Chapter 15 Taylor
TAYLOR
At this point, I’d helped Margo and Benji make all the major decisions they needed to for the wedding, which was only a few weeks away.
Now, it was death by minutia. I felt like a dead man walking between wedding errands for Margo and making time for Gabriel, while inputting two years of receipts into the accounting software I’d set up for him.
I hadn’t heard back from the doctors about all the tests they’d run, so I convinced myself nothing was wrong. I’d made it this far without the house of cards collapsing.
Of course, I wouldn’t be able to outrun the burnout forever.
When I walked out into the kitchen Friday morning to grab coffee, Kai took one look at me and spun me right back around.
He barricaded me in my bedroom and called Gabriel to let him know I was sick and that he needed to make sure I stayed in bed.
I barely got my socks off before I fell back to sleep.
Mid-afternoon, I woke up to my phone ringing.
“Hey.” Gabriel’s voice washed over me when I answered. “Can you come to the door? I have soup.”
Was I dreaming? I rolled out of bed in the now-wrinkled jeans I hadn’t managed to take off, and when I opened the door, Gabriel was there.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Kai told me you were sick, remember? I took the afternoon off and made you chicken and rice soup. Added extra garlic, too.”
“You took the afternoon off. To make me soup?”
“That’s what I said.” He pushed the back of his hand against my forehead. “Do you have a fever? Are you delirious?”
“I don’t know.” I stepped back as Gabriel shouldered his way inside.
“Let me put this on the stove to warm up, and then we’ll get you into something more comfortable. I can’t believe you passed out in jeans.”
“It came on so fast. One second, I was fine. The next, I passed out.”
It was a testament to how tired I was that Gabriel’s hands were on me, undressing me, and it barely registered with my dick.
He pulled a pair of sweatpants up my legs, lifting each foot to help me step in, and slipped a loose tee over my head.
Finally, he pulled one of his college sweatshirts out of his overnight bag, and I eagerly put it on.
“Are you staying?” I asked hopefully.
“Just being prepared.” Gabriel smiled softly. “I want to take care of you.”
My heart fluttered all over the place. I hadn’t had anyone take care of me since I was fifteen. Maybe younger than that. My parents weren’t the caretaking type.
He slid under my arm and wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing his body against my side. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
I was exhausted, and my head ached, but the soup was incredible and soothing—worth dragging myself out of bed for. The way Gabriel played with the hairs on the nape of my neck while I ate almost brought me to tears.
Once I’d eaten two full bowls of the best soup I’d ever tasted, Gabriel herded me back to bed. He settled with his back against my headboard and pulled my head into his lap. “Nap some more, baby.”
“Are you an angel?” I knew I was feeling a little loopy from the cold medicine I’d taken, but with my arms around his muscular thighs and his fingers running lightly over my scalp, I felt like I was in a dream.
“No, baby. Just a regular guy.”
“Nothing is regular about you. You’re the best guy.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I kissed his leg. “Thanks for being here, angel.”
His fingers paused in my hair, then started the same soothing pattern up again.
I was half asleep when I heard him whisper, so I could have imagined when I thought I heard him say, “Anything for you.”
I slipped in and out of consciousness for the rest of the evening, and every time I opened my eyes, Gabriel was there.
He made sure I took my meds and drank water, and he woke me up every so often to eat, even if it was just salty crackers.
Once, I could hear him laughing with Kai out in the kitchen. I’d like to get used to this.
Gabriel in my space, Gabriel with my friends, Gabriel always.
I’d been so lonely for so long, holding myself back and keeping myself separate to protect myself from the pain of loss that inevitably follows love.
But work wouldn’t bring me soup when I was sick.
Work wouldn’t hold me when I was covered in snot.
Until I’d met this chaotic bisexual who turned my world upside down, all my evenings had been spent alone unless Kai or Margo had dragged me out with them.
I was vaguely aware that I was supposed to be meeting Gabriel’s parents this weekend, and I wasn’t sure how good of an impression I’d be making in this state, but I couldn’t stay awake long enough to worry.
In the morning, I awoke to find myself tangled around Gabriel, with my head on his chest and my arm thrown over him. I was sweaty and gross as I slipped out of his arms and crept into my en suite to take a shower.
The hot water massaged the tension from my shoulders, and once the clamminess was gone from my skin, I felt like a new man.
I found Gabriel still in bed, scrolling on his phone.
I was wrapped in a towel, using another small one to dry my hair, and I watched his eyes track my body with interest. I was ready to get naked and jump him, but he popped out of bed before I could.
He gave me a quick kiss and passed by, scooting into the bathroom so quickly that I was left blinking at the closed door.
“Hey!” I cried, frustrated.
He laughed on the other side of the door, and I heard the shower run again. I ditched the towel and crawled back into bed. Gabriel emerged, wearing only low-slung grey sweats and holding a cup of water and a dose of cold meds.
