Page 58 of Flowers To Give

“What is he talking about?” Merle intrudes.

Jeremy takes a deep breath, “After we - you know - did it, I told Clark that it didn’t mean anything.”

“I see,” Merle puckers his lips, asking, “And did you tell him that before or after this kiss?”

Squirming, Jeremy admits, “Before.”

Merle turns to Clark, asking, “Is that why you kissed him? To get back at me?”

“Why doesn’t the ranch hand tell you the reason? Since he knows so much,” Clark clears his throat, averting his gaze from anyone.

“I would also like to know,” Laurelai chimes in.

Barry shrugs, “He didn’t tell me.”

Jeremy feels all eyes on him, weighing him down. Peeking up from the brim of his hat, he catches Clark’s eye. He never wanted his kiss with Clark to be such a public affair, wants to hold their conversation close to his chest now.

Clark does the opposite, stepping forward and telling everyone as he maintains eye contact with Jeremy, “It’s because I want to be with him.”

The crowd explodes with noise, everyone talking to each other at the sudden proclamation from the movie star. Jeremy’s speechless and slack jawed, surprised that Clark just announced that to the entire ranch.

Laurelai laughs sharply, shaking her head, “Oh you do? Forgetting something? Maybe your wife?”

“Oh, you want to do this here?” Clark turns to her.

She slaps her hand against her thigh, shrugging, “Why not? You’ve already embarrassed yourself this much.”

“I’ve tried to leave you so many times, and you keep convincing me otherwise but enough is enough!” Clark blurts out, continuing, “We should end this once and for all.”

“Just like that? Why? Because of your little gay crush?” Laurelai bobs her head as she shouts.

“No, because I don’t love you. You’re mean, and manipulative,” Clark puts his fists to his side, standing his ground.

Laurelai’s lip quivers and her eyes mist over. Jeremy gets a glimpse of her as an authentic human being and feels for her before she steels her face and turns her glare towards him. Her voice is pure hatred as she says, “You! This is all your fault!”

“Hey, didn’t I just say he has nothing to do with this?” Clark tries to interject.

“What? Do you think I’m stupid? Of course he does!” She shouts, tears flowing down her face and smudging her mascara, “I saw that picture of him from when you were kids in your nightstand! I know he’s the reason you wanted to move back to this shithole town! You’re in love with him, you always have been!”

Jeremy is reeling from this revelation, trying to wrap his head around Clark looking at his picture at night after all these years.

“Laurelai,” Clark tries to reach out to her as she starts sobbing more.

She slaps his hand away, screaming, “Just admit it!”

Clark doesn’t respond, face strained. Laurelai crumbles, taking that as a confession and starting her crying all over again.She turns away and runs toward the house. Clark turns to the silent crowd and says, “Alright, show’s over! Everyone back to work! That means you, Barry. And Rezai, I want you out of here.”

“Fine, but you should know,” Merle says, looking up at Jeremy as he says to Clark, “I’m not giving up on him. I’ll be back, and then it’ll be Jeremy’s choice.”

Gulping, that statement weighs heavy over Jeremy’s head. Merle half smiles at him, casual and cool as if he’s already bought Jeremy’s plane ticket to LA. He feels another pair of eyes on him, glancing to his left and seeing Barry staring at him from over his shoulder as Yana claps his back compassionately. Finally, he looks over to Clark whose back is already to him as he walks after Laurelai. He pauses, then turns back and stares deep into Jeremy’s eyes.

His heart is in a cage, his brain racing in all different directions. Jeremy turns the bronco around, gathers Asher’s reins, and starts walking them back to the stables. The dramatic turn the day has taken makes Jeremy feel torn apart, unable to focus on even the horizon stretched out before him.

Déjà vu. Jeremy couldn’t sleep so he went walking through the ranch. He’s landed on a fence, sitting on the top wooden rung and chain smoking. The thin spread of clouds race across the sky, rushing by and cutting into the moonbeams. He remembers months ago sitting out here and worrying over Clark coming to Willmaker Ranch. Those problems seem so much smaller than the ones he faces tonight.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he doesn’t know who to expect. He glances over his shoulder against his better judgement and only sees a silhouette in the distance. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Jeremy calls out, “Who’s there?”

Stepping out of the shadow of a building, Clark and his handy flask saunter towards Jeremy. Clark asks, “Is that really you?”