Page 98 of Tide Over

I nod. “He’s at work.”

“Ah.” He nods. “Rig life.”

As he continues to arrange the meals in the freezer, I watch him… and wonder what he would think…

“Caleb,” I say, his name coming out of my mouth before my brain can catch up and stop me.

He turns to look at me, eyebrows raised as he waits.

My heart pounds in my chest as I stare back at him. I wanted to tell my family first, but… he’s my oldest friend. We’ve been through a lot together, and even though he doesn’t live here anymore and I don’t see him as much, every time we talk… it’s like no time has passed. An urge is rising, and a voice inside me is getting louder, telling me to just do it. Try it. He’ll understand.

And suddenly, I can’t hold it in any longer.

“I’m gay.”

His eyebrows lift as he nods slowly. “Oh.” He turns around to place the last dish in the freezer. “Ok, cool.”

My pulse roars in my ears as I continue to sit here in silence and fear, and wait for everything to fall apart.

But when he meets my eyes, his brow furrows. “What?”

All I can do is stare back at him, unsure what’s happening. Panic starts to rise as I think maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it. Because he is getting ready to bolt, and our almost thirty-year friendship is about to shatter.

But he studies me for a moment with curiosity. “Have you told anyone else?”

I shake my head, swallowing hard.

The corner of his mouth tilts up in a soft smile as he rests his elbows on the counter. “How does it feel?”

A rush of relief rolls through me, so strong it almost fucking takes me out. I release a large breath that I feel like I’ve been holding my entire life. “So fucking good.”

He smiles widely. “Been holding that in for a while, eh?”

I nod with a huff. “You could say that.”

He watches me for a moment with soft and understanding eyes. “Liam?”

“Yeah.” Then I quickly add, “But I haven’t told my family yet.”

He brings his fingers to his lips in action to lock them and throw away the key.

A small smile tugs at my lips, but then I sigh, knowing there’s still so much left in this journey. “I just don’t know what everyone will think…”

Caleb drops his gaze, scanning the cards and gifts all over the counter… the tokens of care and support from everyone in town. Then he meets my eyes again with a small smirk. “I think you’ll be just fine.”

I watch the sky darken through the skylight as I lie in bed, Miss Bobber lying beside me as she falls asleep. My arm hurts as the meds are starting to wear off, and I should take more… but I want to talk to Liam first so I’m not drowsy.

The second my phone buzzes, I answer, putting it on speaker and setting it on my chest.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey,” his tired-sounding voice comes through the speaker. I hear a door close in the background, like he might just be getting back to his room.

“How was your day?” I ask.

He hesitates for a moment, and I hear rustling like he’s removing a jacket. “It was ok… fucking long. I had to get up twice last night for emergencies on the pipe, and it was nonstop today.”

I feel a wave of sympathy for him, wondering how he manages to do this for three weeks straight, working twelve to fourteen hour days and being on call all night. “Just over two weeks left…” I say, trying to give him some hope.

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