CHAPTER THREE

Noah didn't do much for the next few days. His ribs were killing him , and he wanted to give Cooper a little space. Noah believed that Cooper would really be okay with his sexual orientation, otherwise he wouldn't be staying here. After a while, you got a feel for people and he trusted Coop. He also knew it was a shock to his friend, so he thought it would be better to lay low.

But after three days, he was getting a little stir crazy keeping himself in his room. He needed to get out and scour for shops—not that he could do much until his ribs were healed a bit more, but if he couldn't work, he planned to at least get something done on his car.

Noah threw on a pair of jeans, an old T-shirt and his shoes, before heading outside. Cooper wasn't home, so Noah had the place to himself, which was good. He loved working on cars, but it was something he wanted to do on his own. It was the same with building furniture. He liked to concentrate, to get lost in what he was doing. Noah enjoyed nothing more than working with his hands.

Noah opened the hood, pulled out his tools and bent over the engine. If he couldn't get this figured out, he'd have to bring her to the mechanic, which he didn't want to do. When he heard the rumble of a truck in the driveway, it felt like it was only five minutes later, though, experience told him it was much longer.

B usy with what he was doing, he ignored it, until Cooper spoke from beside him.

"Finally got your lazy ass up, huh?" he teased.

"Run anyone down with your truck today?" Noah stood up.

"Shit. You got me there. I still can't believe I hit you."

Noah shook his head. "What's done is done. Just don't ask me to get in a vehicle with you behind the wheel again. I'm not sure I can trust ya."

Cooper leaned against the car, his almond-shaped eyes trained on Noah.

"What?" Noah asked.

This seemed to pull Coop out of his trance. "Nothin'. Need some help?"

It was on the tip of Noah's tongue to say no, but he didn't want to come off as an asshole, so he nodded. He was pretty sure it was the fuel pump, which he could take care of no problem. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure that was the only thing going on here.

They worked on the car for about an hour without talking much. It surprised him, because Cooper wasn't usually the type to keep quiet for long. He was always in the middle of something, drawing attention to himself. When they were young everyone knew who Cooper was—or they thought they did. They saw the guy who tried to make people laugh. The class clown. Noah remembered a different side of him. Noah remembered the sleepovers when Coop woke up screaming about the fire.

Every time he glanced at Cooper , his eyes would dart away, as though he could read Noah's train of thought. He knew better than that.

Noah stood and crossed his arms. "Ask."

"Don't fuck around, do you?" Cooper asked.

"No, and if I remember correctly , you don't either, so if you have a question, ask it so we can get over this."

Cooper sighed. "I feel like a prick for even wondering, but…how? I mean, when we were younger, you weren't…"

"I was." Noah replied, before walking away. Cooper followed him and they sat in chairs on Cooper's porch. "I was thirteen years old. I didn't know exactly what I wanted or who I was. It's not like people just made that a choice back then, but I can tell you, it wasn't the same for me as it was for you when we were stealing dirty magazines. I did it more because I thought I should, instead of wanting to."

Cooper nodded. "Makes sense…. So, when?"

"Why do you ask?" Noah tossed back.

"Because I'm curious. You're my friend. Nothing more, nothing less." But unlike the few other times, Coop's eyes didn't leave him. They seemed to be taking Noah in, studying him in a way Noah didn't understand.

"I guess I was about fifteen. I always knew I felt different, but that's when I started to realize exactly how. The internet helped. Lots of good porn out there." Both men laughed, and Noah was glad to see his old friend could still laugh with him.

"Where'd you go, man?"

The change of subject surprised him. Noah hated the tension that tightened his muscles with the question. "Michigan. Same as it always was. One day things were okay, the next they weren't and we were leaving." Noah remembered running next door, trying to find Cooper to tell him, but he'd forgotten his friend had left with his aunt.

His uncle V ernon had opened the door and as soon as he did, Noah's mom was yelling at him to get home. That easily, he'd lost his best friend. That easily, he'd had to move again.

"Tried to write a few times," Noah added. "My parents sent them for me, but I never heard back. I'm sure you were busy."

Cooper cocked his head as though that surprised him. "Didn't get 'em."

Noah believed him. Partly because it was something so small that there would be no reason to lie, but also because even with the time that had passed, he felt like he still knew Cooper. Coop had never lied to him when they were young.

He'd talked to Noah about things he didn't share with other people, just like Noah had done with him, even when the words felt like they'd rip a hole through his insides.

"Coop?" Noah held the flashlight in his hand, trying to decide if he wanted to turn it on or not. He probably shouldn't if Coop was sleepin'.

"What's up?" Cooper's voice sounded all groggy.

"Nothin'. Go back to sleep." Noah rolled over, his sleeping back rustling as he tried to concentrate on the crickets chirping in the distance.

"I can't go back to sleep now. You already ruined it," he griped.

"Not my fault you fall asleep so early. We're supposed to be campin' out."

"So , I have to stay up late cuz we're sleeping in my backyard?"

If he was going to be stupid like that, Noah wouldn't tell him anything. "Shut up."

The tent lit up when Cooper turned on a flashlight. Noah felt eyes on him, but didn't roll over to face Cooper.

" They fightin' again?" Cooper whispered, and Noah wondered how his friend knew. It wasn't like Cooper had witnessed it or anything. When things were calm, his parents got along awesome. The only thing Coop knew, was Noah's stories. Still, he was right…kind of.

