Page 14 of Sin Deep
“You want another one? I’ll grab you one?” Harley was licking his fingers off.
“Oh, no thank you. I am quite full.” That didn’t stop him from taking the last bite of the pork taco, though. He smiled at Harley as he finished chewing.
“So, that was a total win. I bet I look like a boa constrictor that ate a sheep.” Harley patted his belly with one hand.
“The elephant inside a snake.” He remembered every book he’d ever read as a child; books had been his best friends. “The Little Prince, have you read it?”
“Yeah, my momma’s the school librarian. We read a lot.” Harley chuckled softly, and there was a wealth of emotion there. “One of the very first things I did when I came here was go to the main library and gawk.”
“Harley.” He sat up and a warm rush of excitement coursed through him. The coincidence was astonishing. “I am also a librarian…at the main branch. I work mostly in the archives. I’ve been there for many years.”
Harley blinked, the expression of surprise and happiness like a sip of sunshine. “No shit? How fun is that? I bet you’ve seen so much—all the people and books and things.”
“I have seen and read a great deal. The archive brings in all kinds of interesting people.” Winter didn’t believe in fate…although he was starting to think he should believe in something.
“That’s too cool, man. Seriously. I love a library.” Harley leaned back in his chair. “And you’re like in THE library.”
“Now you know where to find me.” The club, his work, all that was left was his apartment, and…well. That was the one place he hadn’t offered yet. “You should feel free to use my account if you want to check anything out.”
“Oh, that’s sweet. Right now I’m on a Johnstone kick, and I’m using my Overdrive account through Texas.”
“You like electronic books, hm? I have an e-reader and it’s handy for traveling, but I still prefer the feel and smell of a book.” He liked browsing the stacks, people watching, reading bits of this and that as he wandered. It was the experience of the library that he enjoyed most.
“Well, right now I’m living in someone else’s place, when you get right down to it. So, my phone is my lifeline there, but I hear you. There’s that whole—I can read all the books!—thing.”
Winter laughed. “So it is. How do you know Jackson?”
“We were in Boy Scouts together. His family moved when he was a Junior in high school, and we’ve kept in touch.” Harley chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I’m like the silly country mouse that never left home, so when I got the chance, I did it.”
“I’m sorry things became awkward with your mother. I’m sure you miss her.” The boy had said she’d married a preacher, so awkward was probably an understatement.
“Yeah… It was…well, you know, I’m not in the closet. I’m not a huge rainbow flag guy, but folks knew.” Harley sighed softly. “It’s different when your people decide you’re going to hell.”
“Personally, I plan to enjoy my slow descent into hell. You and I have much in common, don’t we?” He took the last sip of his Coke.
“We both like men, books, tacos, and our names. So yes.”
“Those are the simple things, Harley. I think we may go a little deeper than that.” He stood and started cleaning up. “Would you care to—” He shouldn’t be so nervous. He took a breath and started over. “Would you be my guest for a nightcap?”
Harley stood, hand sliding into his for a second. “I would like that, very much.”
He squeezed Harley’s fingers for a quick moment before they disappeared again and the two of them finished cleaning up after themselves. “Excellent. It’s an easy walk, and I’ll make sure to get you a car to take you home later so you’ll be safe.”
“No worries. We’ll figure everything out, I have faith.” Harley sent a quick text, then looked up with a smile. “I don’t know if Ollie would worry, but if he does, I thought I’d tell him where I was.”
“That’s responsible of you.” He was fairly sure it was just a hello sort of check in as opposed to a safety check in, but either way this was New York City, and one couldn’t be too careful.
“I try. I like to know the rules of the space I’m in.” Harley chuckled softly. “Which I guess is a nice way of saying, if I do something wrong, I want to mean it.”
He chuckled too. “Let’s walk, Harley.” Winter offered Harley an arm. “Thank you for dinner. That was fun.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Harley took his arm like it was easy, even though Winter knew it couldn’t be something Harley was used to.
That made it more meaningful, and he tucked Harley’s arm to his side as they stepped outside. “Lovely night. I’m sure you’re used to more sky and stars, but there is something to be said for a city street at night.”
“It’s a whole new world, that’s for sure.”
Winter glanced over to see if Harley was being sarcastic, but he was smiling, eyes searching the neighborhood with interest.
