Free Quiet Storm, Season 2, Episode 6 (Rising Storm) by Julie Kenner Page B

question.
    “Maybe,” Dillon said. “But I’ve come clean about how I feel about Joanne. Got anything you want to get off your chest there, little brother?”
    “Not a thing,” Patrick said, and when he said the words he meant them. But as he walked to work a few minutes later, Dillon’s words kept running through his head.
    Was that part of it , he wondered. Was he attracted to Dakota Alvarez?
    God help him if he was. God, and everyone else.
    Because if there was one thing Patrick was certain of, it was that any sort of relationship with Dakota Alvarez would absolutely not be an easy one.
     

Chapter 10
    It was the longest week of Jeffry’s life, and he almost changed his mind at least four billion times, but somehow he ended up at the Starbucks at Sixth and Congress in downtown Austin Saturday night. Scott had offered to meet him there so that Jeffry didn’t have to walk into the club by himself.
    “I’m really glad you came,” Scott said. “I think you’re going to have a good time. The cover charge and a portion of the bar goes to the charity, so for the most part, the club will just feel like it usually does. And a lot of my friends are going, so I can introduce you around.”
    “Sounds good to me.”
    The bar was only about a five-minute walk down Congress Avenue, then down a few blocks on Fourth Street. They talked about school and Austin and how much Jeffry was looking forward to moving out of Storm for college. “I want to be open. But I feel weird coming out in Storm. Folks have known me my whole life, and it’s such a small town. Lots of gossip, you know?”
    “I get it. But they all seem pretty cool. I bet people won’t care as much as you think they will. And if they do, to hell with them.”
    Jeffry eyed Scott sideways. “That’s your attitude?”
    “It is now. But it wasn’t always. So I know where you’re coming from, I really do. And I also get that you’re in a different position than a lot of people, what with your dad and all.”
    “For tonight, I’m pretending like my dad doesn’t even exist.”
    Scott laughed. “Fair enough. We’re here.”
    They’d stopped in front of a pair of inset wooden doors with OCH etched on one of the glass panes. The sidewalk in front was black tile to match the almost hip-high row of tile that made up the base of the otherwise red brick exterior wall of the building. All in all, the place looked nice and comfortable and inviting, and the butterflies in Jeffry’s stomach calmed a little.
    He was underage, so he had to wear a wristband, but no one seemed to care. Scott took him around the dimly lit interior, introducing him to people as they walked to a table in the back. After a while, Jeffry stopped being nervous at all. And a little bit after that, he actually initiated a few conversations. Soon enough, he felt completely comfortable, and when he told Scott as much, his friend leaned over and kissed him, right there in public.
    “Glad to hear it,” Scott said, then winked. He stood up and held out his hand. “You dance?”
    “I’m terrible, but sure.”
    They danced for three songs, then took a break. And when another guy named Chris asked Jeffry to dance, Scott gave him a subtle nod and so he did. A couple of other guys joined them on the floor, and Jeffry relaxed even more. And when the whole group ended up back at the table, sweaty and chugging their drinks, he felt like he’d found a whole other circle of friends. A feeling that intensified when Chris said he was a freshman at UT and wrote his number on a cocktail napkin.
    “Text me whenever you want,” he said. “And if you end up at UT, I can show you around.”
    “Thanks.”
    “See?” Scott said later when they were back on the dance floor. “Didn’t I say you’d make new friends?”
    “You’re the best,” Jeffry said.
    “Hell yeah, I am.” His mischievous grin turned inviting, and Jeffry was feeling so happy—so himself—that he leaned over and kissed him. Gently