Seventeen seconds.

I have no idea what possessed me to start counting when the guy walking in front of me suddenly collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Even as I rushed to his side, concerned because he’d hit the ground at full tilt, I started counting the seconds that passed.

I dropped to my knees beside him, completely unsure of what to do.

“Hey? Bud? You okay?” I asked, feeling stupid for asking an unconscious man questions.

I pulled out my phone to call an ambulance and looked around. It was midafternoon, and the street was deserted.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked as the man’s eyes blinked open. “Hello?”

The man pressed his hand to his eyes for a moment, and then to his ear, a panicked look coming over his face.

It was at that moment I noticed a behind-the-ear-style hearing aid lying on the ground about a foot in front of him. I could tell it was a newer model. The earmold was clear, and the case was silver.

I reached out and carefully picked up the aid by the case and gently touched the man’s shoulder as I nodded to it. His eyes settled on the aid, and a look of relief washed over his face. I offered him my hand to help him sit up and handed him his aid.

As he quickly fit it back in his ear, I took a second to check him out.

The man was gorgeous. His eyes were big, almost doe-like, and a rich brown. His features were rugged but youthful. With his high cheekbones, strong jaw, two-day stubble, and full lips, he was fucking hot. He also had a scrape on his chin and another on his cheek from the fall. His mop of curly hair was long enough it covered his ears and was a deep shade of chestnut brown.

My eyes swept over his body, both to look for injuries, but also to check him out. His limbs were long and lean, and by the tight T-shirt and jeans he was wearing, I could tell his muscles were compact.

His clothes were a bit dirty, but nothing was ripped, although there was a scrape on the back of his right forearm.

Are you okay? I signed, and the man’s eyes widened in shock. Do you want me to call an ambulance?

He shook his head and gave me a weak smile. It happens sometimes. I’m fine.

I’m Rhys. I spelled out my name for him.

Caleb.

What was that? I had to ask.

“An atonic seizure. I have epilepsy.”

I was surprised that he switched to speaking, and a little surprised at how clear his voice was. He must have some of his hearing left. 

“Atonic?” I asked, offering him my hand to help him up. I noticed how he kept his eyes on my mouth as I spoke. He was reading my lips.

“It’s also called a drop seizure. Your muscles give out, and you literally drop.”

The moment his hand touched mine, a faint current passed between us. I tried to ignore it, but by the way Caleb’s eyes widened, I suspected he’d felt it too.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to call an ambulance? You’re hurt.”

“Bruises and scrapes. Nothing new.”

“At least come with me, to my work,” I added quickly so I didn’t sound like a creeper. “We have a first aid kit. You can get cleaned up.”

“Where do you work?”

I pointed to The Den. Caleb had collapsed less than twenty feet from the front door.

“Thank you.” He nodded and fell into step beside me.

We walked through the entrance together and I led Caleb to the bar.

“Rhys?” Zander questioned, his eyes sweeping over both of us. Blaze and Cody were behind the bar and glanced at each other curiously.

“This is Caleb,” I signed as I spoke. I wasn’t sure if Caleb would be able to hear me in the bar because of the music playing in the background. “He had an accident outside. Can we use the first aid kit?”

“Of course. The office is open.” Zander, the daytime manager, nodded.

“Thanks.”

I nodded for Caleb to follow me and brought him through the back of the bar and into the office. I motioned for him to sit on the plush office chair and went to get the kit off the wall.

How do you know ASL? Caleb signed as I knelt in front of him.

“My niece was born deaf. I learned so I could talk to her.”

Caleb nodded, and brushed his hair off his forehead.

“Do you mind?” I motioned to the kit. “I’m not a medic or anything, but I’ve got my first aid.”

Caleb nodded and extended his arm to me.

The scrape was long and raw, but not deep. I opened a package of gauze and the bottle of antiseptic and quickly soaked a piece of gauze so I could wipe the wound clean.

Caleb grimaced at the contact, but he didn’t pull away or make a sound.

“Do you want me to cover it so it stays clean?” I asked, looking up at Caleb so he could see my lips as I spoke.

He nodded again, and I quickly taped a large bandage over the wound.

“This is probably going to sting a bit more,” I cautioned as I soaked a new gauze pad and nodded to the cuts on his face. They weren’t big or deep, but the one on his cheek was bleeding lightly. “Ready?”

He nodded again, his lips set in a tight line as he leaned forward. I cleaned the cut on his cheek first, glad that it immediately stopped bleeding. I noticed that while it was obvious the antiseptic hurt, he didn’t cry out or pull away. I cleaned his chin next and then sat back on my heels.