“You look criminally good in those,” I said, licking my lips.
“Hold your horses, cowboy. You’re still on bed rest.”
I smirked. “Good thing what I want to do to you involves being on this bed.”
He burst into laughter and handed me the pills. Then he tossed me a pair of boxers and his sweatshirt.
“Come on, we’re going to go sit on the couch and watch Drag Race. I’m still catching up on the last All-Star season.”
I groaned. “Why do I have to put clothes on?”
“Have you forgotten you have a roommate? He may be at work right now, but I’m sure he’d rather not have your balls all over his couch.”
Grumbling, I slipped on the boxers and hoodie, secretly glad they smelled like Gabriel. I suppose that if I had to wear clothes, this was a worthwhile compromise.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Gabriel asked as we walked to the living room.
I settled on the couch and pulled a blanket over myself. “So much better. I can’t believe I slept that much.”
“You were in full koala mode,” Gabriel said. “I’m pretty sure you slept like thirty hours. I’m not surprised, though. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends.”
I sighed, preparing for him to reprimand me.
“I swear I’m not trying to lecture you.” Gabriel sat down, and I lifted the blanket so he could tuck in next to me.
“I wouldn’t want to talk you out of being there for Margo or putting in a hundred and ten percent at work, and I’m certainly not going to let you get out of seeing me.
I care about you and want you to take care of yourself, too. ”
I sighed again, and he pulled me into his arms.
“I’ll try,” I muttered.
When he grabbed the remote and pulled up Drag Race, I finally processed what day it was.
“Wait, don’t we have that thing with your parents tonight?”
“Yeah, that’s tonight,” Gabriel said. “I told them you were sick, and I would do my best to make it, but I was waiting to see how you were feeling.”
“I’m not on my deathbed. You could go without me.”
“Nope, package deal. I’m not walking into that mess alone. It’s fine if you’re not feeling up to it. It’s not like I was looking forward to it.”
Usually, I was the one with my arm around Gabriel, so I often found myself looking down at his eyes through those thick, dark lashes. Today, I was curled up at his side, so I tilted my head up to meet his eyes.
He gave me a soft kiss on the top of my head. “No pressure, let’s see how you’re feeling this afternoon, and we’ll make a game-time decision.”
“Ok.” I kissed him, trying to deepen into something more, but Gabriel held back.
He huffed. “I’m not falling for your tricks.”
As we shared banter about the drama on TV, I kept moving my hand up his thigh, and he kept sliding it back down to his knee. By the time we broke apart for lunch and another serving of that delicious chicken and rice soup, I felt like myself again.
“I think I’m feeling well enough to head to your parents’ party tonight if you want,” I said as I stood from the couch and stretched.
Gabriel leaned forward and kissed along the sliver of my stomach that was revealed.
“I don’t want,” Gabriel said. “But if you’re sure…”
I grabbed his hands and pulled him up into a hug. “I’m sure. I feel fine.”
We dressed, and I texted Kai to let him know I was alive before we left the house. Gabriel looked so good, especially with the way those jeans hugged his ass. The longer we were together, the harder it was for me to resist pushing for more. I wanted inside him so badly.
I wore a boxy plum-colored T-shirt—one I’d bought online on a whim during a recent online shopping spree—and fitted jeans.
The tiniest sliver of my hips peeked out above the waistline of my pants when I moved just right, and based on the way Gabriel’s eyes heated when he saw me, I knew he approved.
I was a little nervous to show up at Gabriel’s parents’ house looking so obviously gay, but I decided to lean into it for a few reasons.
One, I was gay. There was no dressing straight to meet the parents of the guy I was seeing. It was what it was, and they needed to deal, or I’d have things to say.
Two, ever since Gabriel and I had that conversation about my childhood, I’d realized that just because I’d had to leave some of my dreams behind, it didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy fashion or dress with a bit more personality.
I could feel Gabriel’s anxiety spiking as we made our way down to Santa Ana.
I was driving this time and reached over to calm his bouncing leg with a hand on his knee.
He stilled and grabbed my hand tightly. I was glad I could be with him as we walked into the lion’s den, and I sent a silent thank you up into the universe that whatever bug had attacked me was a short-lived one.
“Could you put some music on, angel?” I asked, and he blushed.
“I shouldn’t let you call me that,” he grumbled as he pulled up his music-streaming app.
“Why not?” I chuckled. “I can tell you like it.”
The silence I received from him was answer enough.
Gabriel didn’t sing along to the stereo like he usually did, but at least I was able to coax a few laughs and smiles from him as we chatted on the drive. My sense of impending doom started to grow, as much as I tried to hide it.
What exactly were we walking into that my expressive, effervescent beam of sunshine was folding in on himself?