Pretty Boy

Freedom

"Sorry, babe, he's straight." Ashley tells Parker when he makes a comment of how cute is the only male volunteer security guard. 

Parker, not giving away his disappointment, replies that it was only a compliment. "I'm not ready to date, even if he was gay," he says. And just like that, the excitement he once had for Pride Fest evaporated into the humid afternoon. His chest hurts out of the sudden. His cheeks burn with blood boiling its way up to his eyes. Words choke on his throat. His lungs running out of oxygen. And there it is again, the image of the man that he thought was THE ONE running through his head; it makes him sick to his stomach, and the now familiar metallic taste in his mouth joins the parade. Parker knows those feelings so well by now; the anger, the sadness, the frustration, the love, the betrayal. The man he thought could be the right one at last, in bed with some trashy trick. The same bed that he and Parker bought together as symbol of their commitment. 

I just want to have fun, Parker tells himself, and with that thought in mind, he chugs the rest of his beer. And three right after, wishing to drown out the pain that's killing him inside out. Or at least, to forget about it for a few hours.