Love Means No Boundaries - Andrew Grey

frustration in Joey’s voice. He was feeling the same way, but he just didn’t see a way out of it. 123
Andrew Grey
“I’m sorry, Joey, maybe we should have talked about this.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. You’d still have to go home.”
Robbie felt Joey take his hand, lifting it, lips brushing over his knuckles. “I’ll miss you very much.”
“Me too.”
The car slowed and turned, pulling into the drive and stopping.
He felt Joey lean close, kissing him gently. The words for what he was feeling almost came tumbling out, but he held them back again. “Will you call me?”
“As long as I get a good song on your phone.” Robbie pulled it out of his pocket. “You’ve already got the
    ‘Ode to Joy’.” Robbie ran his hand gently along Joey’s cheek and felt him flinch slightly at the touch. “Remember, Joey, you’re beautiful to me.” He let his fingers wander over Joey’s face: the smooth skin of his cheek, the stubble on his chin, his perfect nose and yes—even those scars that Joey hated, but were simply a part of the man he loved. He committed every bump and contour to memory.
    As much as he didn’t want to go, he knew he had to, so Robbie leaned close for a final kiss and opened the door, getting out of the car, retrieving his violin case from behind the seat. Robbie heard the trunk open and close and Joey’s footsteps as he approached before guiding him toward the bus.
“Goodbye, Robbie.” He found himself enveloped in a hug that he returned as vigorously as he received, saying his own goodbye in Joey’s ear. He stepped back, and Joey helped him to the steps, and he climbed onto the bus.
     
Arie immediately guided him to a seat, putting his instrument in the overhead. The bus engine started and it began to move forward and turned. “Arie, do you hear that?” 124
    Love Means … NO Boundaries
“Sounds like a horn gone funny.”
    It is, but it’s….” He listened, and it started again. It wasn’t clear, but he could make it out. Dot, dash, dot, dot—L, dash, dash, dash—O, dot, dot, dot, dash—V, dot—E. Then it started again becoming softer as they drove away. Joey must have looked it up while he packed. “Arie, what am I going to do?” he asked, as he buried his face in Arie’s shoulder, tears filling his sightless eyes.
    125
    Andrew Grey
“JESUS, man,” the tal a l, han
a dsome,
e lan
a ky
y blond gr
g o
r used
e as
a he
cl
c imbed
e out of
f the
e wat
a er
e . “F
“ i
F rs
r t yo
y u’re
r
e too busy
y to spen
e d time
e wi
w th
me.
e ”
” He
H
e wal
a ked
e acr
c o
r ss the
e san
a d to wh w er
e e
r
e Joey
y wa
w s
a sitting. g “I
I ca
c n
a
under
e s
r tan
a d that
a .”
” Th
T e
e blond dri r pped
e wa
w t
a er
e
r on Joe
o y
y an
a d that
a go
g t his
attention. “Hey, are r
e yo
y u listen
e ing
g to me?
e ”
“S
“ orr
r y,
y ”
” Joey’
y d bee
e n
e lost in though g t—really lost.
“Y
“ o
Yu’r
’ e
e al
a ways
y sorr
r y.
y ”
” Th
T e
e blond put his han a ds on his hips in mock
c indign
g at
a ion as
a he
e co
c ntinued
e . “A
“ s
A I
I wa
w s
a sayi
y ng.
g ”
” Hi
H s voice
c
re
r f
e l
f ect
c ed
e at
a titude.
e “Fi
F rs
r t yo
y u ditch
c me fo
f r two
w week
e s, and I find out it’s
’ bec
e a
c u
a se
e yo
y u met
e someo
e ne,
e but this Robbie
e left
f a
a month ago
g , an
a d
yo
y u’v
’ e
e bee
e n
e moping
g an
a d a
a re
r a
e l
a dra
r g
g ev
e er
e
r since.
e ”
” He
e plopped
e himsel
e f
on the towel spread next to Joey. “I
I know,
w La
L n
a e.
e I’
I m
’ sorr
r y.
y It
I ’s
’ just that a I
I bro
r ugh
g t Robbie e her
e e
r ,
e
and I wa
w s
a rem
e em
e beri
r ng the
e gr
g e
r at
a time
e he had
a playi
y ng
g in the wa w t
a er
e .
r ”
Joey
y co
c uld al
a most see e
e his smile e as
a they’
y d
’ fl
f oated
e toge
g t
e her
r in the
fl
f owi
w ng
g wa
w t
a er.
r “H
“ e
e sai
a d he
e co
c uldn’t
’ swi
w m, but I I hel
e d him, an a d we
w
fl
f oat
a ed
e an
a d playe y d in the e wa
w t
a er
e
r fo
f r
r hours
r . It
I wa
w s
a rea
e l
a ly
y speci
c al
a .” For
Joey,
y the
e fee
e l
e ings
g wer
e e
r
e just as
a fr
f e
r s
e h, just as a ra
r w
a ,
w as
a the
e day
y Robbie e
lef
e t
f . Ev
E er
e yo
y ne,
e incl
c uding La
L n
a e,
e kep
e t tel
e ling him that
a he’
e d
’ fe
f e
e l
e bet
e ter
e
126
2
Love Means … NO Boundaries
with time and that he’d be able to get over Robbie, but it hadn’t happened yet.
“I wish I had