Kev took a second look, saying, “I wonder if he’s here hoping to run into Zeke and renew their friendship, so to speak.”
“Who knows? As far as that goes, how many other men he played around with are here, or will be tomorrow, with the same hope?”
“Maybe more than either of us would like to think about,” Kev replied.
The conversation ebbed and flowed as people caught up on what everyone else was doing. Kev fielded some questions of his own, telling anyone who asked that he and Neil were just good friends. Not that everyone believed him from a few of the looks he and Neil garnered. As one man put it, crossing two fingers, “Like very good friends?”
Neil and Kev laughed, acknowledging they were working in that direction.
“See, I told you this would work,” Kev whispered to Neil at one point. “No one has any doubts that we’re sleeping together, although they’ve been polite enough not to ask that, specifically.”
By that time they had made a stop at the grills set up for the barbecue, filling their plates then finding a place to sit on the grass to eat.
“I take it he’s not here,” Kev said.
Neil scanned the crowd, as he’d been doing since he and Kev had arrived, torn between hoping he’d see Zeke, and praying he wouldn’t. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“Who’s not here?” Greg asked as he and Jan joined them.
“Zeke Hale. You probably didn’t know him since he didn’t take any theater classes.”
“Damn, I did know people outside our immediate circle,” Greg replied with a laugh. “Not him, though.”
“I did,” Jan said, rolling her eyes. “He dated my roommate for a while, a very short while. He was one of those guys who could never commit, so everyone was surprised when he married Eileen Wilson right after he graduated from law school.”
“Maybe he grew up,” Kev suggested.
“Or decided having a wife would be good for his image,” she replied snarkily. “Last I heard he was working at his uncle’s law firm. I thought they’d be here tonight, so he could show off his prize possession.”
“Jan…” Greg said, giving her a hug. “Be nice.”
“If you insist.” She kissed his cheek before digging into her meal.
The others did as well, much to Neil’s relief. He really didn’t want to talk anymore about Zeke’s married status.
Kev must have understood because he leaned close enough to say softly, “You should be glad he didn’t show tonight. I don’t think you’re ready to see him with his wife in tow, no matter what you might think.”
“Not true,” Neil protested. “I just don’t want to talk about it. Her.”
“Got it.”
It began to get dark, at which point people started wandering off, singly or in groups. Neil suspected many of them would end up at one of the several bars close by to continue celebrating. He wasn’t in the mood to join them, so he was glad when Kev suggested they head home.
“It’s going to be a long day, tomorrow, if we attend all the festivities.”
“We’re going to skip the breakfast, remember, and start with the ice cream social,” Neil replied as they got up.
“Sounds good to me.” Kev grinned as he put his arm around Neil’s waist. “We can binge on sundaes and cones, then work it all off by dancing the night away.”
Neil smiled in agreement, for a moment wishing Kev’s action was for real, not just a way to reinforce they were supposedly a couple. If he wasn’t straight I think I could fall hard for him and maybe this would be real. Then, if I do see Zeke I could thumb my nose at him, knowing I had a man who was ten times what he is. Of course that wouldn’t happen and he knew it. Was Kev right? Will I go running to Zeke if he crooks his finger? Not that he’d do that. Not in public. But still…
“Get your mind off him,” Kev said quietly.
“I’m trying to.”
“Uh-huh. Well, try harder. Pretend he doesn’t exist and we’re here so you can do what you said, catch up with all the people you went to school with and recall all the happy times.”
“Happy times? I had those?” Neil chuckled. “I did, actually. I remember the designs I created for my first show. It almost went south when…” He went on to tell Kev what had happened, getting laughs from his friend as they returned to the car.
By the time he dropped Kev off at his apartment, Neil was feeling much better about everything. “I’ll pick you up around one,” he said before Kev got out of the car.
“Okay. I’ll skip lunch so I can pig out on ice cream.”
Neil grinned. “Knowing you, you probably will.”
“You better believe it.” Kev gave him a thumbs up before walking away.
