Page 3 of Into the Light

“Gus. No. I know it’s worth way more than that.”

“Yeah, but I’m not gonna make a profit on you. Plus, it’s for Rafael, right?”

“Come on, Gus, I’m not a kid anymore. I know how this works, remember? I own a business on Harbor Street too. I can pay retail.”

“It’s not about that. I wouldn’t feel right takin’ that much money from you. I’ll sell it to you for cost. Now stop arguing.” I huffed, but he just shook his head and smiled as I handed over cash.

“Well I’ll remember this next time you get Cheryl a birthday gift from my shop, old man.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here, I want to close up.”

I leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek and grabbed the bag from the counter.

“Thanks, Gus.”

“Don’t mention it. Just be sure to sing real loud tonight. Raf don’t like that attention on him. Give him hell.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Oh I sure will.”

two

RAFAEL

I satin my truck looking at the sign for the Anchorage Lounge. I’d been here far too long, and my time for avoidance was just about over, judging by the vibration of my phone. My friends were looking for me and I didn’t want to let them down. But damn, I really did not want to be at my own birthday party.

I hated being the center of attention, and birthdays were the worst because not only was everyone’s attention on me, but I was also bogged down by the reminder that people even cared enough to throw a party for me. And I knew I didn’t deserve it. There was no way in hell I deserved it. But if I ignored it like I wanted to, then I’d make my friends feel bad, and that was the last thing I wanted.

So here I sat, ready to go into a party thrown for me that I didn’t want, by people who cared about me way more than they should. This happened every year since moving to Moon Harbor but I still wasn’t used to it. Probably would never be.

My cell phone buzzed again, and I looked down to see Sam’s name on the screen. I swiped to answer.

“Yeah?”

“Fashionably late to your own party, huh?”

“... I’ve been in the parking lot.”

“Figures. Want me to bring you a beer?”

I sighed. It was tempting, but being coddled was even worse than unwanted attention, so I opened the door and stepped down.

“Nah, I’ll be right in.”

“Try to look like you’re having a good time. At least for a few minutes.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve got my smile on.”

Sam’s laugh came through the phone and then it clicked off. I pocketed it and walked around the corner to the front of the building. Strings of globe lights hung from the roof of the bar to the building across the street, creating an ambient glow. The tables that had been out front all summer were packed away for the winter, but large glass doors in the front of the building opened up to create a flow from inside to out. Groups of people lingered on the sidewalk, but I didn’t recognize any of them. The town still had visitors.

I walked in and surveyed the space. Every stool along the wooden bar to the left was filled. The tables scattered throughout were filled with people too. A classic rock song pumped through the stereo. It wasn’t as crazy as July would have been but it was still too full of people for my liking. I scanned the right wall of the space, which was set up as a sort of VIP area, with comfortable couches and tables, roped off from the rest of the floor. Toward the back, I found them, sitting at a small table, surrounded by balloons. My chosen family. Though at this moment, I’d rather have chosen people who forgot my birthday.

“Here he is, man of the hour!” Theo’s booming voice rang out, and faces in the crowd turned. I made a beeline for the group and accepted a man hug and pat on the back from him. “Happy birthday, man.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Happy birthday, darling,” Sara said, wrapping her arms around me in a fierce hug. I hugged her back with only a moment of hesitation. Progress, I guess.

Sam came up to me next, giving me the hand-clasp-man-hug combo.

---