Chapter Two

CHAD DROPPED to his knees, quickly gathering up the now-dented tiers of the fountain as Raudel joined him, collecting the smaller bits, including some long tubing and random nuts and bolts.

His mom yelled out in a tone of pure panic. "Oh my God, Chad. What have you done ? This can't be happening. We can't let Lindsey know! She'll come completely unhinged, and then I'll quickly follow. I don't know how much more of this I can take ."

"I'm so sorry, Mom, I swear I am. Don't worry, I'll tell her." He couldn't keep the trembling out of his voice. "It's my fault. She can yell her head off at me."

She groaned. "This whole wedding thing is a nightmare. I need a fucking drink."

"Mom!"

Raudel caught his eye, then winked. Chad fell back on his butt, his jaw hanging open. Before he could form any coherent thoughts, Raudel tipped his head up and regarded Chad's mom.

"Mrs. Barton, please, let me help. Why don't I drive Chad into town, and we can simply pick up a new one?"

Chad's eyes went wide, and he almost choked on his tongue.

His mother gasped. "Yes! A new one. That's perfect." She slapped the side of Chad's head.

"Ow! God, Mom."

"Come on, Chad, pick up the rest of the evidence. Raudel? Do you mind putting this mess in your trunk, then disposing of it? Lindsey's supposed to be out until later with her maid of honor and bridesmaid, but God only knows when they might show up and catch us in the act."

"Not at all, Mrs. Barton." Raudel flashed his swoon worthy grin again. "Is there anything else we can do for you as long as we're in town?"

Something about how genuinely polite and helpful Raudel had always been made Chad hard. Actually, many things about Raudel made him hard, but this was different. Raudel exuded confidence, yet not arrogance. His natural graciousness was yet another part of his charm. Once, Lindsey had confided to Chad that whenever she'd go to his place to hang out or have dinner, all of the children were respectful and never spoke back to their parents, especially their mother. Raudel's mother ruled the house with a firm hand, but Lindsey said she could tell they were all very close.

"Oh, thank you, Raudel. I'll think about what I need while I go inside and grab my credit card."

Chad slumped his shoulders. He hadn't even begun the battle, and he'd already lost the war. Confined in a car with Raudel within minutes of seeing him for the first time in years was much more devastating than avoiding any interaction with him in a house full of people.

"Chad, please hurry!" With that, his mother trotted up the driveway and back into the house.

"Yes, Mom."

He pushed himself up from the ground and had almost made it to a standing position when Raudel curled his fingers gently around Chad's arm as if to help steady him. He'd never been touched by him before. The handshake that the destruction of the fountain had averted would've been the first, but the warmth of Raudel's hand on his bare skin, right below his T-shirt sleeve, had taken its place.

"You okay?"

"Um…."

"Have you been carrying a lot of things inside? The sun shining down makes it worse. Maybe you need some water?"

Chad couldn't meet his gaze, couldn't make sense of his words. Is he pretending to be concerned about me?

It had to be a trick. A way to lull him into a false sense of security before he pounced, mocking him when they were alone in the car, telling him what a disgusting pervert he was and that he couldn't believe he had to share a room with him.

Wait till he finds out about the bed .

Chad's gut clenched. Was Raudel even aware they were sharing a room? Or was there still a chance to salvage the rest of the week? The shed he'd mentioned to his mom held real possibility as a hiding place and sleeping quarters.

Raudel let him go as his mother rushed out of the house.

Before she'd even reached them, Chad noted the disapproving scowl on her face. "Boys, this junk is still all over the place." She may have used the plural, but her annoyed stare was fixed on him. "Here, Chad. I have a list of food to pick up for the house. This should hold us for a couple of days. Here's my card. Keep all the receipts. And please do your best to find a fountain exactly like the one you destroyed."

Chad pressed his lips together. It was tempting to wonder if she was treating him like he was twelve because she'd been jolted back in time by Raudel's presence. The fact that he shopped for her all the time at home seemed to have slipped her mind. If anything, he had an advanced degree in receipt gathering. "Sure, Mom. I got it."

"Yes, Mrs. Barton. We'll take care of everything. Don't worry."

We'll. Ha!

