TRUTH
"Hey, stud. Wanna dance?"
Four simple words. Innocuous enough one would think. But that's how it all began. That's how the truth invaded my life.
I trailed him out of Woody's, more than certain I didn't want to spend the rest of Pride weekend indulging in my wicked ways. Tapping him on the shoulder from behind, I surprised him when he turned around and saw it was me.
"Shut up," was his gut reaction, hardly believing I'd actually passed on fucking some random guy in the bar.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward me, the thought of what Chris Hobbs had stolen from him never far from my mind. "I promise you won't forget this one." Walking him into the center of the crowded street, I draped my arms over his shoulders as we slow-danced, utterly content to be there with him.
Justin smiled up at me. "Do you hear this, Brian? It's one of my favorite songs."
I knew it was sung by ABBA, but I'd never paid any particular attention to it before. "Yeah," I said. "It's good."
"But the lyrics. They're so perfect for where we are right now."
"Dancing in the middle of Liberty Avenue?"
"Just listen." He started to mouth the words along with the song. "I'm a shoulder you can cry on. Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on. You were always sure of yourself. Now I see you've broken a feather. I hope we can patch it up together."
Kissing him slowly when the chorus played, I mourned his lost memories. "You'll get through this," I whispered in his ear.
"I know, Brian. I love you for being here for me. We'll get through this together."
Nodding, the lump in my throat prevented any kind of verbal response. He didn't expect one, yet, strangely, I found myself not loath to the idea of offering one. Swaying with him to the strains of ABBA, I rested my forehead against his, not wanting this lesbianic moment to end.
How had he done this to me? When had he done this to me? I started to think back.
Months earlier, I'd strolled into his prom, searching for him amid a sea of dressed up eighteen-year-olds. Taken aback at the sight of him all decked out in his tux, I led my handsome partner to the middle of the floor for a dance, determined to give him a night he'd never forget. We pulled off some pretty fancy footwork in front of his classmates and their chaperones, boldly ignoring all societal norms while we kissed passionately at the end of the song.
Setting out to give him the night of his life, it had turned into the night of my life as well, for it was then that I knew I loved him.
Justin drew me out of my reverie during our Pride dance by hugging me tightly into his body. He peered up into my eyes. "I bet if you believed in love, this is what it would feel like."
Never one for effusive displays or confessions, I guessed the world wouldn't come to an end if I answered honestly when he kissed my lips and asked, "Don't you think so?"
Holding him fast against my beating heart, the truth was unexpectedly painless.
"Yes."
THE END