Chartreuse Read Online Free PDF Page A

hard. 
        
“There’s nothing on your face,” Rowan reassured him. 
         “Oh,”
Kasen nodded, lowering his hand back onto his lap before he glanced over to see
Houston and Napoleon digging holes.  It was like they were competing with one
another to see who could dig the deepest; or maybe the fastest.  If only it was
so simple for Kasen.  To befriend someone that quickly and easily.  But it
wasn’t, because he always had to make everything awkward.
         He
bit at his bottom lip, going quiet for a few moments before he pulled his pack
of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.  “Do you mind?” He asked, glancing
towards Rowan.
        
Rowan quirked a brow, turning his head to look at Kasen, “Why would I mind?
It’s a free country, right?”
        
“Right,” Kasen echoed, a bit cautiously.  He lit up the cigarette and took a
drag, but then he glanced back to Rowan once more.  It was something about his
eyebrows.  Kasen noticed how thick they were, but for some reason, they suited
the other man.  When he lifted his brow like that, Kasen felt a weird sensation
in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn’t sure why.
         “So
what’s there to do around this town?”  Rowan asked after a few more moments of
awkward silence.
        
Kasen lifted his head once again, his cigarette halfway gone, and his dog’s
head halfway down in the ground.  “Uh,” He blinked, “Well, not too much to be
honest.  There’s an old roller rink just downtown, and then there’s also a new
movie theater that we got a few years ago.  I say new, because our old one had
a roof that was falling in,” He flicked his ashes before sticking the cancer
stick back between his lips.
        
Rowan nodded, “Hm.  Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?”  He asked.  He offered
another smile to Kasen before he reached into his own jacket pocket and pulled
out a pack of cigarettes.  He lit one up, taking a deep drag before exhaling
from his nostrils and then he studied Kasen.  
        
Kasen felt paranoid from the way the other kept looking at him.  It made him
nervous when he wasn’t sure what people were thinking about him.  Which wasn’t
a problem with the locals: because Kasen already knew what they thought of
him.  But when it came to a new person, Kasen couldn’t help but to over-analyze
what they might think.
         “It
sucks,” He admitted honestly.  “Because we’re such a small town, we never get
anything cool.  I would personally enjoy having a Target, or something of that
sort.  But of course, the biggest thing we have is Wal-Mart,” He gave a small,
crooked grin before shrugging.  “Seems that’s all most places have.  I guess
we’re lucky to even have that.”
         “Target’s
not really all that,” Rowan insisted.  “I mean, sure they have good deals
during Black Friday and such, but they’re not the best in the world.  Come on. 
Wal-Mart’s where it’s at, right?”
        
Kasen laughed lightly, giving another shrug.  He was beginning to come out of
his shell.  At least a little bit; which was all anyone could ever ask of him. 
“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Kasen nodded in agreement.  “I guess I should
thank my lucky stars that I’m able to buy a CD, toilet paper, and a loaf of
bread all in one place.” 
         He
listened as Rowan echoed his laughter and he glanced over at him again.  How
wrong was it that Kasen thought this guy was attractive?  He shouldn’t have
even been looking at him.  Because no one in Chartreuse was gay.  It was
unheard of.  Well, besides Kasen.  But he kept it well under wraps and no one
had a clue. 
         He
also knew that no one would be insane enough to move to a place like Chartreuse
knowing ahead of time that they didn’t accept people who were ‘different’.
        
“It’s almost time for me to head to work,” Rowan said suddenly, pulling Kasen
out of his