If you weren’t straight…Neil sighed. The story of my life. Always wanting what I can’t have. Of course that took his thoughts back to Zeke. Fuck you. I hope you do show up tomorrow. I’ll look you dead in the eye and say, ‘You look familiar but I don’t remember your name. Zack? Zed?’ He smiled to himself. Yeah, that should take him down a peg or two. He wasn’t sure he could do it, but for damned sure he was going to try.
* * * *
“He’s here,” Neil murmured Saturday afternoon, suddenly losing his appetite for the hot fudge sundae he was eating.
“Where?” Kev asked.
“There.” Neil nodded toward the tall, handsome, dark-haired man with a well-trimmed beard who was talking to a woman as they waited at one of the ice cream booths.
“He’s not bad looking,” Kev commented dryly. “Is that his wife?”
“Hard to tell since all I can see is the back of her head. I wouldn’t know if she was, anyway, since I’ve never seen her.”
Kev nodded. “That does make it difficult.”
The woman in question said something to Zeke before walking away. From the set of her shoulders she was not happy, Neil thought. Then Zeke looked over, obviously saw him, and smiled brightly, giving a wave. A moment later, he was heading toward Neil and Kev.
Kev immediately put his free arm around Neil’s waist, whispering, “Don’t panic. You can do this.”
As soon as Zeke was within hearing range he said, “Neil? Damn. It’s been forever. How are you?” He kept his gaze on Neil as he joined them, ignoring Kev completely.
Neil cocked his head in question then did as he’d planned the previous night. “It’s Zack, right? Or, no, Zed.”
Zeke frowned. “Zeke. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”
“Right. Zeke.” Neil looked around. “Where’s your wife? I heard you got married.”
“Yeah, well about that.” Zeke touched Neil’s arm, still patently ignoring the fact Kev was standing there. “We’re getting divorced.”
Neil felt a double thrill, one from Zeke’s touch, the other from what he’d said. Steeling himself not to show his reaction, he replied, “I’m sorry to hear that.” He felt Kev’s hold on him tighten and added, “Zeke, this is Kev.”
Zeke finally deigned to look at Kev, muttering, “Nice to meet you,” before returning his attention to Neil. “The marriage was a bust from the start, although it took us a couple of years to realize it wasn’t working. Pretty soon I’ll foot loose and fancy free again.”
“And ready to move on to your next conquest,” Kev said with obvious disgust.
“Of course,” Zeke replied. “I’ll finally be able to be my true self.” He stared directly into Neil’s eyes as he said that.
Neil gulped, understanding what he was implying, and his pulse sped up.
“Kev. It was Kev, right?” Zeke said. “Do you mind if I steal Neil for a while? We have a lot of catching up to do which I’m sure would bore you silly.”
“Yeah, I do mind,” Kev replied tightly.
“Neil?” Zeke appealed to him.
“It’s okay, Kev,” Neil said, easing out of his grip. “It’s not like he’s going to kidnap me or anything. I won’t let him. You and I have a date for the dance tonight.”
“Yeah, we do.” Kev sm
iled, and then much to Neil’s surprise he kissed him. It was brief, the barest touching of lips, but it still sent a frisson of excitement through Neil even as he reminded himself it was all part of the act. Before he could return the kiss, Kev walked away.
“Your boyfriend?” Zeke asked.
“Yes.” Neil took a deep breath to calm his swirling emotions. He realized he was still holding his sundae and took a bite. “This is good. You should get one.”
“That’s not what I want.” Zeke replied. “I meant it. I will be free fairly soon. Then I’d like to renew our relationship.”
“So you can dump me a month later and find someone new,” Neil said scathingly.
“Not at all. Damn it, Neil, I miss you. I miss what we had before I blew it.” There was a tone of sincerity in Zeke’s words that threw Neil.
“That was more than five years ago, and I’m not sure there was anything between us except sex. Not that it wasn’t good, but…” Neil shrugged with a seeming casualness that belied his true feelings.
