“You’re wrong, Carolyn. He’s just a nice guy.” Billy glanced over at Gene as he browsed the songs onthe jukebox. He glanced up and caught Billy staring. Heat crept across Billy’s cheeks and he bit his lower lip. Gene gave him a wink and turned back to the jukebox, putting in a couple of coins.
Carolyn rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Billy. You know I’m right. There is heat between you guys that…well, frankly I’m jealous of! I’ve never felt that for anyone.”
Billy sat back, a little stunned at his sister’s words and wishing his damn order would arrive. He feltfidgety and didn’t know what to do with his hands.
Carolyn giggled. “Calm down, Billy, or he’s going to see how nervous you are.”
The waitress chose that moment to show up with their order. As she placed the sugary treats on the table, Gene arrived back at the booth and slid in beside Billy again, this time letting his thigh press against Billy’s.
He trembled as he tried to focus on his malt.
“What song did you pick?” Carolyn asked.
“‘The Great Pretender.’”
Billy’s jaw dropped as he turned to eyeball Gene. “That’s my favorite song!”
Gene smiled as he brought the straw to his lips. “Mine, too. The lyrics are beautiful. Sometimes…well, sometimes I think we spend too much time pretending to be someone we’re not.” His eyes traced over Billy’s face slowly as he took a sip. “Don’t you get tired of pretending?” His voice had dropped to a whisper.
Billy gulped hard and looked back at his sister. “Wh-what do you…I don’t know what you’re saying…” Billy stammered.
Gene took a long drink as Billy watched him suck his straw. Big mistake. His dick throbbed and all he could do was imagine Gene’s lips wrapped around his swollen head.
Billy sucked on his own straw, shifting in his seat.
“What I’m saying, Billy, is that I get tired of pretending. Don’t you?” Gene flicked his gaze across the table at Billy’s sister, but Carolyn was chatting with a girl in the booth across from them.“Don’t you want to be yourself, Billy?”
Billy nodded, unable to deny the truth to Gene. “Yes,” he whispered back. “Yes,” he repeated, quietly.
Gene’s thigh pressed hard against Billy’s and his heart raced. Was this happening? Here in the diner?Surely, he was misinterpreting things.
“The Great Pretender” started and Carolyn turned back around to rejoin the conversation.
“So, Billy, what are you going to tell Father? He’s going to kill you,” she said, twisting her lips in a grimace.
“Yeah, I guess one more reason for him to hate me.”
Carolyn sighed. “He doesn’t…He doesn’t really…” She stopped when Billy stared at her, frowning. “Okay, yeah,” she quietly acquiesced. “Father hates you. I don’t know why! You are an amazing person. So smart, and kind, and loving.”
“You know why he hates me, Carolyn,” he said quietly.
“But…that’s so stupid! He needs to stop trying to make you…” She flicked her eyes at Gene, “make you stop being who you are.”
“He’ll probably take the car away,” Billy admitted.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Carolyn shrugged. “You should just take off for California now. It’s the perfect time. You just graduated college and he can’t tell you what to do anymore! You know you don’t want to work for him, Billy. You know Uncle Matthew would let you stay with him for a little while.”
Gene had been quiet, taking in their conversation. “You want to move to California?”
“Yeah. The city my uncle lives in is apparently more…tolerant…of certain people.”
“You mean chefs?” Gene asked, winking.
“Um, yeah. Chefs,” he agreed, smiling. Is he flirting with me? Billy wondered. Was it possible that his new friend was gay?
“Will your father really take the car away?”
Billy shrugged. “I’m sure he will, but I don’t want anything from him.”
“You need it to get to California,” Gene pointed out.
Billy smiled back, his cheeks pink. “There is that.”
“What if he didn’t find out about the accident?”
Billy gazed at him, his brow furrowed in confusion. “How is that even possible?”
“Easy.” Gene grinned. “We can work all night at the garage and get it fixed by morning. We’ll have to make a run to the junkyard to get a new grill, but I know a guy there and we can stop by after hours.”
“You would do that for me?” Billy stared incredulously at the man who was willing to help him.
“Sure. Let’s split and we can get started.” He pulled his wallet out and tossed some cash on the table—enough to cover their malts plus a tip—and stood up. “Carolyn, it was very nice to meet you.” He smiled at her before glancing at Billy. “Ready?”
Billy turned to Carolyn. “You okay with this?”
She waved her hands at him. “Go! I’ll tell the parents you ran into some friends from high school and decided to stay the night with one.”
“Thanks, Carolyn.” Billy bent down and kissed her cheek and she grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. “Billy, he is real gone over you. Let him in,” she said, patting Billy’s chest, just over hisheart.