Chapter 11 #5
After fighting with the filters, googling how much coffee to use, and then not adding enough water, Noah ended up with a semi-drinkable brew.
Thankfully, Charlie had sugar cookie creamer in the fridge, which went a long way toward rectifying it.
He pulled out his laptop and began going through his spreadsheet of donations and adoptions from the day before.
He hadn’t checked the clock, but he estimated it was around an hour later when he heard heavy footfalls followed by softer, faster footsteps coming down the stairs.
Unsure what to expect from Aspen in someone else’s home, he braced himself, and it was lucky he did, or Aspen may have knocked him out of his chair when they eagerly scrambled into his lap.
“Good morning,” Aspen said, kissing him on the cheek before nuzzling their noses together.
“Good morning,” Noah said, picking up his coffee mug and offering it to Aspen. “It’s not very warm, and I didn’t put a huge amount in, but there’s sugar cookie creamer in here.”
Aspen took a tentative sip and bobbed their head back and forth. “It’s not terrible.”
“It’s not great either, but that’s probably my fault.”
Charlie walked up behind them and gripped the back of Noah’s neck, squeezing once, before turning to head into the kitchen.
“It can be finicky. I’ll turn this batch into ice cubes for frappes, and make a fresh pot.”
“You can make frappes? Can I have a sugar cookie frappe?” Aspen squealed, struggling off of Noah’s lap and hurrying into the kitchen as if the offer was time-limited.
“Of course, pumpkin. Let me show you how I do it so you can make your own if you wake up before us next time.”
Next time. The words settled in Noah’s stomach, warming the coffee already in there and giving him the energy the coffee had failed to.
He pulled up a new spreadsheet and began plotting what the next twelve months could look like for the shelter, and by the time Aspen and Charlie sat back down, with fresh coffees, a frappe, and bagels, Noah was ready.
“I think the fundraiser is enough to tide you over through the new fiscal year, and a little bit into the following, but it’s still not sustainable.”
Charlie immediately turned on his business mode, and Aspen listened intently for a few minutes before their attention began to wander.
They alternated between sitting in Noah’s lap and tentatively perching on Charlie’s knees.
When Charlie finished his bagel, he looped a wide arm around Aspen’s waist and held them securely in his lap while he and Noah went over the various loans Charlie had been considering.
“I might have a lead for some future events and marketing,” Aspen offered, telling them about the woman he’d spoken to at the end of the fundraiser.
“I think that’s probably part of the overall solution,” Noah said, sitting back in his seat to stretch his arms over his head.
He didn’t miss the two sets of eyes tracking the way the overly large shirt rode up his thighs.
“Would you mind following up on that lead, Asp, and Charlie and I can sit down with the loan applications later this week?”
“Can I come?” Aspen asked, shifting on Charlie’s lap to look up at him before turning back to Noah. “I don’t want to impose on your dog walking dates, but maybe I could come over and hang out while you do shelter work?”
Charlie rubbed his bearded cheek against the short hairs of Aspen’s undercut. Funny, that was something Noah loved doing as well, even though he kept his face clean-shaven because his beard had never fully grown in.
“You’re welcome to come when Noah walks dogs with me. You could hang out here, and we’ll join you afterwards?”
Aspen’s brow creased, but their eyes were hopeful as they gazed at Noah. “Would that be okay? No pressure, though.”
Noah squeezed Aspen’s bare knee. “That sounds perfect.”
“We could also go somewhere else. Like, on a date,” Charlie said, hugging Aspen tighter to his chest as he peered over at Noah.
“It would be nice to figure out a few more next steps first,” Noah said, glancing at the metaphorical cliff on his spreadsheet, indicating the shelter was only on track to survive through August.
It felt like a ticking time bomb, hanging over Noah’s head, just like the end of his trial with Aspen and the upcoming wedding.
Yes, the timeline had been extended for the shelter, but there was still no guarantee they could get Charlie the kind of support he needed to keep it running.
Now there was at least their…whatever this was, friendship, relationship, arrangement, what have you.
