The Hollow Hills - 7. Chapter 7

Galen

I knocked on the door of the slate-gray ranch house and waited. A short woman with long brown hair opened the door.

“Come on in. You must be Galen.” She held the door open for me and I entered the house. “I’m Sally. I can’t tell you how nice it is to finally meet you.”

I looked at her quizzically. I had no idea who she was.

“Galen!” Jody strode over and enveloped me in a bear hug. He left his arm around my shoulders and grinned at Sally. “I see you met the missus.”

“Missus?” I looked at him incredulously. Jody was a notorious ladies’ man. I embraced Sally. “You must be pretty special if you tamed this big lug.”

“You got that right.” She reached up to whisper in my ear. “He’s pretty special too, but don’t tell him that.”

I laughed. I liked her already. I handed her the bag I brought with chips and salsa.

“You didn’t have to bring anything,” she said as she took it and walked toward the kitchen.

“Please tell me you didn’t cook anything.” Jody made a face.

“Don’t worry. It’s all highly processed store stuff.”

“That’s a relief.”

I smacked him on the arm. “For your information, I’m learning how to cook.”

“Keep away from me while you’re learning. I’ve eaten that shit you call food before.”

“Thanks, asshole.”

“C’mon. I’ll introduce you to the guys.”

He led me over to the living room where a bunch of guys sat watching a football game. He introduced me to everyone, but there were too many people to remember. Apparently the team they were rooting for was doing well, because everyone started yelling, cheering, and high-fiving each other. Jody engaged in an animated discussion of the play with one of his friends and I wandered to the kitchen where the women were congregated.

“Do you need any help?” I asked Sally.

She shook her head. “No, I’m all set, thank you. That’s very sweet of you to ask.” She introduced me to the other women.

I spent the next hour hanging out in the kitchen, chatting amiably with Sally and her friends.

“So Galen…are you single?” one of the women asked. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. She had been flirting with me since I arrived.

“Yeah, I just ended a long-term relationship.”

She scooted a little closer to me. “Oh, that’s a shame.”

Sally looked at me sympathetically. I don’t think either one of us believed her.

The oven timer dinged just as someone knocked on the front door. “Galen, do you mind getting that? It’s probably just Ethan with the pizza,” Sally said.

“Yeah, sure.” I jogged to the door and opened it. The guy that was with Jody when we met on the street stood with an armful of pizza boxes. His eyes widened when he saw me and he blushed. I took a couple of boxes from the top of the stack. “Let me give you a hand with that.”

“Thanks.”

We walked into the kitchen and set the pizza down on the table. Someone from the living room yelled, “E! It’s about damn time you got here! You’re missing a hell of a game!”

He looked at me, then at the living room, hesitating.

“Get your ass in here! You gotta see this play!”

He smiled at me almost apologetically before walking into the living room.

I helped Sally set up the pizza and we were immediately descended upon by the horde of guys from the living room. I took a slice of pizza and a couple of wings. One of the guys put his hand on my shoulder and directed me to the living room.

“C’mon and join us. We don’t bite.”

I sat on the couch. Ethan walked into the living room with a plate heaped high with pizza and wings. He stopped, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. The only open seat was next to me.

He sat down and smiled. “You didn’t take very much. You don’t have to be shy around these guys. They’ll probably eat a whole pizza each.” He laughed nervously.

“I’m not a big eater. If I’m still hungry after this, I’ll get some more.”

“Well, just don’t wait too long or there won’t be anything left once these vultures have been set loose.”

“Duly noted.” I took a bite of my pizza and studied Ethan. He was a little bit shorter than me and had a stocky build. His blond hair was cut short and he had bright blue eyes. From the flush on his face every time he looked at me I figured he was gay and probably interested. He was cute, but he wasn’t Josh.

Jody sat in a chair next to the couch. He took a huge bite of pizza. “You should have brought Jamie. You know neither of you need an invitation.”