“It would be best to let those scab over. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, and thank you.” Caleb sat back and looked down at his arm.

I could sense that he was guarding himself. I didn’t know what he was trying to hide or why, but I didn’t push. I was a stranger after all, and he had to be shaken from his seizure.

“Do you need a ride home?” I hated the idea of him walking around and having another seizure. I had no idea how often they happened or if he was in danger, but I was worried.

Caleb’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. His expression might have looked surprised, but I could feel a wave of fear as it crashed over him.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your help.” He jumped up and gave me a tight smile. “Thank you.”

Before I could answer, he bolted out of the office, and by the time I got to my feet to follow him, he was out of sight.

“What was that?” Blaze asked as I came out into the main bar.

“Did he leave?” I glanced around.

“He tore out of here like his ass was on fire.” Cody looked between me and the door.

“Any reason for that?” Zander asked.

“I offered to drive him home, and he freaked out.” I shrugged and looked at my friends and co-workers. “Weird.”

“What happened to him?” Blaze asked, tapping his wedding ring against the bar top.

That was something he did often, usually when he was thinking.

Blaze, Cody, and Zander were three of my closest friends. We all worked at the bar together, along with Tristan, who was my best friend, Layla, our night manager, and Evan, the owner. We were as close as family, and other than my niece, they were the only family I cared about.

“He had a seizure in front of me. I walked out the door, took a few steps and down he went.” I shook my head. “When he came to, he said he was fine, but I offered to help him clean up.”

“And the signing?”

“He’s at least partially deaf.” I shrugged. “I figured it would be easier for him if I signed.”

“But how do you know how to sign?” Cody asked.

Layla and Tristan were the only two people at the bar who knew about Violet. I didn’t like to talk about my family to anyone, but it was especially hard to talk about what had happened to my sister, and after, to Violet.

As I looked between my friends, I shook my head slightly. I wasn’t ready to tell them the whole story but could tell them the basics.

“My niece, Violet, was born deaf. I learned to sign so I could talk to her.”

They must have realized that I wasn’t ready to tell them anymore and didn’t ask any follow-up questions.

“Hey, what’s up?”

I jumped, completely surprised by the voice at my side.

“Holy shit, Kai. Did you grease your shoes or something?” I glanced over at Zander’s boyfriend, trying to get my heart to stop pounding.

“It’s the dancer in me. Makes me stealthy.” He grinned and stepped around me to give Zander a quick kiss.

Zander and Kai had officially started dating about a month ago, but they’d been together for a bit longer. I was happy for them, especially since I’d almost fucked things up by revealing Kai’s secret job as a webcam model to Zander before Kai had come clean about it.

Thankfully, they’d worked past it, and after a terrifying encounter with a deranged man who had been stalking Kai, they’d become one of the most in-sync and loving couples I’d ever seen. With Kai’s help, Zander had finally come to terms with his past, and he was happier than I’d ever seen him.

“Well, wear a bell or something. You’ll give someone a heart attack.”

Kai laughed as Zander tucked him up against his side and gave me an innocent smile. “Who? Me? It’s not my fault all those muscles create a sound barrier, and you can’t hear me walk up. No one else was surprised.”

I rolled my eyes as Blaze and Cody laughed.

“He’s right. We all saw him coming.” Cody wagged his eyebrows at me.

“Yeah, well, shut up.”

Cody was another who had blossomed when he’d found love with not only one, but two men. Jonah and Isaac were his perfect compliments, and they’d helped Cody overcome a childhood filled with neglect and sexual abuse.

“I think he was a little preoccupied thinking about a certain someone,” Blaze said knowingly. “Caleb, was it?”

Blaze and his husband Galen were also one of those sickeningly perfect couples. They were as different as could be on the outside, but when they were together, you could almost feel the love between them. I was happy for Blaze. He deserved the world, and Galen was the perfect man to show him that his time on the streets didn’t need to define who he could be in the future.

“All y’all can shut it.” I rolled my eyes and raised my hands in mock surrender. “I’m out.”

I waved over my shoulder as I headed out the door again, ignoring the teasing jabs the guys tossed my way as I retreated.

It was true that I was happy for my friends, and I played like I loved living the bachelor life, but truthfully, I was getting tired of it.

I’d spent so long holding back and hiding who I was that when I had come out, I’d fully embraced every part of being gay and had dived right into the hook-up culture. It had been fun, but at almost thirty, I was beginning to think that maybe I wanted more.

I pulled my keys out of my pocket and hurried to my car. It didn’t matter what I wanted. My life had never been about me or my wants, why would that change now?