38. Reality Check

JACOB

"---Would you do that for me? Walk in there holding hands with me?"

A high-pitched whine had started to ring in my ears as a sign of how angry Mike's stupid requests made me.

I wanted to scream at him, slug him, and fuck him all at the same time.

My emotions were all over the place the same way Michael's personal inclinations seemed to be; I wondered if he had any idea what life was like for me as an out gay man in America.

The realization he didn't drove me out of the vehicle, slammed the door behind me, and chased me as I stalked into the convenience store for beer.

"Jake!"

Michael called after me, confusion thick in his voice as if he had any right to be the confused one out of the two of us. I kept walking without looking at him; I almost punched him straight in the face when he had the nerve to grab my shoulder to try to hold me back.

"Jacob, what is going on with you? What happened? Was it something I said?" He sounded frantic.

This fucking guy---I snorted, rolling