Triple the Love

What do you think about Hank?

Jack

When Corey called me and asked me to join him for dinner, I had been surprised. Once again, everyone in Chasea knew that his parents had left. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I couldn’t deny the distance that had formed between us. It had felt as if we had drifted apart. At least a little bit. But now, the relief and excitement that rushed through me was almost overwhelming. I couldn’t wait to see him. To talk to him. To find out where his head and his heart was at. The truth was, I had missed him. I arrived at Corey’s place on time and as I parked my car behind his, I took a deep breath. And as I walked up to his front door, I felt more nervous than ever before. Corey might not have said it, but I felt as if his parents had judged me the other night. While I wasn’t all that concerned about his mother, his father had been cold, distant, and aloof. None of which was a good sign. I knocked on the door and waited. When Corey opened the door, he smiled and actually looked happy to see me. Another relief.

“Hey, Jack…come on in,” he said as he stepped aside to let me in.

“Hey…Corey…” I said as I stepped into his home. I had wanted to call him ‘boy’ but had stopped myself. The last thing I wanted to do was assume that everything was good between us. Technically, it should be, but I had no idea how he was feeling or what he was thinking. I hovered in the small foyer as Corey shut the door behind me. He shot me another smile as he led me into the living room, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the coffee table had been set up with our dinner.

“Pork chops with seasonal veggies and roast potatoes…and, of course, a lovely bottle of wine,” Corey said as we sat down. I smiled as I relaxed a bit. This was Corey. My Corey and I was being way too paranoid and insecure. As we started to eat, Corey told me all about his visit with his parents. He sounded animated, and happy. It was nice. I told him about the vineyard and Tori’s practice. The conversation flowed easily between us, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. Things had always been easy between us, and we slipped right back into the rhythm that had always worked so well for us. Of course, the wine helped too. It loosened us up a bit and by the time we finished eating, I felt like things were back on track. I helped Corey with the dishes, and he told me a few childhood stories that made me laugh. When we returned to the living room, Corey suggested a comedy, and I happily agreed. We sat closely on the couch as the movie started.

“Ha!” I exclaimed, highly amused by the movie. But when I glanced at Corey, he was watching me closely. “What’s on your mind?” I asked curiously. Corey shrugged and for a moment I thought he was just going to ignore my question, but then he took the remote and turned the sound down a bit.

“What do you think about Hank?” he asked. I blinked, completely caught off guard.

“Hank?”

“Yeah, I mean…what do you think of him? As a person?” it was a bit of a strange question. Especially since it had basically come out of nowhere. I took a moment to truly think about it before I answered.

“I like Hank. He is a good guy. Fun to be around. Reliable and he has a good heart,” I said honestly. Corey stared at me for a moment longer, and I waited for him to say something more. To comment on what I had said. Or even to explain why he had asked about Hank in the first place. But then he just picked up the remote and turned up the sound before he turned his focus back to the movie. It felt strange after that, and I just wasn’t sure what to make of it. Had Hank said something to him about me? Maybe he had mentioned our awkward bump in the other day. When the movie finished, I stood up. It had been a nice evening, and I didn’t want to ruin it by questioning Corey. He stood up as well as we walked in silence to the front door.

“Thank you for tonight,” Corey said softly, and I nodded, unsure of what to do or how to act. Could I kiss him goodnight? Had things changed? Why had he asked me about Hank?

“No, thank you. I had a nice time,” I said as I turned to him. Corey stared up at me for a moment before he leaned up and kissed me. His lips were soft against mine and I sighed happily as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. I didn’t deepen the kiss and when we pulled apart, Corey smiled.

“Goodnight, Jack,” he whispered.

“Goodnight, boy,” I said. Corey blushed as I released him and opened the front door. I had a lot on my mind as I left the warmth of his home and made my way to my car. I couldn’t stop thinking about his question and the reason behind it. Why had he brought up Hank? Sure, it was just an innocent question, but was there something more to it? The drive home felt longer than usual as my thoughts circled around my relationship with Corey. I couldn’t fool myself. Things were not peachy. While tonight had brought us closer together, it was still a far cry from what I envisioned our relationship would look like. By the time I got home, there was a sinking feeling in my chest. I already knew how I felt about Corey, but how did he feel about me? I would never rush him, but I was far more curious about his feelings than I had been before. I just didn’t have the answers, but one thing was clear. It wasn’t over. Not yet. I decided that I would give Corey a few days, and then I would talk to him about where he saw our relationship going. I wasn’t about to give up on him. On us.