"Thank you so much for helping out, Raudel. I feel terrible about this, what with you just arriving after that long drive. And please, call me Kate."

She offered him a bright smile, and Chad had to admit that he was grateful for Raudel's charms in terms of how they helped ease some of his mom's stress. The memory of all the little things that had originally warmed him up to Raudel filtered back. Even for a horny fifteen-year-old boy, he'd been able to see past Raudel's outward beauty enough to realize that there was a lot more to him inside. Something real. Someone worth getting to know. And one moment of stupidity had forever destroyed any chance of that happening.

"It's no trouble at all, Mrs.—" Raudel cleared his throat. "—Kate."

Chad watched in wonderment as a deep scarlet bloomed in Raudel's cheeks. He hadn't known that self-assured Raudel was even capable of being embarrassed.

"That's better." Chad's mother turned to him. "Oh, I forgot to add propane to the list. We'll need it for the barbecue on Wednesday. The small canisters are fine. We brought two portable grills. One for meat and one for veggies."

Chad frowned. It appeared that every moment of every day had been carefully planned out. Any attempts at evading enforced socializing would likely be thwarted by his mother's mega-scheduling. "We're having a barbecue on Wednesday?"

His mom huffed. "Didn't you look over the itinerary, Chad?"

Itinerary? She was insane.

"Oh, I have mine with me, Mrs. Kate. I can go over it with Chad."

"It's just Kate, Raudel. No Mrs."

The blush made a reappearance, crawling its way up Raudel's neck and into his face. "Of course. I'll admit, it's going to take me a while to get used to it." He let out a light laugh, and Chad went back to being amazed at Raudel's ability to be charming even while being embarrassed. He had skills.

Raudel turned to him, and his gaze locked on Chad's. The heat under his own skin meant that Raudel wasn't the only one sporting a blush. "Well, Chad. Ready?"

No. No I am not. "Sure. Better get this over with—uh, get going."

His mom's scowl hadn't lessened in the slightest while regarding him. She'd been all smiles for Raudel. Chad maintained that he had the right to be petulant and childish. After the week with Raudel was over, he'd probably have to disappear into the wilderness and live off the land to escape the specter of his own humiliation. Eventually, he'd descend into madness and be freed from the memory of his original downfall.

At the ghost of Raudel's fingertips at his elbow, Chad started.

Raudel glanced at his mom. "Then let's go. Do you need us back by any particular time? It may take a while to locate a place with a fountain. I haven't been to Tahoe since high school and wasn't paying attention to anything like that back then."

If Raudel didn't stop chuckling as though everything was so wonderful, Chad thought he might start screaming.

"No, I don't think so. The girls probably won't be back until eight or nine. They said they'd grab dinner in town after they'd finished shopping. I brought some sandwiches in the cooler, so that'll be fine for Grandma and us. You boys go on and have a good time."

Good time? God help me.

She frowned. "But don't bring the fountain into the house when you get back. We can sneak it in after she's gone to sleep."

Chad couldn't remember when his mom had turned into a secret agent, but he imagined it had formed naturally as a result of protecting herself from Lindsey's Jekyll-and-Hyde behavior.

"Okay. Then we'll get something to eat while we're in town as well. See you later, Kate."

His mom pointed a finger at Raudel, a big grin on her face. "See? Calling me Kate wasn't so bad. I'll see you boys later." She waved them off, then headed back into the house.

Alone at last. Chad almost groaned out loud.

He lowered his head, picked up a portion of the fountain debris, then marched straight for Raudel's Honda Civic. It was black and appeared well-maintained. Only a very fine coating of dust from the drive down the forest road and some pine pollen from parking so close to the tree had marred the surface of the shiny car. Chad paused when he reached the trunk, ready to help Raudel load the mess.

But what are we going to talk about once I'm trapped with him in the car? Maybe I can keep the conversation going, never give him a chance to speak. Yeah. That could work.

"Just set that down, and I'll take care of it. You can wait for me in the car, get off your feet. I want to rearrange a few things in here anyway."

Chad let out a nervous chuckle again. "But I'm the one who ruined it. I should help."

Raudel patted his back and Chad's bastard of a dick twitched in his jeans. "Go on, Chad. I'll just be a minute." He nodded shakily, then took a couple of steps before reaching for the handle of the passenger door. Raudel beat him to it. "Let me."

