Page 38 of The Boy from Half Moon

“Can we get back to you calling me Tate?”

Luke turned his stunning blue eyes toward me, locking them with mine. I hoped that my lust for him and the hard swallow weren’t obvious, as I practically gulped down my desire. Even while he was on his knees, he appeared huge. His crisp white button-down barely held his strong back inside its seams.

The shirt came untucked as he squatted to examine the piece, revealing smooth, white skin, just a tiny hint of his powerful and muscular ass exposed to my weak resistance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man so muscular in all the right locations on a body in my life.

“I didn’t ruin our friendship?” he asked.

I was confused by his question. “Why would you think that?” I asked, once again feeling like I had to solve a riddle.

“When you saw me hurting your friend through the door the other night.”

“That was several days ago, Luke, and we spoke about that already. I told you I didn’t blame you,” I reassured and waved a dismissive hand toward him. “I’ve forgotten all about that. Plus, you said he insulted you or something like that.”

“He was out of line, sir… I mean, Tate.”

Luke stood, nervously wringing his hands, waiting for a response. I assumed because I had a quizzical look on my face. I’d thought we’d hashed this out the last time when he was informing me he was aware of homosexuals.

“And you were within your right to correct him,” I agreed.

“He caused me to lose my temper, though. I’m not proud of that, and I don’t want you to think I would intentionally hurt anyone,” he said. “I am not that type of person, Tate.”

“And I believe you, Luke. I’m sorry that Tyler was disrespectful.”

“I don’t hurt people,” he continued. “And I don’t like when others do.”

That I understood he wasn’t a violent person seemed important to him. “I believe you, Luke. You’ve always been kind to me,” I said.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked, quickly looking away once I nodded. I waited for him to compose himself. He ran a hand through his short hair and exhaled slowly. “Never mind. I’m not sure how to say it all proper and such.”

“Luke,” I said, waiting for him to turn to me. It took him a moment, but he reluctantly turned to face me. “You can trust that I’ll keep what we say to each other…” I paused to make sure he heard me. “Just between us,” I finished, motioning back and forth. “So go ahead,” I urged.

“I like you,” he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. His face immediately blushed in a beautiful burst of red, his eyes falling to the floor.

I stepped closer, careful to measure what he was trying to say. He was two, maybe three feet away from me. “And I like you too, Luke,” I replied.

“I think I might be homosexual because I like you so much,” he blurted out. “I wanted to tell you the other day when you came in, but I chickened out. I’m not good at saying stuff, I guess.”

To say I was stunned would’ve been the understatement of the decade. However, I remained cautious regarding his admission. Luke was unlike most young men in our world, and the clinical way with which he said homosexual naturally had my guard up.

“I want to be respectful of you, Luke,” I began, backing away and reaching for a barstool behind me as I blindly backed toward the island. I managed to sit and take a breath before speaking again. Luke watched me carefully as I backed away. I wondered if he thought I feared him. “Do you know why you think you may be homosexual?” I asked, using his terminology.

He certainly didn’t hesitate to answer me. “Do you remember when I told you I knew what the risks would be if we courted a homosexual? Especially if we courted an outsider who was homosexual?”

He had no idea just how much I remembered him saying that. I’d spent countless hours analyzing his meaning ever since. “Yes. I remember.”

“I wanted you to know I’d take that risk for you.”

My hand grabbed the edge of the kitchen island as I tried to steady myself from the bomb he’d just thrown at my feet. My heart rate doubled as I considered what his statement meant. How would dating each other work for us? When would we start? Today? Where would we meet up? Who would handle the wedding plans? Don’t jump the gun yet, Luke.

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” I asked. “I mean… well…” I lost my train of thought. His blunt declaration had me at a disadvantage. I hadn’t expected this by a long mile. Had he said he wanted to date me? I pointed at him and then at myself. “You and me… we would date… each other?”

He nodded his intention. “You make me feel… well, feel…” He tapped his chest. “Feel inside my… right here.” He tapped his chest again, paused, and then drew a long breath before beginning again. “My insides hurt whenever I see you, Tate. Do you remember that day when you came into the bakery, and I saw you that first time?” I nodded, too shocked to speak. He was apparently on a mission to dump a lot of pent-up info on me, so I paid attention. “I felt sick when you left. I missed you and waited every day for you to come in again. And then you did… and I panicked. Remember when I made a fool of myself at the bakery and ran to the back room?”

“I remember that too,” I admitted. “I didn’t think you were a fool, but I thought about you, too.”

His face softened and his smile spread across it. “Really? You did?”

I returned his smile, feeling like the kid who got a yes to his prom proposal. “I did.”

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