decided he looked like a Goodwill reject. He tried tight and decided it made him look scrawnier than he already was. He started to get frustrated that he couldn’t find the perfect outfit. Since Evan’s mom was going to be gone, he wanted Evan’s jaw to drop when he saw him tonight. Tonight was their first actual date date. The dinner was nice, but this was a traditional date that they both were calling a ‘date.’ So, naturally, it was Andrew’s plan to make Evan want him more than he’d ever wanted anyone ever. Andrew couldn’t have known that Evan already wanted him, but life was more complicated than that. It wasn’t a matter of just selecting from among a set of equally acceptable options. If Evan let it be known how much he wanted Andrew, it would create more problems that it could ever hope to solve. Andrew couldn’t have known that at that very moment, Evan was thinking the same set of thoughts that Andrew was- what to wear to make his jaw drop.


Evan was upstairs. He had given his mother a ride home and she was getting out the vacuum to clean the carpet in the den. Evan was standing in front of his much smaller closet. Nothing. He went into the attic. When he moved home from New York, he had stored most of his ‘city clothes’ in wooden foot lockers that were in the attic. He had to decide fast so he would have time to wash it so he wouldn’t smell like an old lady’s shoebox when Andrew got there. He decided on a blue shirt that had just a hint of shimmer to it and flat fronted off white pants and a belt. As Evan was rifling through a green foot locker, he had to remind himself that what looked awesome in Chelsea, would get his butt kicked in Columbia. But what he picked out was decent and didn’t smell at all. He went back to his bedroom and rummaged through his clutter drawer to find his hair gel and skin cleanser with moisturizer. He hadn’t used any of it in so long he hoped it hadn’t expired. He couldn’t find an expiration date, so he figured it must still be good.


His mother was finished vacuuming and was channel surfing. He called down the stairs to her, “Are you still going over to Aunt Georgia’s?”


“Yeah. I’ll leave here about 4:00 and get back here around 9 or 10. Why?”


“Just curious is all.”


“Okay. Got a hot date?” She joked.


“I wish.” Evan laughed. “Some friends of mine and I are going to the movies in Columbia tonight. I’ll be back here between 11 and 12.”


“Trying to kick your poor mother out of her own house so her son can get his groove on?”


“Yeah right,” Good God the lying was getting on his nerves- but the idea of coming out to his mother scared him to death.


She had found a nature program about Bengal tigers and that kept her occupied. About 3:45, she left for Aunt Georgia’s. As soon as her blue Oldsmobile backed out of the driveway, Evan ran for the shower. He couldn’t shower with her in the house because she would want to know what had possessed Evan to shower in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday to go out with his scruffy friends from his high school days.


Back at Andrew’s house, he was still deciding what to wear. But he had given up and went and took a shower. Then he put on a simple white shirt, black pants. It was classic and acceptable. He wasn’t sure what else to wear.


About 4:25, Evan was racing to get ready. Andrew was going to be there any second and time was running out. Andrew was tying his shoes. Evan was buttoning his shirt. Andrew was making sure everything was turned off in the house. Evan was making sure he hadn’t missed anything while shaving. Andrew walked out of his house and got in the Pathfinder. Evan was making sure his teeth were clean. Andrew drove up outside Evan’s house. Evan heard Andrew drive up outside his house.


Andrew sat in the car and waited. If Evan didn’t come out in a couple of minutes, he would go ring the doorbell. Time was up, Andrew got out of the car to go up the steps. The door opened as Andrew stepped away from his vehicle. When Andrew saw him, all he could think was, “Holy God.” There he was. Evan walked to the edge of the front porch. He stood tall and straight. Every strand of his wavy blonde hair was perfectly in place. His skin was clear and his eyes sparkled, his smiled revealed perfect, white teeth. If ever a more beautiful human being existed, Andrew couldn’t imagine what he would look like.


Evan hoped he hadn’t gotten toothpaste on anything. He hoped that he didn’t have anything hanging from his nose. He hoped his fly was securely zipped. He hurried down the steps and across the grass. Then his eye caught Andrew’s and he stopped. Andrew had taken extra care in grooming too. Evan just stood completely still and stared. Andrew’s dark almost black eyes held a certain mystery to them. Andrew’s jet black hair glistened in the sunlight and heat. Andrew smiled. Evan smiled back. When Evan saw Andrew standing in his front yard, all insecurities and worries vanished. All his troubles disappeared when he fell into the gaze of those eyes. If ever a more beautiful human being existed, Evan couldn’t imagine what he would look like.


