Anything Could Happen (24 page)

“When I saw it, I had to get it.”

Frawley started to read the tag further, his eyebrows raised, and he closed it quickly and handed the box to Austin. It was about eight by eight inches and a couple thick. He raised it to his ear, and Guy gave him a quick command not to shake it. Curiosity piqued, Austin tore it open—then sat back with a small gasp.

It was a butterfly.

Mounted in a black frame, it was huge and shimmering blue, and at first Austin wasn’t even sure it was real. Then he saw the small tag with the words
Blue Morpho didius
. “My God,” Austin sighed. “It’s—it’s exquisite.”

“It’s you,” Guy said quietly in Austin’s ear. “If you tilt it from side to side….”

Austin did so and let out another quiet sigh.

“See how it changes from dark to light when you view it from different angles?”

Wilda was now leaning over Austin’s shoulder. “It looks like it’s made out of blue tinfoil. I’ve never seen one like it.”

“They come from South America,” Guy explained. “I found it in this shop on the Plaza.”

Austin found tears threatening once more. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“I hope you like it,” Guy said.

“I love it,” Austin replied. And had he not been in a room with his relatives, he would have kissed Guy right then. “Thank you.”

“It’s you,” Guy said quietly in Austin’s ear. “A perfect shimmering butterfly.”

W
HEN
it was bedtime, Uncle Bodie chose to carry Lucille back up with him. Austin followed to make sure they made it upstairs okay.

“I’m a little worried about my girl. Think maybe we should take her to the vet when we get home?”

“We can do it here in town tomorrow if you want,” Austin said.

“Do you think they’ll be open?” Uncle Bodie asked.

“It’s a Wednesday,” said Austin. “I don’t see why not.”

“This
is
Buckman, Austin.”

“True. But because of that, we know where the vet lives. I’ll pound on his door if you want me to.”

Lucille looked up from her master’s arms and gave Austin a little kiss. “Awwww….”

Uncle Bodie smiled. “We can wait until we get home. I’m sure it’s nothing. She was just fine yesterday. Probably something disagreed with her. Maybe that gravy.”

“Did she eat anything for dinner tonight?”

“She had some turkey.” Uncle Bodie looked down at his beloved. “Didn’t you, little woman?”

Lucille gave a little yap that made Austin’s uncle’s smile grow. “See? She’s coming back already.”

They had reached his door, and Austin saw them both in before giving his uncle a hug and a “Merry Christmas” and a “Good night.”

“Good night to you, son. And do me a favor?”

“What’s that, Uncle Bodie.”

“Please make those bedsprings squeak tonight. I promise we won’t hear. No one ever heard you jerking off.”

Austin’s eyes popped. “Uncle Bodie!”

“I know Wilda would have said something if she had. So you’re safe.” He stepped close to his nephew. “I even took steps to make sure of it.”

Austin shook his head, amazed. “What’s that?”

“Just check the top drawer of your bedside table. You’ll see.”

“You’re crazy, Uncle Bodie.”

“As a bedbug, dear boy! As crazy as a fox.”

Austin went down and got another surprise when he found his grandparents kissing. It was sweet and loving. He’d never seen them kiss for so long.

“What?” his grandmother asked him. “Just ’cause there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean there ain’t still a fire in the furnace!”

“I’m going to bed,” his grandfather said, obviously a little shy at being caught.

“You start gettin’ the bed warm,” she said. “There just might be a little furnace lightin’ tonight.”

“Wilda!” said her husband, and then he turned and climbed the steps.

Guy came up from behind Austin. “I threw all that wrapping paper away, Grams. Hope you weren’t saving it for anything.”

“Nope,” she said. “Throw it all out, and thank you.”

He nodded.

She stood there silent then, and both Austin and Guy waited for her to say something else. She obviously wanted to. After another moment, she crossed her arms. Then she gave a nod.

They both looked at each other. Guy shook his head, and Austin knew he had no idea what she was wanted. “What?” he asked her.

She sighed with great exasperation. Then pointed above their heads. To Austin’s surprise, it was a ball of mistletoe. Real, of course. He looked back at her, eyes wide.

“You didn’t know why we were laying such a lip-lock on each other for?”

“What did I miss?” asked Guy.

“Me and Frawley kissin’,” she answered. “And Austin here watched.”