Maybe that would be enough to keep Charlie here if he ended up selling the shelter, but Noah wasn’t willing to bet on that.
“Okay, so, figure out more boring business-y things, but with lots of cuddles and kisses, and also a date?” Aspen asked, reaching across the table to grab Noah’s arm and shake it excitedly back and forth.
Charlie didn’t seem to hear the ticking clock the way Noah did. He smiled easily at Aspen and kissed their cheek. “Where do we want to go?”
Dinner was the obvious choice, and even though it could have been difficult to find a place all three of them could agree on, it was surprisingly easy.
Leon, James, Noah, and Aspen had gotten lunch the weekend after New Year’s, and Noah and James had decided to compile a list of restaurants that Leon and Aspen–mostly Aspen–were interested in going to.
Most of the list was based on aesthetic reels Aspen flooded their group chat with, or a single menu item that Leon was interested in.
He didn’t seem to be quite as impulsive as Aspen was, but his attention span was very similar, keeping their group chat lively, if not a bit chaotic.
Noah glanced one more time at the red line on the finance spreadsheet before minimizing the tab and pulling up his list of restaurants. He sorted for restaurants that were closer to Charlie’s place.
“This one is only fifteen minutes from here, so–”
“Maybe we can come back here for another sleepover afterwards?” Aspen asked, bouncing excitedly on Charlie’s lap.
“Another preference you should know for me,” Charlie said, wrapping his hands around Aspen’s hips, stilling their bouncing. “I don’t like to have sex in any room but my bedroom.”
Aspen’s eyes widened, and their bottom lip popped out in a pout. “Okay, that’s totally fine. I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to start anything, I was just excited.”
Charlie kissed the side of their head. “I thought you might be, but I wanted to clarify just in case.”
Aspen looked a little sheepish, and they curled their shoulders in as they stared down at their half-eaten bagel. “I’m sorry.”
The two threads in Noah’s chest quivered.
This was clearly not going to be as easy as it had been with Rachel.
She and Aspen seemed to shift and shape around each other, like two puppies falling all over themselves.
Charlie was more like Gordon, strong and sturdy, but generally immovable.
Noah loved all three of them for different reasons, but he appreciated Charlie's stability. Noah always knew what he was going to get with him–well, except for everything that had happened the previous day. That had been surprising, but this morning he was back to the steady presence Noah relied on. He had a place in Noah’s heart, in his life, and now in his bed.
Hopefully, Aspen would figure out their place with Charlie.
If things didn’t work out between them, Noah wasn’t entirely sure if he would pursue something with only Charlie.
Definitely not during the trial period with Aspen.
Right now, he could only picture a future where he stayed friends with them both, or where they were somehow, miraculously, all three together.
He still wasn’t sure how that would work, but if someone asked him to give the Gordy Simple truth, that was what he wanted.
“What are you sorry for, pumpkin? Being excited to see me again?” Charlie asked.
“No!” Aspen said, turning around so they were sitting side saddle on Charlie’s lap, their faces only an inch or so apart. “I’m sorry if I’m being too much.”
Charlie scoffed. “The only way you could be ‘too much’ is if there was some baseline I had in my head for you to meet, and I don’t have that. Yesterday was a nice surprise, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m walking into this with no expectations, just excitement to spend more time with both of you.”
Aspen kissed him, and Charlie accepted the kiss for a moment before wrapping Aspen back up in his arms and turning them to face Noah. “That restaurant sounds perfect, peanut, and I’d love to have you both back to my place afterwards.”
And so, January came to a close with them going on their first date.
While Noah tried to temper his expectations, just like Charlie said, he was still somehow surprised that their first date had none of the usual characteristics of a first date.
With Aspen around, there were never uncomfortable silences.
Anytime Aspen went a little too far off on a tangent or got distracted from what they were saying, Charlie guided them back with simple questions and gentle nudges.
Noah could listen to both of them talk forever, but each of them took turns pulling Noah into the conversation when he went a little too long without contributing or got stuck in his head.