6

Graham Birch

Juniper and I stared out the window and looked at Spencer's house. He was once again inside, probably busy with whatever he had going on.

"Do you think it was a good idea for me to confess to him this early?" I asked Juniper.

He just stared at me while sticking out his tongue.

"Sometimes I feel like you judge me, Juniper." I told him.

It was blunt of me to tell Spencer about what I heard from him. I have found myself staring more across the street every day, hoping that he'll come out and I get to see him again.

As for why I confessed to him, I wanted him to know already that I am starting to feel something for him. So, in the future, if the time comes, we'll be ready to do as we want. And dating him would be an easier transition.

I did my chores for the day. When the afternoon came, I made dinner for myself and served Juniper his food.

Right before I finished my food, my phone began ringing. I checked and saw it was Freddie Hawthorn. I already knew what he was calling for.

"What, Freddie? It's past working hours." I said.

I could hear loud music in the background. "Hey! Graham! You should join us at the Grove! We're all here right now!" He said, his voice with a slight slur.

"I'm not going. I know this is your attempt to get me to go on a blind date."

"Come on, Graham! I won't do anything, I promise. Just have a drink with us for a bit and then you can go home."

The idea was tempting. It wouldn't hurt to go out. Juniper will be fine and can guard the house. And I need to get out of the house besides running errands.

"Fine." I replied. I heard him and others around him cheer. I guess he must've been on speaker.

"Oh, and why don't you bring that city boy with you? Let him get a taste of what it is like having fun in this place." Freddie suggested.

"I'll try. He's a busy man and probably won't-"

"Okay! Bye! Come quick!" Freddie shouted before hanging up. I looked at my phone then at Juniper.

"Guess I'm going out." I told him.

After cleaning the dishes and making sure Juniper would be safe for the night, I walked across the street towards Spencer's house. A few seconds after knocking, he opened the door while dressed in a robe.

"Graham. It's nice to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure of you coming here before your bedtime?" he asked, stepping out and wrapping himself tightly.

"How did you know when my bedtime was?" I asked.

"Your lights tend to go out at around 9 pm." He replied. I had almost forgotten that he was able to see my window.

"Right. Listen. My friends invited me to go out drinking with them and I was wondering if you wanted to tag along?" I asked him.

Spencer grabbed his phone from his pocket and tapped a few things. "Uh, sure! Yeah! I would like to go." He replied. He had me wait for him for a few minutes as he got dressed.

We took my car to the bar. I kept glancing over at Spencer because his outfit was once again perfect. If anyone had looked at him, they would've assumed he spent hours picking the best outfit.

I pulled into the parking lot of the Grove Bar.

"Listen, city boy. My friends are a bit extreme. If they want you to do something that you don't want to do, just tell them. Don't feel the need to prove yourself." I told Spencer.

Spencer took a picture of his outfit. "Don't underestimate me, Graham. I can hold myself."

"If you say so." I replied. I got out of the car and felt the cool summer air around me. Spencer walked beside me and talked about how the outside looked. He stopped gushing when he saw an old man leaning against a wall and yelling profanities.

Inside the bar it was loud. That was the first thing I noticed. It was a standard bar, the walls covered in American memorabilia or photos.

"Graham!" Someone yelled. I turned to an area where pool tables were at.

"This way." I told Spencer. He followed close behind as I walked over to my friends.

"You actually made it!" Freddie said. "Shit! I owe Riley $20 bucks now." He held a beer bottle in his hands. Spencer stepped out from behind me, making his appearance.

"Did they bet on you coming?" Spencer asked me.

"Yeah, we did. Graham had a tendency of not coming out with us." Freddie replied for me.

I nudged Spencer's shoulder and led him to a corner of the room. He looked confused, which I found adorable.

"Stay here. I don't want anything to happen to you." I said. As I turned, Spencer grabbed my wrist.

"What was the nickname you called me by?" He asked.

"City boy?" I replied.

He smirked. "Exactly. I'm from the city. A few farm folks won't scare me." He said. I could feel my face warm up.

"If you say so." I replied.

Just as I finished saying that, Sandra Sycamore, who works at the bar, walked over with a tray of shot glasses.

"Special order for the city boy!" She announced.

"Freddie," I groaned. "Was this you?" I asked him. He smiled, showing off his charming dimples while tilting his head to the side. He acted clueless, but I know it was him.

"Take a shot, city boy!" Charlie Camphor said. He was usually the one to encourage others to do dangerous things.

Spencer picked up a shot glass and looked at the group. I tried to tell him that he doesn't have to take it. But at last, he downed it quickly without any trouble. I was surprised by how Spencer didn't react to it. It might as well have been water to him.

"Another." Spencer said.

"Atta boy! Looks like city boy ain't no pansy." Charlie said.

He took another shot. Spencer might've downed an added three. I was busy trying to make sure that he didn't drink more. I was the one who invited him out tonight and therefore believe I have a responsibility to look after him.

"Spencer, you should slow down." I whispered in his ear.

Spencer glanced at me and nodded. His face looked calm.

"Come on, let me have some fun." He told me.

"Yeah, let the man know how it's done here in the valley!" Harry Fraxinus shouted amongst the crowd. This caused others to cheer for Spencer.

He became the center for the night. It was as if everyone wanted to get to know the newest man in town.

As the night went on, people asked Spencer about life in the big city. Some questions were obvious, such as the loud noises and traffic. Others asked more strange ones like if Spencer has ever been on a TV show.

And then there was the big question: What was he doing in Apple Valley?

This was also something I had questioned. It's not every day that a young man moves to a farming town where there is nothing but corn.

Spencer didn't answer that question. Instead, he gave a vague answer in the form of 'I needed to get away.'

And this is where I slipped up.

Part of the reason why I don't go out drinking is because, at some point, I start getting into it. By that, while getting egged on by my friends, I started to drink more, and my vision began to get blurry and my mind hazy.

When I started to drink more, that was when Spencer began to worry about me. He made me sit on a nearby stool while he gave me water.

But from what my mind was able to understand, I insisted on drinking more.

I wasn't sure why I wanted to drink so much that night. Even though I said I would look over Spencer, I guess part of me wanted to forget about that face that I was falling for. Or forget something else that was cursing me.

The night went on to the point where I couldn't stand up. I can barely remember sitting down at the bar and keeping my head down.

All I could remember was Spencer's handsome face looking at me. And I remembered him lifting me up and walking me outside as cold air hit my face.