Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2018 05:02:05 -0800
From: Wayne Gray <waynewrite4u@gmail.com>
Subject: Ash and Ember, Chapter 13

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Chapter 13: Growing Pains

26 November 2018, Monday 6:00 AM

Grant's phone chimed, and Troy reached across the sleeping man. He turned
off the alarm, and he lay back down. Troy curled around Grant, and he
enjoyed the last few moments of warmth and coziness before they both had to
get up.

Grant was still out, and Troy smiled. He always loved this time of the day
with John. He'd slowly wake John with soft touches, little kisses, and
gentle prodding to get his man out of bed. Grant wasn't exactly "his." Troy
knew that. But as he began to rub Grant's chest, he still found himself
laying those sweet, gentle kisses on his neck.

'This isn't something you do with a hook-up. It's not something you do with
someone who's just for fun.' Troy knew it. 'So what are you doing? What do
you want from him?'

There wasn't much more time for self-reflection. Grant stirred, and he
stretched against Troy's body. He made a faint sound, and he smiled. "I
like this."

Troy grinned, and he got up on an elbow. He looked down at Grant. "Yeah?"
His black hair was wild, and Troy patted his head. He giggled as it sprang
up, back into its crazy shape. Grant lay on his side, had his eyes closed,
and he frowned. Then he grunted as Troy continued to mess with his
hair. "Oh, grouchy!" Troy laughed. Then he leaned down and put his face at
Grant's neck. He rubbed his chin and lips against the skin and breathed in
Grant's scent. "I like waking up like this too, Grant."

Grant and Troy lay together for a bit longer. But eventually, they had to
get up. Grant stood. He looked so sleepy and handsome. Troy stepped close,
and he put his arms around him. The two men stood together - Grant's head
on Troy's shoulder, and his eyes closed. Troy rubbed the back of his head
and down his back.

"You're warm," Grant murmured.

Troy grinned. "So are you." He pushed back a little and looked at
Grant. "You're also gonna be late if you don't get moving." He patted
Grant's rump. "Get in the shower. I'll go start the coffee."

Grant nodded. Troy started to walk downstairs, and Grant grabbed his
wrist. Troy stopped and looked at him. Grant's brown eyes stared, then he
pulled Troy in close. He looked over Troy's face, then he reached, put a
hand on the back of Troy's neck, and he leaned in for a gentle kiss.

It lasted for a bit. And Troy enjoyed it immensely. When Grant pulled back,
he smiled. "Ah, you just, you look so great." He laughed at himself. "I had
to kiss you."

Their pelvises were pressed together. Troy was now hard, and so was
Grant. But he knew they didn't have time for that. "Well, there's no
accounting for taste." He laughed. Then he gripped Grant's butt and humped
once. "You better get in that shower. You get me going, and you really WILL
be late."

Grant grinned. Then he turned and stripped off his briefs.

With one final look at Grant's perfect rear, Troy walked downstairs. His
cock tented his boxers and looked obscene as he walked through the
house. He flipped on the coffee pot, and he blew out a breath. "God, I'm
acting like he's my fucking husband." He leaned against the counter, and he
stared at the coffee as it began to run through into the carafe.

'You don't really know him. You don't know what he wants, not really. You
don't know what he's gonna do.' Troy bit his lip. "I don't know if I can
handle this going wrong." He stood and rubbed his face. "Maybe I should
dial things back."

John: 'Do what you need to do, baby. But don't be afraid to chase whatever
is gonna make you happy.'

John hadn't spoken to him in days. Troy's face slackened into a look of
sadness mixed with surprise. "You aren't mad at me?"

No response. His hallucination of John had never responded to him directly,
so Troy didn't expect it. But he still had to ask the question.

The shower cut off upstairs, and Troy wiped at his face. His eyes were
heavy with unshed tears, and he didn't need Grant to wonder if he was
okay. He took a few breaths, then he started up the stairs.

Grant walked, naked out of the bathroom, and they met as Troy made it to
the landing. Troy openly looked Grant up and down. "Good god, get some
clothes on." He shifted his penis as it began to wake up again. "You're a
dangerous distraction!"

Grant laughed, and he gave Troy that lopsided grin of his.

As Grant turned to enter his bedroom and to find some clothes, Troy bit his
lip. 'Okay. Let's just see where this thing goes.'

