As Erwin crossed the main drag of the town, a not very impressive two lane, (you could've tossed a cat from one side of the street to the other it was so narrow,) he spotted a gaggle of onlookers watching the movie set workers, talking and pointing and speculating loudly. Erwin tried to skirt around them but one woman spotted him. "Erwin!"

Erwin stopped, cringing. He was a nice guy, a personable guy, and he liked people but he had sought a seat on the school board to help children. Unfortunately, he ended up dealing with rich, entitled parents who felt the need to insert their opinions into every conversation that they had and they all wanted to converse with him.

"Karen! How are you?"

The woman, middle aged, darkly tanned, and positively wedged into workout gear, simpered. She was quickly joined by three other women who surrounded Erwin like sharks. Despite all of them being married, remarried or newly divorced, they all just ate up the fact that Erwin was single. He felt a couple of hands on his arms. "Linda, Susan, Lisa, how are you guys today?"

"Erwin, I want to talk to you about the hockey team's uniforms …" Karen began. Erwin's mind turned straight to auto pilot. He blanked, hearing her rather grating voice only as background noise. The hockey teams uniforms had nothing to do with the school board.

Linda, with her ubiquitous yoga pants and high, squeaky voice joined in the discourse, arguing that the lacrosse team deserved new practice equipment more.

Erwin's gaze wandered over their heads and to the film set. He watched a crew move a large backdrop made of canvas stretched over two by fours. He wondered what Mike's and Levi's roles had been in making it.

Levi felt like there were ants all over his skin. He couldn't shake the feeling. He'd felt like this all week.

He couldn't stop thinking of Erwin, wondering where he was, who he was talking to, what he was doing. He'd honestly expected to see the man somewhere around town and strike up another conversation but he seemed to be in hiding. So he threw himself into his work, as he always did, and tried to forget about Erwin fucking Smith and his big hands and broad shoulders. He jerked off in the shower, tossed and turned in his bed, and thought of Erwin. He couldn't shake the guy.

He also was a hypocrite and wouldn't actively seek him out. He knew that he owned the diner in town. Hell, Mike was his best friend but he couldn't shake the doubt. Doubt that Erwin wanted him at all. Every time Mike came on the job (which was precisely at 8am,) Levi gazed a longing gaze toward that big white pick-up, hoping Erwin was there.

Levi had carefully refrained from mentioning Erwin around Mike. He was afraid. Afraid Mike would suss him out and laugh at him and explain to him that Erwin wasn't gay. He was afraid that Mike would tell him that Erwin was gay and picked up a different guy every Friday or Saturday night, fucked him, then tossed him. Levi wanted to fuck. He didn't want to get tossed. Not by Erwin.

When Mike mentioned him, Levi was blindsided.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I was eating lunch with Erwin."

Levi flinched but steadied himself.

"It was so good. Have you tried the Mexican place?" Mike gestured casually across the narrow road to the Mexican restaurant and Levi instinctively looked, hoping to catch a glimpse of Erwin. He chastised himself. Pathetic.

"No. Not much for Mexican food." he grunted, looking down at his hands. "I'll be back. Going to run to the director's trailer."

Mike watched him flee, smiling knowingly. The director's trailer was right by the road.

The director's trailer was right in front of where Erwin was standing as a matter of fact. The women were still chattering, still in an argument over things that he couldn't change. He began to think he'd just go home, after all.

Levi came out from in between two trailers like a ghost, his lithe frame slipping between them and over the cables all over the ground. Erwin almost didn't see him. He almost missed him.

When Erwin finally saw Levi his attention snapped to him like a laser. He suddenly didn't hear any other person speaking. It was like a cone of silence, like from Superman, had dropped over him. He absolutely wasn't prepared for the visceral reaction he had upon seeing the man after a week. The heat of the day shimmered off of the road and off of the metal of the trailers and Levi almost looked like a mirage. Erwin drank him in. How tight his body was, how confidently and agiley he moved. He felt desire and longing … and guilt.

Levi looked up right at the last second, just as he was about to go around the front of the trailer whose front door faced the set and not the road. He froze, like a startled animal, and just stared. They stood in tableau, each looking at the other.

Erwin's silence and stillness attracted the attention of the women he was 'talking' to. They each grew quiet. (It took Karen a few moments to wind down.) Their gimlet gazes went straight to where Erwin's had gone and took in Levi.

Fortunately, Erwin wasn't looking at them. He would have been outraged but not surprised at the revulsion and judgment.

A hand settled on Erwin's arm again. He jerked.

"Erwin?" It was a poorly muted whisper. "Do you know that man?"

Levi was right there. Not fifteen feet away. He could hear them clearly. The town was a quiet one save for the boats on trailers rumbling by.

Erwin hesitated for a long, excruciating moment.

His eyes finally reverted to the women. He took at the undisguised disgust and judgment, saw it in their faces, their eyes.

"I …"

"He looks like a thug."

"Hollywood type! Probably into drugs."

"Look at all those tattoos. And does he have earrings all over his face?"

"This sort of thing isn't good for our children or our community …"

"He might be one of those gays. Erwin, you should be careful!"

Erwin dragged his attention to focus on the women. "No! No, I don't know him. I mean, I met him through Mike Zacharias on the set last week but he's just one of those movie guys …"

Erwin regretted it. Regretted it the moment it was out of his mouth. If he could have swallowed them, shoved them back in, he would have. Why had he said that? He looked slowly up and the world seemed caught in a clear gel. Everyone and everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. An almost-stasis in the shimmering heat. Time crept by, a slow tick on the town clock.

The look on Levi's face was horrifying, horrified, and Erwin felt like he had ripped his own heart out of his chest. Levi looked so … betrayed.

And then he was gone, darting behind the director's trailer.

Erwin didn't think. He didn't consider or weigh the decision. He just acted. He ran after Levi, leaving the startled, flabbergasted women in an open-mouthed ring on the sidewalk. "Levi! Levi, stop!"

Levi stopped where he stood, at the base of the steps going up to the director's trailer. His teeth were clenched, his face suffused with blood, his eyes very cold. Oh, so cold.

"Levi, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that! That came out wrong!"

"Yeah?" It was a sneer. "Then how was it supposed to come out?"

"Levi … these people are my colleagues and neighbors. I'm a member of the school board!"

"So you fucking lie? Are you ashamed of even knowing me?"

"Of course not! It's just that … it's just that …"

Levi crossed his arms over his chest. "That what? That what, Erwin? That you're scared? That you're a fucking coward?!"

Erwin stood in the sunshine, mouth opening and closing like a fish. He couldn't think of what to say, what to do. What should he do?

Levi turned away then with one last contemptuous look and went up the steps to the director's trailer. Erwin looked up at him helplessly, his throat squeezed shut, his chest roaring in pain. He held up one hand, toward Levi.

Don't go. I like you. I really really like you. I want to be with you. I …

The door to the trailer slammed shut and Erwin slowly lowered his arm.