Page 6 of New Neighbor

They’d known each other since their freshman year. Eight years. They’d gotten in and out of many scrapes together. He sensed he could tell them… that they would eventually accept him for who he truly was.

Yet that little niggle of doubt he had scared the hell out of him. He was the odd man out.

Easy to walk away from…

Jesse caught his stare and smiled. “You good, man?”

Benji’s throat closed up on him, the fear seizing him in its grip.I’m bisexual. I like women… and men. And I just met a man that made my insides melt. A man I want to get to know better…

Instead of saying all of that out loud, he nodded and went back to do another set.

All while screaming inside.

“I’m good,” he lied before turning away.

* * * *

Bock-bock-booooock

Later, once he was walking back to his apartment, he paused at Mac’s door. The U-Haul was gone, but he heard voices behind the door. From the sounds of it, Mac, Tevan, and Julio were celebrating Mac’s new place.

He lifted his hand to the door, poised to knock.

Again, he chickened out.

He crossed back to this door and entered, closing the world out behind him.

I’ll ask him later…

Hopefully.

He opened the door and rested back against it once it was closed.

I’m such a fucking chicken.

Benji was tired of feeling afraid. Afraid of not being loved. Afraid of not being accepted.

Afraid of ending up alone.

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