Page 55 of Resisting You

He stood there, stunned a little, and confused. Had he really never smiled in Frey’s presence? Not ever? Not once?

“Come on,” Frey said, shattering the moment of silence. He grabbed Renato by the wrist with one hand, then waved at Rex with the other. When the boy looked over, Frey signed, ‘Let’s go.’

Rex’s eyes went wide, and he pointed at Renato.

‘Yes,’ Frey signed. ‘He’s coming with.’

Rex let out a joyful shout, then took off again, and Frey dragged Renato, doing his best to keep up. The small boy came to a skidding halt at the very end of the long corridor, and then he wrenched the door open and went in. Before Renato could follow, Frey stopped him.

“It’s a Deaf event,” he said. “So they’re really loud, but on these trips, they’re trying to promote sign fluency, so it’s actually voice-off for all the hearing parents. Like, entirely.”

“As in, we can’t speak?” Renato asked. His signs were so rusty, but he didn’t mind. ‘That’s fine,’ he answered with his hands.

Frey’s eyes lit up in ways Renato hadn’t seen before. ‘You sure?’

‘Why not?’

Frey bit his lip, looking momentarily confused, and then he nodded and let Renato go to hold the door for him. The moment they stepped inside, Renato could immediately hear loud chatter in children’s voices. They all sounded like Rex—not fully formed words, but full of all the enthusiasm only kids still possessed.

He wondered if he’d ever had that kind of energy.

“Don’t be scared,” Frey murmured, leaning into him slightly before he took Renato by the wrist and pulled him around the corner.

The theater opened up to mostly empty seats with several children near the front. There was what looked like a mini concession stand set up with a couple of adults in dark polo shirts dishing out popcorn and drinks. In the back was a row of parents—at least, Renato assumed they were parents by the way they were staring at the pair of them.

He wondered for a moment if Frey was out of the closet to these people. Renato damn well knew that existing as queer in public could get tricky, and factoring in strangers whose kids went to school with Rex? He couldn’t imagine how he would have navigated the situation.

But the way Frey held his wrist tighter told Renato that he wasn’t hiding that part of him.

Frey groaned, drawing Renato’s attention back to him. ‘Cotton candy,’ he signed.

Renato followed his gaze and saw Rex bouncing on his feet in front of the machine. He had one finger on a button, the hand in his sling holding a white paper cone. The machine started to whirr…and then it started to whine.

“Fuck,” Frey whispered. He let Renato go and began to run down the aisle, and Renato was close at his heels. They made it a second before the machine gave a loud crack, and then the top flew to the side, and strings of not-quite-formed fluff shot everywhere.

Rex toppled to the side, and Renato dove on instinct, catching him before he hit the ground. Frey slammed to his knees and caught them both, but not before Renato’s hip cracked on one of the seats. He was vaguely aware of the commotion around him, and he looked up to see a stern man signing faster than Renato could follow.

Frey climbed to his feet and began to answer back, his face furious. Renato caught a few signs here and there, but he wasn’t up to speed. Obviously the man was pissed, but Renato didn’t understand why.

He winced as he stood, but he ignored the pain a moment later when Rex barreled into his legs and held on with his uninjured arm like he was terrified. Then Renato realized he was shaking. He was good with patients, not random children, but he wasn’t a monster. He picked the small boy up into his arms, and Rex buried his face in Renato’s neck.

Frey was still going at it. The stern man was practically in his face, and Renato felt a sudden urge to shove him away. He was totally lost, but whatever was happening, it was unnecessary to make a scene in front of all the kids.

“Um,” he said aloud.

Frey took a step back, then whipped around to face Renato, and his eyes went wide when he realized Renato was holding Rex. ‘Come on,’ he signed slowly. ‘We’re leaving.’

Renato licked his lips, then nodded. He took a step back, and then Frey turned back to the man and shoved his middle finger in his face. Unable to stop it, Renato burst into laughter. It was so unexpected and just so… Frey. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he immediately recognized the warm sensation in his stomach.

And it was not one he wanted.

But there was no denying it now.

He had no choice but to follow Frey back up the ramp and through the doors, and the moment they closed, Frey sagged against the wall and covered his face. “Fuck!” he shouted.

Rex’s head popped up, and he looked over at his dad, then at Renato before tapping a Y hand on his chin. ‘What’s wrong with Dad?’

‘I don’t know,’ Renato answered, flicking his fingers from his temple.

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