Chad wouldn't meet his gaze, but he mumbled out a thank-you. He was still convinced that Raudel was buttering him up for the kill.

The door squeaked open, and Chad only tripped a little as he climbed inside before seating himself. Raudel leaned past him as he deposited the messenger bag in the backseat, his body pressing briefly against Chad's side. Once he straightened, Raudel shut him in, and Chad wiped at the sweat that had been building at his hairline despite how crisp the air was.

Shit . He hadn't thought to bring a jacket for when it got cooler later.

Chad twisted his fingers, then tried to still them. He had to make plausible topics of conversation materialize, and he only had seconds to work with. Raudel slammed the trunk, and Chad yelped. He ran a hand across the top of his mussed-up hair, removing more sweat while simultaneously wondering how much worse he'd made it look.

Raudel opened the driver's side door, and as he entered the car, Chad had a flash of brilliance.

Maybe I can use not having my hoodie as a pretext to go back inside. Then I can run through the house to the backyard, jump off the pier into the lake, and swim to freedom. Or hide in the attic.

If nothing else, it would give him a few more minutes to gather his wits.

He had sucked in a breath to tell him he'd be right back when Raudel met his eyes. Chad snapped his jaw shut and settled back in the passenger seat, clutching the seatbelt strap as if it could somehow save him. He would never survive the day.

Raudel cleared his throat. "I…." Chad grimaced, his body tensing the way it did when he was at the top of the large drop of a roller coaster. "Well." Raudel gave a shaky laugh. "I guess we should get going."

Chad almost groaned in relief while still acknowledging that Raudel could strike at any moment.

Raudel switched on the engine. Chad immediately stared out the window on the passenger side as if the myriad of nearly identical trees was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

They bounced and jostled down the dirt road, which eventually led them to the main highway. The biggest, most awkward silence of Chad's young life stretched out. He didn't think it was too far into town. On the drive up, his mother had informed him that it would be easy enough to go back and forth without too much trouble.

Raudel cleared his throat again. "So. What have you been up to since high school?"

Chad squirmed in his seat. "Oh… this and that. Working." Making two dollars above minimum wage. Doing my mom's shopping. Duct-taping furniture together.

"Yeah? Cool."

Another silence. Chad went back to looking out of the window, gauging what his chances of survival would be if he leaped from the car.

Get him talking about himself before he decides to talk about anything else. "Lindsey says you're about to graduate."

"Yeah." Raudel seemed to grip the steering wheel tighter, the muscles in his jaw working hard as he stared straight ahead.

Chad frowned. He wasn't making much progress. "How're your folks?"

"Doing good." Raudel paused, ran a hand through his thick hair, then placed it back on the steering wheel, the grip of death returning. "Your mom looks good too."

Chad snorted.

Raudel glanced his way before returning his gaze to the road. "She's not all right?"

"Not since Lindsey's wedding morphed into the event of the century."

Raudel chuckled. "Yeah. My mom was the same way with my sisters. It'll all work out. Then everything will go back to normal."

"Thank God."

"What about you, Chad?" Raudel's voice softened. "Seeing anyone?"

Holy hell. He swallowed hard, the synapses in his brain firing off like rockets as he struggled to find a non-loser way of answering Raudel's question.

"Sorry. That's none of my business." There was a tinge of melancholy to Raudel's voice.

"I'm not seeing anyone,"he blurted before his mind could analyze the response from all angles.

"Oh." Raudel sounded oddly hopeful.

Don't. He wasn't going to add meaning to anything Raudel said. Not when there was still the "thing that must not be referred to" looming over him.

Raudel cleared his throat. "Me neither."

The sweat on Chad's forehead that he thought he'd wiped away earlier was back with a vengeance. "Sorry."

Raudel shrugged. "It's fine. I'm at the point now where I only want to be with someone if it could end up being the real thing."

Chad's stomach clenched. "Oh."

Thankfully the subject of their non-relationship status seemed to have come to a conclusion, so Chad dug his phone out from his pants pocket. As they sped by the lake, he drank in the sight of the water reflecting the gorgeous blue of the sky. He had to admit that it really was beautiful. The cluster of buildings that made up the town of Lake Tahoe drew closer, and it occurred to him that they still had no real clue where they were going.

