Fan-Tastic (7 page)

He took another deep breath…and hesitated again.

Damn it, he hadn’t come all this way just to stare at a door.

Then he felt it—the prickling sensation that always comes when somebody is watching you. It was an instinct that all people were born with, but his four years in the military had taught him to hone that skill into a fine art. So he had no doubt—he was being stalked…but by whom?

He glanced at the curtains of the window that looked out over the porch. Maybe the home’s occupant already realised he was present and they were getting ready for battle. His unease grew when he noted the curtains remained motionless and tightly drawn together—the thick brown cloth obscuring any chance of him seeing inside, let alone allowing anybody to peek outside.

So that meant his stalker was somewhere else. He scanned up and down the street—the very one he’d grown up on. While each house brought back some memory from the past, he didn’t spot a single person. Nor did he see anybody looking out of the various windows. Just as he was about to give up and leave, a high pitched giggle from the other yard drew his attention.

Turning his head, he groaned as he found himself face-to-face with Ayla. When Dale had lived there four years ago, she’d been the neighbourhood brat and it looked as if little had changed. Sure, she now wore her brown hair in a fashionable pixie cut, had grown several inches taller and had given up her overalls for a pair of tight jeans, but the ever-present smirk remained on her lips.

“I knew you would be back,” she declared, crossing her arms over her thin chest.

Dale cocked a brow. “You did?”

“Of course. There’s no way you can resist Brady. You’ve always had the hots for him.”

It took Dale aback that even somebody as young as Ayla had figured out his true feelings for his best friend. Had he really been that obvious?

As if reading his mind, she rolled her big, brown eyes. “Please. You guys practically drooled over each other.”

“So, does that mean everybody knows?” Dale ventured.

He wondered if Brady had faced prejudice and hatred for their obvious attraction and a pang of guilt hit Dale over his friend having to face that alone.

“Yes, but most people don’t care. They like Brady too much to let something like that make them think less of him. In fact, he’s very
popular
…” She drew out the last word for emphasis, a malicious gleam in her gaze.

A bitter bite of jealousy stung Dale, even though he knew he had no right to feel it. “How popular?”

“What do you care? You took off on him.”

Since when had Ayla become Brody’s advocate? Next, she’d be coming up and kicking Dale in the shins for daring to hurt him.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Dale replied through clenched teeth.

Now it was she who cocked a brow and damned if she didn’t do a better job of it. “We all have choices in life, Dale. Some of us are just too much of a chicken to make them.”

His mouth parted in shock as he realised he’d been put in his place…and by a seventeen-year-old girl, no less. She tilted her head to the side, a grin forming on her face. “What makes you think he waited for you?”

Panicked, Dale looked at the drive, looking for any signs of an additional car that would indicate Brody was no longer living alone. All he saw was the same battered, red VW Bug that Brody had owned since high school and one set of tyre tracks leading up the snow-covered drive.

“Is he in a relationship?” Dale asked, hating that he had to get his information from the town snot.

“Why should I tell you anything? Knock on the door and find out for yourself. Unless you’re too afraid to face him. After all, you have been standing there a long time. I’m beginning to think that you’re just going to freak out and run the other way.”

“Now I’m beginning to remember why we always ditched you and whenever you tried to tag along after us,” Dale shot back.

She gave an unladylike snort. “Like I ever wanted to be seen with you two losers and before you ask, no—it’s not because you were gay.”

He blinked a few times, shocked at her bluntness. “Everybody knew about that?”

“Yeah, the way you two acted around each other, it was pretty obvious. I think the only ones who were clueless were your family.” She snagged a nearby lawn chair that for some odd reason was still out in February and settled into it, making herself comfortable. “They’re still in the dark, if you ask me.”

“Oh.” Dale thought that one over, surprised to find it didn’t bother him that the rest of their small Michigan town didn’t know his deep, dark secret. Then another thought occurred to him and he shot her an offended look. “So, why are we such losers?”

She huffed. “You two were the only guys who I know that look hot, yet have this insane addiction to
Harry Potter.”