___________________________________

26 November 2018, Monday 12:10 PM

Grant just left the room of his last patient for the morning. Rhett brushed
by him in the hallway, a tray of vaccinations in hand. "Twinrix and flu, is
that it, Grant?" Rhett looked at Grant, and he put his hand on the door to
enter the patient room and administer the shots.

"Yeah." Grant smiled at him, and he shook his head. "Damn, you're fast
Rhett. I just put those into the computer a few minutes ago."

The small man grinned. "I'm motivated. It's lunchtime!" Then he pushed into
the room and closed the door behind him.

Grant walked down the hall back toward his shared office, and he checked
his phone. 'Oh. Facebook.' He entered the room, and he took a seat at his
computer. He was now on his lunch break, so he opened the app on his phone.

Grant pulled his food out of his bag while he waited for his phone to
load. He had packed a can of tuna, an apple, and a few sticks of
celery. Luckily there was nobody else in the office, so he felt okay about
eating his fish. He peeled back the tab and opened the can.

He checked his phone and took a bite of his apple. There was an invitation
to an event there. Grant snorted at the event title. 'Space Cowboys?' He
opened the invitation. 'You're invited to partake of the greatest show to
ever be canceled. Firefly marathon begins, this Saturday. Be there!  It's
gonna be Shiny!'

The invite was from Brian, and the location was Georgette and Aaron's
house, just next door to Grant's home. He looked, bemused at the
invitation. "Firefly?" He chewed, and then looked at the invitees. He saw
what he expected. He, Troy, Brian, Natalie, Georgette, and Aaron were all
included. Everyone but he and Troy had accepted.

"Hrmm." He pulled up his text messages. 'Hey, Troy. You see this invite
from Brian? You wanna go?' He sent the message.

Grant put down his phone, and he began to eat his fish. He was nearly
finished with the can when Troy responded. 'Yeah, that sounds fun. How
about you?'

'I could use this as a chance to get to know Troy's friends better.' Grant
swallowed his food as he thought. He nodded to himself. Grant tapped out a
response with his thumbs. 'Sure. We should find out if we need to take
anything over.'

He sent the message, then went back to Facebook. He accepted the
invitation. Seconds later, another text from Troy appeared. 'I'll ask. This
is gonna be fun!'

Grant smiled, then his face fell a little. He thought about how he was
going to present to the group, and what, if anything, he would reveal about
his changing relationship with Troy. It made his stomach turn to think
about others knowing - even Troy's friends. 'They don't have to know.'
Grant nodded to himself. 'Yeah. Just watch how much you drink, and they
don't have to know. It'll be fine.'

Grant went back to his computer. He pulled up his first afternoon
appointment and read through the chief complaint. He'd already done a lot
of pre-work, but he wanted to be ready for the afternoon clinic.

He made a few notes to himself, and he crunched on a celery stick. As he
did, he checked the invite on the phone again. He chewed, and he stared at
the names on the list. 'Yeah. Nobody but Troy and me have to know.' That
made Grant feel a little better.

___________________________________

30 November 2018, Friday 6:17 AM

The rest of the week passed, in much the same manner as it began. Troy and
Grant continued to sleep in the same bed, and the men slowly grew more
comfortable with one another.

Troy had a couple of jobs too, so he got to put a little money in the bank
account. In fact, he had earned enough to pay Grant for his rent, just from
one of those jobs. The rest was gravy and went directly into his
savings. Even with Troy's contribution of groceries to the household, he
happily watched his account balances climb.

He couldn't quite believe the difference now in his life compared to only a
few weeks ago. He went from homeless and sleeping in a van, with almost no
money, to living back in his old house, and with a few thousand dollars in
the bank.

But the most significant change for him was the drastic shift in his
happiness. He felt so good, and his optimism for the future continued to
climb. And every day that passed, this thing with Grant increased in
intensity.

He didn't know what to call it. It was far more than sex to him, even
though they'd never actually done anything Troy would qualify as sex. Sure,
they both got off with one another. But there was never penetration, and
Grant had even shied away from oral sex. Troy wasn't sure when Grant would
be ready for it, but Troy also still enjoyed what they were doing.

To smooth the way, Troy went and got himself tested. He knew he would be
negative for everything, and there were no surprises on that count. He also
let it slip to Grant that he'd been to the public health department. Troy
could almost see how Grant filed away the information in his mind. He also
noticed the slightly nervous look Grant gave him. Troy thought he
understood it. 'It's becoming real to him. He's thinking about sex with me,
and what that means for him.'

