Grant
GRANT
huffed, opening the sliding door leading to the veranda. “I’d like to know just how you even know about Theo.”
“I have my ways,” his mother's voice told him smugly through the phone.
shook his head, closing the door behind him. “Don’t try that with me. It might work on Dad, but we both know it won’t on me. Who’ve you been talking to?”
“Who says I’ve been talking to anyone?”
That earned a roll of his eyes. He’d known her his entire life. Did she really think he wouldn’t know? Then again, his mother was always fond of messing with him, much like a certain tattooed artist he knew.
“Uh-huh,” he muttered as he turned the grill on, letting it heat up. “Because I was born yesterday rather than forty-four years ago.”
“Forty-five and some change, but who’s counting?”
“You, considering you’ve never let me live down my birth.”
“Well, fifty-nine hours is quite a long and intense labor.”
“Right.”
“And if I spent that long bringing you into this world?—”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then, I think I should have a right to know my son finally has himself a boyfriend.”
“Mom, we’re not...we’re just dating.”
“After six weeks? I would have thought it would be serious by now.”
He sighed, looking out toward the beach, not too far from the steps leading down from the veranda. The sun was warm, and the clouds were clear. It would be a good evening, perfect for grilling. And even more perfect when Theo showed up.
“And unless you hired a private detective to know just how long we’ve been seeing each other, you’ve been talking to someone,” continued, closing the grill’s lid.
“A lady never tells.”
sighed, stepping back into his house. Which, despite the income he pulled in, was a relatively simple bungalow style. The real cost had come from the location. A beachside house in a city with a high cost of living had been nothing to sneeze at. Yet the size of the house suited him perfectly. It wasn’t as though he needed much space for him and two cats.
He walked across the living room, letting his mother wait silently as he entered the kitchen. It was the only room in the house he’d had refurbished, but that had more to do with the horrible orange Formica countertop and the hideous green wallpaper. Even the loft upstairs, which served as his bedroom, hadn’t been as hideously decorated, though he’d torn up the shag carpet on his own. Genuine hardwood floors, cleaned and polished, beat shag anytime.
“So, how did Lydia get your number?” he finally asked as he pulled the steaks out of the fridge.
There was a moment of hesitation, and he smiled. He could practically hear the gears turning in his mother’s head. She could either double down on pretending she wasn’t in contact with anyone or fess up. It wasn’t as if there was anyone in his life as nosy as his mother other than Lydia.
“Ah, wait,” said, cutting open the packaging. “She has access to my medical file, doesn’t she? Got your number from my next of kin listing.”
“Well…” his mother began.
He slid the steaks out, letting them rest at room temperature. “The real question is how long you have been talking without me knowing. Obviously, long enough for you to get information.”
“Well, it hasn’t been long,” his mother muttered.
He gave a noncommittal noise in response.
She sighed. “Alright, fine. We’ve been in contact for a few months.”
stopped. “Months?”
“Yes, dear, months.”
“You’ve been talking to Lydia for months.”
“That is what I said.”
scowled. “You two are the nosiest busybodies, I swear.”
“Well, it’s not as if my son is giving me any information to work with. Who am I to deny a well-meaning person help?”
“Oh, don’t,” he grumbled. “I grew out of the guilt trips working years ago. Try again.”
“Well, now the cat is out of the bag, will you give me something ?”
After a moment’s thought, he grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Fine, what?”
She didn’t even bother to hide her glee. “So, I hear he’s an artist.”
screwed the top off and tossed it in the nearby bin. “Yes, he is. A very good one. In fact, I have one of his paintings hanging in my office.”
Ah, he’d loved seeing the delight on Theo’s face when the man had seen it hanging up. Theo had tried his best to play it off, but had watched the man’s eyes dart to it constantly while he was in the office.
“Lydia gave me the name, but for the life of me, I cannot remember it. Showed me a couple of pictures she had, but they weren’t...well, not really my thing,” his mother explained almost guiltily.
“No, I imagine not,” chuckled. “They’re for a certain type of person. But he’s been working on making some changes to make things different. And from what I’ve seen, he’s making good progress.”
“Well, hopefully, something a little less depressing,” she said, then hastily added, “Unless, of course, that’s what makes him happy.”
“Well, apparently not, since he’s wanting to change it up.”
“Well, he’s young, so he’s bound to change his mind.”
narrowed his eyes. “My my, you two have been gossiping, haven’t you?”
“Well, I didn’t want to ask,” his mother said, her tone telling him she most definitely did.
“Yes, he’s younger than me, by...a noticeable amount,” said, waiting for it.
“And is that wise? I’m sure he’s a very nice young man, and he certainly seems talented in his own way. And, his choices in...modification aside, he does seem to be...really, very young.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “And just how do you know what he looks like to know about his modifications? Please tell me Lydia did not sneak a picture of him and send it to you.”
“Oh God, no, she does have standards, .”
“Could’ve fooled me,” he muttered.
“His last show made the Port Dale News, and I was reading the article on him. It’s so nice to have everything digital nowadays. Saves on paper, and I don’t have to pay extra to have it delivered to my door,” she told him cheerfully.
He grunted. “I haven’t seen that.”
“Well, of course you haven’t. You never read anything if it’s in a newspaper. And why would you want to see it anyway? You see the man in the flesh...in more ways than one,” she added.