“Well, I didn’t have much choice,” he replied.

“You did. And if you can watch me, I can watch you.”

“Grams!” Austin stepped back. Surely she didn’t mean it.

He looked at Guy—who only shrugged, then raised an eyebrow. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Surely Guy wasn’t suggesting…. He turned back to his grandmother.

Her arms were crossed once again over her ample bosom. “Go on. I want to see. Always was curious.”

“Austin?” It was Guy. And he was close.

Austin looked at Guy. At his handsome face. Those lovely brown eyes. That broad mouth.
Oh God
, he thought as Guy stepped even closer. Then that mouth was descending toward his. Oh, God—and he closed his eyes and Guy was kissing him. Nothing like the bar and Guy’s apartment that night. But it was a kiss. Sweet. Soft. Gentle.

“Well damn. I don’t believe I ever seen anything quite so lovely,” Grams said and walked away.

Austin opened his eyes to see Guy stepping back. “Let’s go to bed,” Guy said. “It’ll be another long day tomorrow. And there’s the drive home.”

Austin nodded, heart rushing once more. “Okay,” he said and followed Guy downstairs.

“G
UY
?”

“Yes, Austin.”

He was staring up through the darkness at the dim shapes of the pipes crossing the basement ceiling. His stomach was aflutter. He couldn’t stop thinking about…

Well damn. I don’t believe I ever seen anything quite so lovely
.

… the kiss. “That kiss was nice,” he said quietly.

“Thank you. Yes, it was.”

Austin suddenly remembered what his uncle had told him about the bedside table. He rolled over on his side and reached over, opened the drawer, and felt inside. There was a crinkling sound and then his fingers fell upon several flat square packages. He smiled. Condoms. Uncle Bodie had provided him with condoms. It truly seemed Austin had everyone’s blessing.

All I am saying is that Guy is here, and he is obviously interested in you. And you are interested in him. You have no idea where Todd is, and you don’t really know if he is even gay.

He thought about the kiss again, Guy’s broad mouth on his. He thought of Guy’s tongue—a week ago—how it sought entrance into Austin’s mouth. How he had let Guy in. How exotic, how erotic, it had been. The feel of Guy’s stubble against his own. Austin felt himself growing hard.

“Austin?”

“Y-yes?”

“I need to tell you something.”

For some reason, Austin felt a sense of foreboding.
Crap. What is Guy saying? Don’t. Don’t say it. Don’t ruin it.

Found someone. He’s found someone. I’ve waited too long and….

“It’s about the walk I took—”

The guy followed him here? He went to him and—

“I went to Todd’s house.”

The words were so diametrically opposed to the completely ludicrous direction Austin had found his thoughts going that it took him a moment to register what Guy had actually said.

He went where? Todd? Todd’s house? Guy knows where Todd is?
“What?”

“I went to speak to Todd’s parents.”

Austin shifted so he was gazing up at Guy. His eyes had grown accustomed to the dark, and he could just make out that Guy had propped himself up on one elbow and was looking down at him. “What?” he asked, trying to grasp it. “You talked to—”

“Todd’s parents. His mom and dad—”

“
Step
dad,” Austin corrected. Then, “You talked to them?”

“I-I asked them about Todd.”

Austin stiffened.
Todd?
He’d spoken to them about Todd?

“I wanted to see if they knew something they hadn’t told you.”

Knew something? If Austin’s mind had been a swirl before, it was numb now. He found it difficult to even form a clear thought.

“I hoped they might tell me something. It’s been long enough, you know? And maybe they’d be willing to speak to someone they didn’t know.”

I don’t believe it. I don’t crapping believe it.
“Did they?” was all he could say.

Guy sighed. “No. But his mother? I think she almost told me something. But then his dad—”

“Stepdad.”

“—
step
dad appeared at the door, and
Jesus
. For a moment I thought he
might
shoot me.”

“Guy!”
That fucking asshole.
“If he hurt you—”

“No. He didn’t. I-I did something stupid. But it stopped him.”

“What? What did you do?”

“I….” Guy cleared his throat. “I told him I was a cop.”

“You what?” Austin sat up in the bed, astonished.

“I know. I know. Dumb. And it’s not like I can even claim it wasn’t premeditated.”

