#soe

-

Tyler didn’t often give into temptation. He didn’t give into much at all. He was the same as he had been. There wasn’t space for temptation when you did the same thing every day. Tyler had warded off temptation with routine and a rubber band. Except there was Josh, that boy he’d met at work. That boy who asked too many questions and gave answers that left Tyler breathless. That boy who’d had a panic attack in his arms. That boy who blew smoke into Tyler’s mouth. That boy that Tyler couldn’t get off his mind when he was alone. That beautiful boy who’d held his hand in a field.

“God cast them from Eden—they had sinned, and so paradise was forbidden.”

That beautiful boy would get him cast from Eden. That beautiful boy would ruin him.

The service ended with a prayer. Knees touching tile, head bowed, eyes closed—he kept trying to imagine the face of God. He imagined something like big brown eyes and pale skin and twin nose rings.