For some reason, the sight of Orion leaning on the farm gate took Gabriel completely by surprise.

It wasn’t that Gabriel had forgotten Orion’s promise to be there and help him unload. He’d just figured Orion would forget or overlook the appointment—and him.

He rolled down the window and leaned out. “Hey there, stranger.”

“Come on in!” Orion raised a hand to wave at him, then pulled the gate open for him. He waved Gabriel ahead toward the cold storage building as he closed the gate behind him.

It feels a bit like being prom king. Just for a second.

For a moment, Gabriel could see it: a younger Ryan pulling up to the curb of the high school gym in a limo. The prom queen—what was her name? Belle?—stepping out when he opened the door for her. Everyone watching, Gabriel included, but far enough back that nobody could whisper and snicker at him for being the lame gay boy pining after Ryan.

He’d still gone to prom with a couple of his dateless girl friends. A handful of others had been in the same boat. They’d all hung out and drunk cheap-ass vodka behind the maintenance shed. Even if Gabriel had been left out of the rites of passage that followed under the bleachers, it hadn’t been a bad time—he’d figured he’d be out of this town in six months anyway.

But he was still here, and there was no red carpet on this muddy farm track. He drove slowly, his little hatchback jolting its way along until he reached the widened, flat section where he could turn around and back up to the door.

Orion was striding past the car by the time he put on the parking brake. As Gabriel climbed out of the car, Orion pushed the rolling door open and grinned at him. “Afternoon, stranger.”

“Hey. You made it.”

“All the way down the road.” Orion laughed as he leaned on the edge of the building. “Don’t give me too much credit.”

“Still—thanks,” Gabriel said. Orion was here to look after Cora, not help him do his job. Again.

It hadn’t escaped his notice that Orion had been overly helpful with the roadside stall, too. Was he really just trying to keep Cora resting, or was there more to it? More than anything, Gabriel hated the idea that Orion might feel guilty about turning him down all those years ago.

Mostly because that meant lying to himself and saying he had totally gotten over Orion.

Who could blame him, anyway? Orion was fucking hot—especially when Gabriel popped open the back of his car and Orion reached in to grab a box of vegetables. Before Gabriel could even warn him that it was heavy, he hefted it like it was nothing and turned to bring it inside.

Gabriel gave himself two seconds to stare at Orion’s back, the muscles rippling clearly through his t-shirt, and two more seconds to will the blood back to his upstairs head.

Then, he grabbed another box and followed.

“How was the market?”

“It was great. Even busier than usual. All the storms lately—people stayed home these last few weeks. They were out in force today to stock up.” Gabriel tried to keep his tone casual as he set the box down next to Orion’s. Their arms brushed, and Gabriel bumped into him as he tried to get around him and Orion tried to sidestep.

They both laughed, but Gabriel caught his breath. There—he hadn’t been imagining it all. Orion was feeling the spark between them, too. He’d stopped still, his eyes wide.

Gabriel cleared his throat and strode to the car for the next box. He wanted to at least unload this stuff and get the door closed.

Following his cue, Orion was hot on his heels.

They didn’t say a word as they unloaded the other four boxes. It wasn’t an awkward silence, though. Every time their eyes met, they both started to smile like giggly teenagers caught making out.

It was doing nothing to quell Gabriel’s fantasies.

“So,” Orion finally said. “Is that it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s it.”

They stepped back out into the fading sunlight and Orion rolled the door shut, then locked up with a set of keys that looked like Cora’s.

Gabriel rubbed his chin. “I guess you’ve gotta go make supper for Cora—your gramma.”

“No. Someone dropped off casserole.” Orion gave a rueful smile. “Half the ladies in town seem to have a casserole rotation going, like they’re worried I can’t cook for her or myself.”

“They probably are,” Gabriel laughed. “Most of them don’t think young men can cook for themselves. Hell, my aunt and uncle have me over a couple times a week still just to send me home with food.”

“I can cook,” Orion protested. “I haven’t been living on my own this long without…” He trailed off, his gaze flickering to Gabriel’s lips for a second and then away.

Gabriel’s cheeks flushed. On his own, huh? “So you’re free for the evening?”

“Yeah.” Orion cleared his throat. “Yeah, she told me to fuck off, more or less.” He laughed, but there were worry lines creasing his forehead. “She’s been napping a lot. I guess the summer heat is rolling in. But at least she’s napping.”

“Good,” Gabriel said with a nod. “She was pushing it before you arrived.”

