by Jay Bell
“I understand,” Tim said gently. “In a way, I feel the same about where I live. It’s never easy for me to talk about, but I was with Eric in his last moments.”
“You were?”
He nodded. “We were at home together, instead of some horrible hospital—” Tim shook his head. “People talk about a haunted house like it’s a bad thing, but it’s not always. Not when it’s someone you love.”
Ben looked relieved. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“I’m glad. So, the idea of me living with you seems somehow disrespectful to Jace’s memory, but I also can’t expect you to sell your house and move in with me.”
“No,” Ben sighed. “I don’t like either of those options.”
Tim swallowed. “If none of that were an issue, would you want to live with me?”
Ben pretended to mull it over. “Yeah, but not if I’m constantly serving you frozen pizzas and Cokes while you lounge around on the couch.”
“Hey, it worked in high school!”
“Maybe on special occasions, then.” Ben’s eyes searched his. “We could just stay where we are. You’ll come visit me sometimes, or I’ll go to your place. It’ll keep things fresh.”
“I don’t want fresh,” Tim said. “I want to get old and smelly with you. Eventually you’ll want me to keel over first, just because you’re so sick of being around me.”
Ben laughed. “Trust me, that will never happen.”
“How about somewhere new?” Tim said. “Still in Austin, but a place that belongs just to us. We can take it slow, put our houses on the market, and see what happens. If they sell, we’ll both be making a sacrifice, leaving something behind.”
Ben chewed his lip. “That house isn’t Jace. I can take the memories with me. Just like you can with Eric, right?”
“Right.” Tim scooted nearer, wrapping an arm around Ben. “So you’ll start a new life with me?”
Ben stole a kiss. “I already have.”
Epilogue
Twelve seasons. Starting in summer—as they always seemed to—but now they were leaving another one behind and entering autumn. Three years of living together in this little house, surrounded by trees and land and hope. Ben had found the real estate listing. The photos didn’t look like much since the house was hidden away deep on the lot. As it turned out, that’s what made them fall in love with the place.
Ben and Tim still lived in Austin, but on the outskirts. They had land, enough that they rarely heard another car or saw any sign of civilization, apart from the occasional airplane overhead. When they were at home, the world existed only for them, just like it had once in a den at his parents’ house or in Ben’s teenage bedroom. Their little bubble world had come together again after all this time. Austin was still there when they needed it—the gallery, the theater, Allison, and Marcello. But when they were done, they returned home to solitude.
Of course they weren’t completely alone. At the very beginning they had been four. When Chinchilla had first met Samson, the dumb dog had chased right after the cat. Samson stood his ground, waiting patiently until Chinchilla was close enough. Then he swiped—claws extended—hitting Chinchilla directly on the nose. Tim was painfully reminded of the time Jace had decked him. Regardless, that had ended the dispute of who was in charge. Samson reigned supreme for the next two years, eventually becoming fast friends with the dog.
When Samson died, he did so quietly. Curled up at Ben’s feet one night, he simply slipped away. Ben had cried for days, Tim joining him a few times. In a way, Samson was the last piece of Jace lingering behind long enough to make sure Ben was okay. And now he was. Ben would never be alone again, never have to search for someone to love him because Tim did so with all of his being. But losing part of their family still hurt.
“He was always Jace’s cat,” Ben had said afterwards. “Now he will be again.”
They buried Samson in one corner of the yard, planting flowers over his grave. A year later the flowers were still there, pink, white, and yellow. Tim was watering them now, Chinchilla standing solemnly at his side. When he was finished, she raced off across the yard, looking for a new game.
Tim returned to the back of the house to put away the watering can. He passed Ben, who was stretched out in a lawn chair with his eyes closed as he soaked up the sun, a forgotten book on his lap. Tim’s heart pounded. Why was he so scared? After all this time, after years of being together, this should be the easiest thing in the world. He second-guessed himself as he slowly wound up the garden hose and then walked back to where Ben rested. A cloud blew over the sun, shadow chasing across his body.
“You awake?” Tim said so quietly that he thought Ben might not hear.
Ben turned his head, smiling at him with brown eyes like melted chocolate. They made Tim weak, even still. “Yeah. Nearly dozed off.”