"Want me to Google some party stores?"

Raudel appeared to jolt out of some reverie. "Oh yeah. Good idea."

If he was lucky, they could concentrate their remaining chitchat on wedding and grocery-related topics. He soon had a couple of options. The one with the word emporium in its name seemed to be the most likely candidate for multiple chocolate fountain choices.

"Got one. Hold up. It's trying to locate us." Chad held the phone up to the window. He had no idea if it made a damn bit of difference, but he always went with it. "Okay, the blue arrow is pointing straight ahead."

The next few minutes were taken up with Chad navigating them until they turned off the main drag. They landed in the practically empty parking lot of a building the size of some small islands in the South Pacific. An air-dancing tube clown wiggled and flapped from atop the two-story structure, the deranged expression of the balloon's circus character the stuff of young children's nightmares. If the Party Planner Emporium didn't have a chocolate fountain—no one would.

Raudel pulled up close to the front entrance, then parked. For reasons Chad couldn't name, the loss of the sound of the car, the motion, the feel of it beneath him made being alone with Raudel much more difficult. Almost as if the Honda had been a buffer between them.

Raudel angled his body toward him, his demeanor that of someone who was about to speak on an important subject.

Nope. Chad hastily scrambled from the car. Don't need to get into any chats about high school antics.

He'd have to remain alert. Avoid any moments that might afford Raudel the chance to talk with him privately. The chirp of the car alarm was quickly followed by the sound of Raudel's footsteps.

Chad rushed into the store then froze. Raudel halted next to him, similarly pasted to the floor. The woman behind the long glass showcase counter had jerked her head up at the noise of the door chime, her visage bizarre and frightening enough that Chad wondered if she was dressed in a Halloween costume.

Except that it's April.

A thick white powder covered her skin, almost as if she'd woken up that morning and decided she should look like a mime. The rest of her heavily made-up face appeared petrified. Her wide-eyed stare was only slightly less disturbing than her large, painted-on eyebrows, which were raised almost to her hairline. A silver-streaked, black-helmet hairdo gave the impression that an F5 tornado wouldn't dislodge even one strand, and some sort of pink, fur-like scarf was wrapped around her neck multiple times as if she were being strangled by a fuzzy boa constrictor. She still hadn't said anything, and Chad was too petrified to speak.

Raudel took one for the team. "Do you carry chocolate fountains?"

Chad widened his eyes, his jaw going slack as she spoke without her lips moving.

"Rent or buy?"

Botox is not this woman's friend.

"Buy." Raudel turned to him. "Right?"

"Uh…." She wasn't a train wreck. More of a fiery plane crash.

"Chad?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes. Buy."

She pointed to the rear of the building with one finger that was crowned with a long, sharpened claw.

Raudel gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

Chad had to admit he was impressed. He was still trying to wipe what he was sure was a look of horror off his face.

She didn't react to Raudel's smile but simply kept staring. Chad could sense the hatred pouring off her. He wasn't sure whether it was because of her job at a crappy, run-down, cheap party place, or that she hated all of humanity because she'd worked the past fifty years at a crappy, run-down, cheap party place.

A vision of his future flashed before his eyes. Only it was yogurt replacing the paper streamers and white folding chairs. "Oh God."

"Come on. Let's see what they—Chad? Are you all right?"

He jerked his head toward Raudel. "Do you think it's too late?" He had to get a grip. He was only twenty-two, dammit.

Raudel furrowed his brow. "Your mom said not to worry about getting back until later." He laughed, his beautiful eyes shining back at Chad. "Besides, we just left the house about thirty minutes ago."

Chad nodded, giving himself a mental shake. "Yeah. Silly me."

Raudel indicated for him to go ahead. "Shall we?"

He forced himself to move forward even though his legs weren't interested.

They traversed the gaudy displays and hodgepodge aisles filled with old, sad silk flower arrangements, outdated karaoke machines that featured the use of cassette tapes, and other elements that boasted of parties from a bygone era.

They halted when they reached a white lattice-board archway. Beyond it lay all the large shit the store couldn't shove onto the expanse of dented metal racks. Everything from Greek-style columns to banquet table setups graced the fake turf that made up the rear of the warehouse. At one side was their Holy Grail—fountains. They were both drawn to them at the same time.

