Page 79 of All Roads Lead to You

We both looked at the two men next to us, sitting on stools. They appeared to be in their thirties and dating each other. One had black hair and was a couple of inches shorter than Nick and me. The other was shirtless, with a cowboy hat on his head. Damn, he had a lot of dark brown chest hair. It put mine to shame.

“They are muy guapos, mi amor.”

The one in the hat smiled at us and rested his chin on Ramón’s shoulder from behind. “Look at the baby gays. Remember when we were that young?”

He thrust his hand out to us, and Nick was the first to shake it. “I’m Richard, and this gorgeous god is Ramón. How long have we been together, baby?”

“Going on twelve years.”

“I’m Nick, and this is Logan.” At least the tension washed off him when he realized the men weren’t going to hit on me.

“Twelve years?” I asked, suddenly filled with hope. “That’s a long time. Has it… been hard?”

The two men looked at each other with love and thoughtfulness before nodding. “It can be, but it has been completely worth it,” Richard said. “How long have you two been together?”

Nick looked at me and smiled before answering. “Ah, just about a week, but we’ve known each other for years.”

“Oh, new love. I remember those days,” Richard said, batting his eyelashes.

“Yes, we had some good times,” Ramón agreed.

I rubbed my neck, worried about being intrusive, but this was the perfect time to get some answers. What better way to learn about gay life than talking to other gay men who’d been together for a long time? “Can I ask a personal question?”

Ramón waved a hand. “Ask away.”

“Are you two open? Or… do you hide your relationship?”

Nick rested a hand on my thigh, his dark eyes filled with… what? Concern? Understanding? I grabbed his hand and forked our fingers together.

Richard spread his hands out. “Here, we are free to be who we want to be. But out there? Ramón and I have good jobs we could lose should we come out. No one knows but our families.”

“H-how did your family take it?” I asked.

The two men looked at each other with disappointed eyes, yet filled with a love for each other that had my stomach forming into a knot. Richard looked at me with a sad smile. “Well, mine took some work, but we’re doing pretty good now. Ramón’s family, not so much. His family is very Catholic and conservative. They turned their backs on him.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Their stories proved that if I came out to my dad, it wouldn’t be an easy road if he didn’t shun me altogether. Would he do that? Is his love for me conditional?

“I take it you two aren’t out?” Ramón asked.

I shook my head. “Not yet. This is… all still kind of new to me, but I’ve known I was gay for years now. But Nick here… we’re not sure.”

Both men glanced at Nick, who shrugged at them. “Yeah, this is even newer to me than Logan here. He was… a surprise.”

“So, you’re bisexual?”

Nick shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never looked at any man like I do at Logan.”

“Oh my god, we have a baby pan in our midst, Ramón. What a gem you are, Nick.”

Ramón smiled and nodded. “Indeed.”

“Pan?” Nick and I asked at the same time.

Chapter 24

Nick

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