When they graduated from high school in 1962, best friends and secret lovers Jim McCutcheon and Ronnie Mayer had high expectations for the rest of their lives. Six years later, both are back in the small Nebraska town they called home, and worse, no longer together.<br><br>Once the golden boy, Jim now works on his grandfather's farm, away from the town's disappointment he didn't end up at NASA. Ronnie lives in his parents' basement, recovering from the blast that sent him home from Vietnam. Neither is where they want to be, but it takes a special request from Ronnie's mom for Jim to swallow his pride and visit.<br><br>Though it doesn't go well, it opens the door for the two young men to start communicating. One question haunts them, though. Have they changed too much to find their way back to each other again?

Silences of Fallen Stars

“I’m one of them,” Ronnie said, his voice muffled.


He sounded so lost, Jim closed the rest of the distance and sat down next to him. “One of who?”


“Those bullies who used to give me such hell before I met you. Everybody who ever tried to hurt me. I’m no better than any of them.”


Jim’s heart broke. Reaching out, he put his arm around Ronnie’s shoulders and pulled him in. The fact that Ronnie let him without putting up a fight made him hurt even more.


“I’m getting you out of here,” he said quietly. “No arguments.”


“Even though you’re better off without me?”


Jim snorted. “If you really think that, your old man must’ve hit you too hard in the head this time.” He noticed too late the graze over Ronnie’s ear and immediately felt like an asshole for the comment, but he barreled on. “My life was pretty much in the toilet that first day I came to see you, and you know it. You’re the only reason I’ve found something to feel good about lately.”


Chapter 16