Page 115 of Except You
“Yeah, alright. Put me to work, big bro.”
“You sure?”
“Fuck yeah. I’m in this.”
“Alright, you asked for it.”
Matt is surprisingly helpful, when he’s not antagonizing Coop. Before this, I would have been nervous that he was doing it because Coop is obviously gay, but it seems that Matt can overlook it and just enjoys riling him up.
“Those pants of yours are awfully tight. I heard a rip earlier when you bent over,” Matt says as he grabs a box and places it on the kitchen counter.
“Looking at my ass? It is pretty nice. And just so you know, these pants cost more than your mortgage.”
“Ha, don’t have one of those, rich boy.”
“Sad that you’re almost thirty and still renting. Pathetic.”
Matt glowers at him as he pulls a few items from a box. He’s wordless for a few minutes, and Coop glances over at him, obviously wanting a reaction and not getting one.
“Quit staring at me. I’m not into dicks,” Matt says.
Coop rolls his eyes. “Sad. We could have such fun, you and I. The things I know how to do with my tongue.”
Matt’s lips twitch and our eyes catch. Beau is in the bedroom unloading suitcases of clothes, so I’m left to watch the two of them banter back and forth as I unpack the ungodly number of books Beau has.
The two of them together is odd and a little unnerving. I didn’t expect Matt to get along with him so well. But then again, I didn’t expect to meet Beau when I went into that gay bar, and yet, here we are.
Moving in together.
Boyfriends.
The four of us finish up around eight in the evening, our bodies tired from a long day. Well, Beau and I are exhausted. Matt and Coop are too busy antagonizing each other.
Without asking for anyone’s opinions on dinner, I order in, wondering if Matt is going to stay and join us. He does, asking if it’s alright first, and a part of me is relieved that he wants to stay.
I do miss him, miss our easy companionship, miss the early morning gym days we had every week, and the occasional team sport we played together.
But I can’t have people in my life who don’t support Beau and who he is and our relationship together.
I just can’t. Beau is too important to me.
“What do you guys want to drink?” Matt asks, looking at my cabinet filled with alcohol. I probably have too much in there, to be honest. But whatever, at least everyone has options.
“I’ll take a martini,” Coop says and then adds, “A strawberry one, sugar on the rim. Strawberries inside. I have a lot of money, been to a lot of places. Do your best but I doubt you’ll impress me.”
Matt arches an eyebrow at his request but doesn’t say anything in response, just turns to Beau.
“And you? You as bitchy as your friend.”
Beau grins and shakes his head. “Nope. Not at all. I’ll just take a glass of wine.”
Coop scowls at his best friend as Matt gets to work, making a rather impressive strawberry martini and handing it to Coop, who tastes it and is wordless.
“Told you I was good.”
“At one thing,” Coop retorts and then links his arm through Beau’s and leads him outside. “We’ll wait out here for dinner.”
“Jesus, that guy,” Matt says when we’re left alone in the kitchen. We haven’t conversed much since he showed up at my condo and asked if he could help us move. But to be honest, I don’t know what to say to him. He did apologize.