Chad sucked in a sharp breath when he glanced at the first price tag. I'll be working at the yogurt shop until I'm a hundred and seven to pay back Mom for this. Primarily due to the fact that five dollars a week was the amount of his disposable income.

He shuffled over to a less gargantuan and ornate one.

"Chad?"

He glanced at Raudel, who had shuffled right along with him. Chad did one more shuffle as Raudel crept up on him a bit too close. He struggled to keep his breathing even.

Never show your fear when facing the enemy.

The task at hand had temporarily allowed him to push aside the harsh reality that he was still at risk of being humiliated by Raudel.

Chad's nemesis spoke up. "I just want you to know how glad I am that I was able to make this trip."

He waited for him to continue, but all Raudel did was stare, a slight tug at the corner of his mouth.

Chad swallowed hard, his mouth too dry to ease the way. "Uh." He croaked it out. "Yeah. Lindsey was super excited that you could make it." He licked his bottom lip to moisten it.

Raudel glanced down, then back up again so quickly Chad wondered if he'd hallucinated the whole thing.

"It'll be great to see her again. But I'm very happy that you're here too, Chad."

To have your chance to mock me? The heat that bloomed in his face had to be turning his pale as fuck skin scarlet. Raudel smiled wide in what Chad imagined was victory. He snapped his head forward and snatched up another price tag.

Shit. I'm fucked all the way around. He dropped the tag, then crossed his arms angrily.

A long pause followed, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. His curiosity got the better of him, and he stole a glance at Raudel. Chad widened his eyes at Raudel's expression. Raudel appeared to be contemplating whether or not he should say something.

Oh God. This is it.

"Chad, I don't know how to say this." Raudel furrowed his brow.

Time to man up. No avoiding it now. "Look, this wedding is very important to Lindsey. I mean, really, really important. Whatever happens between you and me could potentially ruin her day, and since you're her best friend, I'm hoping that you'll take that into consideration before—" He swallowed hard. "—you know."

Raudel arched his eyebrows. "I know?"

Chad looked away. The moment had arrived; the bringer of doom stood right next to him with Chad pleading for mercy, yet all he could think about was how much he wished it had all been different. That it still could be different. But there had never been a chance, and there never would be. In a mortifying move, tears burned in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

He jerked away from Raudel's soft touch, the feel of him too much of a tease.

Raudel dropped his hand but stood close enough that all it would take was the barest movement of his fingers, and they would be in contact with his skin. "I understand, Chad. I suppose I'm being selfish. But I can't lie. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the week with you. Be together as adults instead of when we were all struggling to figure out life back in high school. Maybe once Lindsey is married and her time is done, maybe it can be our time. I studied for hours and hours before I left so I could devote myself to discovering whether or not the fantasy I've held of you for all these years is real." He sighed. "I know it must sound crazy that I'm still thinking about you after so long, but I can't help what I feel. And I don't really have to be back in LA for two weeks, so I was wondering… um. What I mean is… well, would you consider it?"

What the actual fuck?

Chad held his breath, head lowered as he stared at his hands. He'd obviously lost his mind. Completely, utterly, and wholly lost his mind.

Finally he couldn't hold in the enormity of it any longer. The stress building up from the whole week, waiting to be exposed, terrified of what would happen when he finally saw Raudel again for the first time in years—it was too much. His jumbled emotions exploded out of him in a snorting chuckle before it turned into a flood of laughter that had tears spilling down his cheeks for a much different reason than wishing Raudel would like him.

Nothing Raudel had said was funny. It was fucking tragic . So unbelievably ridiculous, Chad wondered if the sanest thing for him to do at that moment would be to nab a bus ticket, then get the fuck out of there. It wasn't as if he'd be able to function like a normal human being for the rest of the week, anyway.

Raudel toying with his emotions was beyond evil. So much worse than if he'd simply made fun of and mocked him. It occurred to him that maybe the wondrous attributes he'd attached to Raudel over the years were false. Maybe his seemingly gracious behavior had been nothing but a big part of his act. Because the load of horseshit that Raudel had just shoveled his way had been done with such genuine sincerity, Chad could almost believe it.