Is he being honest with me? Does he miss me? Or does he see me as a stepping stone to…to publicly coming out? Or worse yet, does he want the same kind of clandestine relationship we had before?
He wasn’t certain it mattered either way. The pull of his attraction to Zeke was as strong as it had been the first time they’d met, much to his dismay.
“Let’s go somewhere more private so we can talk,” Zeke said. “There’s too many people here and some of them are watching us.”
“Probably wondering where your wife is,” Neil replied tightly.
Zeke smiled dryly. “Good point.” He glanced around. “The boyfriend’s watching, too. Is he the jealous type?”
“He has his moments,” Neil lied.
“What does he do? I’d ask what you do, but I know. I’ve been following your career, although I’ll admit I’ve never seen one of the shows you’ve designed.”
“Coming to one would be beneath your dignity, or something, since we’re not a big, prestigious theater?”
“Eileen would have, okay she did make a scene when I suggested it. She’s my soon to be ex, by the way.”
“I sort of figured. Since you asked, Kev’s a waiter.”
“You could do better, Neil,” Zeke replied, smiling at him.
“Like you?”
Zeke nodded. “If it’s what you want. I know I want you back.”
“So you said.”
“Do you feel the same or is Kev more important than me?”
“Good lord, that’s an egotistical statement,” Neil muttered.
“Answer the question.”
“I don’t know, Zeke. I’ll have to think long and hard before I even consider breaking up with him.” Not that that will happen, since we’re only faking being a couple, but I’m not going to rush into anything with Zeke. Not until I know he’s being halfway honest with me.
“We’re about to have company, so I think I’ll take a walk,” Zeke replied. “I’ll see you at the dance tonight.” He smiled wryly. “Not that you and I can dance, but…”
“Got it. You don’t want your wife to have something else to use against you, like the fact that you’re gay.”
Zeke blew out a breath. “Unfortunately, you’re right.” With that, he left, just as Kev came up beside Neil.
“So?”
Neil sighed. “I don’t know. He wants to renew our past relationship. He sounds like he means it but how can I trust him?”
“Do you want to?”
“In here I think I do, maybe,” Neil replied, tapping his chest. “Up here,” he touched his forehead, “I know it could, probably would, be the biggest mistake of my life.”
“No kidding.” Kev looked at him for a long moment, as if evaluating what he’d said. “Okay, I think it’s time we get out of here. He seems to have found someone else to bother.”
Neil glanced across the Quad and saw Zeke in deep conversation with Jan, of all people. Greg was standing a few feet away and he did not look happy. “Maybe she’s reading him the riot act for all his…Is peccadilloes too fancy a word for his playing the field with all the women, including her roommate, while we were in college?”
Kev laughed. “Probably, but from what you’ve said it fits.” Once again, he put his arm around Neil, steering him toward the path leading to the parking lot.
* * * *
Damn it, what if he falls for Zeke’s line of bullshit? Kev unconsciously tightened his hold on Neil. I wish to hell I’d been honest with him to begin with. Then maybe this would be real and Neil wouldn’t even be thinking about renewing his thing with Zeke.
But it wasn’t, and he knew it. All he could do was try to keep Neil from doing something he was certain he’d regret in the end.
Chapter 4
“You look very handsome,” Neil said when Kev got into the car Saturday evening. He wasn’t lying. Kev was wearing black slacks and a green dress shirt which set off his eyes to perfection.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Kev countered. “I like blue on you.” He grinned. “It makes you look innocent.”
Neil shook his head. “There you go again with the innocent thing.”
“Can I help it if that’s the image you portray?”
“I suppose not.” Neil started the car and headed toward the college. He still hadn’t made up his mind about Zeke’s offer, so to speak. Common sense said to turn him down if he proposed it again. His emotions were up and down as he thought about the results if he didn’t.
He found a parking space in a lot not too far from the Student Center. When they got out of the car, Kev gave him fast hug, saying, “You’ll survive this, I promise.”
