and easily fell asleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
Confrontation, Dinner, & Dessert
A FTER Kevin first kissed Hugo in the woods as teens, Kevin found any excuse to simply drop him off at home rather than get together like they’d done every day since they’d met. Sometimes it was because Kevin said he needed to help his mom with grocery shopping or planting a shrub in the backyard. Other times it was for father-son bonding time, fishing in the local streams and rivers where Kevin’s dad would talk to him about duty and the honor of the family name. At least, that’s how Kevin described the outings to Hugo the following Monday as he dropped off mail in the lab.
At first, Hugo thought Kevin was feeling regretful for kissing him that day. Kevin had a hard time making direct eye contact for very long, and his smiles went from being full and open to seemingly shy and almost disguised. Hugo tried to ignore the changes, thinking time would make the awkwardness go away, but when that didn’t work, Hugo decided to try asking about doing specific things together rather than asking the ubiquitous “Wanna hang out after work?”
Yet, when Hugo suggested heading to Merlin’s Hallow or spending some time on the trails, Kevin always had something to do. Hugo knew he might have to be more direct.
“Sorry, man, but my mom and dad are really riding me hard right now. It’s not unusual. Actually, this is pretty typical. I think they just gave me some slack when we first moved.” Kevin shrugged as he dropped a pile of mail in the wire inbox on the desk in the lab before slipping back out the door.
“Wait,” Hugo said, stepping into the hallway to call after Kevin’s retreating back. “Would you just talk to me for a second? Please?” He knew he sounded desperate, but Hugo needed to understand what was going on.
Kevin stopped, his back tensing, but he turned, leaving his rolling mail cart in the hall, and reentered Hugo’s workspace. Hugo shut the door behind them and took a shaky breath.
“Are you avoiding me because you kissed me?” he whispered, just in case there was someone able to hear them through the thick wooden doors.
Kevin looked angry, his brows drawn together in a tight line, and the same pink spots which always seemed to appear when he talked about his father showed up high on the apples of his cheeks.
“Look. I’m not gay, okay? I don’t know why I kissed you.” He was defensive.
Hugo felt like someone had stabbed him through the belly and he was bleeding all over the floor.
“But….”
“I don’t know.” Kevin looked down and kicked at the seams between the clean tiles.
“But you kissed me ,” Hugo said as if trying to convince himself he did nothing wrong. “I didn’t kiss you. So apparently something’s going on because the last time I checked, straight guys weren’t just walking up to gay guys like me and kissing them.”
Besides telling his sister, that was the first time Hugo had told anyone he was gay.
“I think I would’ve noticed, and I might not have been weeks away from my sixteenth birthday the first time I was kissed.” Hugo couldn’t keep the pathetic tone from leaking into his voice.
Kevin looked up sharply when the words finally sunk in. “Wait. That was the first time you kissed someone?”
Hugo nodded and added, “Aside from Kari Miller in sixth grade under the jungle gym on a dare, and that was a far cry from what happened in the woods.”
“Geez. I’m sorry, Hugo. Shit!” Kevin started to turn, and Hugo feared he was going to leave.
“So you’re not gay? I just assumed since you kissed me….” Hugo trailed off, upset with himself for making any sort of assumptions, especially when he’d noticed Kevin looking at girls in the past. And now someone else knew. Hugo wondered what Kevin might possibly do with his secret. Was he the type of guy who would tell their classmates about Hugo? Would he betray that trust? Beat him up? No matter what, now Kevin
CHAPTER FIVE
Confrontation, Dinner, & Dessert
A FTER Kevin first kissed Hugo in the woods as teens, Kevin found any excuse to simply drop him off at home rather than get together like they’d done every day since they’d met. Sometimes it was because Kevin said he needed to help his mom with grocery shopping or planting a shrub in the backyard. Other times it was for father-son bonding time, fishing in the local streams and rivers where Kevin’s dad would talk to him about duty and the honor of the family name. At least, that’s how Kevin described the outings to Hugo the following Monday as he dropped off mail in the lab.
At first, Hugo thought Kevin was feeling regretful for kissing him that day. Kevin had a hard time making direct eye contact for very long, and his smiles went from being full and open to seemingly shy and almost disguised. Hugo tried to ignore the changes, thinking time would make the awkwardness go away, but when that didn’t work, Hugo decided to try asking about doing specific things together rather than asking the ubiquitous “Wanna hang out after work?”
Yet, when Hugo suggested heading to Merlin’s Hallow or spending some time on the trails, Kevin always had something to do. Hugo knew he might have to be more direct.
“Sorry, man, but my mom and dad are really riding me hard right now. It’s not unusual. Actually, this is pretty typical. I think they just gave me some slack when we first moved.” Kevin shrugged as he dropped a pile of mail in the wire inbox on the desk in the lab before slipping back out the door.
“Wait,” Hugo said, stepping into the hallway to call after Kevin’s retreating back. “Would you just talk to me for a second? Please?” He knew he sounded desperate, but Hugo needed to understand what was going on.
Kevin stopped, his back tensing, but he turned, leaving his rolling mail cart in the hall, and reentered Hugo’s workspace. Hugo shut the door behind them and took a shaky breath.
“Are you avoiding me because you kissed me?” he whispered, just in case there was someone able to hear them through the thick wooden doors.
Kevin looked angry, his brows drawn together in a tight line, and the same pink spots which always seemed to appear when he talked about his father showed up high on the apples of his cheeks.
“Look. I’m not gay, okay? I don’t know why I kissed you.” He was defensive.
Hugo felt like someone had stabbed him through the belly and he was bleeding all over the floor.
“But….”
“I don’t know.” Kevin looked down and kicked at the seams between the clean tiles.
“But you kissed me ,” Hugo said as if trying to convince himself he did nothing wrong. “I didn’t kiss you. So apparently something’s going on because the last time I checked, straight guys weren’t just walking up to gay guys like me and kissing them.”
Besides telling his sister, that was the first time Hugo had told anyone he was gay.
“I think I would’ve noticed, and I might not have been weeks away from my sixteenth birthday the first time I was kissed.” Hugo couldn’t keep the pathetic tone from leaking into his voice.
Kevin looked up sharply when the words finally sunk in. “Wait. That was the first time you kissed someone?”
Hugo nodded and added, “Aside from Kari Miller in sixth grade under the jungle gym on a dare, and that was a far cry from what happened in the woods.”
“Geez. I’m sorry, Hugo. Shit!” Kevin started to turn, and Hugo feared he was going to leave.
“So you’re not gay? I just assumed since you kissed me….” Hugo trailed off, upset with himself for making any sort of assumptions, especially when he’d noticed Kevin looking at girls in the past. And now someone else knew. Hugo wondered what Kevin might possibly do with his secret. Was he the type of guy who would tell their classmates about Hugo? Would he betray that trust? Beat him up? No matter what, now Kevin
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