“Okay.” Tim stood there awkwardly. Maybe this wasn’t the right place. The right time. But of course it was. Where else could this happen but in their own little world. “Uh, could you sit up for a second?”
Ben looked puzzled, but he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the deck chair. “Are you okay?”
Tim chuckled madly. “Ask me that again in a second.” Then he reached into his pocket, took out the ring, and fell to one knee. The words he had planned were lost in his throat. He simply held up the ring and gave Ben a look of such hope that it was enough.
And then Ben cried, and Tim was sure he had made a terrible mistake, but as the sun came back out again, so did Ben’s smile. Looking just as embarrassed as Tim felt, Ben nodded and held out his hand.
“Oh!”
Jace’s ring was still on Ben’s finger, but this didn’t bother Tim. These days he felt a bond with the man who had been smart enough to love Ben from the very beginning. After all, Jace had been there for Ben at a time when Tim couldn’t, and for that he was eternally grateful. Tim never expected Ben to take off that ring, so instead he reached for Ben’s other hand.
“There’s a reason God gave you two ring fingers,” he said, sliding on the platinum band.
Ben stared at it in wonder for a moment before throwing his arms around Tim’s neck and kissing him. Ben’s tears gracing his cheek, Tim hoisted him to his feet and held him near. As the wind blew through the trees, the first leaves breaking loose to fly free, they swayed together to a song only they could hear, their love perfect now, as it would always be until the end of their summer-filled days.
__________
Acknowledgements
I’m the luckiest boy in the world! At least I feel that way when I consider all the wonderful people that help me with my books. As usual there’s my elite guard of Linda Anderson, Zate Lockard, Katherine Coolon, Kira Miles, and my mom. Yeah, that’s right! I’m a mama’s boy! This time around I had even more company than usual. M.J. Sanchez generously lent her talented tongue to the Spanish sections of this novel. Without her, Tim wouldn’t have been nearly as skillful at seducing Ben, so he owes her too. I’m also forever indebted to Claire King for casting her all-seeing eyes (she wears microscopes for glasses!) over this book to make it as presentable as possible.
And last, but oh my goodness not least, are the incredible incomparable unstoppable fans of Something Like Summer. Thank you for making the first book such a success. I love you guys!
Also by Jay Bell
Kamikaze Boys
If the world is against you, don’t give up. Find yourself a kindred spirit. Then you can start fighting back.
They say Connor, the one with the crazy eyes and creepy scar, tried to kill his old man. Lately he’s been seen hanging out with David, the gay guy who always eats lunch alone. They make an odd pair, the loser and the psychopath, and bad things happen to people who mess with them. Not that Connor and David are looking for trouble. Even when taking on the world, they seem more interested in each other than fighting.
Kamikaze Boys is a story about breaking the chains that bind you and using them to beat down a
nyone that gets in your way. Better yet, it’s about holding hands with the guy you love while doing so.
For more information, please see:
www.jaybellbooks.com
Also by Jay Bell:
Something Like Summer
Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change.
The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.
Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies. This full-length, gay romance novel is available in paperback, Kindle, Nook, and other eBook formats.
For more information, please see:
www.jaybellbooks.com
Also by Jay Bell
The Cat in the Cradle
To set out into the world, to be surrounded by the unknown and become a stranger. Only then would he be free to reinvent himself. Or fall in love.
Dylan wanted one last adventure before the burden of adulthood was thrust upon him. And to confront the man he hadn’t spoken to since their intimate night together. Stealing a boat with his faithful companion Kio, their journey is cut short when they witness a brutal murder. A killer is loose in the Five Lands and attacking the most powerful families. Dylan—a potential target—seeks sanctuary from an unpredictable bodyguard named Tyjinn. Together they decide to turn the tables by hunting the killer down. Along the way, everything Dylan thought he knew about himself will be challenged, but if he survives, he stands to win the love he never dreamed possible.
The Cat in the Cradle is the first book in the Loka Legends series and features twenty-five original illustrations created by Andreas Bell, the author’s husband.
For more information, please see:
www.jaybellbooks.com
