23. Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Robinson
Robinson wouldn’t say he was hungover, exactly, but he was certainly feeling less than perfect. Which was super awesome when this was a big work day for him. The tiles in the upstairs bathroom had all been put in, so it was time to get all the fixtures in place. Which meant a lot of hauling, and a lot of squeezing himself into uncomfortable positions, and a lot of loud noises being amplified in the tiny space. He hadn’t woken up with a headache, but he was certainly nursing one by the time he was cramming himself underneath the new sink to hook up the P-trap.
It didn’t help that he was still sober enough the night before that he could remember what happened. Including him basically telling Chuck ‘Yo, I’d like to have sex with you tonight.’ In so many words.
He got the pipes all hooked up, double checked all his fittings and connections, then shimmied back out to give everything a final visual inspection. It was a much nicer looking bathroom, and not only because it was no longer full of mildewed boxes. It had been updated fairly recently, but that still left it with a very 2000s aesthetic. The tan tiles had been replaced with white subway tiles around the tub and shower, extending into a backsplash behind the sink. The floor tiles matched, but on a larger scale, and the rest of the room had been painted a sage green. Not so bright that it felt oppressive, but still an actual color instead of the monochrome that was too-often present in new builds. The light fixtures were also in, which helped bring the space together. Two sconces sat above the sink, leaving space between them for a mirror, and the brushed bronze finish was a lovely complement to the paint color. The overhead light and fan combo was a low-profile white square, and according to Aras, it would help the bathroom achieve liftoff, so the ventilation would hopefully improve.
Robinson leaned against the white countertop around the sink. A minute to catch his breath, then he’d need to flag someone down to help him with the toilet install. The tub had been cleaned back up, but was still the same one as before, and the faucet and showerhead were both the same faux-bronze as the sconces, so it was all cohesive and cozy and inviting. Even without much decor going on at the moment, it was the kind of bathroom that was…inviting, in a way. As much as a bathroom could ever be inviting.
Once he’d rested enough, Robinson headed out and down the stairs…just as the front door opened and three boys marched in, backpacks slung across their shoulders. They all moved for the stairs as well and waved at Robinson as he backed up to leave them space to pass. And all of them did pass. Except Ryan, who slung the pack off his shoulder and stopped right in front of Robinson. “Hey. You need any help?”
Robinson was a little foggy from the night before, but not so out of it he couldn’t spot a setup like that from a mile away. In a thick fog. With one eye closed. But there was no reason to hide from Ryan, and he could use some extra muscle. Getting a toilet upstairs was doable on his own if need be, but if the kid was going to offer… “Get your stuff put away then head on downstairs. Got some glamorous work all lined up for you.”
Ryan nodded and Robinson headed down. He knew he was about to get grilled about the date, but knowing didn’t make it any easier to face. It wasn’t like they’d done anything wrong, but he was still trying to go out with Ryan’s dad. Meeting the family before they went out on the town was easy. After…certainly felt a lot thornier of an issue to navigate.
Robinson stood with one arm leaned against the tank of the toilet. It was only a few seconds later that Ryan bounded down the stairs. Then he stopped and looked over the toilet and Robinson. “Really glamorous.”
“Hey, this is why plumbers get the big bucks we do. No one likes dealing with the crapper.” Robinson bent down and hooked his fingers under one edge. “Grab a side. I’ll even let you walk forward. I’ve gone backwards up the stairs plenty of times.”
Ryan, to his credit, didn’t hesitate on that part. He marched over and took the other side, and they hefted it up together. He did, however, decide it was the perfect time to start talking about the date. Right when Robinson couldn’t safely get away without dropping and possibly breaking the new toilet. “So, did you have a good time?”
Robinson nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t gone out with anyone in a while. Your dad’s really sweet. Good food. Good talk about how you boys need to do your homework and keep your grades up.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Right. I…he seemed really excited about it when he was talking to us.”
“Well, I think he probably was.”
“I just…it’d be really nice to see him happy like that more often.”
Robinson almost dropped the toilet in spite of himself. He didn’t, and they made it into the bathroom where they set it on the floor next to where it went, but even once he’d put it down, his hands were shakier than they ever should have been. “I’m sure losing Andrew was hard on all of you.”
“Yeah. And it should be, I guess.” He wasn’t making eye contact and was tapping his foot softly against the base of the vanity. “I don’t really know. Never lost anyone before him. But just because it’s, like, normal doesn’t mean I like seeing him so sad all the time.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just hoping that he had a good time. That you both did.”
Not nearly as painful as I was expecting. “I’m not going to speak for your dad, but I know I had a good time, and I’m pretty sure he did too.”
“Good.” Finally, Ryan looked his way again. “So, installing a toilet? I swear I’ll get my homework and everything done after.”
“Well you better. I don’t want to hear how I ruined your GPA or anything.” Robinson squatted down and gestured for Ryan to join him. “We got most of the work done already, but we need to get the new flange installed, put in the wax ring, then get everything hooked back up in place.”
Ryan nodded, and even when they had to lean the toilet on its side and get into the nitty-gritty of the job, he had a little smile on his face. That’s some kid he raised. Seemed like he was more concerned with his dad being happy than anything else. Would not have been me at his age.