"I don't expect anything from you, Grant." Troy tried to reassure him. "I'm
having a lot of fun with you. We'll go at your speed, and do what you're
comfortable doing." Troy remembered the conversation from earlier in the
week. It seemed to help Grant relax a bit.

It was finally Friday. Troy knew Grant could sleep in on Fridays, and he
lay quietly with the man. Troy often woke early, and today he used that
time to listen to the quiet, rhythmic sounds of Grant's breaths. Troy very
carefully rose up on his elbow, and he gazed down at Grant's slightly
stubbled face.

'God, he's beautiful.' It almost hurt Troy to look at him. He felt
something so deep, and so powerful in his chest. It mimicked what he had
once with John. And to Troy that was both amazing and terrifying. 'Am I
really going to do this again? Can I burn that bright for someone again?'

Grant swallowed as he lay there, and his mouth worked as he woke up. Then
he slowly blinked. He turned his head, and he looked up at Troy.

The two of them stared at one another. As Troy watched, Grant's eyes roamed
over his face. Grant reached up, and he put a hand on the side of Troy's
head. Troy leaned into his touch. Grant blew out a slow breath, and he
blinked. A tear streaked down from his eye, to soak into the pillow under
his head.

Grant squeezed his eyes shut, and more tears flowed from him. "I don't know
what you've done to me." His voice was low, almost a whisper.  He opened
his teary eyes and blinked to clear them. Then he refocused on Troy's
face. "I've never, never felt like this." He shook his head. "I don't know
what to call this, Troy."

"We don't have to call it anything, Grant." Troy rubbed his thumb on
Grant's cheek and wiped away his tear.

Grant looked at him a moment more, and he wet his lips. "Can I ask you a
question?"

"Ask me anything, Grant." Troy began to softly stroke Grant's face, his
fingers barely brushed Grant's skin.

The black-haired man closed his eyes. He made a small, appreciative noise
as Troy's fingertips moved over his face. "How did you know you loved John?
What did it feel like?"

Troy kept petting Grant. "God, that's a question." He took a breath. "Okay,
I'll tell you, but it's not a simple thing."

Grant smiled, his eyes still closed. "Okay."

"I met John my first week of high school." Troy laughed quietly. "And
that's when it started.  When I was around him, I felt giddy and weird. I
felt like I couldn't say the right things. My brain just misfired. And
sometimes, I'd be speechless. My chest felt like it would burst." He bit
his lip. "When I wasn't around him, I'd miss him so badly. Even if we were
apart for only a day - I would ache for him."  Troy sighed.  "I didn't
quite understand the emotion at the time - not fully.  I couldn't accept
that I could be in love with a guy.  Not at first."

Grant had opened his eyes, and he stared at Troy as he talked. Grant had
such an indescribable expression on his face. "What changed?  How'd you
tell him?"

Troy chuckled. "John stepped up, that's what changed.  And I didn't tell
him. I chickened out. He's the one who told me. We were both seniors, and
we had been friends through all of high school, and sort of awkardly having
these 'almost gay' moments. Both of us were 17, and that night we stayed at
a mutual friend's place." Troy smiled sadly. "Both his and my parents
didn't really want us being friends. So this was the only way we could hang
out after school."

Troy smiled as he thought back on that night. "Ah, I'm pretty sure Steve
was trying to get us together. Neither of us told him we were gay, but he
knew.  Anyway, we were hanging out, all of us, in Steve's room. Then it was
time for bed. John and I took the extra bed in his room. And he said he was
going to sleep on the couch. He said I snore, and that he couldn't sleep in
the same room as me."

Grant grinned. "You don't snore."

"I know. John said the same thing after he left." Troy laughed. "Anyway,
we're laying there. And John suddenly gets up on his elbow, looks down at
me and goes, "'you know I love you, right?'"

Grant's eyes were intense, and he stared at Troy. "What'd you say?"

Troy grinned. "I couldn't even help what came out of my mouth next. I said,
'I love you too, John. More than anything.'" Troy took a deep breath and
let it out. "And that was the first night I kissed a boy." He gave Grant a
sheepish grin. "And the first night I helped another guy have an orgasm."

Grant smiled. Then over the span of about ten seconds, it melted. His eyes
lost focus, and he blinked. "Were you scared? To admit it?"

"It was fucking terrifying," Troy observed Grant's face. "It was such a
leap, especially for John, you know? What if I didn't feel the same way?"
He shook his head. "I'm so glad that he was brave."

