Page 37 of The Boy from Half Moon

How do you defeat a man doing God’s work?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Tate

The video monitor displayed an empty street and the occasional car zipping by the front entrance of my building. My endless pacing did nothing to calm my nerves. Luke was coming today; his visit was the only thing I thought about.

Luke called three days earlier to inform me he and another employee from the furniture store would deliver my purchases on Saturday. His phone voice was very manly in tone, driving me crazy ever since. That was on Thursday, and this was Saturday, the day I’d been waiting for all week.

I glanced toward the video monitor for what felt like the fiftieth time. “What’s taking so long?” I complained. Luke told me they’d arrive around noon, and he’d call if there was an issue. I glanced at my watch, also for about the fiftieth time. It was three minutes after twelve now, and I was behaving like an impatient little fuck.

Forcing myself to sit down at the oversized kitchen island, I thought about the conversation we’d had when I bought my new furniture. He’d told me that the men at his store, him included, knew the risks of dating a homosexual. Why would he tell me such a thing? Was he dropping a hint?

But as soon as I was about to explore more of what he meant by dating a homosexual and taking risks, he switched off faster than a lamp when an uninvited guest arrived at your front door. Suddenly, and disappointingly, the conversation shifted back to me, the client, and him, the salesperson.

He’d also stated that Tyler still came into his place of work and that his coworkers knew why he stopped by so frequently. Apparently, they knew the concept of a gay guy cruising them, but what they did about it, if anything, was a mystery to me. The idea of me being there when or if Tyler stopped by the next time worried me. Tyler would squeal like a stuck pig if he had info like that on me. And I didn’t have to imagine who the first person he’d squeal to would be.

I nearly fell off my barstool when the monitor buzzed. I practically dove across the room to reach the small screen, finding the back of Luke’s head filling it.

“Hello,” I said.

Luke quickly turned to face the camera, looking impossibly handsome, the bright sunlight setting his blue eyes off like a smoldering fire. “Sorry we’re late, sir. Jed is at the garage door with his truck, and I’ll be there in a minute if you can buzz us into the loading area.”

“You have two trucks?” I asked, forgetting the dent I’d put in my bank account the other night. The number of items I’d purchased added up, but they’d look terrific in my loft. “I’ll be right down.” I buzzed his associate in and hung up.

The hallway mirror confirmed that I looked nervous. It wasn’t mere butterflies in my gut. I had pterodactyls. Taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly, I played with my hair and checked my teeth. Why I checked my teeth, I wasn’t exactly sure. Maybe we’d kiss, I fantasized. We’d done more than kiss in my late-night jack off session the previous night.

The two trucks were parked near the freight elevator when I arrived. The way the building contractors had incorporated the old lifts into the redesigned building was a godsend. Moving in or out, as well as bulk deliveries, were easily handled with the oversized elevators.

“Hello, sir,” Luke began, turning to his associate. “This is Jedidiah. He goes by Jed though.”

I nodded at Jed, marveling at all the biblical names Luke’s community used. Jed was probably early twenties with a bad case of acne. He was also the first of Luke’s coworkers not to be perfect to look at. However, like my crush, Luke, Jed was built like a God. What did they feed these boys out at the ranch?

Luke gestured to the first truck which held my new dining room table. “We’ll handle that one first, sir,” he said, disappointing me with the formal, ‘have we ever met?’ nature with which he addressed me.

“How about I leave the elevator key with you guys and I’ll head back up to the loft?” I began. “I’m in unit number 41 at the end of the hall. Fourth floor,” I added.

Not only did Luke and Jed bring my furniture up to the loft, but they assembled everything and placed the pieces exactly where I asked them to. I’m not going to lie; watching them busy themselves with the hard work was a feast for my eyes. Luke was great at any angle, while Jed was best from the backside.

‘Watching Luke Work’ would be a great name for a YouTube channel. I’d watch all day if it existed. I literally couldn’t take my eyes off him. He glanced my way several times, each time catching me fanning out like a teenager. He’d smile and then get back to work. I’d try to pretend I was busy fussing about the kitchen.

“That’ll do it, sir,” Luke said, picking up the last tool he’d used to attach the doors to the large kitchen cabinet.

They’d been in the loft working their butts off for nearly two hours, and yet, I wasn’t in anything that resembled a hurry to see the job completed. While I fussed and pretended to be uninterested in their incredible bodies, the time flew by. I was only in my early thirties, but I felt like an old perv, as I spent the entire time ogling them.

“I’ll meet you back at the store,” Jed said, speaking for the first time since they’d arrived.

I walked across the room and ran my hand along the edge of the cabinet doors on the kitchen piece. They weren’t aligned correctly, and I could see a small gap at the bottom of the two primary doors.

“These are slightly off,” I said, looking from Jed to Luke. “I guess I could adjust them myself,” I added, suddenly feeling like less of a man because I’d pointed out the simple flaw. The fact is, I was helpless when it came to fixing things or using any sort of tool. I needed one of them to stay and fix the doors.

Luke quickly addressed my concern, jumping on what seemed to give him a reason to stay behind—I hoped. Truthfully, I’d spent the last hour or so trying to figure out how to get him alone. Perhaps my perfectionist’s eye would give him a reason to stay.

“You head back, brother. I’ll adjust the doors,” Luke said, nodding at Jed.

Jed simply tilted his head in my direction and walked out the front door. I had Luke alone in my home. Now what?

“Sorry,” I mumbled, gesturing toward the cabinet and feeling petty. “Pain in the butt customers, right?” I asked.

“Never, sir,” he replied, dropping to his knees and opening one of the cabinet doors, eyeing it as he moved the door back and forth.

---