After a few seconds of being startled by one another, they snapped back to reality. Evan went around and got in and Andrew did the same. Andrew started the car and started backing up. They both made a point of not looking directly at one another because they were both afraid that if they looked, the second glance wouldn’t be nearly as breathtaking and therefore be disappointing. Andrew thought, ‘there is no way Evan looks as good as I thought he did just then on the porch.’ Evan thought, ‘I’m crazy! There’s no way Andrew is really that hot.’ Evan tried desperately to remember the day he and Engrid made fun of pitiful Andrew while he was trying to plant impatiens by the gazebo. Evan tried to remember how foolish and dumb Andrew looked scratching at the ground with a lawn mower blade. But, he couldn’t. All he could think now was how amazing Andrew was. How he was funny, and charming, and sweet, with an air of innocence about him. Evan thought about how perfect Andrew seemed. His own ghosts came crashing down upon him. He was filled with revulsion with how ugly he felt. Evan felt that there was no way he deserved a passing glance from the man who now sat beside him. He just waited until Andrew realized that and refused to speak to him again.


Andrew was driving along, thinking about how incredible this all seemed. It was what he’d hoped would happen when he arrived. He wanted to find a nice man to settle down with, but now that it was happening, it scared the daylights out of him. It was no longer a vague, ethereal concept. This mysterious ‘Mr. Right’ out there wasn’t just an idealized idea in his own mind. Mr. Right had a name. Mr. Right was a flesh and blood human being. Mr. Right had a face. Mr. Right had a mother. Mr. Right had an 84 year old woman who would lay down her life to protect him from harm. Andrew found it difficult to concentrate on the road ahead with all the thoughts swirling in his head.


“Where are we going?” Evan asked, breaking the silence.


“I have no idea. I realized that I have no idea how to get to Columbia from here.”


“Neither do I. I haven’t been out this way since I was a kid. When I was a teenager, me and some of the guys from school would go throw rocks in the quarry back there.”


Bam. Flap, flap, flap. The SUV lurched to the left. Andrew slammed on the brakes and the car swerved all over the road, just missing an oncoming car who’s horn blared at the near miss. Evan tensed up and grabbed the door. Andrew’s arm flew out and hit Evan on his chest. The car slid to a stop on the shoulder of the road.


“Blowout.”


“I guess so. So much for the movie I guess?”


Evan got out of the car. “Where’s the spare?”


“Underneath. I’ll get it; you don’t need to do that.”


Evan walked to the back and bent over to see if he could see the tire under the car.


“How do you get it out?” Andrew asked.


“I don’t know. We’ll see.”


He lifted the hatch and pulled back the carpet. He got the jack stand and the handles out. The spare was attached by a pulley that kept it tight against the bottom of the undercarriage.


“I see how this works,” Evan said, “You put this rod in that hole and twist. That lowers the tire. When it gets down to the ground, you just release it.”


Evan started unbuttoning his shirt. “Don’t want to get it dirty.” He peeled the shirt back revealing his white undershirt. You don’t want to know where Andrew’s thoughts went. Evan put the shirt in the back of the vehicle. Andrew took the rod from Evan’s hand and started lowering the tire. Andrew stood behind him and waited as Evan awkwardly lowered the tire from its holster against the bottom of the vehicle.


“Do you need help?”


“You can start by jacking up the car.”


Andrew looked around. Evan tapped the jack with his foot. Andrew picked up the identified jack. He walked over to the edge of the car and looked down. Where on earth does the jack go? Andrew squatted down to look around to see where he might put the jack. He heard rustling at the back of the vehicle. He looked down. Evan was coming around the side of the car with the spare tire.


Evan smiled as Andrew was looking around.


“Need any help?”


“No. But it would go faster if you did it.”


“You might want to break the nuts first.” Evan said.


Andrew looked confused. Evan handed Andrew a wrench. “Loosen them.”


“Oh.” Andrew put the wrench on the nuts and pulled hard. With a squawk, they let go and the wrenched moved counterclockwise.


