The Douglas Fir Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Anyta Sunday
out of there.
It ended up a theme for the rest of the afternoon. Using every excuse I could, I kept disappearing around the front of the house to my truck. Dave and Noah joking with one another and whipping retorts back and forth was just a little too much to hang around.
I threw an armful of dead wood and twigs into the bed of the truck, and then decided on a five-minute break. I used it to sit in the driver’s seat and ring home. Scott answered. “Hey bro,” I said.
To which his first words were: “You got me that lizard yet?”
“Nope. And you’re going to be out of luck.”
“Remember I’ll blab, Jase.”
“Not if you ever want to stay with me again.”
Scott swore under his breath.
“Besides,” I said, staring toward Dave’s bougainvillea-framed villa. “I don’t want to be the guy that pines.”
“Ha! A zebra can’t change its stripes, you know.”
“ Tiger .”
“No dude, you’re definitely the zebra.”
“You’re an awful brother, you know that?”
“Just doing my duty.”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean it, though. I’m going to spit it out and tell him I’m gay and let the cards fall how they will.”
“Ah-ha, when?”
“Before you get here.” Better yet, tonight —exactly a month after Noah’s birthday. Yeah, I’d take him to the fir and say my truth.
“Doubt it. And I still want Dusky.”
“Tough luck, Scotty.”
“I’m coming down next holidays still, right?”
“ Not sure. Mum said she wants you to stay up there. But you can come over the winter holidays.”
“ That’s so long away! It sucks in Taupo. Wellington’s way cooler.”
“It’ll be winter before you know it. Then it’ll be just me and you again.”
“And Noah, right?”
“Yeah, and him.” I hoped.
“You think if I got Noah a really sweet wax comb that he’ll let me have—”
“Later, bro.” I hung up, shaking my head. He was persistent , I had to give it to him.
There came a rapping at my window, and I looked up to Noah with his hands shielding his eyes as he peered inside. I wound down the window, and he leaned in, folding his arms on the sill. “I was just about to head off to get some fish and chips for us. What do you want?”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I think I’m winding up for the day, and”—I gestured toward the truck bed—“I gotta get rid of all that.”
“Oh.”
Did Noah look disappointed?
“Um,” I said, my hands gripping the base of the steering wheel tightly. “But can I pop around to yours later?”
“Hey, Noah,” Dave yelled as he emerged from the front of his house, making Noah jerk out from my car window. “Get me a spring roll as well!” I glared at Dave through the passenger window. I didn’t think he could see me, but suddenly his gaze met mine. His lips curved into a smile that seemed to be saying either “Thanks for helping me,” or “I’m so in the lead to win Noah’s heart.” It was probably the former, but I couldn’t help but hear the taunt of the latter.
“ Spring roll. Sure thing!” Noah said to him, and then to me: “Chat later, then?”
I nodded, surreptitiously wiping my clammy hands over my shorts. I really hoped so .
The last thing I wanted was to be the zebra.
Chapter Six
I was so the zebra.
To be fair, though, I only showed my stripes at the last moment, when Noah looked at his watch and jumped up from our cozy spot in front of the fir. “Crap. I promised Dave we’d go for a midnight surf.” He glanced at the bright moon above us. “It’s a full moon tonight.”
Moon? Who cared about the moon? I was still stuck on the words “midnight surf.” That sounded . . . well, romantic, didn’t it? “Do you often go, er, midnight surfing together?” Jesus, the way I said it sounded positively rude. Please say no!
“Yeah, whenever we can.” I stared at Stripy in my lap; in time to each of his purrs came an image of the two tangled up together, naked.
I lifted him and put him down next to me
It ended up a theme for the rest of the afternoon. Using every excuse I could, I kept disappearing around the front of the house to my truck. Dave and Noah joking with one another and whipping retorts back and forth was just a little too much to hang around.
I threw an armful of dead wood and twigs into the bed of the truck, and then decided on a five-minute break. I used it to sit in the driver’s seat and ring home. Scott answered. “Hey bro,” I said.
To which his first words were: “You got me that lizard yet?”
“Nope. And you’re going to be out of luck.”
“Remember I’ll blab, Jase.”
“Not if you ever want to stay with me again.”
Scott swore under his breath.
“Besides,” I said, staring toward Dave’s bougainvillea-framed villa. “I don’t want to be the guy that pines.”
“Ha! A zebra can’t change its stripes, you know.”
“ Tiger .”
“No dude, you’re definitely the zebra.”
“You’re an awful brother, you know that?”
“Just doing my duty.”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean it, though. I’m going to spit it out and tell him I’m gay and let the cards fall how they will.”
“Ah-ha, when?”
“Before you get here.” Better yet, tonight —exactly a month after Noah’s birthday. Yeah, I’d take him to the fir and say my truth.
“Doubt it. And I still want Dusky.”
“Tough luck, Scotty.”
“I’m coming down next holidays still, right?”
“ Not sure. Mum said she wants you to stay up there. But you can come over the winter holidays.”
“ That’s so long away! It sucks in Taupo. Wellington’s way cooler.”
“It’ll be winter before you know it. Then it’ll be just me and you again.”
“And Noah, right?”
“Yeah, and him.” I hoped.
“You think if I got Noah a really sweet wax comb that he’ll let me have—”
“Later, bro.” I hung up, shaking my head. He was persistent , I had to give it to him.
There came a rapping at my window, and I looked up to Noah with his hands shielding his eyes as he peered inside. I wound down the window, and he leaned in, folding his arms on the sill. “I was just about to head off to get some fish and chips for us. What do you want?”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I think I’m winding up for the day, and”—I gestured toward the truck bed—“I gotta get rid of all that.”
“Oh.”
Did Noah look disappointed?
“Um,” I said, my hands gripping the base of the steering wheel tightly. “But can I pop around to yours later?”
“Hey, Noah,” Dave yelled as he emerged from the front of his house, making Noah jerk out from my car window. “Get me a spring roll as well!” I glared at Dave through the passenger window. I didn’t think he could see me, but suddenly his gaze met mine. His lips curved into a smile that seemed to be saying either “Thanks for helping me,” or “I’m so in the lead to win Noah’s heart.” It was probably the former, but I couldn’t help but hear the taunt of the latter.
“ Spring roll. Sure thing!” Noah said to him, and then to me: “Chat later, then?”
I nodded, surreptitiously wiping my clammy hands over my shorts. I really hoped so .
The last thing I wanted was to be the zebra.
Chapter Six
I was so the zebra.
To be fair, though, I only showed my stripes at the last moment, when Noah looked at his watch and jumped up from our cozy spot in front of the fir. “Crap. I promised Dave we’d go for a midnight surf.” He glanced at the bright moon above us. “It’s a full moon tonight.”
Moon? Who cared about the moon? I was still stuck on the words “midnight surf.” That sounded . . . well, romantic, didn’t it? “Do you often go, er, midnight surfing together?” Jesus, the way I said it sounded positively rude. Please say no!
“Yeah, whenever we can.” I stared at Stripy in my lap; in time to each of his purrs came an image of the two tangled up together, naked.
I lifted him and put him down next to me