They were still standing a little too close, but Gabriel didn’t dare move an inch in case it startled Orion away.

“Thank you for looking out for her.”

“Trying, anyway,” Gabriel waved it off with a laugh. “I don’t think she lets anyone look after her unless she likes them.”

Orion didn’t look away, but his lips quirked into a smile. “She likes you.”

Had Orion always been so frank? Well, yes, he remembered suddenly. Like when he said he wasn’t gay, but he was flattered… Oh, for fuck’s sake. Don’t keep beating yourself up about that.

“Oh. Uh.” Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck, hoping his thoughts weren’t clear as daylight on his face. “Cool.”

Orion laughed. “Yeah. And I trust her judgment.” His eyes flickered down Gabriel’s body and back up to his face. “You can lift stuff pretty well in those tight t-shirts, you know.”

Oh, for God’s sake. He has to know what he’s doing. Gabriel’s jeans were suddenly too tight at the way he’d been looked over, like Orion was considering…

No. No way was he considering anything. He’d been the straightest guy in their class. But he wasn’t moving backward, either. He was aware of their proximity now—maybe he had been for the last minute. What the hell did this mean?

“Yeah, well. It’s not the clothes that make the man,” Gabriel said lightly.

Orion sobered up and nodded. “Too true.”

“Actually, uh,” Gabriel started, his throat already tight with anxiety. This was an idiot move, but it was too late. Orion was giving him a questioning look, and he had to finish. “My aunt and uncle are… I’m going to their place for supper tonight. If you wanted to come along.”

They knew Orion, of course—not directly, but it was a small town. Everyone knew everyone. Or, more to the point, everyone had heard about Gabriel’s attempt to woo heartthrob Ryan all those years ago.

But it wasn’t like this was a romantic thing. Unfortunately. He wished it were, but he was not trying to open that door again. Lots of people had friends over to their guardians’ or parents’ places for dinner.

Orion looked startled. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nah.” Gabriel snorted. “You’re never intruding. You’re saving me from eating double helpings just to get through tonight’s supper before next week.”

Orion was glowing with pleasure, his eyes scrunched up and dimples appearing in his cheeks. “Well. My word. If you don’t mind,” he stammered for a moment, then cleared his throat. “Sure. That’d be great.”

He sounded… nervous. What was that about?

Gabriel had a sneaking suspicion, but he couldn’t yet tell if it was true or if he just wanted it to be true.

So bad it hurt.

“I’ll meet you there at, say, six? You know where they are?”

Orion gave him a slow smile. “Where you grew up, right? I remember.”

Don’t say anything stupid like ‘you noticed?’. Don’t do it, man. Gabriel mutely nodded, raised a hand, and fled to the driver’s side of his car.

But… Orion had noticed. And he remembered.

Fuck. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he pulled up the lane, and Orion walked alongside the car to open the gate for him. Gabriel’s cheeks burned the whole time, and he stared ahead, hoping he didn’t seem like a total weirdo for not saying anything.

But he escaped with one more quick wave at Orion, and then he was speeding down the road toward his house, already planning what to change into for supper. Like it was a date.

He wished so badly it were.

Apparently, Gabriel wasn’t quite over Orion Miele, his biggest and hardest high school crush.

* * *

“And what have I missed while I was starry-eyed in the big city?”

Aunt May was utterly taken in by Orion’s charm, and even Uncle Lyle looked prepared to adopt Orion. Gabriel hadn’t often brought over friends, and they had always been nice, but this was a whole new level.

“Oh, Hidden Creek hasn’t changed much. A few new buildings on Victory Boulevard, a new B&B near the park… same old, same old.” Aunt May beamed as she asked, “But what about you?”

“It’s not often the big city kid comes home. Once they’ve left, that’s it,” Uncle Lyle agreed with a smile in Gabriel’s direction. “We’re lucky to still have our boy around.”

“You are—Gramma loves him,” Orion said, winking at Gabriel. “He’s a hell of a salesman.”

Gabriel’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he was momentarily tongue-tied. Being talked about had always been hard for him, let alone by Orion and the two people who were practically his parents.

“That’ll come in handy when you’re applying for jobs in Houston.” Uncle Lyle never sounded like he was humoring Gabriel, even though he’d been stuck here for six years longer than he’d planned, jumping between odd jobs and scraping together savings that seemed to disappear into his car or groceries or rent to his cousin.

Orion’s eyes sharpened. “Are you moving soon?”

