Thom Novak feels like a walking cliché: the gay guy desperately in love with his straight best friend, Lee. But he's willing to keep his feelings hidden, to do whatever it takes, as long as they stay friends forever.
Lee Conway loves sharing an apartment with Thom, his best friend since birth, and would be happy doing it for the rest of his life ... no matter his current girlfriend's opinion on the matter. But he's never been known for being in contact with his emotions.
When something happens to upset the status quo, Lee pulls away. Has Lee learned how Thom feels about him? Will it mean the end of their friendship? Or is there another reason Lee needs time to think? A more ... hopeful reason?
Chapter 1 The fiftieth-anniversary edition of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A huge bowl of buttery popcorn. A warm blanket—spring is unusually chilly this year—a comfy couch, and the newest issue of my favorite science magazine for backup, what better way is there to spend a Friday evening? There isn’t, at least not for me, homebody extraordinaire, old Western movie lover, science teacher Thom Novak. I’ve even foregone the beer tonight and instead settled for a giant glass of ice-cold soda. “You’re such a party animal, Tommy-boy,” says Lee, my roommate and best friend since birth thirty-one years ago as he’s getting ready to leave for his date with his current and somewhat lengthy—at least for him—girlfriend, Debora. He’s dressed up: a nice black—instead of his usual plaid—button-up s