Only What the Moon Sees - 2. Chapter 2

A chime went off somewhere in the store when Gabe walked inside. The smell of coffee brought memories of his mom taking him to Starbucks sometimes before school years ago—when she cared. No, that wasn’t fair. His mom, Sharon, always cared. She just got busy. She had to focus on paying the bills after her and Gabe’s dad split up, especially since Gabe turned 18 a couple of months ago and the child support ended.

The man talking to the cashier stiffened as if something inside of him snapped taut. He partially turned his head, getting just enough of a look at Gabe to take in exactly what the boy was wearing, the color of his eyes, the stoic look plastered on his face. Gabe noticed the man’s jaw clench. The man didn't speak, didn’t even blink. Then, without warning, he swiftly left the store, brushing past Gabe on his way out.

“Sorry about that,” the cashier said, suddenly calmer than he appeared. “He was pissed about the blue raspberry slushie being out.”

Gabe grunted, then went to the candy aisle and grabbed his chewy treat.

“This and $20 on pump one.”

“Sure thing.”

Gabe thanked the cashier and went back outside to pump the gas. The darkness made him uneasy, especially after the strange encounter in the store. He recalled the look on the man’s face. It was a look Gabe hadn’t ever seen before. It was like the man was looking through him instead of at him.

The gas pump clicked, completing the sale.

Gabe closed his gas cap, got in his truck and drove home.

Upon arriving on his street, he saw his mom’s car was gone. Disappointing, since she was supposed to have the night off. She worked as a bartender at a local barbecue restaurant; the hours were often in the way of her home responsibilities—namely her mothering.

Stepping into his room, Gabe slung his tennis bag next to the desk where his laptop was. Collapsing on the bed that wasn’t made from the morning, Gabe couldn’t get the stranger out of his mind. That look that the man had given him . . . It wasn’t just that the guy was strange or intense or out of place.

It was because he was attractive.

And that shouldn’t matter.

Gabe had been repressing those feelings for years, ever since he started having them in seventh grade. He knew they were wrong then and they’re wrong now. But some things were too powerful to ignore. Like, how he would steal glances of his classmates changing in the locker rooms for PE. The desire, the attraction was too powerful to ignore for a teenage boy. Then came the guilt. The guilt of betraying friendships all for a few quick minutes while alone in bed at night.

One friend was especially difficult for Gabe.

Justin.

The way Justin laughed, his athleticism, his humor—everything about him was desirable to Gabe. Justin was also touchy. A hug here. A nudge there. Knees touching when on the bus going to an away game. Gabe’s stomach was in knots almost the entire time when being around his best friend. Although he was interested in tennis, he was thrilled when Justin agreed to try out, too. The chance to be close to Justin throughout the day was too much for Gabe to pass up on.

But tonight his focus was on that strange man in the convenience store.

The eyes.

The tension.

He rolled onto his side, fists clenched in the blanket. He stared at the wall and tried to pretend his face wasn’t hot. That his thoughts weren’t loud.

But they were. And they weren’t going anywhere.

* * *

Not having written anything in almost a decade, it’s all starting to come back to me. I hope you enjoyed the next chapter. Feel free to email thedelfinoplaza@gmail.com with your comments and thoughts!