Page 138 of Pride High

That was a leading question if he’d ever heard one. “Yeah,”Cameron said. “Although we’re not working on a musical at the moment. We’re doing our own version ofBeauty and the Beast.”

“How nice.” She smiled at her son, and then at him again.

“He does the sets,” Anthony explained. “Carpentry stuff. He doesn’t sing on stage or anything like that.”

“I wouldn’t mind crooning for an audience,” Cameron said, mostly because he thought it would be charming, but it also felt weird that Anthony was trying to make him sound macho. Although he understood why. Such things went along with being in the closet. Did they really need to bother though? Cameron was getting serious vibes that Dawn already knew the nature of their relationship. He was reminded of last year, when he’d been introduced to Whitney’s parents after a play. Her mother had a similar“Well well, who do we have here?”tone and the same twinkle in her eye. She had been wrong, of course. Unlike Anthony’s mother. And if more proof was needed…

“How did you two meet?” Dawn asked innocently, looking very much like her son when he tried to be subtle.

“Fate,” Cameron said. “Intertwined destinies. That sort of thing.”

Anthony shot him a concerned expression. “We have the same lunch period.”

“That too,” Cameron said.

Dawn laughed. “Well grab yourself some pizza, Cameron, and come downstairs when you’re ready. The show is about to start.” She affectionately placed her hand on Anthony’s arm as she passed him and left the room.

“Please don’t talk that way around my dad and brother,” Anthony whispered.

“I can’t help it,” Cameron said in equally hushed tones. “As soon as we’re in the same room, I start to lose control.” He moved in for a kiss but was held at bay.

“Seriously,” Anthony pleaded.

“Okay.” Cameron backed off, but he was still grinning. “Where’s dinner? I’m starving. Have you eaten yet?”

“No. I was waiting for you.”

“How romantic!”

Anthony rolled his eyes. Then he smiled demurely. “I grab your hand,” he whispered, “and pull you into the kitchen, where my parents won’t see us.”

Cameron caught on immediately, enjoying the game they sometimes played. “I shove you up against the refrigerator, hoping you’re in the same mood as me.”

“I nod eagerly while looking lusty or whatever.”

“So I go for it. Tongue and everything. But only because my breath is going to smell like pizza later.”

Anthony laughed. “Oh what the hell.” He checked their surroundings and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then they loaded up two plates with slices of pizza and went downstairs to a finished basement. A leather sofa and a pair of recliners were gathered around a boxy big-screen TV. Anthony made the introductions. Cameron kept himself in check, his handshake firm when he met Joe, who wasn’t nearly as inquisitive as his wife had been. Anthony’s brother, Mike, was vaguely familiar to him. They both agreed that they’d seen each other around school, although Cameron would have never made the connection that they were related. The green eyes, sure, but Joe and Mike looked like they could replace oxen at a plow.

“Here we go,” Joe said, raising the remote to turn up the volume. “Don’t mess it up, Dylan. You broke up with that hussy. Now it’s time to get with a real woman.”

“She broke up with him, Dad,” Mike said.

“Shaddup!” Joe hissed, even though it was just the recap playing.

Cameron smirked to himself and settled into the couch. Anthony was sitting on the floor, one cushion over. His shoulder and arm were close to Cameron’s leg. He made a mental note to resist physical contact. Especially with Mike on the opposite end of the couch. Joe and Dawn were each in a recliner, like American royalty, both of them glued to the screen. Cameron only half-paid attention to the show. He preferred to observe their dynamic, envious of the wholesome scene. His family didn’t gather together to watch television. Not anymore. When he was a kid, sure, although he would usually play with his toys on the floor while they indulged in boring grown-up shows.

Joe growled in frustration when the first commercial break began.

“It’ll be okay, Dad,” Anthony said. “Turn the channel.”

To his surprise, Joe complied, hitting number keys on the remote to switch to VH1, a station that played music videos notquite as trendy as those on MTV. Dawn, meanwhile, was setting a kitchen timer.

Cameron looked to Anthony for an explanation.

“We never watch commercials,” he said. “We timed how long they are and figured out which channels take a later break.”

“Very efficient,” Cameron said, nodding in approval. There was only enough time for a single song and part of another, but he had to admit it was less grating than seeing yet another commercial for Diet Coke. When the buzzer went off, they switched back to a teenage drama portrayed by people who looked like they’d already graduated college.

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