“What’s wrong with that? The books are good. The movies aren’t too bad, either. True, they don’t always stay true to the novels, but—”

She cut him off. “See! That’s exactly what I mean. Nobody other than Brody gives a damn about that kind of thing.”

“I’ll have you know that there were tons of people upset over that. You should have seen some of the posts on the message boards…” Dale trailed off, realising just how lame that
did
sound.

“As much as it upsets me, you two really are perfect for each other,” she sighed.

“Why does that upset you?”

“Because you broke his heart when you left to join the Air Force.”

Pain sliced through Brody, along with a bitter dose of regret. Damn it, he knew he’d done just that, but to hear some kid put voice to it somehow made it all the more real.

“I didn’t think I had a choice,” Dale rasped.

“And now?”

“I realise I made the biggest mistake of my life.”

“Then why in the hell are you telling me that?” She pointed at the door. “You need to be saying that to Brody.”

“Does your mother know about your potty mouth?”

“Who do you think I learned it from? Now, grow a set and knock already.”

Properly chastised, Dale took a deep breath and lifted his hand to rap on the door. While he waited, he nervously ran his fingers through his brown crew-cut, although there was no way it could possibly be messy. For good measure, he also smoothed out his white T-shirt and jeans, then straightened out his leather jacket.

After what seemed like forever, yet still too soon, the door opened and Dale found himself facing Brody for the first time in four years. Dale’s heart thudded as all the memories of their past came crashing upon him. Some were young and innocent, since they were from their childhood.

There were also more carnal and sensual moments they’d had together, highlighting the way too few times when they’d been intimate—at least, until Dale had gone and blown it, throwing away the only man he’d ever loved.

Very little about Brody had changed. He still wore his blond hair short but a bit shaggy so it looked stylishly messy. His blue eyes were as bright as ever, the long lashes that framed them looking sexy without coming off as feminine. Hell, Dale felt pretty certain Brody was even wearing the same University of Michigan tee he’d sported in high school.

The only thing that had changed was Brody’s body. Gone was the gangly teen build and in its place stood the hard, compact, muscular body of a man. The tight jeans he wore showed off every inch of those assets perfectly, too.

They both stood there, facing off like in some kind of old-time Western—Dale struck dumb at the sight of the man he cared so much about, Brody shooting off a murderous glare.

Well aware of the fact they had a teenage audience and that they couldn’t stand there all day, Dale nervously cleared his throat and said, “Hey, how are things going?”

Brody answered by slamming the door in Dale’s face, the loud sound seeming to echo down the street. Stunned, he could do nothing but stare at the piece of wood, almost as if he could look at it long enough for it to simply vanish and the incident to never have taken place. Then he heard a soft giggle coming from the next yard over and he knew he had to do something.

Turning to point a finger at Ayla, he warned, “Not a word from you.”

That only made her laugh harder. More determined than ever, Dale turned and pounded on the door again. “Open up, Brody. We need to talk.”

“Fuck off!” was the muffled response.

Dale almost replied that he would like to do just that with Brody, but he held his tongue out of respect for the young ears nearby.

“Come on. Don’t do this,” Dale pleaded.

“Oh, yeah. We wouldn’t want to inconvenience Mr Air Force by making him have to stand outside in the hot weather.”

“It’s the middle of winter, so it’s not warm at all. In fact, I’m freezing my balls off. Plus, I’m not in the Air Force anymore.”

“What? Did they kick you out for being a douchepickle?”

Dale pulled a face.
Douchepickle
? Brody always came up with the strangest comebacks.

“I don’t think they discharge people from the military for that.”

“You’re lucky then, because if they did, you would have been the first one given the boot.”

“He’s right, you know? You would have been out on day one,” Ayla added.

Letting out a groan, Dale rested his forehead against the wood. “Please, baby. Just let me in. All I’m asking for is five minutes.”