Grant closed his eyes. Troy smiled down at him, then he lay back against
Grant. Grant shifted back onto his side, and Troy pulled him close, his
chest to Grant's back. "I know what love is, Grant." He softly kissed the
back of Grant's neck. "And I'm not going to wait four years this time."
Troy breathed as he lay there, and he decided to take the leap.  "I know it
has only been a couple of weeks, but I love you, Grant. I know I do."

Troy couldn't see Grant's face. But Grant reached and gripped Troy's hand
that rested on Grant's chest. He squeezed Troy's hand, and Troy heard Grant
breathe slowly and deeply. After a few breaths, he rolled so that he faced
Troy.

Grant's face held equal measures of fear and wonder. "I feel for you, all
those things you described about John."

Troy looked openly at Grant. He stretched, and he lay a single, soft kiss
on Grant's forehead. While his lips were against Grant's skin, he
whispered, "will you trust me, Grant?" Grant nodded. "Okay." Troy rolled on
top of Grant. "If you don't want this, then just say so."

Troy stood up beside the bed, and he stripped his shorts. Grant watched
him, and he removed his own underwear. Then Troy climbed back on top of
Grant.

The tall, skinny man kissed Grant, and he rubbed his ass against Grant's
groin. Grant pulled back, his mouth open and he breathed hard. Troy could
already feel Grant's cock leaking precome, sticky and wet against his butt.

Troy was thankful they were in his room this time, as he needed an
essential item for what he wanted to do. Troy reached and opened the drawer
in the nightstand. A small bottle of lotion was in the drawer, and he
dispensed a generous amount into his palm. Troy stared down at Grant as he
reached behind himself, and he took Grant's erect cock in hand.

Grant's eyes closed as Troy stroked him, and smeared the lotion over his
turgid shaft. Then Troy rubbed his slippery hand on his own backside.

Troy shifted until the head of Grant's cock pressed against him. He watched
Grant's face. "Tell me to stop, and I will, Grant."

In response, Grant gripped Troy's hips, and he pushed his own pelvis
up. The motion was gentle, but Troy felt the unmistakable sensation of a
penis attempting to enter his body. He grinned down at Grant. "All right."
He wriggled a bit to line up better, then he exhaled and attempted to
relax.

He'd not bottomed in almost two years. John rarely wanted to screw, and so
Troy was nearly exclusively the top in their relationship. Troy liked both
screwing and getting screwed, so when John wanted to fuck him, it was
always welcome. And luckily, his soreness and the injured skin on his ass
were all healed up now.

Thanks to the span of time that had passed since last he'd done it, it was
a little tough going. But he was motivated, and he knew what to do. And it
wasn't long before Grant entered him. Troy breathed. Grant's body was
eager, and Troy had to hold his hips still. "Easy. Hang on." He grinned at
the man beneath him. Slowly, Troy let himself settle on Grant.

Grant stared up at Troy. "I can't believe this is happening." His hands
roamed over Troy's chest, stomach, and his hard, dripping penis. Troy
leaked almost constantly, and precome drooled out of him, to run down his
long shaft.

Troy's head went back, and he finally sat completely on Grant's
hips. "Mmmmm." He reached down and gripped his wet member. Troy began to
stroke himself, and he moved his hips to slide up and down on Grant.

"Ah, ah god." Grant stared in wonder up at Troy. His face was
incredulous. "This is," he swallowed, and his eyes rolled back in his
skull, "ah, god." His hands gripped Troy's waist.

Troy looked down at Grant. "You're so handsome, Grant." He never lasted
long when he had a cock inside him, and today was not going to be any
different. "I'm gonna finish soon." His voice had a desperate, husky edge.

Grant's head went back. And Troy felt the man push up with his hips. His
cock speared deep into Troy's body, and Grant held his breath.

Troy felt him come. Grant breathed in a huff of air, and he continued to
buck himself up into Troy's body.

Troy unloaded. And it was a massive amount. He shot all over Grant's chest,
belly, and a long streak up to Grant's neck. Troy groaned, and he kept at
it. Grant stared at his cock in fascination as Troy came. Then, finally,
Troy shuddered, and he sat still.

Grant's hands came up off of Troy's hips.  He held them up and off of his
messy body as he looked at himself. "Holy crap! That was so much semen!"

Troy gave him a sheepish grin. "Ah, yeah. I've always shot big loads, and
leak a lot of precome." He shrugged, and made no apologies. "I guess my
body really wants to make babies."

