Noah's Quest - 1. New normalish

I sat in front of the place I’d called home for the last several months: the Michaels family estate in Potomac. Grandma had let me move in after her cousin relocated to be closer to family. I still wasn’t sure why she trusted a nineteen-year-old with a room in a fifteen-thousand-square-foot mansion, but I was grateful for it. The place definitely rivaled Uncle Matt’s house—though his still had the better view.

I started my truck and headed toward the construction site to meet Grandpa. We had several major projects going on across Montgomery County. For the past few months, I’d been working as a laborer, but with school starting in a few weeks, I’d transitioned into helping Grandpa check site progress.

The redevelopment of the old Lake Forest Mall was finally taking shape, and the crew there had made me feel welcome from day one. They all knew who I was, but Jose, the project manager, seemed genuinely impressed that I’d wanted to start at the bottom doing grunt work. I had a lot of anger to burn off, and hard labor felt like the only thing that helped.

I spotted Grandpa’s truck beside Jose’s near the office trailer and headed over.

“Good morning, Grandpa. Morning, Jose,” I said as I stepped inside.

They sat at the folding table studying blueprints.

“Good morning, Noah,” Grandpa replied while Jose gave me a nod.

They continued discussing progress on the site and several issues that had surfaced during demolition. Once they wrapped up, Jose headed back outside, leaving Grandpa and me alone in the trailer.

“Noah, you were late again this morning,” Grandpa said gently.

“I know,” I replied, staring at the floor.

“Still not sleeping?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

Grandpa sighed. “I think you need to step away from social media for a while. It’s not helping your mental health. Your grandmother and I hate seeing you like this.”

“I know, Grandpa.” My voice cracked as tears welled in my eyes. “It’s just hard.”

“Young love usually is,” he said sympathetically. “But you’ll get through it.”

A loud rumble sounded outside before the trailer door swung open and Uncle Brody walked in.

“Morning, Noah. Morning, Dad,” he said, dropping into the chair beside me.

“Right on time, Brody,” Grandpa teased. “Where’s my son?”

“In the car taking a call. He’s still mad we brought the Bee. Says he hates the road noise,” Brody replied with a laugh.

“No doubt,” Grandpa chuckled.

A few minutes later Uncle Matt walked in, Little B trailing close behind him.

“Noah!” Little B shouted before throwing his arms around my neck. I hugged him back tightly.

Once he let go, I stood and embraced Uncle Matt.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, concern written all over his face.

He already knew the answer. Uncle Matt had always been able to read me better than anyone, and I hated it.

“No,” I whispered.

“Hopefully we can change that,” he said with a small smile. “It’ll just be the four of us.”

“Are they still not talking to Noah?” Grandpa asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

Several emotions flashed across Uncle Matt’s face before he answered. “They refused to come. Something about standing in solidarity with Shane and Shawn.”

“I see,” Grandpa replied flatly.

“We’ve tried talking to them,” Uncle Brody added. “Now I know how our parents felt raising us.”

That earned a laugh from Grandpa.

“Your mother’s trying with Nathan and Luca too,” Grandpa said. “She, Ted, and Nick are driving to Pennsylvania to talk to them in person.”

“This whole thing has become one giant cluster,” Uncle Matt muttered. He glanced at his phone before sliding it across the table to Brody.

“My brothers are meeting us,” Brody announced with a grin.

“Unca Chase!” Little B shouted excitedly.

“Yes, Uncle Chase,” Brody laughed. “And your Uncle Asher too.”

“We need to stop by the house so Noah can grab a bathing suit,” Uncle Matt said.

“Where are we going?” I asked, already narrowing down the possibilities.

“Rehoboth,” Brody answered. “So bring sunscreen too.”

“Dad, thanks for letting us kidnap Noah,” Uncle Matt said.

Grandpa looked at me firmly. “Go have fun, Noah.”

“But I have work—”

“Go have fun,” he repeated.

I drove back to the house with Uncle Brody following behind me. After pulling through the gates, I parked inside the garage.

The Super Bee I’d bought for Uncle Brody to replace the one I’d wrecked sat in the next bay. I’d eventually decided to keep it and start my own collection. At the moment, though, “collection” just meant the Bee and my dad’s truck.

“What are you going to do with all this space?” Brody asked as he walked into the garage behind me.

“Fill it with cars,” I replied with a smirk.

“Well, then I’d suggest a climate-controlled garage.”

“I told you no,” Uncle Matt called from beside the car.

I changed into swim trunks, packed a towel, sunscreen, and a change of clothes, then tossed a few drinks into a small cooler for the ride.

Soon we were on 495 heading toward Route 50.

Brody drove while Uncle Matt texted beside him. Little B sat in the back with headphones on, completely absorbed in his tablet.

“Your brothers are meeting us on Kent Island,” Uncle Matt said.

The windows were down, letting the warm air rush through the car. Crossing the Chesapeake Bay was easy for a Thursday afternoon.

We pulled into the Kent Island Bar and Grille and I spotted Asher leaning against a Mustang in the parking lot.

Brody parked, and before the engine was even off, Little B launched himself out of the car and into Asher’s arms.

“Chase is already inside,” Asher said.

After Little B finally released him, Asher stepped over and wrapped me in a hug.

“Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “Ted and your grandma are going to fix this.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I believed it.

Inside, Chase sat at a table while Little B talked nonstop beside him.

“I’m excited for the beach,” Chase said while looking over the menu.

“We could’ve just used the pool at their house,” I replied.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Uncle Matt shot back with a grin.

I rolled my eyes and glanced around the restaurant, people-watching while everyone talked.

When our food arrived, conversation slowed. I mostly pushed food around my plate.

“Noah,” Uncle Matt warned gently, “you need to eat something.”

I forced myself to take a few bites.

After lunch we got back on the road, eventually stopping at the beach house to grab chairs, blankets, and an umbrella.

Brody parked the Bee in the garage while Uncle Matt backed the Jeep out. He removed the top, and we piled in for the short drive to the ocean.

The beach was packed.

We finally found a spot and started setting everything up. I pulled off my shirt and immediately noticed everyone staring.

“What?” I asked self-consciously, looking down at myself.

“Dang, Noah,” Asher laughed. “You’re ripped.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“I work out,” I muttered, tugging my shirt back on.

Uncle Matt and Brody exchanged a glance before Brody herded everyone else toward the water.

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” Uncle Matt said once we were alone. “I think because you wear such baggy clothes, nobody realized.”

I shrugged and stared out at the Atlantic.

“Listen,” he continued carefully, “a lot of people here are part of the LGBT community. Some are straight, some aren’t, and some are still figuring themselves out. People are going to notice you, but that doesn’t mean you have to feel like a piece of meat.”

I nodded quietly.

“You want to tell me what this is really about?”

“It’s just…” My voice faded.

“I understand,” he said softly. “Take your time. Everyone here loves you and supports you.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the waves crash while the others splashed around in the surf.

“Besides,” Uncle Matt added with a grin, “we’re mostly just jealous. We all used to look like that. Chase is the only one who’s managed to hold onto it.”

I laughed weakly. “Thanks, Uncle Matt.”

“I love you, Noah. Always will.”

I pulled my shirt back off, and together we headed into the water.

The rest of the afternoon passed with bodyboards, rough waves, and constant laughter. By the time the sun started setting, Little B was exhausted.

Uncle Matt announced we’d stay overnight and head home in the morning.

On the drive back, Little B suddenly turned toward me in the backseat.

“It wasn’t Tristan who told Shiloh.”

The Jeep went eerily silent.