EXCERPT FROM "Coloring Outside the Lines"

Sid stepped up, shaking his head at Rory's request. "We’re closing up, boys."

Rory glanced at his watch. "You're closing at ten?"

"Game's done so we are too. Not enough business to keep the lights on tonight."

Rory rolled his eyes at Danny. "My list of things to dislike about this town continues to grow." He sighed and slid off the stool. "See you around, Danny. Thanks for the conversation."

Rory tugged on his jacket, still damp from the rain, and dug for his keys. He watched in amusement as Danny stood and deftly slipped the almost full beer inside his hoodie. Danny smirked at Rory and gave him a wink. "I'll walk out with you."

Out on the sidewalk, the rain had slowed but a cold wind had rolled in, putting a bite in the air that hadn't been there before. Rory tucked up his collar and stared through the dampness at his waiting car. The car with the dent. The dent that caused the argument. The argument with the boyfriend back home ... and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. He really didn't want to go home yet. The two beers had not brought a strong enough buzz to fall into a soundless sleep and ignore the blah, blah, blah that was waiting, and no way was it late enough for Gabe to be in bed yet.

Danny slapped Rory's shoulder. "What's wrong? You look like you've swallowed a mouthful of cat piss."

"What? No, that's ... no. Just a bad night."

Danny’s expression brightened. "Hey! I've got an idea! Why don't you come up to my place? I don't have beer, but I've got some weed."

Rory laughed. Good God, how long had it been since he'd smoked weed? Years. It had been years. "I don’t think so. Do I look like a teenager to you?"

"Uh, no offence, Rory, but no, you sure don't. However, not only teenagers indulge, my friend. After all, as already noted, I am twenty-one and still choose to enjoy Nature’s herbal temperament manager."

"Ooh," Rory exaggerated, "right! Twenty-one! I almost forgot. You're practically an old man!"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Not as old as you, old man. Come on, it'll be fun. You look like you could use some fun."

Rory paused and took a hard look at the young man beside him. Goddamn, if it had been two years ago, it would have never crossed Rory's mind not to go. He would have jumped at the chance. So much had changed, and not necessarily for the better.

"I heard what you said in the bar."

The drop of Danny's voice and the press of body as Danny moved closer, inspired all kinds of dirty thoughts in Rory’s mind. He had to clear his throat before he responded. "What exactly did you think you heard?"

"You know, what you said to Sid. About me not being interested in him." He paused, seemingly gauging Rory closely. "I thought ... maybe ... you might be."

"What? Interested in Sid?"

Danny laughed, dropping his seductive expression for a lighter, brighter one. "Yeah, sure. Totally. I know he puts me in the mood every damn time." He paused, still smiling, then continued, "Come up. Whatever chased you outside on a night like this, whatever has you so pissy, it's not missing you right now."

No, Rory supposed Gabe was certainly not missing him at the moment, and Rory had to admit that he wasn't exactly missing Gabe either. But that was just now. The light of tomorrow would change all that back. They would get over the bickering eventually. They had to. Nobody wanted to live a life in constant chaos. It was just stress. "I ... Well, I actually live with someone. Thank you for the offer, though."

"So? I didn't ask you to marry me. I asked you to come up and burn one with me." Danny shrugged when Rory frowned at him. "I get it. You're not interested. That’s cool. But that doesn't mean you need to run off. Bar's closed. Nothing else is open. Come up and relax." Again, Danny paused. Again, he seemed to assess. "Or go home and deal with your thing. It's your choice."

Rory watched Danny move away but he didn't go far. The door to what Rory assumed was Danny's apartment was less than six feet from the bar's entrance. Rory looked back at his car and then up into the night sky. He cursed the thought that had him rooted to the sidewalk instead of walking away – the one that told him he'd probably be pretty damn comfortable sitting in Danny's apartment instead of driving through the rain. It was that same thought that was telling him it was okay to go up because it's not like he was planning on doing anything. He was a grown man, in control of his body and his emotions and there was not a damn thing wrong with sitting in another man's home and watching TV.

Yeah, right.

As if to add fuel to that fire, his stomach growled angrily. The beer had been too inviting, the conversation too amusing, and he’d forgotten all about ordering food.

Danny looked back and grinned. "I have frozen pizza."

Rory sighed at the smirking man leaning against the door. "Fine then. But only because you have pizza."