In about 20 minutes, they got the tire changed.


“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”


“No, but we’ve missed our reservations,” Andrew said.


“We did?”


“Yeah. We’ll never make it in time.”


“I know a cool little place in Columbia we should go to.”


“What is it?”


         “Suarè. It’s a quirky little restaurant. It’s not too far from the theater.”


“Okay.” After Evan put his shirt back on they got in the Pathfinder and drove off down the road.


As they were driving, Andrew started talking, “So, Evan, can I ask you a question?”


“Sure. What’s going on?”


“How long have you known you were gay?”


“I guess I always have. I didn’t really put the word ‘gay’ to it until I was around 11 or so. I just knew that I liked boys and not girls. It never really occurred to me that was wrong until about then.”


“What happened?”


“Nothing much, but some of the other kids called this boy a fag and it stung me. I didn’t say anything about it, of course. See, these two boys were rumored to have been caught together in a bathroom stall at school. I don’t know if it was true or not, probably not, but those two boys’ reputations were ruined. They were pegged as fags and that was the end of a lot of friendships and athletics and stuff. So, they were done for.”


“Oh. So, where are they now?”


“I dunno. I guess they’re still around. What about you?”


“What about what?”


“When did you know you were gay?”


“I guess about the same as you.”


“When did you come out?”


“To whom?”


“To anyone.”


“The first time I came out to anyone was when I was about 15. It was my best friend, Wanda.”


“I guess your best friend being named Wanda was a start.”


“I guess so. Anyway, my uncle and I were living in San Diego at the time, we’d just moved from Norfolk, Virginia. Wanda was a friend that I met on the internet. Since I moved so much most of my friends were online.”


“Okay. What did Wanda say?”


“She was cool with it. In fact, she had a cousin who was gay. She and her family lived in San Antonio.”


“I guess Texas isn’t a fun place to be gay either.”


“Guess not. Anyway, she said that it was just something that was and she’d known me long enough that this wasn’t a problem for her.”


“What did your uncle say?”


“My uncle doesn’t know.”


“Really? Why not?”


“Why should he? He’d be totally against it.”


“Well, I guess I can’t complain. Padgett is about the only person who knows I’m gay- other than you- at least around here.”


“I guess it’s important that I’m clued in on that one. I was out in college, though.”


“That’s cool. So was I.”


They rode in silence for a few minutes. They were almost to the edge of Montecello and would be passing into the city of Columbia proper soon.


“I guess it’s not safe to be out around here.” Andrew said.


“I don’t think so. There’s so much controversy about it that I would be afraid that I’d lose so many friends. God only knows what Engrid would say.”


“You think she’d be opposed to us being together?”


“Probably. I know she would at first, but maybe after she calmed down a little it would be different.”


“At least Dora would be with us.”


“What? What does Dora know?”


“She saw when we kissed on the couch that night- the one you went flying out my house after?”


“Oh,” Evan said with a cold flatness to his voice.


“Don’t worry- she told me she was cool with it.”


“Then I guarantee that Engrid’s gotten wind of it.”


“Dora said she wouldn’t say anything. Engrid didn’t seem unusual at lunch, so I’m guessing Dora has been true to her word and kept her mouth shut.”


“Engrid asked me before lunch whether we were together and I told her we weren’t. She seemed to believe me.”


“Engrid really asked if we were a gay couple?”


“Yes, she did. Dora said something about a guy named Morgan earlier and I guess that got Engrid’s mental hamster wheel turning.”


”I guess.” Evan was still ill-at-ease about Dora knowing or Engrid suspecting, but he refused to let it ruin his evening.


“Dora said she wouldn’t say anything about it. I don’t think she has. Engrid seemed more curious than upset when she asked me. I think she was just making sure.”


         Evan gave Andrew directions on how to get to Suarè. They went to dinner there and went to a movie. After that, they were standing in the parking lot.


“Is there anything else to do around here?” Andrew asked.


“There’s Sweet Pea’s.”


“What’s that?”


“You never came to Columbia when you were in college?”


“No. We always went to Atlanta.”


“That’s too bad. You’ll like Sweet Pea’s.”


“Okay. I trust you- how do we get there from here?”