I winced. I hadn’t seen Jody in years. Of course he didn’t know. “Jo… Jamie and I broke up.”

Jody stared at me in mid-bite, wide-eyed. “No! When did this happen? Damn…you guys were like the dream couple.”

Ethan was shoved into me as another guy wedged himself onto the couch. He turned bright red, but I don’t think he minded the close contact. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” I took a deep breath. “He cheated on me, Jo. A lot.”

“That son of a bitch! If I ever see him again, I’m kicking his ass!”

I smiled ruefully. “Get in line. Liam already promised him the same thing.”

Ethan was rigid next to me, fiddling with his pizza.

“Liam wanted to come, but he’s on duty today.”

“What’s that old bastard up to?”

“Better watch what you say…he’s the sheriff.” I laughed.

“No kiddin’? I had no idea he even lived in this town. Shit. We all gotta get together soon.”

“How can you not know he’s the sheriff? Don’t you watch the news?”

“I’m too busy to watch TV. The only thing I really watch is football.”

I spent the rest of the evening ‘watching’ the game with the guys. I’m not a big sports fan, but I didn’t mind the eye candy on the TV. Ethan remained sitting next to me and tried making small talk, but it was obvious the guy was nervous as hell.

It didn’t take long for everyone to clear out after the game. At around nine o’clock all that remained were Ethan and I.

“Jo, do you mind if I stay a little bit? I’d really like to talk to you.” I had so much I wanted to tell him.

“Yeah, of course, babe. Sally won’t mind. I told her all about you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You did?”

He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Yeah. I told you she was special.”

I was surprised. Not many people understood my relationship with Jody.

“I’ll let Sal know you’re staying.” Jody walked into the kitchen.

Ethan sat silently for a minute before looking at me. “Would you like to go get a cup of coffee sometime?”

I was surprised he managed to find the courage to ask me out. “That sounds nice, Ethan, but I’m pretty busy over the next couple of weeks. I have a ton of work and I also need to travel to Boston.”

“Oh.” He turned bright red. “Ok, then. It was nice meeting you.” He grabbed his coat and left.

I felt bad for shooting him down. The look on his face reminded me of a kicked puppy. I didn’t feel ready to try another relationship. Maybe if I wasn’t so hung up on Josh…

Jody plopped down next to me on the couch and put his arm around my shoulders. “The night is ours, babe.”

I smiled and put my arms around him, burrowing into his chest. He drew me close and kissed the top of my head.

“How did we ever drift apart?” I murmured.

“I have no idea.”

“I didn’t realize how much I missed you until I saw you on the street.”

“I tried finding you, but the mail I sent to the last address I had was returned as undeliverable. I wanted you to be the best man at my wedding.”

“I would have liked nothing more.”

“What happened? Why didn’t you send me your new address? You changed your phone number, too.”

“I don’t know. I guess it just slipped my mind. I could have really used your support over the past few years. I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but things really changed between Jamie and me.”

“Tell me.”

“It all seemed to start when he was hired at the firm he currently works for. They were all about appearances. Every weekend we were going out to clubs and to these really fancy, exclusive parties. Jamie never wanted to just stay in. There were times when I wanted to spend a day with him all to myself, but he never wanted to. I guess that should have been my first clue.

“He started finding excuses to leave me at the clubs. He’d see someone he knew and rush off to say ‘hi’, leaving me to fend off the vultures. Then he’d swoop in, put his arm around me and say ‘sorry boys, but he’s coming home with me.’ I think he liked all the attention I got from other men. He sure liked dancing with other guys and watching me dance with other guys. God, I feel so stupid telling you this. I should have seen what was happening.”

“You trusted him.”

“Yeah. I guess I was just being naïve. I started hating going to the clubs and resenting Jamie for being so selfish. I don’t know why I didn’t stand up to him. The parties were even worse. All the people there were so vacuous. I shouldn’t have been surprised he was cheating on me, but when I found out it hit me like a sledgehammer.”

Jody held me tight, caressing my back. “How did you find out?”

