It's a game we play in his basement after sunday service. And sometimes on Wednesdays too. You only know about it if you know where to look. And who to ask. Us queer boys have to be careful like that, because this is the kind of town you don't walk out of alive unless you're hiding. But the truth is, I wanna marry a boy one day right out in the open. Right here near the ranches and the streams with the blessings of my momma and dad. But those are kids dreams. And if you try that you end up dead. Like that boy. But I. Still. Dream. I can't stop and how cruel can the world be to expect otherwise? To shame me for wanting more? So I play my games quietly. ______________________ Gabriel is an average, teenage boy in the south a little before the 2000's. He goes to school and then works part time at an old feed store. That's it. That's his life, except for the gay part. Stuck in a small town with even smaller minds long before the idea of gay marriage being legalized even existed, he finds ways to vent both his sexual frustration and internalized homophobia in the most unlikely place: the arms of the pastor's eldest son. But is a quick fix really what he's looking for? Or is there more for him, something deeper, across the hall with the pastor's younger son? (*NOTE: Not a love triangle, lol don't worry) _______________________ Author's Note: This was loosely inspired by a few stories I read on a website called Lakeweed At Arrow Head, particularly Beyond the Rain by Grasshopper. It dealt with a gay couple in the south coming to terms with not only themselves but each other. It simultaneously broke my heart with the isolation they faced, but also made me feel their love for each other and even themselves through every word. Every sentence. I hope those emotions are reflected in this, even just a little.

Liam Wells has lived under the identity of being the preacher's son his entire life. Everything he did in life was under the strict direction of his father. But Liam is discovering he has his dreams and wants of his own. Those dreams and wants don't align with the expectations that his father has set out for him. He has to make the choice between being a good son or being happy. But does he have the courage to take that leap of faith?