Page 15 of After Hours

“Bro,” I muttered and leaned forward with my arms spread in an obvious invitation. After what he told me, I really couldn’t guess how he’d take me hugging him all of a sudden. It appeared to be exactly what he wanted, though, because Wyatt slid off the stool and into my embrace. If he shed some tears, I would never comment on it. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

“I can’t go back to those meetings.” He shook his head against my shoulder.

“We’ll find you other meetings. I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”

Wyatt pulled back and met my eyes with his own red, glistening ones. “I’d probably be dead without you, Zane. Even when you weren’t with me before, you were always in my mind, you know? In the meetings, they talk about, you know, like honesty and living your truth. Well, that’s my truth.”

I had no clue what to say to that, so I just hugged him harder.

He let go and rounded the island to fetch a paper towel to scrub across his face. “Ha. Some great big gay awakening I had, huh?”

“Whatever your sexuality, you’ll find someone who appreciates you. It might take time, but you deserve love and care, you know.” My phone chimed. I had to get to work, or I’d be late for my route. “Are you really okay, Wyatt? I can call out sick.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m good. Really. The drama is passed. The urge is over, but I have my original sponsor to call if I need to.” He swiped the paper towel under his nose again before tossing it in the bin. “Thanks.”

Wyatt put every ounce of feeling into that single word, and I knew I could believe him. I trusted him. Realizing that was one of the best feelings in the world.

***

Danica dangled about fifteen feet below the top of the cliff as Leo watched her from the top. She glanced over her shoulder at me. “You coming up? I know you’re not admiring my ass.”

Leo’s booming laugh tumbled down the rockface as he shook his head. “You should’ve invited your boyfriend if you wanted someone’s ass to distract you.” He crouched down and stretched out a hand toward his wife.

I hooked the carabiner into the safety rope and reached for the first handhold. It wasn’t a big climb or anything too exciting, but it felt good to get out and get my fingers on rock again. “He’s at work. I don’t think rock climbing’s his thing anyway.” Whenever I brought up my favorite pastime or shared pics of me climbing, Oscar seemed pretty freaked out by the whole idea. Asmuch as I’d like to watch his cute butt heading up a rock, there were plenty of other ways to have fun with him.

The tip of my climbing shoe slipped, and my fingers tightened on the ridges above me. Halfway up even a small face wasn’t the time to start imagining Oscar and what I wanted to do with him. I reset my toes, shook out my hands one at a time, and resumed the climb.

Ten minutes later, we sprawled on a flat rock, water bottles in hand. Dani had her shoes off and her feet in Leo’s lap the way she always did after a climb. He rubbed them absentmindedly with one hand while he took a drink and scanned the view.

“You have to get out more often, Zane,” Leo said. “Dani and I were talking about hitting up Towie Gap in a couple weeks.” He patted his wife’s foot and shot a questioning look at me.

We hit the Gap a couple times every year since we’d met. It was a popular place for climbers in the summer and autumn. A series of fifty to two-hundred-foot faces attracted enthusiasts from all over the area. I took another swallow of water. “I don’t know. Working the midnight shift messes with my schedule.” Not to mention the fact that I wanted to spend every free moment I had with Oscar.

“We’d go on a Sunday in the early afternoon. Let us know when you’re off next.” Dani slipped her shoes back on and leaned forward to peer at me. “You should bring him even if he doesn’t want to climb. Have a romantic picnic or something.”

Leo grinned. “He can watch your ass head up the cliff. It’s always a treat.”

Dani smacked his shoulder, and her husband cringed playfully away. “You think watching Zane’s ass is a treat?”

His eyes dropped wide as he stammered. “Your ass, sweetie! Your ass is a treat.”

We all broke out laughing like idiots at the top of the cliff, probably scaring the wildlife and any nearby hikers. I missedhanging out with my friends. I missed climbing just as much. My desire to spend every minute with Oscar tainted with a bit of nerves about exactly what he wanted or what he was ready for. There was something freeing about being out there, just me, the friends I’d trust my life to, and the rocks.

I stopped laughing first and gazed out at the view of red and gold leaves, dark pines, and the town below us. Dani and Leo spent a bit of time cuddling behind me before getting up.

“Time to head back down to the real world.” Dani walked over to anchor in and start her rappel. I’d go next, and Leo would follow up removing the ropes as he descended.

We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, and they both insisted I made time in my schedule for the Towie Gap trip. I took my time on the winding roads back to town, my mind a jumble of climbing, Wyatt’s revelations, and Oscar’s adorable blush and smooth skin.

If I was going to get serious about this guy – and my heart and body were already whisperingToo late!at me – I had to start figuring out how he’d fit into my life and how I could fit into his. Everything was up in the air with no clear path forward.

When rock climbing, I had no problem spotting the right hand and footholds to get me safely to my goal. When it came to relationships of any kind, things got cloudy. Would my brother stay sober and figure out a stable place in the world? Would he figure out his sexuality safely, or would one bad experience get in the way of his life’s progress?

Oscar was both more fun and stressful to think about. Our schedules didn’t mesh. Our living situations made getting together difficult. I cursed to myself as I made the last turn toward my apartment complex. “Why can’t you just let things develop naturally and stop stressing out about everything, Zane?”

It was a question I’d asked myself many times before. From the outside, I might not look like the type of guy to make big goals or stick to some detailed life plan. Mom and dad would agree that I lacked any true ambition, although at least they did it in a kind-hearted, generally supportive way. You had to know where you were in life in order to know where you’d end up.

Everything had been going along quite smoothly with the only disruption the addition of Sugar to my life. Now I had my brother to worry about and Oscar to wonder about. I parked in my usual spot and opened the back hatch to fetch my climbing gear and cooler. I had just enough time to shower, heat up the leftovers, take Sugar out, and text Oscar before heading to bed so I could get up again at midnight for work.

---