“I came home early to surprise him on our fifteenth anniversary. It turns out that I was the one who was surprised. I went the full-out romantic route. I had two dozen red roses, a shitload of candles, and I was even going to cook for him. Well, attempt to cook at any rate. I had a backup plan in case dinner turned out to be a disaster.

“I set everything on the counter and heard noises coming from the loft, so I went upstairs to check it out. Jamie was fucking some twink on our bed. The worst part was that the asshole didn’t even stop when he saw me!” I scowled, fighting back tears that I thought I was done with.

“Damn, Galen. That’s cold.”

“No kidding. I think he wanted to get caught. I tried to work things out with him, but he wanted nothing to do with any counseling. He didn’t even try to fix things between us, Jody. He told me that if I wasn’t so boring in bed he wouldn’t have to screw other men.”

“I’m totally kicking his ass if I ever see him again.”

“Thanks.” We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was really enjoying being in Jody’s arms again. He was always my source of comfort whenever I needed one.

I met Jody when I was ten years old. I spent the summer with Liam at my aunt and uncle’s house. Liam and Jody were friends and we hit it off immediately. The three of us were always together. When I came to live with Liam when I was thirteen, Jody was still a part of Liam’s circle of friends. We didn’t become very close until after I started dating Jamie. Until that point, I had been very distant with all of Liam’s friends, including Jody. After being betrayed by my best friend back home, I was very leery of trusting anyone. That changed once I knew that they accepted me for who I was.

Liam, Jody, Jamie, and I all went to the same college right after high school. That’s when my friendship with Jody really developed. One weekend Jamie and I had a huge fight. I don’t even remember what it was about. Liam was out with his girlfriend so I went to Jody’s room. He had a girl over, but sent her away when he saw how upset I was. That was the first night I spent in Jody’s arms. I poured out all my frustrations and fears about Jamie and he just listened patiently, providing me with the comfort I needed. When I finished, he brushed my hair away from my eyes and kissed me. I should have been shocked, but it just felt right. When I asked him why he did that, he said it was the only way he could express his feelings for me. This is where it gets a bit complicated and why people don’t understand our relationship. Jody and I are very physically demonstrative. He usually has an arm around me when we’re together and we’ve spent more than one night in the other’s bed. Clothes on, but cuddled together. We kiss occasionally when our emotions are running high, but we’ve never had sex and I don’t ever plan on having sex with him. I just don’t think of him that way. We’re lovers in the sense that we’re two people who love each other; we just don’t express it physically in the way most people envision.

“So you’re learning to cook, huh? Whatever possessed you to do that? You’re terrible in the kitchen.”

I playfully punched him in the arm. “I’m learning.” I told him all about Josh, including my feelings for him and his rejection.

“The right man will come along, Galen. You’re too special for anything different.”

“Thanks, Jo. You always know how to make me feel better.” I paused. “So tell me about Sally. I never would have imagined you settling down with someone.”

Jody laughed. “Yeah, who knew? She’s amazing, Galen. I honestly never thought I’d meet anyone I wanted to settle down with. I knew she was the one the minute I met her, though.

“We met at a party about five years ago. She knew my reputation and wouldn’t give me the time of day. She figured I was just looking for a quick fuck. I refused to give up. Two months later she decided to give me a chance. I haven’t touched another woman since I set eyes on her. Not even during those very long two months. I asked her to marry me a couple of years later. It was the happiest day of my life when she said yes.”

I smiled. “I’m so happy for you. I really like her. She seems perfect for you.”

“Yeah. I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky.”

“Well, you deserve some happiness.”

I headed home after we made plans to meet for lunch the next day. My heart was full when I arrived home to Tigger greeting me at the door with loud meows and headbutts. He curled up next to me as I lay in bed. As I stroked his orange fur I found myself wishing that it was Josh’s salt-and-pepper gray hair that I was running my fingers through. I pushed the thought aside as I drifted off to sleep.