Tristan bent to pick up what he dropped. As he did, the other guy spoke louder than Tristan had heard him speak yet. “I need that back.” He held out his hand and stood tall, eying Tristan as though he wanted to steal what looked like a homemade chess piece. It was the most secure Tristan had seen him since they started speaking. He had the feeling the younger man would attack before he’d let Tristan leave with the chess piece.

Tristan held out his hand, watching as he snatched it back and then turned, walking briskly toward the businesses with his head down and the wooden piece enclosed in a tight fist.

Shaking his head, Tristan went back to the bench and sat down.

Chapter Five

Josiah

Josiah went straight to Fisherman’s Roast, shoved his way behind the counter and to the employee bathroom. He jerked his work shirt out of his bag, ripping it over his head before turning on the water and splashing his face.

Putting his hands flat on the sink, he leaned forward, trying to catch his breath. Trying to figure out why he was so angry.

“Josiah? You okay in there?” Elliot knocked on the door. He still filled in for them when they were shorthanded, but who knew how long that would last.

“No,” he snapped. Gripping the doorknob tightly, he ripped the door open. Heat flooded his body, and he still hadn’t stopped squeezing the doorknob.

“What happened?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Elliot nothing, the way he always did. He didn’t think he would ever be able to talk to anyone about his past. But then, he wanted to as well. Wanted to share something—this—with someone. “Some guy just asked me out,” he blurted, fumbling for his words. “Or maybe not out. I think... I think he was asking me to have sex with him tonight.”

Elliot sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, bro, but aren’t you gay? I mean, you said you were, but the way you ran from my brother last weekend... And if you are gay, that makes this kind of a good thing, right? I know if some chick asked me to have sex with her it would be.”

Josiah shook his head, closed the lid to the toilet, and plopped down. How could he expect Elliot to understand something like this?

“Um... this is weird, but let’s just... I’m sure you don’t want everyone to hear our conversation, so I’m just going to come in and close the door.”

A foreign kind of smile appeared on Josiah’s face for some reason. He really was lucky he’d met Elliot.

“So, what? They guy was ugly or something?”

Josiah thought back to the suit that had hugged each and every muscle on his body. The strong jawline with dark stubble. His short, black hair. Dark eyes. He was... sophisticated, and as far from ugly as Josiah could imagine. “No...” He looked at the ground. “Definitely not ugly.”

“So what gives?”

He wasn’t Mateo.

Besides the dark hair and eyes, he was opposite Mateo in every way. He’d never imagined being with someone other than Teo. And what would a guy like that see in Josiah, anyway?

“I have an ex-boyfriend.” What could he say other than that? It wasn’t like he could give Elliot the whole story.

“Again, what’s the problem? I have ex-girlfriends, too. Unless, you’re still in love with him? If you ask me, that’s even more reason to get laid.” Elliot laughed.

Josiah’s elbows rested on his knees and he buried his face in his hands. I’ve never been with anyone but him. I don’t want to be with anyone other than him.

He doesn’t want me. He sent me away...

“I haven’t...you know...”

“Oh...oh... Like, ever? I mean, not that it’s my business, but you’re twenty-three. Maybe it’s time to remedy that.”

“I did with Mateo.” He’d said his name to someone. That was the first time Josiah had said his name to anyone in over five years.

Elliot bent down. “I’m not going to pretend this isn’t kind of weird. I have no idea what to say here. It’s obvious... Well, I don’t mean to sound like an asshole when I say this, but it’s obvious you’ve been through a lot. You’re dealing with a lot. But whatever you’re doing right now isn’t working. My dad taught me that—if something’s not working, you fix it. You change it. Hell, I don’t know if you should go out with this guy or not, but it wouldn’t hurt. You might have some fun.

“Your ex... It seems like you’re waiting on him, and it doesn’t look like he’s coming back. Sounds to me like you need to move on. Even if it’s not with this guy, or Dylan, at least with your life. Stop running. We’ve been friends for a while now, and this is the first time I’ve even heard about your ex.”