Grant laughed. "Wow."

Troy snagged a towel from the drawer that he kept handy, for just such a
purpose. He mopped Grant up as best as he could. All the while Grant's hard
cock was still inside him.

He finished with the towel, and he threw it on the floor near the
door. Then he looked down at Grant.

Those brown eyes gazed up at him. They sat that way a moment, then Grant
sighed. "Well, I think that settles it." He smiled. "I'm in love with you,
Troy."

___________________________________

01 December 2018, Saturday 8:45 AM

It was Saturday morning, and Grant squinted against the heat of the
oven. He used a couple of potholders to reach in and carefully remove the
bubbling, cheesy mess that was in a baking dish. He put the heavy container
up on the stove, and he looked at the oily surface.

"Is it supposed to be so greasy?" Grant looked over at Troy as he walked
into the kitchen.

Troy stepped up next to him, and he slipped an arm easily around Troy's
shoulders. "Yup. That's part of its charm."

Grant shot him a look. Troy made something he called buffalo chicken
dip. Buffalo wing sauce, cream cheese, shredded chicken, and then a mix of
grated pepper jack, and a little blue cheese. It was a party pleaser,
according to Troy. He knew all of his friends liked it, and it was often
his dish Troy contributed to get-togethers. Troy smacked Grant's ass. "It's
not like you won't just burn off those calories anyway. You'll be fine."

Before Grant could object, Troy hugged Grant from behind, and he snuggled
up against him. Grant laughed. "Okay, fine." He patted Troy's arms that
were crossed over his abdomen. "I'm sure it's amazing." Grant looked at the
time on the stove, and he shook his head. "We're seriously going to be over
there for almost thirteen hours?"

"Yeah!" Troy squeezed Grant and shook him back and forth in his
excitement. "It's gonna be awesome. I love Firefly!"

Grant had never seen the series, or the movie, Serenity. He had no idea
what the fuss was about. But, he'd be with Troy. And this was his chance to
integrate himself a little more with Troy's friends. Though there was
something that bothered him, and he didn't know exactly how to bring it up
to Troy. He figured the best way was to be plain and upfront.

Grant turned around in Troy's arms. "Hey, so I want to talk to you about,
uh, about how we talk about you and me over there."

"Yeah?" Troy's eyes were hopeful. "Go ahead."

Grant grimaced. "Uh, can we just keep things between us?" Troy's face fell,
and Grant hurried to amend his request. "Just until I'm ready. I'm
sorry. I'm not ready for everyone to know."

Troy looked down. He was obviously disappointed. Troy swallowed, and he
nodded, but he didn't look Grant in the eye.

"Troy. Come on." Grant put his hand under Troy's chin, and he pulled up
until Troy looked at him. Grant smiled at him. "This is something I need to
work though, without everybody pushing me, okay?" Grant got the impression
that Troy had already fielded some inquiries from his friends, just from
the way he acted, and he wanted things clear before they went over.

Troy bit his lip, then he sighed. "Okay. Sure." Troy gave him a tiny
smile. "Don't wait too long, okay? I'm proud of you, and I kinda want to
tell people. Well, just my friends."

"Yeah. I know." Grant made a face. "Look, I don't want you to lie for
me. But if anybody asks if something is going on, tell them to ask me,
okay? Does that work?"

Troy still looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Yeah. That works."

That'd have to do. "Okay, good." Grant gave him a big smile. "Thanks,
Troy. I won't take too long, all right?"

Troy pressed his lips into a thin line, and he nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

Grant frowned at him as he turned away. 'Man, this is really a downer for
Troy.' He could tell keeping their new relationship a secret was a
problem. And he understood why - those people were the most important
things in Troy's life. And he asked Troy to keep something huge from
them. Grant sighed. 'I'll fix it soon,' he promised himself.

The two guys gathered their coats. Then Grant walked beside him while Troy
carried his baking dish of spicy, cheesy, chicken-filled contribution over.

"Brian and Natalie are already here. Cool." Troy noticed the car on the
street beside the driveway.

They navigated the icy walkway up to the door. Then Grant knocked. Seconds
later, Aaron opened the door. He lay an enormous grin on them. "Hey, guys!"
He reached. "Here, I'll take it." Then his eyes widened. "Oh shit. Is this
that chicken dip you make?"

Troy smiled. "Yep." He carefully handed the dish over, pot-holders and
all. "It's still hot, so be careful."

