Mayor Me

The Hunt

Chasten walked into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee. He picked up a cup and nearly dropped it on the floor. Luckily his mother was standing next to him and caught the cup as it fell from his suddenly numb fingers.

"Whoa!" Sherri said. 

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Chasten kept mumbling.

"Come sit down, honey."

"I can't!" He paced back and forth. "I'm such an idiot!"

"No, you're not. But what's the matter?"

"Not only did I send Peter off alone with my overprotective father and big brother, but I just said the L word!"

"Love?" Sherri beamed. "You love Peter?"

"Why did I do that? We've only been dating for two months! Well, almost three months if you count all the offline conversations we shared before meeting in person. But he's gonna run screaming, I just know it."

"Honey, calm down. First of all, if he's such a coward you're better off without him. If he can't take some teasing from your family then he will never be part of it. And if he doesn't know how lucky he is to have your love, he's a fool."

Chasten hugged her. "You're the best mom in the whole world." 

"I try."

---

Pete was smiling as he rode along with Terry and Dustin in silence. All he could think about was Chasten telling him he loved him. Sure, he could've said it as a joke, but it still felt real. It felt wonderful. Chasten was such a kind and generous soul, who was always willing to pitch in and help others. And he loved kids. That was important since he hoped to raise a family one day.

"You sure are quiet, boyfriend," Dustin barked.

Pete jumped, startled by his booming voice. 

Terry snickered. "He's probably embarrassed that I walked in on him and Chasten at the motel."

"Ew, gross, Dad! I didn't need to hear that."

"Sorry, bad choice of words. I didn't walk in and see anything. But when Chasten opened the door I could tell I interrupted something."

"Dad!"

Pete felt his face getting warmer by the second. He needed to change the subject fast. "So, what's the itinerary for today?"

Dustin smiled at him, obviously relieved. "We always hunt at this one spot, just over that rise." He pointed out the window, but Pete only saw a blanket of white snow.

"It's not usually storming on Thanksgiving weekend, so we'll see how long you can tough it out."

"I'm pretty tough," Pete said. "I grew up in South Bend, so I'm used to this type of weather."

"You hunt?" Terry asked.

"No, not at all."

"You got a problem with it?" Dustin asked, sounding a bit defensive.

"I have no problem with people exercising their right to hunt, but I've just never had any desire to do it."

That got him a thoughtful nod from both men. He had to be careful not to insult Chasten's family, even if he really didn't want to shoot an animal himself. Most likely there wouldn't even be anything to shoot at in this weather.

A few minutes later they staked their spot, set up a temporary camp and shared some hot coffee.

"So," Terry started in, "how exactly did you and my son meet?"

"We met online, through a dating app called Hinge. It connects people on Facebook with similar interests."

"You were using a dating app?" Dustin sounded appalled.

"I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know the first thing about dating. I was in the closet up until a few months ago."

"Wait. So you never had a boyfriend before Chasten?"

"That's right."

Terry nodded. "Why did you come out?"

"Well, going off to war made me realize that I wasn't living my life to the fullest. I want to get married and have a family just like most people. But in order to meet Mr. Right I had to start dating."

"How do we know that you're not just using Chasten? He's been hurt enough. We don't want him hurt again."

"I appreciate that. I would never intentionally hurt him. I don't understand how anyone could hurt such a sweet soul."

"What about playing the field? Most guys want to sow their wild oats. I sure did." Dustin said.

Pete shrugged. "That's just not me. I have no interest in dating just for dating's sake. Chasten and I have a lot in common, and we both want the same things. Home. Family. Community. I, uh, haven't said anything to Chasten yet, but I was thinking of asking him to move in with me. Do you think he would? I know he will have a lot of traveling with school and work. But I want him to know how much I care about him and want to build a life with him."

Both Terry and Dustin stared at Pete with their mouths agape.

"Is that a no?" Pete asked.

Both men responded by clearing their throats and pounding on each other's back. Terry turned away and rubbed his eyes.

"You want to live with my brother in sin?" Dustin glared at Pete.

Pete glared back. "Love isn't sin."

"You love Chasten?" Terry asked.

"I...I think I do. I mean, I've never been in love so I don't know for sure. All I do know is that I'm happier when he's near. I miss him when he's gone. And I cannot imagine my life without him in it. Is that love?"

Terry and Dustin nodded slowly.

---

If you notice any errors or repetitions please let me know. And tell me what you would like to see next!