Neil snorted. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, as someone older and wiser than both of us told me a few days ago.”
“I’m not going to leave your side tonight, no matter what he tries. After all, he can hardly dance with you. Right?”
“Yeah, right.” I guess that’s a good thing. Hell, I know it is, damn it.
The Student Center’s dining room was the site for the dance. Some of the tables had been moved along one of the walls and were set up for food and a bar, although drinks were not free. “To try to keep everyone from getting totally sauced,” Kev surmised.
“Not that it’ll stop some people,” Neil replied.
The rest of the tables were on the other side the room, with chairs so that people could sit to eat and watch the goings-on. There was a bandstand at the far end of the room, where a small combo was playing something with a fast beat. A number of the attendees were already on the floor, rocking to the music. Others were standing in groups, talking while they ate and drank. The walls were decorated with framed photos of many of Neil’s classmates.
“Ha, you made it on the wall of fame, or is it shame,” Kev said with a grin, pointing to one of the photos. It had been taken on closing night of the last show Neil had been involved with. He shuddered at the embarrassed look on his face. Like that was the last place I wanted to be—on stage with the cast and crew.
They checked out a few more of the photos, finding one of Zeke. “I almost didn’t recognize him without the beard,” Kev said. “It was the supercilious smile that clued me in.”
“Behave,” Neil whispered, although he saw what Kev meant. “Let’s get some food and grab a seat while we can.”
They did, as well as buying beer, then found a place at one of the tables where several of Neil’s fellow theater majors were seated. The conversation flowed as they caught up with what they’d been doing since graduation. Greg and Jan were there and Greg drew laughs of commiseration when he said, “My acting career is now convincing people they need what I’m selling.”
They had almost finished eating when Neil saw Zeke dancing with a woman he didn’t recognize.
“One of his college conquests?” Kev asked quietly.
“One of a million,” Jan replied, obviously having overheard him. “He seems to be dancing with as
many as he can, whether their husbands like it or not.”
“He’d better stay away from you,” Neil heard Greg murmur. Jan turned to him and they held a whispered conversation. When they finished, Greg stood, pulling Jan to her feet. “If you want to dance, it’s going to be with me.”
“Of course,” she replied and from the look on her face she didn’t mind at all.
“Do you feel like dancing,” Kev asked Neil.
“Are you sure?”
Kev leaned over to whisper, “Definitely. It will reinforce the fact we’re a couple and Zeke can deal, whether he likes the idea or not.” He got up, holding out his hand. Neil took it, following Kev to the dance floor.
* * * *
Me and my bright ideas.
Kev was much too aware of Neil once they began to dance. He’d put his hands on Neil’s hips, thinking Neil would do the same to him. Instead, Neil had put his arms around Kev’s neck while they moved to the music, saying with a wicked smile. “If this doesn’t show him we’re a couple…”
“Is that what you really want him to think? I mean, honestly?” Kev asked.
Neil nodded. “I think so. Look at him. He’s out there flaunting the fact he can dance with any woman in the place, whether their men like it or not. If that doesn’t tell me something I should have figured out a long time ago, I’m stupider than I look.”
“No one ever accused you of that,” Kev replied, his gaze going to Neil’s lips. He quickly refocused before he did something he’d regret. Unfortunately, that meant he looked over Neil’s shoulder. When he did, it was to see Zeke was now dancing right beside them.
“You might want to chill it, Neil,” Zeke said tightly. “Not everyone here is as open minded as I am.”
“Is that what you call it?” Kev replied, arching an eyebrow.
“Back off. I was talking to him, not you.”
“Zekie,” the woman with him said. “Be nice. I’m sure they’re having as much fun dancing as we are.”
Kev bit back his impulse to ask how her husband or boyfriend felt about it. Instead, he whirled Neil around, dancing them away from Zeke. “What a son of a bitch,” he said angrily.
“He’s jealous,” Neil said softly. “I wish…” He shook his head.
The Reunion Page 3