“Maybe.” Gabriel’s plate was clean, but he fidgeted with his fork anyway. Before Aunt May could take the excuse to shovel more food onto his plate and fatten him up, he quickly put his fork down again and patted his stomach. “That was great. Thank you.”

Orion took the hint and dropped the subject. “Thank you,” he agreed, glancing between Gabriel’s aunt and uncle.

“Our pleasure,” Aunt May told him. “You come over anytime. There’s always an extra place set.”

“Oh, by the by.” Uncle Lyle pushed back his chair and leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head as he stretched. “Harry told me that his buddy told him that his niece knew you. A Maggie something.”

Orion’s eyes brightened. “Oh, yes. We went on a blind date. Small world, huh?”

Gabriel didn’t miss the significant look that Aunt May gave him.

I know he’s straight, already! Jesus! Does everyone in this town know about the two of us?

Even if he and Orion remembered, Gabriel had hoped other people would forget. Aunt May and Uncle Lyle had told him they would, back when he’d been tempted to hide in his room for the rest of the school year. Tongues wagged and then moved on to the next source of gossip. Turned out memories lasted longer than he’d hoped.

He wasn’t getting his hopes up for anything resembling romance. Not even sex, though he’d be all over that offer. Friendship, though? He could use a friend. The few he made seemed to stay casual acquaintances, or drift away quickly, or had already moved away.

It was getting late, so Gabriel stretched and stood up. “I don’t know about Orion, but I should let you get to bed.” He explained to Orion, “My aunt and uncle get up ridiculously early.”

“Oh! Don’t worry—I know farming hours. I don’t want to keep you from your bed. Sorry,” Orion apologized, gathering plates around him.

“No, no, leave those,” Aunt May insisted, swatting him playfully. “Go grab takeout containers from the kitchen.”

When Orion gave Gabriel a startled look, Gabriel laughed. “I wasn’t kidding about the leftovers.”

“If it weren’t for these suppers, Gabe wouldn’t know what to do,” Aunt May insisted. “His house doesn’t have a very good kitchen at all.”

Gabriel was eager to steer the conversation away from that, too. What would Orion think of his living situation? He’d probably think it was shitty, and even if he was nice enough not to judge him… well… who the hell would have thought it made Gabriel a catch?

Not that that mattered for strictly friends. But Gabriel wasn’t imagining the hints of interest—he was certain of that now. Anything he could do to encourage it seemed like a good idea.

They were loaded down with food after a few minutes of Aunt May applying her lunch-making skills. Each of them carried a bag of food that would last him for a couple days’ lunches.

Orion looked dazed as he glanced down at it, then up at Gabriel’s aunt and uncle. “Thank you kindly,” was all he could manage. “I didn’t expect—I mean, this is… Thank you.”

They were swept up for hugs and manly handshakes, and then Gabriel led Orion out into the cool evening.

“Wow,” Orion murmured as they headed for their cars. They’d parked bumper to bumper on the street at the bottom of the driveway. Gabriel couldn’t help noticing that Orion’s car was a lot newer and nicer than his.

“They like you,” Gabriel said, getting him back for the earlier comment about Cora.

“Well. Shucks.” Orion grinned. “Hey. You called me Orion.”

“Oh.” Gabriel blushed. “Yeah, I heard your gramma talk so much about you that… I kind of started calling you it, too. You mind your full name?”

“No. I’ll let you get away with it.” The broad-shouldered man shook his head, and despite his frame, he looked boyish when he gave Gabriel that smile. “You an early riser, too?”

Gabriel’s heart thumped a little faster. Play it cool, he told himself, to no avail. “Sometimes. Depends on the situation.” He winked, unable to resist flirting with innuendo. “Why?”

Orion paused, blushed, and forged ahead like he hadn’t noticed, even if he clearly had. “You wanna come over for a beer? Unless you’ve got work?”

“I have Sundays off,” Gabriel murmured, his mouth dry. “But I can’t drive after I drink. I have a no-tolerance policy. And calling a taxi out here is always a pain—”

“Crash at my place. It’s huge and empty anyway,” Orion told him. “You can park at the farm—it’ll be safe enough there.”

His flimsy objections undermined, all Gabriel had left was the yes he really wanted to say. So he bobbed his head in a quick nod. “Sure. I’ll follow you back.”

As he climbed into his car, Gabriel set the bag of food in the passenger seat and realized that his hands were shaking. The moment was full of potential for pleasure or another world of hurt—like being turned down the first time, but so much worse for having gotten his hopes up again.

After all these years, Gabriel was here again—unable to resist walking into the lion’s den.