Chapter Twelve

“What the hell was that all about?” Kendra asked as she marched into her apartment, finding Richie standing at the window that overlooked where Lance had just been.

“I asked him if he had feelings for me and he bolted. He hates me. He probably thinks I’m some kind of weirdo.”

Kendra snorted and rolled her eyes, slamming the bag down on the counter top. “Are you completely mentally deficient?”

Richie started at his sister as she ranted. “What?”

“Of course he has feelings for you, stupid. Just because he’s gay doesn’t mean he runs around kissing every man he meets. You know Lance as well as I do. He’s cautious about who he sees and who he’s intimate with. He doesn’t just kiss at random.”

He frowned, but she continued.

“Do you kiss every girl you see? Wait, don’t answer that. Are you attracted to every woman you see?”

“No.”

“Then what in the world makes you think he would just randomly kiss you? He has feelings for you, big brother, and if I was a betting girl, I’d wager and say that those feelings run much deeper than even he realizes.”

“I don’t know, Kenna. What is Mom going to say if she finds out that something happened between the two of us?”

“Since when have you let that stop you? Since when have you ever let Mom’s opinion get in the way of what you truly want.”

“I don’t know what I want,” he said, throwing his hands in the air helplessly.

Kendra took a step closer and gently placed her palm on her brother’s cheek. He leaned into it, finding comfort in her touch. “You do know what you want. You’ve known what you wanted since the moment you kissed him back. You’ve just got to admit it.”

He sagged against the counter. “I was such a dick to him. He came all the way here to work things out. He was worried about me and just wanted to make sure I was okay and I acted like a douche.”

“Then what are you going to do about it?”

Richie chuckled and rolled his eyes. “This sounds like one of those chick flicks where the guy goes chasing after the girl at the airport, spewing on about his undying love for her.”

Kendra shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t go that far, but maybe an apology would be the first place to start. Maybe you should simply talk.”

Richie looked at his sister. “When did you get so smart?”

“About the time you started liking boys,” she said with a cheeky grin.

He laughed, a genuine laugh, for the first time in days. “Come on, we have a festival to catch.”

***

By the time they found parking and made their way through security and the gates, it was half past three. He weaved his way through the crowd to the main stage and was relieved when he saw Lance in the VIP tent.

“Lance,” he said, racing up to the entrance. Two security guards moved in front of him, blocking his path.

“It’s okay,” Lance said.

The behemoths moved and Richie stepped around him. “Wow, you must be big time if you have security guards.”

“What are you doing here?” Lance asked, clearly unamused by Richie’s playful mood. He kept his eyes down, focused on untangling wires and clicking keys on his laptop.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

Lance gave a derisive snort and lifted his gaze. His eyes narrowed on Richie.

“They got the sound up and going. You’re on in three,” said the stage manager.

“Thanks,” Lance called as he brushed passed Richie and moved away from the tent.

“Wait!” Richie said as he reached out and gripped Lance’s hand before he could get away. Lance stopped in his tracks and stiffened. Slowly, he turned and stared down at their clasped hands.

“I’m sorry. I’m confused, but I need you to believe me when I say I never used you. I would never use you.” He took a step closer.

“One minute.”

Richie took a step closer. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but all I can think about is what I felt when you kissed me.”

Lance’s tongue darted out and moistened his lips. “This,” Richie said as he cupped Lance’s face and sealed their lips together. Beneath the kiss, Lance whimpered slightly. His free hand settled on Richie’s hip as he deepened the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. “Talk later?”

Richie nodded but said nothing as he watched Lance climb the metal steps and walk on stage. The crowd roared but the sound was nothing compared to the roaring sound of Richie’s heart as it sped through his chest.

That had been an impulsive move and even as Richie drove toward his mother’s house, he wasn’t sure it was the right one. He watched Lance for a while at the festival and laughed as Dot did some interesting dance moves in front of his booth. He made a decision as he watched to go and talk to his mother. It was sudden and important, so he left the festival to go and do what his heart was telling him even as his head screamed at him to turn around.

After being estranged from his mother for so long over something stupid, it was strange to go and seek her approval now.

It was hard for him to face his mother with any type of weakness, especially this one. She had always been very adamant her children solve their own problems. They had been close until Richie went to college and decided he wanted to be a chef. Like most mothers, she wanted him to be a doctor or lawyer like his father had been.

He sat outside his childhood home for a long time before going in. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to say. He wasn’t sure what the plan was. Part of him wanted to turn around and go back to where he came from to drown his thoughts in booze until he’d forgotten everything that happened.

He knew that wasn’t an option. Slowly, he got out of his car and made his way to the front door. Before knocking, he said a little prayer. Having God on his side would be great because he was scared shitless what he was about to admit to his mother. This would make it real, this would make it true. He had to make sure he was ready for that.

Telling himself it was now or never, he stepped up to the door and completely chickened out. He ran, and jumped in his car. He felt foolish, but he wasn’t ready to face her with this, not yet. He sped off down the road away from his house and tried to decide where he could possibly go next.