The door opened so fast that Dale actually stumbled a few steps before he recovered and straightened. He glanced up to see Brody’s eyes shooting daggers. While it should have alarmed Dale, the sight of Brody—all hot, his cheeks flushed with emotion and eyes dark with fury—was a bigger turn-on than any porn site.

“You have no right to call me ‘baby’,” Brody seethed.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Dale held his hands up in surrender. “Will you at least give me a chance to talk to you?”

When Brody still hesitated, Dale added, “Please?”

Turning, Brody walked further inside the house. “Fine—you have the five minutes you want. After that, you can get the hell out of my house and this time I never want to see you again.”

Damn, but it hurt to hear those words coming from Brody, but Dale knew he deserved them and so much more. He’d fucked up big time…he knew it more than anybody. But, he also knew that he was willing to do anything to make it up to Brody. Even if it meant a lifetime’s worth of grovelling.

Glancing back at Ayla, Dale had to bite back the laughter at the crestfallen look that crept over her face. She even threw her hands up in the air and let out a moan of frustration that she wouldn’t be getting the show she’d likely hoped for. Giving her a mock wave, Dale closed the door behind him then followed Brody into the kitchen.

Since it was the same house Brody had grown up in, Dale knew the place as if it was his own. Which was fitting since he’d spent most of his childhood here. Dale’s father hadn’t exactly been the loving type, so Dale had often taken refuge with Brody’s family.

“How are your mom and dad?” Dale asked as they entered the neat but dated kitchen.

Leaning back against the counter, Brody crossed his arms over his chest. “Dad’s arthritis seems to be doing better since they moved to Florida. Mom likes it there, too, because she’s found a nice bridge club.”

“And how’s your brother?” Dale questioned, knowing he was just putting off the eventual confrontation.

Brody pulled a face. “Just ducky. He’s on his third kid. He never fails to call me on a weekly basis to let me know how proud he’s making Mom and Dad with his reproductive skills and by having the perfect Stepford Wife.”

Tracing a circle on the opposite counter, Dale said, “Don’t let him get to you. From what I heard, they’re just as delighted with you for the work you do at the women’s shelter. In fact, they’re not the only ones who are proud of you. I am, too.”

Brody let out a snort of disbelief. “Sure, then why I haven’t heard from you in four years?”

A multitude of emotions slammed into Dale, none of them good. Guilt, shame, regret and even a bit of anger.

“I wanted to. You have no idea how much it hurt to stay away from you.”

As soon as Brody shot him a cold stare, Dale knew that’d been the wrong thing to say.

“
You
were hurt?” Brody let out a bitter laugh. “I was the one who was dumped and left behind. Not only that, but you never even bothered to send me a follow up fuck-off letter.”

Dale reached out for Brody but let his hand drop when the other man flinched away from his touch. “I thought if I tried to contact you, it would only make things worse.”

Brody clenched his hands into fists and took in a few shaky breaths, but not before Dale caught the glimmer of hurt passing over his former lover’s eyes. “You chose the Air Force over me. How could anything hurt more than that?”

“I was wrong to do that. I was younger then and desperate to please my father.”

“So desperate that you didn’t care if you broke my heart in the process,” Brody countered.

Dale wanted to shout that it’d broken his heart, too, but he knew he had no right to any anger, so he held it in. “All I heard growing up was how I needed to continue the tradition and join the Air Force like all the other men in my family. It killed my dad that he couldn’t do it because of his heart defect, so he drilled it into my head that it was my responsibility to keep our honour.”

“Bullshit—that was just another way for him to manipulate you and we both know it.”

Dale finally took a tiny step forward, his heart soaring when Brody didn’t pull back. “I realise that now, but at the time I was just a young, stupid kid who was desperate to make my family proud of me.”

Brody glanced up, his eyes wet with unshed tears. “You were also terrified to admit that you were gay. As long as we kept it secret, you were fine with it, but once the rumours started, you couldn’t get away fast enough.”

Damn it, how Dale wanted to deny that, but he knew he had to ‘fess up. He owed Brody at least that much.

“He threatened to kill me and you both, if I didn’t leave.”

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