When they got in the vehicle Evan gave him directions.


They drove into the parking lot and parked. Andrew looked at it. It wasn’t what he expected something named “Sweet Pea’s” to look like. It had reflectively tinted windows, and a line out front.


“What is this place?”


“It’s a fun place. Do you like to dance?” Evan asked, raising his eyebrows.


“Yeah. What is it? I thought it was a restaurant.”


“It is. Sort of. It’s also a bar and a dance club.”


“Will I get hit on?”


“Maybe,” Evan smiled mischievously.


They got out and got in line.


“Get your ID ready,” Evan said as he pulled his wallet from his pocket.


As they were standing in line, Andrew noticed something unusual about the crowd around them. Pretty much everyone was a guy. Most of the guys appeared to be with one other guy. It dawned on him that Evan had brought him to a gay bar. It made perfect sense, he just hadn’t thought of it.


Andrew leaned over and whispered in Evan’s ear, “This is a gay bar?”


“Nah? Really?” Evan said and smiled.


“You didn’t think I’d take you to a honky tonk, did you?”


“No. This is cool. I didn’t know they had these here.”


“They do. A few in fact, but this one’s my favorite.”


“How often to you come here?”


“Not often. Once a month or so. I come alone and go home alone, but it’s fun.”


“That’s awesome.”


They got to the head of the line, showed their ID and walked in. It was still a little early, but things would pick up soon, even though it was Sunday night. Andrew walked over to the bar. He had never really gone to a gay bar before. He’d never allowed that as a possibility for himself. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea, it was just that the urge had never hit him. He turned around on the stool. Evan was standing behind him. Andrew had to remind himself that this was Evan from Engrid’s backyard. This was the same man that, just that morning, Mr. McWilliams had asked about standing order renewal forms for the fall quarter’s Sunday School material. This was the same man that had been better at sending thank you notes than Engrid. This was the man who helped Engrid with her yard work and taught Sunday School. This was a different side of Evan Grayson. He suddenly realized that Evan was hot. Earlier, standing in his front yard, Evan was beautiful. Now Evan was beautiful and SEXY.


“Would you dance with me?” Evan slid up next to him and smiled broadly.


“I don’t know.”


“If you’re not comfortable, we can leave.”


“No, no. It’s not that, it just that…”


“Just what?” Evan was trying to read his expressions.


“I’ve never been to a gay bar before.”


Evan took a step back in surprise. “Really?”


“Shocking, I know.”


“Well, I know what’ll loosen you up.”


“What?”


Evan stood next to Andrew at the bar and leaned over it a little. The bartender walked over to them. Andrew just looked at the bartender in hopeless bewilderment.


Evan spoke up, “Yeah. I want a Grey Goose Martini, two olives, dirty.”


Wordlessly, the bartender started preparing the order.


“What do you want to drink?” Evan asked.


“I don’t know. Something with vodka or gin.”


The bartender put Evan’s drink in front of him and said, “Slow Comfortable Screw.”


“Huh?” Andrew looked up at him.


“It’s a drink. It’s got both vodka and gin.”


“What’d you call it?” Evan said, a smirk crossing his lips.


“It’s called a slow comfortable screw. Looks like you both could use one.”


“Sure, why not?” Andrew said.


Wordlessly, the bartender started preparing the order. Andrew turned around and watched the floor. It wasn’t full yet, but it was getting there. It was probably going to be slower because it was a Sunday night. Friday and Saturday, that place was probably packed with closet cases that are adored by respectable society the rest of the week. The bartender put the drink down in front of Andrew. Evan paid him for both drinks. Andrew just looked at the glass for a few seconds.


“You did drink in college, didn’t you?”


“A little. Mostly I just mixed stuff in my room for me and my friends.”


“Really? I guess you don’t seem like the barhopping type,” Evan remarked.


