Love Means Courage - Andrew Grey

alone, that there were other people like me. But above all, he was a friend.”
    “Did you love him?”
“I guess, but I wasn’t in love with him, if that makes any sense.
    We both knew that what we had was temporary, and we parted as friends. It’s not like it was some big traumatic breakup or anything.” It had been hard for Len, but not in a way he expected. He still missed the friendship and closeness he’d had with Tim, along with the fact that he could relax with the older man and just be himself.
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    Well, that along with the amazing sex, but he wasn’t about to tell Ruby that. Hell, the girl would probably want details, and there was no way he was providing those.

    Len checked his watch and was surprised how fast the time had flown. “I have to be in class in fifteen minutes.” She stood up, and he took their trash, throwing it away before returning the trays.

    “I’ll walk you to the car.” He picked up his books and jacket before leading the way through the building and out to the parking lot. “It was great to see you.” He wasn’t sure what to do, but she took care of that when she hugged him.

    “It was fun. I’ll call you soon, and we can have dinner.” She smirked as she got in the car, “I promise I won’t cook.” They both laughed as she closed the car door and pulled out of the parking lot.

    He watched as she left and then turned and walked to his next class.
    RUBYdid call, and they got together every few weeks, sometimes for lunch and sometimes for dinner with both her and Cliff. It was nice to get out and have someone to talk with. And while dinners with the three of them were fun, he much preferred having lunch with just Ruby where the two of them could talk.
    About a year after the wedding, she met him for lunch, bounding into the cafeteria with a special spring in her step. Len noticed and smiled, wondering what was up. “Sit down and tell me what’s got you so happy you could burst.” She sat but seemed to barely touch the chair. “I’m pregnant.” Her smile was radiant. “I’m due in July. I hope it’s a girl, but Cliff is hoping for a boy, of course.”
    “Of course.” He got up and gave her a hug. She seemed almost 23
Love Means Courage
electric with energy; she was so happy. “What would you like?”
    “Something light. The morning sickness has been awful, but my doctor tells me that should pass soon.” She looked toward the menu board. “What I’d really like is a big juicy hamburger; morning sickness be damned. But I’ll have a salad.”

    “That kid can’t live on lettuce. You’re eating for two, so get the burger.” She bounced in the chair and agreed. Len got the food, returning a few minutes later.

    “If it’s a girl, I’m going to name her Bethany, but I haven’t thought of boys’ names yet. I’m thinking that if it’s a boy, I’ll let Cliff choose a name.” She took a bite of the burger and moaned softly as she chewed.

    “What does he think about being a father?” Len began eating his own lunch.

    “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure how he was going to react, but he was amazingly happy when I told him.” She giggled. “Then he pulled me upstairs.” She smirked and took another bite of her hamburger.

    “So, it’s okay for me to tell you about my love life, as pitiful as it is, but you’re going to clam up about yours?” Not that he was really interested in the details, but he had to give her a little grief.

    “Speaking of your love life, have you met anyone?” She asked the same question every time they got together. He swore she was going to start trolling bars around town trying to find him a nice boy.

    “No, but I haven’t really been looking. I’ve got school, and I’m working whenever I can. Hopefully, when I’m done here, I can get a decent job somewhere, but it’s not looking very good. I may need to move somewhere else in order to make a decent living.” He 24
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decided he really wanted to change the subject. “So how are things with Cliff’s dad? He still giving you a hard time?” She grinned. “Nope. He doesn’t ask me to cook anymore, and I don’t feed him food that tastes like crap.”
    “Can you cook anything?”
“I can make cereal.”
“Like oatmeal?”
“Cornflakes.” They both laughed. He always laughed when she was around. It brightened his day whenever they got together.
    He continued eating as he watched her wolf down the burger. Good God, that