Almost. He wiped his eyes, his stomach still cramping from his sudden outburst.

Raudel remained quiet, and Chad assumed it was because he hadn't expected him to collapse into hysterical laughter. He'd probably hoped that Chad would get all excited and confess his love, too—right before announcing it was all a big joke.

A well of hurt replaced the unexpected laughter only a few minutes before.

He still wanted him. Still fucking wanted him anyway. Something deep inside, where the hurt had embedded itself, made him wonder. He'd been so stupid to tell Lindsey he had a crush on Raudel, but he'd ached to have her intercede on his behalf. He'd hoped that Raudel could see beyond the awkward geek he was back then.

Then, after Raudel had walked in on him that horrible day, Chad had begged her not to say a word about his childish feelings after all. He was too mortified that Raudel might find out how he felt about him. But had she done it anyway? Had it been too late to take it back?

"I'm sorry, Chad." Raudel's voice held none of the smooth, assured tone it always did. The sound of loss and sadness had replaced it. "Forget I said anything. I knew it was a long shot. We'll help out your mom, then I'll bring you right back." Raudel moved away from him, idly playing with another price tag. "I'll stay out of your way the rest of the week. I don't want you to be uncomfortable because of me."

Chad shot out his hand, grabbing Raudel's arm to keep him from retreating further. "Wait. What? I don't get it." His heart pounded in an out-of-control rhythm that threatened dizziness. "Is all…? What you said, all that stuff about wanting to spend the week with me… I mean, you were just messing with me, right?"

Raudel let go of the tag, and Chad loosened his hold on Raudel's arm. But he didn't remove it, didn't want to let go. Not yet.

"No, Chad." Raudel's expression still radiated pain. "I meant every word. I always believed you were into me in high school. I was ashamed because I was almost eighteen and you were only fifteen, but I couldn't help it. I wanted you. Then, when Lindsey told me that you thought I was a stud…." He quirked up one corner of his mouth. "I thought there was hope. But after I caught you that day—"

"Whoa!" Chad snatched his hand away as if he'd been stung. "No. Nope. Not talking about that ."

"Why?" To his credit, Raudel appeared genuinely confused.

"Really? You're asking why ?" Chad huffed, then fixed his gaze on a fountain edged in butterflies.

"Chad, I don't understand. I assumed what you were doing was for my benefit, but then you got scared when the reality of me being there became too much, which was why you ran away. It was my fault. I expected too much when you were still so young. I'm hoping you can forgive me."

Chad whipped his body around to face him. "I have no fucking clue what you're talking about, dude. I ran out of there because I had a dildo shoved up my ass, and I was embarrassed as fuck." Chad gasped, rising on his tiptoes as he jerked his head around to verify that no one had heard him.

Cruella De Vil didn't appear as if she'd even twitched since they arrived, so he assumed he was safe in that regard. He turned to Raudel again. "And I guarantee you it wasn't for your benefit, even if…." Chad cleared his throat. "Well, in some ways it was." He placed a hand on his forehead. "Never mind."

Raudel leaned closer, enough that Chad could sense his heat, smell the clean soapy aroma of the only man he'd ever wanted to have more with than just sex. But none of what was happening made any sense, and he desperately needed it to.

"Yeah? In what way, Chad? Did you hope I'd catch you?"

"Oh God." Chad's knees wobbled, and he latched onto a white, wrought iron arch draped in fake ivy. He shook his head. "No. No way. I was…."

I can't tell him this. Then he'll know for sure what a weirdo I am.

"It's okay. You can say it, Raudel whispered. "And just so you know? It was the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen. You gave me a gift that day. Whenever I'm alone and need to get off, that memory is right there."

Chad slowly turned his head to verify that Raudel was serious. The expression Raudel radiated back at him, with his pupils blown wide, told him all he needed to know. He was telling the truth.

Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.

"I was… getting myself ready to have sex, you know? So I'd know what to expect and wouldn't be scared when it happened for real."

"Oh, man. Really? I wish…." Raudel shook his head. "No. I believe things happen for a reason. It wasn't the right time yet."

Yet? "So, what made you burst into my bedroom unannounced?"

