Page 42 of Flowers To Give

Barry glances behind him and shakes his head, “Not here.”

Jeremy plasters on a fake smile and looks back over to Marie, asking sweetly, “Honey, would you mind giving us a minute alone?”

Her giggles are long and grating, covering her mouth and shuffling behind one of the horses’ asses to hide her face. Rolling his eyes, Jeremy turns back to Barry and grabs his elbow, tugging him back to the tack room, saying, “Come on.”

Barry follows him and keeps his face neutral as Jeremy closes the door behind them and corners the ranch hand against the riding gear. Barry keeps his shoulders square, brow furrowed a bit as he says, “What?”

“What to me? What to you!” Jeremy hisses under his breath, “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“Well why did you stop returning my calls?” Barry barks back, “You seriously ghost me and then expect a warm welcome when you get back?”

“I didn’t mean to stop talking to you like that, I just got really busy and the time difference-”

“Save it,” Barry huffs, “Just be real with me, Jeremy, for once. What do I really mean to you, huh?”

“What?” Jeremy could laugh, under the impression that they were on the same page.

“If I’m just a convenient lay and nothing more than tell me right now.”

“You are more than that,” Jeremy tells him passionately, “You’re my friend.”

“Bullshit,” Barry turns away.

Jeremy steps forward, “What do you want from me, Barry? This has always been an under the table thing, it wasn’t supposed to be serious.”

“Well, that was before people found out,” Barry bites back, “Now things are different, aren’t they? And who’s been the one to put up with everybody’s snide comments and weird looks? Me. Meanwhile, I apparently don’t even mean enough to you to even warrant a text telling me you’re alive! People ask me what we are and I can’t tell them cuz I don’t know!”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Jeremy puts up his hands, Barry making a lot of valid points, “I really am. I didn’t mean to go MIA like that and leave you with all this shit.”

“Then why did you?” Barry’s countenance breaks, stepping toward Jeremy and nearly pleading with him.

“Because,” Jeremy’s brow pinches and he inhales deeply before telling him the truth, “I met someone else while I was over there, okay?”

Barry works his jaw and looks away, nodding and face tortured as he says, “I knew it.”

“I wasn’t looking for it okay? It just happened,” Jeremy tries to soften the blow, too late.

“Tell me,” Barry insists, “I want to know.”

Jeremy deflates a bit and starts sharing, “There was this surfer-”

“Stop,” Barry interrupts him, “Never mind.”

Trying to save this as much as he can, Jeremy tries reaching out and saying, “It didn’t mean anything, alright?”

“Then why do it at all?” Barry pulls away.

“Because! I was horny, he was hot, and I didn’t think you would care,” Jeremy explains.

“I don’t know, Jeremy. I don’t know how I feel,” Barry shakes his head, “I know what we said, I get why you did it. It just hurtsstill, okay? I’ve missed you, man. And it sucks that you dropped me like that.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, Barry,” Jeremy repeats his earlier sentiment.

Barry slowly nods, “So that’s why you didn’t call me back? Work was busy, the time difference, and because of this surfer guy?”

Jeremy inhales and considers leaving out the last bit, keeping that all for himself. But he does care about Barry, doesn’t want to hurt him further, so he tells him the truth, “Actually, there was one other thing that happened.”

Barry frowns, “Don’t tell me there was a lifeguard too.”