Love Means_. Freedom - Andrew Grey

again, Stone walked back to the house.
    He found Adelle working in the kitchen. Stone dodged her hand as he snagged one of her chocolate chip cookies before wandering into the other room, where Robbie sat in a chair, reading with his fingers,
    "Is that you, Stone?" He closed the thick book.
"How do you always know?"
Robbie smiled. "Did you and Sherry have a good session?"
"Okay, this is getting weird."
    Robbie began to laugh, "In addition to keeping the schedule, I noticed that when you're happy, you step lighter and a little faster, and lately the only time you do it is after Sherry's wrapped her Stoney around her little finger." Robbie raised and wagged his pinky in his direction, laughing at him. "So you want to tell me about it?"
    "What is it with everyone today?" Stone flopped down onto the sofa, the springs squeaking, his laughter dying.
    "I can't speak for everyone, but I for one note that since Preston's been gone, you can chill a room faster than the north wind." Robbie put down his book. "And this southern magnolia can't take much more cold. So I figure that until you get over whatever you got in your craw, spring isn't going to come, and I've been shivering since October."
    "Amen," Adelle echoed from the kitchen.
Robbie sat back in the chair. "So spill it. What happened with you and Preston?"
Stone looked toward the kitchen and sighed before telling Robbie what he'd done, how he'd let Preston go for his own good.
    Robbie rolled his eyes, which nearly freaked Stone out. "We have a saying in the south: 'Get off the cross because someone else needs the wood'."

    "What the hell does that mean?"

    Robbie ignored the question. "You decided that Preston would be better off away from you after he spent almost two weeks trying to find a job so he could stay."

    "I guess."
    "Well, that's a steaming pile of shit." Stone gulped and did a double take. He'd never heard Robbie speak like that. "You can tell yourself that all you like, but I think you were scared. You figured Preston would stay, and you were afraid he'd realize you weren't who he wanted and that he'd leave you. So instead of giving it a try, you pushed him away and convinced yourself it was for his own good."
    "That's not true!" Stone leapt from the sofa. "He was so happy when he was helping that man with his finances, and he'd never be that happy working as a bank teller."

    "Relax, Stone. I'm here to help, remember." Stone sat back down, still feeling like he wanted to bolt, and Robbie continued. "Yes, he was excited when they were working together, but he was happiest whenever he was with you."

    "How could you tell?"
    Robbie glared at him, obviously annoyed. "I may be blind, but I'm not stupid." Robbie's voice softened. "I could hear it in his voice and in his laugh. He loved you, Stone, and you threw it away without asking him what he wanted. Did you ever think that he may have been perfectly happy working as a bank teller if he had you to come home to?"
    Stone felt his throat start to close and his stomach cramp. "Oh God." The tears started, and he put his hands over his face. "It's true. I pushed him away." He felt Robbie's arms around him, hugging him tight, as he realized what a fool he'd been. "I loved him, Robbie, and I never told him." The tears began in earnest. "What am I going to do? I miss him more every day." Once the dam burst, he couldn't control the tears, and they flowed freely.
    "I know." Robbie rocked him slowly. "I know. I felt the same way when I had to leave after I met Joey. Each day apart felt longer that the last, and I felt more and more alone."
    "What happened?" Stone raised his head, tears streaking his cheeks.
"Joey came to visit and showed me just how much he loved me. When he was about to leave, he asked me to come back with him." "What should I do?" Stone wiped his eyes, feeling like a little girl as he tried to control his tears.
    "I can't answer that for you." He let himself be pulled back into a hug. "That's something you need to decide, but I can tell you that this time, whatever you do, you need to listen to your heart. It won't steer you wrong, I can promise you that."

    "PRESTON, could you come in here?" He cringed, grateful he couldn't be seen.
    Preston hung up the phone he'd answered seconds ago. Looking toward the door, he debated using the new walker, but from the irritated tone of his supervisor's voice, he figured speed would be better. Transferring himself to the wheelchair, he grabbed a pad from his desk,