Aaron made a hungry sound as he turned with the prize. He went inside, and
the pair followed close behind. Grant shut the door after they stepped in
out of the cold.

Grant heard happy chatter inside the house. He entered the living room,
behind Aaron and Troy to find Brian, Georgette, and Natalie all talking
around the coffee table.

"Hey, guys!" Natalie peeled off and intercepted Troy. She gave him a big
hug, while Brian's attention was snagged by the dish Aaron carried to the
kitchen.

"Bro, did you make your chicken dip?" Brian called to Troy and followed
Aaron as he put the dish down on the kitchen counter.

Grant laughed. "Wow. You were not joking about that dip."

Troy grinned. "I told you!"

"The boys have missed your signature dish, Troy." Georgette waited her
turn, then when Natalie released Troy she went in for her own hug.

Grant got the same treatment from the ladies. He had to admit, it was nice
to have this built-in circle of friends. They all seemed to genuinely care
for Troy, and that was precisely what Troy needed.

Brian came back with a small bowl of the hot, cheesy dip. He placed it on
the coffee table where there were all sorts of snack foods. He snagged a
corn chip and scooped up a bit of the stuff. "Good to see you guys." He
eyed Grant. "Have you ever seen Firefly?" Brian ate his bite, and he gave
an appreciative groan as he chewed.

"No." Grant smiled. "But I did a little reading on the series. It sounds
crazy."

There were stone-cold severe faces around him all of a sudden. "You didn't
read anything that gave away the plot, right?" Aaron's voice was almost
panicked.

"Ah, no." Grant nearly laughed as everyone in the room sighed in
relief. "Wow. You guys really like this series."

Brian put an arm around his shoulders. "Good. And yes, we really do."

"Some of us more than others." Natalie gave Brian a look. He shrugged,
wholly unapologetic and grinned.

Conversation began again. It was natural, comfortable, and unforced. It was
what happened with folks who knew one another well, liked each other, and
appreciated what it was each brought to the group.

Brian struck Grant as the passionate one. He was the guy who stuck up for
his friends, the guy who hit threats to the group head on. Natalie was his
foil. She brought him back down to Earth and helped to ground him. They
seemed to fit well. Grant also noticed that Natalie watched him when the
others didn't. She was observant. Aaron was more flexible. He tended to
take things as they came, and adjust on the fly. He was probably the
closest to Grant's own personality, and Grant could see himself becoming
better friends with him than the rest of the group. Georgette was another
matter. She was brash, outspoken, and voiced what was on her mind. Troy
tried to warn Grant about her. "Georgette can be a lot to handle at
first. But just remember, she doesn't mean any harm. She's just, well,
Georgette."

Grant watched the friends mingle, laugh, and talk. Each seemed to make a
point to include him, and he appreciated that.

'Maybe I can tell them,' he thought as Aaron announced that they were about
to start the Firefly marathon. 'Maybe.'

The friends settled in on the couch, an armchair, and a kitchen chair. Troy
sat at one end of the sofa and Georgette moved the kitchen chair over to
the end next to Troy. "Grant? You wanna take the chair?"

Grant had already planned to sit in the chair beside Troy, but something in
the way she asked rang his alarm bells. He glanced around the room, and all
of the other friends looked at Georgette with a sort of cringing
expression.

She made a face and gave a watery smile. "Heh. Uh, or wherever." She
quickly took her seat at the other end of the couch.

Grant felt the first inkling of embarrassment, and his skin tingled as he
flushed red. He stood by the chair, and Troy was close by. The tall man
stepped near him. "Grant? You okay?" Troy whispered to him.

Grant flexed his hands, and he could feel all the eyes in the room on
him. "They all know." His voice was low, and it wavered with barely
restrained anger.

Troy looked miserable. "Please, don't be upset. They figured it out."

Grant closed his eyes. It was out there now. There was no putting his
sexuality back into the box. There was no going back.  His chest felt
tight, and he could barely breathe.

"Excuse me." Grant stumbled toward the door.

There was dead silence in the room as he exited.  He closed the door,
turned and walked quickly to his own house.

Grant entered, shut the door, and he leaned against it, his head back on
the wood. He stood there and tried hard to calm his heart.

He jumped when the knock came.

"Troy, I'm not in the mood right now." Grant was angry and hurt, and it
showed in his voice.

"It's Brian. Open up, Grant. Let's talk."