Page 75 of Outside the Lines
Truth is, I did know myself. Maybe not perfectly, but enough to understand that what I had was far more than I deserved, especially after the blunder I’d made. But hell, if I was going to let it go. The Derrys were stuck with me, for as long as they wanted me.
I leaned back, took a spoonful of spiked ice cream, and watched a painfully young Matthew Broderick dig his way out of a prison.
Two and a half hours later, the movie was over, Lydia was curled up with her head in my lap, and we were both a little bit buzzed. She gripped my knee and let out a sigh. “I love that film.”
“Me too.” Despite the out-of-place soundtrack, the story and humor and romance always brought me back. TheI love yous at the end, the way they all supported and loved— “Oh my God, they’re a thruple!”
Lydia laughed and squeezed my knee. “Kinda, huh?”
I’d never seen that before. It was purely subtext, butclearlyPhilippe loved both Navarre and Isabeau—and they loved him. “Wow.”
Lydia rolled over and looked up at me. “Ian, can I ask you something?”
“You just did.”
She grabbed a decorative pillow and bopped me in the head. “I’m trying to have a real conversation here!”
I laughed, took the pillow away, and tossed it over by the arm of the couch. “Sorry. Slightly drunk.”
“Yeah, well, whose fault is that?”
Mine. Totally. My second helping of ice cream had been in a glass and more booze than cream. “What did you want to ask?”
She fell into seriousness. “Is it okay if I’m kinda a little in love with you?”
Her words zipped through me. The back of my skull tingled and my pulse hitched up a notch. “Um. Yes?”
“Oh good.” She closed her eyes and whispered, “Because I’m kinda a little in love with you.”
My head spun, and I didn’t think it was from the liqueurs. “I mean, I’m gay.” I stared down and she opened her eyes. “But I completely understand why Simon loves you like he does. Because I probably would too, if I were straight or bi or something. Hell, I—” Words fell away.
Lydia poked my leg. “You . . .?”
Wasn’t going to get away with not saying anything. “I’m kinda in love with you too.” I waved at her laying on my legs. “I mean, this isquitea friendship.”
“But boobs and pussy don’t do it for you.”
I shrugged and chuckled. “I’ve always been more of a dick and ass man.”
She shrugged too, but it came out weird since she was lying down and only made me laugh. That gave her the giggles, and we snickered and snorted like two eight-year-olds with a pile of fart jokes. When we both wound down, she relaxed against my legs. “You know what I wanna watch next?”
“What?”
“Fifth Element. Don’t tell Simon, but I fucking love that movie.”
God, my cheeks would break from smiling so much. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Maybe it was because I couldn’t stop worrying about Lydia, but Saturday night crept along with hardly any customers and too many minutes. I couldn’t paint miniatures or models since I was the only one manning the shop, but even my normal go-to time movers like organizing back issues or bagging and boxing comics didn’t help at all. I still ended up perched on a stool behind the counter trying not to seem too bored or too stressed.
Given a few looks of pity I got when the smattering of customers did check out, I’d obviously failed at one or the other. Eventually, it was close enough to closing time that I began the walk-through of the store. Mostly, it was to straighten merchandise and put issues and books that had wandered around back to where they belonged.
Of course, right when I finished tidying up the model section, not five minutes before closing, the shop door opened and closed and the murmurs of two men floated over the shelves.
Really? Why did people have to come in at the Goddamned last second to buy shit? I schooled my expression and headed out to greet them. I might hate last-minute customers, but I knew better than to letthemknow that. They werecustomers, after all.
But when I spied them, I stopped and stared. For the second time in several weeks,Wolf’s Landinghad come to visit my shop—this time in the form of Hunter Easton and Kevyan Montanari.
It was one thing to meet Hunter on the lot,inWolf’s Landing—quite another to have him and his co-writer and husband looking in my shop at the new comic releases.
