Page 62 of Throw Down
BRIAR
Briar’s palms were sweating.He wiped his hands on his shorts and then used them to block the intense sunlight blinding him when he climbed out of Derek’s truck.He’d intentionally dressed down with a plain t-shirt and a pair of battered Hey Dudes, but he’d forgotten his sunglasses on the dash of his Jeep.
He’d never seen the reservoir during the day.It was bigger than he’d expected, a vast man-made lake of rippling gray waves.The two docks on opposite sides of the lake were packed with middle-aged fisherman.A rolling, grassy knoll stretched out from the water, dotted by lawn chairs and colorful picnic blankets.The scene was something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.Families gathered around a horseshoe pit, and a group of teenagers played volleyball on the grass.Children laughed as they splashed behind the buoys of the swimming area, far from the fishing competition.Elderly couples sat in folding chairs, lines cast into the water, hands clasped as they basked in the sun.
“Do you think I’m going to blend in?” Briar joked, clenching out a grin that he hoped was more blinding than the sun.
“Not a chance.” Derek removed his own sunglasses and slipped them onto Briar’s nose.He leaned in close and dropped a quick kiss on the edge of Briar’s ear lobe before whispering, “You’ll always stand out.But that’s exactly what I love about you.”
Briar’s heart fluttered with warmth.He knew there was a difference between loving a quality and loving the man himself, but with Derek’s voice low and reassuring in his ear, it was hard to remember the distinction.
Briar took a deep breath, grounding himself with the fragrant blend of barbeque and fresh water.He adjusted the sunglasses now shielding his eyes.They felt like a barrier, armor against the curious glances of the crowd.
Derek opened the back of the truck and released Sabbath.She barked and raced away, flinging grass and churning up dirt beneath her paws, but she cut it short as soon as Derek called her back.She sat obediently beside Derek’s thigh, tongue lolling, and he gave her a rewarding pat.
“Let’s find you a spot,” Derek suggested, scanning the perimeter of the lake for an area that offered both a view and some privacy.He led the way to a partially secluded patch of grass near the trees, far enough to prevent eavesdropping.
“Since Nate isn’t here, see if you can find some folks you know to kill some time.I’ll meet up with my family and then come get you when it’s time to eat.”
“Inviting a buddy to eat won’t look strange,” Briar said, tongue in cheek.
“It’s all about timing,” Derek agreed wryly.He looked at Briar closely, as if sensing he wasn’t as comfortable as he pretended.He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, a sonic-boom level squeal erupted from the make-shift stage.
“Agh,” Briar cried, clapping a palm over one ear and rubbing.
Derek grimaced and stepped back.“I better go help James.”
Briar shooed him off with a smile.He didn’t cling, no matter how strong the impulse.It wasn’t Derek’s fault that Briar couldn’t assimilate.No matter how kind the locals were, he still felt like an outsider.But that wasn’t unusual. Deep down, he’d always felt like an outsider.He was beginning to think he wasn’t destined for things like family or a place to belong, even if it was all he'd ever wanted.He could live in Sweetwater, but he wasn't sure he'd ever truly be a part of it.
He soaked up the sunshine until his ass went numb, then he put Sabbath on a leash and explored the events.He wandered, alone, nibbling samples of homemade goodies and casting longing glances toward the stage where Derek was holding up a beam for James to attack with a power drill.
Derek looked so handsome in his worn-out jeans and simple t-shirt, but sweat was trickling down his temples and sticking his shirt to his back.If life had been different, Briar would have brought him a snow cone to cool down, but he didn't want to risk approaching before he was invited.
Maybe Nate was right. Maybe Briar had just switched one kind of bad boy for another.Derek was a beautiful secret, but he kept their relationship trapped in a fragile bubble that Briar was terrified to burst.He was afraid to define it, afraid to label it, afraid to bring Derek a drink on a hot day.Afraid to do anything that might drive Derek away.
Afraid.
Briar was so, so afraid.
By late afternoon, he was hot and sunburned and miserable.He sat on the blanket Derek had assigned him, picking at dead grass and watching as Sabbath gleefully scrapped with a group of kids over a squeaky toy.
A shadow passed over him, momentarily blotting out the sun.He glanced up, half-expecting Derek, but was surprised to discover a woman observing him with a curious expression.She was tall and plain, dressed casually in a pair of ripped denim shorts and sandals.Her long brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, giving her a youthful look despite the lines at the corners of her eyes. It was her eyes that caught Briar’s attention.Smiling eyes, not quite as green as Derek’s but not brown like West’s either.Briar remembered those eyes from the family photograph on top of Derek’s dresser.
“Susan…?” he asked hesitantly.
Susan’s smile widened. “So, you do know me.”
Her expression was warm, but it held a sharpness—a probing, investigative edge that made Briar nervous.She plopped down on the blanket beside Briar without invitation.
“Briar, right? James told everyone he invited you.Why don’t you come join us for a bit?We’re about to fire up the grill, and God knows we made too much food.”
“Oh.” Briar glanced around, desperately searching for Derek, as if he could give him a clue through telepathy.“I don’t know…”
“Come on,” she coaxed, waggling her eyebrows.“You look like you love a good party. Nobody’s as lively as us.”
“Where’d you hear that?” Briar asked.
Susan threw her head back and laughed.“Oh, honey. Once you move to a town like Sweetwater, you don’t have any secrets.”