Chapter Sixteen
GEOFF
Geoff watched the snowstorm swirl outside.
Well, this is it.
He walked in to see Teddy and Ciaran cooking.
“You two are cooking breakfast again?” Geoff said.
“Morning, honey,” Teddy said. He wiped his hands on his apron and gave Geoff a hug and kiss. “Ciaran is helping me in the kitchen. It’s nice to have an extra pair of hands.”
“You rarely want my hands,” Geoff teased.
Teddy raised an eyebrow. “I have asked you, but you seem to want to eat more than cook.”
“Fair enough,” he chuckled. “So, what are we having?”
“It’s going to be a well-balanced breakfast of the same things we eat almost every morning,” Ciaran laughed.
“Sounds wonderful,” Geoff said. “Oh, did you guys see the snow?”
“Yup,” Teddy said. “We’re stuck in the house for a while.”
“I’ve never seen a blizzard that bad,” Ciaran said. “How long do they last?”
“Couple of days, maybe a week,” Teddy answered. “No telling.”
“We have a generator, so our power will be fine,” Geoff said. “We’ll just need to keep ourselves busy.”
“Now, we need to get back to making breakfast,” Teddy said. “We’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Geoff said.
He left the kitchen and looked around. With the storm raging outside, he was stuck here, so he grabbed The Girl on the Train and sat in his chair to read.
When the aroma of sausage and eggs wafted out of the kitchen, he stopped reading, thinking of the image of Teddy and Ciaran cooking, and it felt right.
They seemed to belong in the kitchen together, making breakfast.
“So, what are your plans for the day?” Geoff asked Ciaran after they’d filled their plates.
“Probably get some reading done. I’m still reading The Last Sun. I also have some work to do.”
“Sounds fun.”
“What about you?” Ciaran asked.
“I’ll probably fill up the box with logs for the fire before the snow gets too heavy for me to get to them. Then I think I’ll go back to reading.”
“I’m going to clean up the kitchen and relax. This is the first time in a long time that I don’t have to worry about reservations,” Teddy offered.
“What have you got going on, Ciaran?” Geoff asked.
“Nothing really,” Ciaran said. “I could just read.”
“Would you be up for starting work on our website?” Teddy asked.
“Yeah, I could do that.”
“I’m going to show him the login information. Then after lunch, we can watch a fun Christmas movie and relax.”
“Sounds great,” Geoff said.
“Will you make some of that wonderful spiked hot chocolate?” Ciaran asked.
“Sure thing,” Teddy replied with a smile.
Geoff watched Teddy lead Ciaran down the hall.
He’s a sweet guy.
After he’d chopped enough wood, Geoff loaded the bin outside the front door with logs and loaded the andirons next to the fireplace before stoking the fire.
Then he grabbed a bourbon on the rocks before settling into his chair to finish his book.
He’d just started the last chapter when Teddy called him for lunch.
“Give me a few minutes? I’m almost done,” Geoff said.
“Well, it’s cold sandwiches, chips, and pasta salad, so you’re fine. I’ll let Ciaran know.”
“Thanks, Teddy Bear.”
When Geoff finished the book, he went to find Teddy and Ciaran, who were already eating.
“You started without me.”
“I said it was ready,” Teddy said. “You decided to finish the book first. We were hungry.”
Ciaran laughed.
“Oh, two against one. I see how it is,” Geoff teased, grinning. He grabbed a turkey sandwich, salt-and-vinegar chips, pasta salad, and sweet tea.
They enjoyed their meal.
“How’s the website looking?” Geoff asked.
“You can see when it’s done,” Ciaran smiled. “I want to make sure it’s perfect before you test it.”
“Can’t wait,” Teddy said.
When they’d finished, Ciaran followed Geoff into the living room, while Teddy went into the kitchen to make his spiked hot chocolate. He brought it to the living room while Geoff made sure the fire was stoked before putting A Christmas Story on.
“Oh, I haven’t seen this in years,” Ciaran said.
“We watch it every year,” Geoff noted. “It’s so much fun.”
Once Teddy had settled them with their drinks, they watched Ralphie attempt to convince someone to get him a BB gun for Christmas.
Teddy was once more sprawled on the couch against Geoff’s belly, while Ciaran was curled up in the same chair as the night before, though he seemed to be almost deliberately not looking in their direction.