“Guy. What the crap are you talking about?”

“Before we left, I was working one night, and I saw a prop lying around in the dressing rooms. It was the badge for The Cop in
Tearoom Tango
. I slipped it in my pocket, and when Todd’s
step
dad got in my face, I flashed the badge. I had it out of my pocket as fast as can be.”

Austin couldn’t speak.

“He backed off quick, I can tell you. But boy, if the two of them were closemouthed before, they really shut down then. Like a couple of clams. It was frigging weird, Austin. I mean, really weird. They told me to leave and get a search warrant. A search warrant? ‘For what?’ I asked. All I wanted to know was where I could find Todd Burton. But that was it—they weren’t speaking. Although I got the idea that if the stepdad hadn’t been there, she would’ve said more. I thought maybe I could go by tomorrow for a while—see if he leaves for work or something—and try her again, and maybe—”

“Why are you doing this?” Austin asked. He was stunned. How, why, was this man going to such lengths to help him? “Why are you helping me like this? I can’t believe it.”

“Because…. Because…
I
need you to resolve this Todd thing. It would be easy for me to let you think it’s
just
because I’m such a good guy, Austin. In the beginning, I was helping you because I genuinely wanted to help you. I loved the romantic in you. I wanted to help you fulfill your Cinder-fella fairy tale. I wanted you to have what I never did.

“But now? Now there’s a lot of selfishness involved. I want you to find him and either get with him or go your separate ways. I
need
it to happen as fast as possible—”

“But—but why?”

“Because….” There was a hitch in Guy’s voice. Was he crying? “Because I’m falling….” Another hitch. “Oh God, Austin. Don’t you know? Hasn’t it been obvious from the minute I first saw you?”

What was Guy saying? Falling? Surely he didn’t mean….

“Austin,” Guy cried in exasperation. “I’m falling—hell—I’m there already. I love you, Austin, and I’m falling harder every day. If you find Todd and the two of you want to be together, I want it to happen soon. Because the way my feelings grow every day, it will soon
kill
me to lose you to him. I need this cut off now before I get fucking gangrene of the heart.”

And remember something else, my boy. No one wants to be second choice. Would you? Would you want to be a consolation prize?

Austin kissed Guy. No preliminary delicacy involved in the kiss either. He reached out, drew Guy in by the back of his neck, and kissed him hard—plunged his tongue into the man’s mouth. Because in that very instant, he knew.

Guy pulled back. “Austin! No. You’ve got to—”

Austin forced Guy’s mouth to his again. Took possession of the man.
I love him. My God. I love him.
And…

Guy was kissing him now, pushing him back, laying his chest on Austin’s—kissing hard. He wrapped his arms around Austin, slipped to his side, and pulled him close, tangling their legs together. It was overwhelming. Austin felt drunk. High. Higher than the clouds. He couldn’t believe how amazing he felt to be in a
man’s
arms—this man’s arms, held so tight. His eyes popped open for less than a twinkling when he felt the hardness of Guy’s sex pressed up against his own. The thrusting, shifting.

When they finally stopped for a moment, gasping into each other’s mouths, Guy asked him, “Austin. Are you sure? What about—”

Austin pressed his fingertips against Guy’s full lips. “Sssshhhh. I’m sure.” Oh, he was. Beyond sure. “I love you.”

Guy’s eyes went wide. “But what if…?”

“It’s too late,” Austin explained, to himself as well as Guy. “Too late. Todd doesn’t love me. He’s probably not even gay. He’s had months to find me. Call me. He knows my number. He knows my e-mail address. He knows my grandparents’ phone numbers. He hasn’t tried to contact me
once
. Not one time. If he
is
gay—if he does have feelings for me? It’s too late. I love you.”
And you are
no consolation prize. You are
the
prize. Why couldn’t I see that?

Then they were kissing again, pulling their clothes off, crushing themselves together skin to skin. Austin could feel the rigid length of Guy’s erection thrust up against his own and knew he had to see it. He kissed his way down Guy’s torso, doing all the things he’d ever really wanted to do. He paused at Guy’s nipples, licked them, brought them up firm, sucked gently at first—all the while marveling at the hair on Guy’s chest and how wonderful it felt on his tongue—then sucked on those nipples aggressively when Guy moaned and asked, begged, for more.