Summer Chase

Ten

"I'm telling my mum and your dad that I've decided to drop out of college," Duncan explained his plan. "That will keep them busy long enough to give you some time."

"What if Dad decides to storm off?" I asked, knowing my father's temper.

"I'll call, so you can get Chase out of the room ASAP... or put him in the closet." Duncan laughed.

I decided on the spot that he had gay joke privilege for life and said nothing.

"Duncan, why are you doing all this?" I asked.

"I guess I'm a hopeless romantic," he said with a shrug.

"No, really," I insisted.

He looked at me for a moment before finally giving me a serious reply.

"Dude, you needed to hide a fucking book. I figured if I was the gay brother, I'd appreciate someone having my back."

My breath caught in my throat and without thinking I said, "I love you, bro."

It looked like he was going to brush it off but instead, he smiled and replied, "Same here, shit stain."

***

We had so little time together that the thought of it almost broke me. Chase had asked to change his day off so we could be together and now all we had was about half an hour.

When he snuck into my room, I wanted to let him have his way with me... but that was no longer an option. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry.

"I can't take you to prom..."

He opened Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" on his phone's iTunes app.

"...but will you be my King and dance with me?"

I slowly danced with him and kissed him until I ran out of breath.

I never heard the keycard click the lock open.

Dad stormed in and the moment he saw me in Chase's arms, he froze like he'd seen a ghost.

Then Duncan came running into the room yelling, "I'm so sorry! He escaped before I realized."

"I thought you were trying to sneak out again," Dad said in barely a whisper.

He sat down on the bed and stared as if seeing me for the first time. I was in shock and didn't dare move or even breathe.

"So your mother was right," Dad said, no anger in his tone. "She told me this day would come."

"What?!" I demanded.

"This isn't a choice and we aren't to blame, she said. I promised her to let you be your true self."

Suddenly, he was towering over Chase and said, "I hope you realize Tanner is all I have left of her..."

"Then she must have been exceptional!" Chase interrupted respectfully.

"That she certainly was," my dad said, sizing Chase up further.

"He's a really good guy, Dad," Duncan said. "Please, don't deny them the little time they have left together."

Duncan had never called him Dad before.