Concerned, Geoff looked over at Ciaran. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
He didn’t believe it. Since they’d played with him, Ciaran’s demeanor had changed. He wasn’t rude or disrespectful, just…distant. It happened whenever he and Teddy cuddled or got close. Other than that, he was happy, friendly, and appeared to enjoy being around them.
Does he regret what we did? Or did he hope for more? Teddy was right. It was probably a mistake.
The movie ended, and Ciaran excused himself to go get some work done. When he was out of earshot, Geoff shook Teddy awake.
“Hmm, what?”
“I think you were right. I think having sex with Ciaran was a mistake. He seems distant when you and I are affectionate.”
“Shit,” Teddy said. “Now he’s stuck here until the storm passes. What do we do?”
Geoff kissed the top of his head. “We just treat him like a friend, the same as we have been.”
“Should we refrain from being affectionate around him?”
“I think so,” Geoff agreed. “We can just wait until he’s not around, or at night.”
“Okay.”
It’d be hard not to hold and caress Teddy. They shouldn’t need to restrain themselves, but they were partially to blame. They should have kept their boundaries, but it was too late now.
Teddy went to take a hot bath, and Geoff perused his video game collection. He pulled up the online menu and scrolled. He’d just landed on one when Ciaran entered.
“What are you playing?” Ciaran asked.
“Monster Hunter: World.”
“Is that Streets of Rogue? I wanted to play it when it was released last year, but I haven’t had time.”
“Do you want to play?”
“Really?” A broad smile appeared on his face. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Geoff said, “Teddy doesn’t like video games. It’d be nice to play with someone.”
“Let’s do it.”
Geoff handed him a controller and started up the game.
They sat on the floor like children and customized their characters.
Geoff specialized in lock picking while Ciaran went with hacking.
When he slipped up hacking—and did it in front of a police officer—he ran and gathered a mob of enemies chasing him.
He collapsed on his side, laughing and knocking Geoff over. Geoff let out a laugh. They lay on the floor, laughing until their sides hurt.
“Did I interrupt something?” Teddy stared down at them.
“No.” Geoff gasped for air. “We were just playing Streets of Rogue, and Ciaran decided to hack in front of a police officer. Then he fell over and knocked me over.”
“Cute,” Teddy laughed. “I’m going to finish up some work and then make dinner. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
Geoff sat up. “Okay.”
Geoff and Ciaran spent the next hour escaping each level and moving up with their skills and experience points before they called it quits.
“That was fun,” Ciaran said. “Thanks for letting me join.”
“Anytime,” Geoff smiled.
“I’m going to get some more work done. Can you call me when dinner is ready?”
“Sure thing.”
Geoff joined Teddy in his office, where he was filling out a spreadsheet for the guests who would arrive in the New Year. They didn’t think the storm would clear up in time for a New Year’s celebration, so they blocked out the dates.
“Did you guys have fun?” Teddy asked.
“Yeah,” Geoff replied, giving Teddy a kiss on the head. “Ciaran is a great gaming partner.”
“I haven’t heard you laugh that much in a while.” Teddy turned around and looked up at Geoff.
“Really?”
“No,” Teddy said. “We had fun, but the two of you had a blast.”
“I…” Something stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he finally managed.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I had more fun with him playing a stupid video game than with you.”
Teddy stood up and wrapped his arms around Geoff. “That’s not what I meant.” He kissed him. “I mean, I’m glad to see you let loose and enjoy life a little more. We’ve been together so long that our fun together is different from how it is with other people.”
“You’re right,” Geoff said.
“I think it helps him, too. He isn’t uncomfortable around you or when he’s in the kitchen with me. It’s as if we’re just friends, and he’s enjoying our company.”
“I have to say,” Geoff said, “he’s an amazing player.”
“Is he better than you?”
“No!” Geoff let out a fake scoff.
“You’re adorable.” Teddy gave him another kiss. “Ciaran also seemed to be having fun. I hope he’s feeling better.”
“I think playing a video game with him lets him know we’re his friends. That we want to spend time with him.”
“You’re right.”
Geoff hadn’t had that much fun in years. He and Teddy didn’t hike or play video games together. Their time together was spent working, cuddling, or watching movies. It’d be nice to have someone to do those other things with.
He isn’t staying. He’s going home when the storm clears, and that’ll be it. I can’t keep wondering what might be because it’s not going to happen.