Andrew picked up his drink and sipped a little, then a little more. He was so nervous, he downed the whole thing. Even the bartender looked at him in amazement. Evan was quietly sipping his martini. Seeing Andrew finished, Evan downed the rest of his martini and put the glass on the bar. He grasped Andrew’s hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor. It took a minute or two for the alcohol to kick in, but Evan was already there from the moment they walked in the door. He was so excited to have someone else there to dance with. Normally, all Evan had to do was dance alone for about 0.000001 seconds before someone would come up to him. Evan had one of those bodies that people flock to. Andrew did not. He was just plain skinny. Fortunately, his slightly darker complexion helped. But, he was still skinny to most people. He looked at Evan as he danced up against him. Feeling Evan’s body moving against his own was electrifying. Andrew was still a bit in shock reconciling in his brain that this was the same Evan who existed in the rest of the world. He would never be able to see Evan the same way again. For a purely white guy, Evan could move. That man had rhythm in all the right ways.


Andrew tried to dance a little. Evan smiled at him and it melted him. Andrew felt so awkward dancing with the hottest guy on the floor. He felt a tinge guilty. It wasn’t that the other guys were ugly by any means. They were the standard well toned, well groomed gay men. But they had one major defect. That defect was that they weren’t Evan. He felt a tinge guilty that all the other guys had to dance with inferior men while he got to dance with embodied perfection. Not only was he dancing with embodied perfection, embodied perfection was riding home with him…pretty much guaranteed.


Evan leaned in closer. Andrew leaned back. Evan said in his ear, “Shake your ass not your shoulders.”


“What?”


“Shake your ass not your shoulders. Like this…” Evan demonstrated shaking one’s ass but not one’s shoulders. That was a very attractive demonstration. Then Evan came back up and danced right up against Andrew’s body. Once Andrew got into it, he didn’t want it to end. But, he knew he had to go to work in the morning.


They danced for quite a while as the music thumped in their ears. Then Evan said, “I guess we’d better go.”


“What time is it?”


“11:30. If we hurry, we can be home by a little after midnight or so.”


“Yeah, we’d better go.”


They went out to the car. “Did you enjoy it?” Evan asked as Andrew unlocked it doors and got in.


“I did. It was fun seeing you dancing.”


“Why’s that?”


“You were by far the hottest guy in there. Did you see the looks on the other guy’s faces? They were staring at you. They were envious of me.”


“They were envious of you?”


“Yeah. They wanted to know how someone like me was dancing with a guy like you. They wanted you.”


“Maybe,” Evan slid a little closer over toward Andrew.


“I was staring too,” Andrew replied looking over at him.


“Really?” Evan liked the compliment even if he didn’t agree with it. Evan leaned a little closer. Andrew leaned toward him. He had repositioned himself on the seat so that they were facing one another.


“I’m glad you had fun tonight,” Evan said.


“I’m glad you knew about this place. We’ll have to come back.”


“Yes, we will. Maybe next Friday or Saturday.”


“Maybe Saturday. I’ve got some yard work to do and then we’ll come here.”


“Get all hot and sweaty first?” Evan asked, smiling seductively.


“Yeah, something like that.”


They were eye to eye now; Andrew could feel Evan’s breath on his chin. This time, it was Evan’s move. Evan leaned in and pressed his lips to Andrew’s. Andrew had been waiting for this moment and was ready for it. It felt like he had finally found love as he felt Evan’s flesh against his own. They broke their kiss.


“We’d better get going,” Evan said.


“Yeah,” Andrew started the car and drove toward home.


“I cannot believe tonight happened,” Andrew said to no one in particular; the distant, moonstruck look still evident on his face.


Egan just smiled and glanced over at his newfound love. This had to be one of the happiest nights of his life. He too was still swooning over the thought of that kiss, the remnants of which he could still taste.


Maple Avenue pulled into view.


“You can just drive to your house, I can walk from there.


“Okay,” Andrew replied.


As the decelerated towards Andrew’s driveway, they noticed that both Engrid’s and Myrtle’s houses were completely darkened.


“I guess they’re already in bed,” Andrew remarked.


“Neither of them would ever be classified as ‘night owls.’”


Andrew pulled to a stop in his driveway.


“Goodnight,” Evan said stepping out of the Pathfinder.


“Goodnight,” Andrew smiled and turned towards his front door.


As he reached the bottom steps, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Evan quickly approaching. They faced one another. Evan leaned in and they kissed once again.


“I just wanted a goodnight kiss,” Evan smiled and walked off towards his own bed.


Engrid had been right for once. Her advice to let Evan come to him had done just the trick. Andrew’s patience was paying off.