"No…not really fightin' but I think she's doing it again."

Cooper didn't have to ask what. "How come?"

"There was a cigarette on the side of the back porch when Dad made me clean the yard. It was half-smoked, but you could tell it wasn't old." Neither of Noah's parents smoked.

"Maybe she had a friend over? Or maybe your dad did. Oh! I bet one of them smokes and they don't want you to know."

Noah didn't reply because he knew it hadn't been his Mom's or Dad's. He didn't know how, but he knew his mom was messin' with some guy again. Which meant, it wouldn't be long until the fighting started. Until they'd decide to go—to get that fresh start that never came. Until Noah would be forced to leave his best friend.

He flinched when he felt Coop's ha nd on his shoulder. "We'll tell 'em you're not going. I bet Uncle Vernon and Aunt Autumn will let you stay with us. Then we can hang out all the time. We'll be like brothers."

"Yeah?" Noah asked, knowing he shouldn't believe it, but not having it in him not to trust Coop.

"Yep."

Noah closed his eyes, suddenly feeling okay to go to sleep. Cooper was right. Autumn and Vernon let him stay at their house all the time. Plus, they took Cooper in when his parents died. They'd probably do the same for Noah so he could stay here.

"You're my best friend. We'll run away if we have to," Cooper told him.

Noah wanted to tell him thank you, but he thought that would sound way too girlie. "Then we wouldn't have to go to school anymore either."

"Awesome. We could do whatever we wanted." There was a pause and then, "I got your back, Noah. You and me? We'll always be a team."

Noah hoped so. "I got yours too."

When he woke up in the morning, Cooper's hand was still touching him.

***

"Hey, you in there, man?" Cooper kicked at Noah's chair. "You're spacing off."

"If I wasn't, I am now. Thanks for kicking me." He said the words with a smile on his face, but he looked upset to Cooper. In a lot of ways, he felt like a fucking idiot for even thinking that. It wasn't like he really knew Noah all that well anymore, but he also remembered seeing the same look on his face when they were kids. Remembered Noah kind of disappearing into his own head when he had too much shit on his mind.

That didn't mean he knew what to say about it, so Coop said the only thing he could think of. " Wanna beer?"

Noah laughed. "Nope."

"No? I'm not sure I understand."

Noah laughed again, and it felt more real than the first one. Coop knew he was always good for a laugh. People came to him expecting a good time. Even, when he was younger. It was a hell of a lot easier to try to make people laugh than to deal with other shit.

Noah stood. Coop still couldn't get over his old frien d being back. He didn't think anyone knew him as well as Noah used to.

"Let me rephrase. I want a beer, I just don't want it here. I'm going stir crazy, man. I need out of the house tonight."

Now , that was a language Cooper could understand. "That's what I'm talkin' about. I could use a few games of pool and a couple beers."

It was obviously too early to do much of anything , so they hung around the house for a few hours. They watched Sports Center for a while. Cooper threw some burgers on the grill and they ate dinner, comfortably, as though years hadn't separated them. Afterward, Cooper took a shower, and then Noah jumped in next.

Noah came out wearing a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Cooper hated admitting to himself that he noticed how the shirt stretched across his chest. Not because he dug men or anything. Hell, not because he ever really noticed them, but… "You cold or happy to see me?" he teased Noah.

"Fuck you. They're piercings."

Holy shit. "You have your nipples pierced? Didn't that hurt?" On reflex, Cooper touched his own chest. He wasn't letting any needle get close to him like that.

"Like a motherfucker. The guys like it though." Noah winked at him.

Cooper tensed a little. He wasn't going to lie. It was weird as hell to hear stuff like that. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yeah…well I'd like it too if a woman had her nipples pierced. Maybe I should bring up the idea to one of them…" But then his eyes were drawn to Noah's chest again.

Noah chuckled, which helped the misplaced tension Cooper felt. He didn't understand why he kept feeling out of sorts. It wasn't anything Noah did. He kept getting thrown for a loop where Noah was concerned. It wasn't a feeling he was used to.

"You haven't changed it bit." Noah walked over and opened the door. Cooper followed him out. When they climbed into Coop's truck, Noah spoke again. "You were always trying to get me into some kind of trouble where girls were concerned. It's just a magazine, Noah. Look at this video I found, Noah. Holy shit, do you think girls can really do that, Noah?"

As he drove down the road, Cooper laughed. "If I remember correctly, I didn't have to try very hard. You were always up for that kind of shit."

At that, Noah shrugged, sobering slightly. "You were, so I was. Wanted to fit in with ya. Didn't want to be different than my best friend."

Cooper couldn't help but turn his head Noah's way. Hell, they'd been thick as thieves , but Noah never said something like that to him before. Damned if it didn't make Coop's chest swell with pride. Noah was a good guy, and to think he'd always wanted to fit in with Cooper…well, that meant something. He'd been devastated when Noah left. It hit him the same as when he'd lost his parents—like he'd been abandoned. Especially when he'd never heard a word from him.

"Stop getting sappy. You know you never ha ve to try and be anything other than what you are with me. I mean, I was always cool enough for both of us anyway."

Like Cooper hoped he would, Noah laughed. "Fuck off."

It was the perfect distraction for Cooper to ignore the flood of…contentment... Hearing that their friendship had meant to Noah even a portion of what he had meant to Coop. Which as a kid, had been everything.