“Oh, Mom, come on,” he groaned.
“I’m no fool, . You think I don’t know what happens on dates nowadays?”
“Nowadays?” snorted.
“Well, we were more behaved back when I was dating,” she sniffed.
narrowed his eyes. “So, we’re just going to ignore the fact that you had me at sixteen?”
“Now, back to this age difference you have going on.”
“So that’s a yes, we’re going to ignore it.”
There was a pause before she huffed. “You’re not going to discuss it with me, are you?”
“It’s on the table as much as your shotgun wedding to Dad,” he told her.
She gave a hearty sigh. “Such an ungrateful child. Whatever did I do to deserve this?”
He tried not to smile, refusing to give in. “You know what they say about eavesdropping? Well, same thing applies to being nosy. You’re not always going to like what you hear.”
“Or don’t hear, apparently.”
“That too.”
A thump from the front porch had him leaning forward to look out the window. Theo stood at his front door, watching it warily. chuckled, calling for the man to come into the house. At the call, Mike and Delta came scuttling into the room, their bushy tails high as they streaked toward Theo. shook his head as Theo bent to greet the two cats, murmuring gently to them.
“I think you like my cats more than me,” told him.
“Oh, is that him?” his mother asked, glee heavy in her voice.
“I’ll have to talk to you later, Mom. Love you.” He ended the call before she could insist she talked with Theo.
The man looked nervous enough around as it was.
Theo raised a brow. “Your mom, huh?”
“She was calling to be nosy about the new pool boy I’ve been shacking up with lately.”
Theo inched closer, placing his hands on ’s hips and squeezing. “Did you tell her I barely speak English and how you make me strut around in a little bikini?”
raised a brow, wrapping his arms around Theo’s back. “Do you happen to own a bikini?”
Theo’s grin was wicked and beautiful. “Never quite pictured myself in one.”
“With legs like yours, you should consider it,” said, taking hold of them for emphasis.
“Look at you, being all charming. I gotta say, Doc, I do love how you get when you’re home,” Theo purred.
chuckled, having long since given up on getting Theo to call him by his name. “You just like it when I cook for you and tell you how good you look.”
“Both good points,” Theo said, his eyes sliding to the counter. “Ooh, steaks?”
“Well, I figured it was burgers last time.”
“Which were, I admit, fucking amazing.”
“So, I figured I’d show off my meat-handling skills by making steak this time.”
Theo snorted, patting his chest gently. “You should leave the jokes to me, big guy.”
kissed him. “Brat.”
“Always and forever.”
“Mm, but if you want to eat, you’re going to have to move and let me cook.”
“Ah, I suppose I can always seduce you later.”
“Yes, you can.”
* * *
A hearty meal of thick steak, grilled asparagus, and two beers each, and was content to sprawl on the veranda. He’d never had any use for the outdoor furniture other than the chairs. But as Theo curled up at his side, was glad he’d held onto the loveseat.
“You know, I always wondered why you had such a little house,” Theo mused.
“Don’t need a whole lot of room,” told him, arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Oh. I was going to say this view sold it for you.”
“Well, there is that.”
And it was a spectacular view. The last of the sun’s rays burst into the sky, cutting through the encroaching dark. Orange and red danced over the water, pierced only by the flash of white as the waves crested. The breeze was gentle, ruffling their clothes and heavy with the scent of brine and salt.
“I’ve always loved it out here. Sunrise, sunset, middle of the day, middle of the night, it doesn’t matter; I like it all. I told myself when I was younger I’d find a place just like this, right by the ocean,” told him.
“And now you’ve got that doctor money, you can do it.”
“Yeah, I guess I can.”
“Hey, if you’ve got it, use it, right? Take what you deserve, .”
He looked down at Theo, watching his face glow with the sun's dying light. His heart squeezed, and he tightened his grip around him. Sensing his eyes on him, Theo looked up, brow quirking.
“What?”
shook his head. “I just...I’ve never shared this with someone else before.”
“Really? This is like, Grade A seduction material, right here.”
“I’ve never really been the kind of person who seduces.”
“You’re doing pretty good.”
smiled. “Well, I guess that’s something. But my point was, I’ve never shared this with anyone before, and I’m really glad that it’s you. If there’s anyone who’d appreciate it the way I do, it would be you.”
Theo’s brow furrowed. “Yeah?”
gave his shoulders a squeeze. “Absolutely. I know we’ve been taking things quietly, but I’ve really...I’ve grown to like having you around. I wanted you to see this and be the first to see it with me. Feels right, having you here.”
A peculiar expression crossed Theo’s face, and for a moment, thought the younger man would finally enact an exit strategy. wasn’t blind, and he wasn’t stupid either. He’d seen the wariness, the worry, and the fear flash in Theo’s gaze before. was always left hoping against all odds that he could keep Theo around, enjoying his life, laughter, and sheer passion. But he also knew there was a chance he could lose the man at the drop of a hat.
Theo didn’t run, though, and he said nothing save to murmur ’s name softly. ’s breath caught at the softness crossing Theo’s face, replacing the mischievous light with something so much warmer, so much greater. ’s words had struck a chord, but apparently, one that left Theo staring at him like he’d never seen anything as wonderful as what he saw right then.
It was so easy to give in to the gentle kiss that came next, to give in to Theo.