Free November Rain by Daisy Harris Page B

I’m just telling you to be careful. You hardly know the guy. Where did you meet?”
    Tired of standing entirely on crutches, Joe leaned against a nearby table. “Elias was at Nordstrom when I got shot.”
    â€œFair enough.” Dan eyeballed him, assessing. “So how old is he?”
    â€œOld enough.” Joe hadn’t thought to ask, mostly because he didn’t want to know the answer. “Want me to text you when I find out?”
    â€œNo need.” The angle of Dan’s chin said he thought he’d scored a point. “And where does he live?”
    â€œThe Central District.” At least Joe knew that much.
    â€œWell, what’s his story? Who are his friends? What religion is he?”
    Joe gleaned Dan’s meaning in a lightning flash of annoyance. Dan was suspicious because of Elias’s ethnicity. “Who cares about his religion?”
    â€œCalm down. I didn’t mean it that way.” Dan itched his nose. He better never play poker, since he couldn’t lie for shit.
    â€œYou meant it exactly that way, Dan. I know how your mom is—watching those conspiracy-theory programs all the time—but not all brown people are connected to some militant group.”
    Dan pressed his lips together. Maybe he was ashamed of bringing it up, but Joe couldn’t feel sorry for him. Dan didn’t know Elias, had never had a conversation with him. How in the hell could he form any kind of opinion?
    â€œAll I’m saying is, you just met this guy. Maybe between the shooting and everything else, you feel like you have to rush—”
    â€œWhat religion am I, Dan?” Joe wasn’t going to let this go until Dan saw what he was doing.
    â€œAtheist.” Dan sucked his head back like he’d seen something disturbing. “Right?”
    â€œI was raised Episcopalian, and I’m sure I’ve told you that. But in the ten years we were together, I can’t remember you caring one way or another what church my parents went to.” Joe had to catch his breath because it was coming out in huffs of righteous rage. He wanted to get in his car and drive. Find Elias and protect him from assholes like Dan who’d think bad things about him based on how he looked.
    â€œOkay, fine.” Dan glanced past Joe’s shoulder, trying to get out of the conversation. “But this whole thing is suspicious.”
    â€œNo, Dan.” Joe buried his annoyance in another swallow of champagne. “ You are being suspicious. And you have absolutely no reason to be.” He turned to leave. “Anyway, congrats on your wedding. Hope things go better for you this time around.”
    Joe hobbled away. He shouldn’t have come to this stupid wedding. Worse, he shouldn’t have dragged Elias to a place where people might judge him without knowing the first thing about him.
    Across the room, he spotted Elias. Handsome as he was in his designer duds, Elias seemed about as comfortable as a giraffe on roller skates.
    Good thing, because Joe didn’t feel much better. “Hey.” Joe caught up to him. “How you holding up?”
    â€œI’m okay.” Elias seemed to have lost his smile since the ceremony.
    â€œMy leg is bothering me more than I thought it would.” Joe threw the comment out in an offhand manner. He didn’t want to make Elias leave if he wanted to stay for the party.
    Elias smiled, his cheeks lifting along with his chest. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He didn’t look sorry at all. “Would you like to go home?”
    â€œYeah.” Joe breathed out a sigh of relief. Fuck these assholes. And even fuck himself for caring what Dan thought. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Ten
    â€œDo you live with your folks still?” Yeah, real smooth. Joe was glad he had a mouthful of takeout to hide his wince. Now that Dan had planted insecurities in Joe’s head, he felt like every question he