Page 46 of Say It Again
With that, the whole evening got a little softer. With that, they both eased back into their skin. Their roles. Daniel with his buzzing effect, a dragonfly on a pond, unaware of the ripples it made. And Aaron as his pillar. The stillness behind him.
“That’s why I went out on a mission one night to find myself a hero,” Daniel said. “And what falls into my lap? The most amazing, sexy, heroic guy ever.” He delicately kissed the tip of Aaron’s nose. “But he was taken, so I settled for you instead.”
Aaron exhaled a laugh and melted into the sound of the silence as it stretched between them. As he gazed into big molten-copper eyes.
Daniel licked his lips and grinned. “Boyfriend.”
His smile faltered. He’d said that too, hadn’t he? The word “boyfriend” thrust into hyperfocus the fact that he was definitely making things more complicated for himself. Of course, this wasn’t his victory to celebrate. This wasn’t his life to feel so happy about. This was Attorney Aaron’s life. Attorney Aaron got to save Daniel from fiftieth birthday parties and got to pretend like he had any control with his clients. Attorney Aaron got to kiss him so deeply while he future-dreamed about badminton, barbecues, and ocean waves rolling over themselves while one of them leaned in and said, You. You are it for me.
“Do you want to come back to my place?” Daniel asked.
Tell him. Tell him, tell him, tell him.
“Come back to my place and stay the night with me.” Daniel smudged slow kisses all along his chin and jaw. “Stay the night. Stay as long as you can. You never have to leave if you don’t want.”
Tell him. Say it.
“You made everything better. Again. You make everything better.”
Aaron’s mind knew better, but his heart screamed and scratched until it bled, begging for his attention, begging for a taste of what it’d feel like to let himself have it. For once, to experience what it was like to be cherished, and to cherish someone else in return.
“I can’t wait to show you,” Daniel whispered. “Show you how much I appreciate you.”
His mind knew better, but his heart pleaded for more time. He just needed more time. What if he had one more night with him? What was the harm in one more night? “I’d love to—”
“Oh, before I forget,” Daniel said, his face brightening. “I got the contract.”
Aaron froze.
“Remind me to give it to you when we get to my place.” Daniel shimmied his shoulders. “It’s very official-looking.”
But that was the thing about time. Eventually, it ran out.
Aaron’s muscles had stiffened, and his swallow hobbled down his throat. “Great. You have your parking tickets too?”
“Yeah, I put them in the folder.”
“I’ll get it taken care of.” Aaron pushed himself to smile. “And I’m so sorry, I actually can’t stay tonight. Super duper early morning.”
“Oh.” Daniel’s smile withered a bit. “Well, dang it.”
Aaron crushed their lips together and drank in his orange creamsicle taste. “Some other time, okay? Let’s get you home.”
Chapter Eleven
IT WAS the next day, and Daniel was doing this. He’d crunched the numbers, he’d made a spreadsheet, and he’d printed it. Once something had been printed from a combative library printer, there was no going back. The studio was as good as his.
Well, after he got a loan. And got the contract back from Aaron. And did whatever it was that people had to do for the IRS to never call them.
“I’ve contacted a few loan companies. Still waiting to hear back, but this?” He pointed to a figure at the bottom of the spreadsheet. “This is what I would owe in two years. Which is a lot but doable?”
Madeline peered through her reading glasses and punched a few figures into a calculator. She offered a clenched half-smile.
“Oh God.” He sank into a chair. “I know that look. You don’t think it’s doable, do you? You feel sorry for me. You think I’m doomed to poverty.”
“I didn’t say that. I think it’ll be tough for a few years.”
“Because of my student loans. Because I owe more than you thought.”