Chapter 44
Simmons
Tim gives me the stink eye as I enter the elevator. I should probably buy him a gift to say sorry, too.
I promised I wouldn’t hurt Freddie and now look at me. After I sent several messages asking if he was okay and if I could come see him too, he ignored them until this morning. Four days since we fought. He sent one word that had me bounce out of my office and run to my car.
Come.
Unsure what to expect when I arrived, I had already bought him flowers; thistles, as I asked a local florist who told me they are the national flower of Scotland.
Freddie didn’t seem the flower type, but I couldn’t show up with his usual favourites.
He would call me a pervert and shove the door in my face again.
And rightly so. This had to be a man to man serious chat about our future.
Fuck contracts and kink for right now. We had other shit to figure out first.
My hands tremble slightly as I get to his apartment door.
I can smell sugar from the second the elevator opens, and it’s so distinctively Freddie.
My eyes sting at how much I’ve hurt him.
At how much I’ve missed him. My body aches to hold him, even if it’s only one more time.
Rapping on his door before my nerves get the better of me, I think he isn’t going to answer, but then it creaks open softly.
Freddie stands before me, arms folded and looking so handsome.
He’s wearing a long-sleeved thin black top, little black matching short shorts, and thigh-high grey woollen socks.
His hair is long enough now for him to get half of it up into a little ponytail, and his face is clear of all makeup and lipstick.
My knees beg to fall at his feet, but I push the flowers out in front of me and chew my bottom lip.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asks, and it makes me smile because it’s such a Freddie thing to say.
“Come to dismiss how you spoke to me and smile while doing it?” he says, but there’s no viciousness in his voice.
“I… no. Sorry,” I say as I shake my head at myself and my shoulders deflate. Don’t fuck this up, Simmons. You owe him.
“Can we talk? I have a few things I would like to say, if that’s okay?” I try to convey all my apologies through my eyes as he watches me warily. Reaching out, he grabs the flowers and steps back. On instinct, I walk forward, but he places a hand on my chest.
“Go to the cafe. I’ll meet you there in 20 minutes. Need to just… “ he looks over his shoulder into the dark apartment behind him. Is someone there? Before I can spiral, he presses his nails from the hand still on my chest into me, and it makes me wince.
“No. Nothing like that, Simmons, so don’t fucking start spiralling.
I also have some stuff to tell you and, yeah, I think we need to finally sit and actually talk about us and what us means.
Give me twenty,” he tells me, a stern expression on his beautiful face.
I nod and step back. I can wait twenty more minutes for the love of my life.
“Tell Kody I’m meeting you and to get the booth at the back, the one next to that toilet that’s out of order so no one goes near it. Oh, and get me an iced mocha,” he demands in his usual tone as I walk back to the elevator.
“You got it. See you soon,” I say with a small smile. And I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but he smiles back at me the same way before closing the door softly with a click.
Once I get to the cafe, I shoot a text to Arnie replying to him that Freddie agreed to meet me. With an old man thumbs up back in response, I pocket my phone and place a coffee order before asking Kody for the seat request from Freddie.
“Be good to him, S-Simmons, he’s a g-great friend to me,” Kody stutters without meeting my eye as we get to the booth.
“I promise to do my best,” I say with a tight smile. He says nothing else, just takes off like his arse is on fire in his oversized hoodie. Little cutie.
Before I can settle in, the out-of-order toilet door bangs open and Burt falls through it with someone on his arm. He catches my eye and straightens himself and the boy up as he says hello. His eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Hey yourselves,” I smile. Burt pulls the young guy close, his arm around his waist as he introduces me to him.
“This is my new houseboy, Teddy. He is just delicious, wouldn’t you say?”
I chuckle despite myself.
“Lovely to meet you, Teddy. Have you been Burt’s houseboy long? Haven’t ever seen you in the club.”
He looks up at me, an innocent look on his face.
But that seems to be the only innocent thing about this, as I guess he must be early twenties, what with all the muscle he has.
Lean enough to have striations on his shoulders and forearms, it makes me curious what kind of sport he must do to be in that kind of shape.
“Nice to meet you, Mr.Simmons. I don’t frequent Daddy’s work. I’m a stay-at - home houseboy. I’ve been there five months now,” he tells me politely.
“Well, it sounds like you love serving your daddy, Teddy. It was nice to meet you, but I am actually about to meet someone for a serious chat,” I say as I sip my coffee. Burt nods in understanding. I haven’t told him everything, but he knows Freddie and knows a little about our situation.
“See you for a catch-up soon, Simmons. My home preferably. I don’t like leaving Teddy for too long now that he is with me 24/7.”
I get that, God do I. I smile and agree to coffee at Burt’s in the next few weeks, then shoot them a little wave as they walk off in each other’s arms.
With a little time before Freddie arrives, I run through everything I want to tell him. My plans to move for him and if he will wait for me while I finish up the academic year. Desperate for his presence, my knees shake and I lose all concentration while I wait.
Please don’t let this be the end of us, Freddie. I’ll survive if he says no, but it would be a life not worth living.