They both laughed shakily. So much of his tension had been released that Chad felt a bit off-kilter, kind of like he needed to take a nap or something.

"Lindsey said you were waiting for me in your room, that I should go over there while your parents were out so we could be alone. She left the front door unlocked so I could sneak in and go to you. Be with you."

Chad gaped at Raudel, his jaw going slack. He had the horrible feeling that Raudel was telling the truth, in which case, he wanted to destroy Lindsey's fucking wedding fountain all over again.

"But…. She acted like she never knew what'd happened."

"She didn't. I didn't want to embarrass you, so I told her I chickened out and never went over. I wanted it to be something we dealt with between us." Raudel stroked his cheek before dropping his hand, then gathering up one of Chad's. "But you wouldn't let me talk to you. You ran away whenever I was near. Six months later, I left for college and realized that you were too young. Like I said, the timing wasn't right yet."

"That was, like, seven years ago." Chad snorted. "You assumed I'd be here waiting for you after all this time, raring to go with my trusty dildo?"

Raudel laughed, his eyes bright, the melancholy driven away by something else.

Something like hope.

"I didn't assume. As a matter of fact, I figured I needed to move on, convinced myself that high school stuff never lasts anyway. I even lived with a boyfriend for two years, but it didn't work out. I dated lots of men. Some were unbelievably handsome, a couple were very rich and wanted to take care of me. One even declared he was irretrievably in love with me. Then there was this famous actor who—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get the picture." Chad groaned. It could've been so different if he hadn't been such a total wimp that day.

It could've been Raudel instead of a dildo.

"Chad?"

He rolled his head to the side, Raudel only inches from him. He'd never been this close to the man he'd dreamed of over and over for so long. The man with whom he'd believed he could have something special. Yeah, he'd been young. But he'd also known how he felt. There wasn't anything wrong with falling in love before hitting sixteen. Nothing wrong with it at all—except for the part where his heart had been broken into a million pieces.

"Yeah?"

Raudel smiled. "I'm telling the truth. I never stopped thinking about you. That's why I couldn't love those other men. I only wanted you."

"No shit?" Chad swallowed hard. "Sorry. Still processing. Then what—I mean, what is it that you want from me now?"

Raudel caressed his face again, but this time he didn't stop. "I won't ruin Lindsey's special week, Chad. I promise. But can I still have a chance with you?"

Holy Jesus. The man wasn't kidding.

"A chance?" Chad grunted. "Shit, Raudel. You can have whatever the fuck you want from me."

Raudel barked out a laugh. "Then how about I start with this?"

The first press of Raudel's soft lips against his own was so much better than the fantasy. Chad's body responded as if it was meant to belong to Raudel all along. He relaxed into his touch, opened up to the kiss. Stirrings of arousal awoke within, his desire freed now that all the scariness had disappeared. Even if Raudel never caressed his cheek or gently explored his mouth again, he'd still have this one time. He'd have the memory that Raudel was even more amazing than he ever could've imagined.

As Raudel dropped his hand from Chad's face to wrap it around his neck, as he pushed the kiss deeper into his mouth, the stirrings in Chad's core bloomed into raging lust. His cock pushed insistently at the rigid zipper of his jeans, the throbbing a warning that he could easily lose control. That wasn't something he was prepared to handle in public at a decrepit party store with the Crypt Keeper nearby.

Aaaaand erection officially killed.

As if sensing the change in Chad's reaction to their clinch, Raudel broke the connection. He pulled back enough to search Chad's face but still held on to his nape. "Is this too much for you right now?"

Chad locked gazes with him. He couldn't fuck up again. It was time to grow a pair and take what was being offered. A chance . "Not even close."

Raudel licked his lips, his crooked smile enticing Chad's cock back to attention. "Then let's have some fun."

Chad arched his eyebrows. "Deciding on a chocolate fountain?"

Raudel lowered his hand, then squeezed Chad's fingers. "Deciding on a chocolate fountain with you . That's what makes it fun."

Chad's heart stuttered. "Then fountains it is."

Raudel grinned, squeezing him one more time before letting go. "We've got the rest of the day, Chad. Let's get started on making up for all that lost time."

Chad laughed, an almost giddy sound. "Cool. Sounds pretty fucking awesome to me."