Forty-Five Noah
forty-five
Noah
One Week Later
Are you sure I can’t take it in my carry-on?” Jake asked.
“I’m sure,” Noah said, zipping Jake’s suitcase closed with the enormous Lego set squashed between his clothes. “Minifigures only. You promised, remember?”
Jake sighed and flopped backward on Noah’s bed. “I remember.” He held a Scarlet Spider minifigure in his right hand, walking it along Noah’s duvet.
Jake really had promised. And Noah trusted his son to keep it.
Just like Jake trusted Noah to keep his promises. And understood that not everything was a promise. Sometimes, it was just a hope.
Noah stood, ignoring the little pop in his left knee, and hauled Jake’s suitcase upright. Jake’s carry-on was packed, too, and ready to go. Noah’s own suitcase was still open on the bed, filled with laundry he’d do at Ramin’s once he moved in.
He’d moved his more adult items to Ramin’s beforehand. He hadn’t actually looked at the care instructions for his singlet. Apparently it had to air dry, and he couldn’t exactly leave it hanging around in his bathroom at the hotel.
He imagined it on Ramin’s folding laundry rack instead, blue spandex amidst all Ramin’s clothes. He wondered if Ramin ever sniffed it.
And then he felt himself getting hard and tried not to think about it.
He had another ten days with Ramin, ten days to explore Italy—not to mention each other’s bodies—and this thing between them. This beautiful, new, familiar thing.
Love.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“When you get home, is Ramin gonna be my new stepdad?”
Noah nearly tripped. “What?”
“When Lyla’s mom got remarried, she got a stepdad.” Lyla was one of Jake’s classmates. “He wanted her to call him Dad, but she calls him Steve.”
“I don’t know, Jakey. We’re still figuring it out. I promise we won’t make any big decisions like that without talking them over with you, too.” He mussed Jake’s hair. “And don’t worry. You won’t have to call Ramin Steve.”
Jake giggled. The sound soothed Noah’s soul.
Jake’s energy was still a little low in the afternoons and evenings, but he’d bounced back from surgery quickly. He was already trying to get gelato every meal again. And in between meals.
Basically every chance he could get.
An empty paper cup sat in the trash can from this morning.
Noah and Angela really needed to get back in the practice of saying no to Jake sometimes.
But Noah wasn’t the only one shaken up. Angela admitted she’d been too permissive with him lately, too, but she assured Noah things would go back to normal once they got back to the States.
Angela poked her head through the open door connecting their rooms. “What’re you two goofing off about?”
“Nothing,” Noah said. “Just teasing Jake.”
“Steve,” Jake said in a deep voice and cracked up again.
Noah met Angela’s eyes and shrugged. She pretended to roll her eyes at their antics, but she pressed her lips together, too, a sure sign she was holding in a laugh.
“Nonno’s almost here. You all packed up?”
“Jake is. I’ve got a bit to finish. I can check us all out when I’m done.”
“Okay. Mind helping me with the luggage?”
“Come back and visit us soon,” Nonna said, pulling Jake into a tight hug, kissing his cheeks over and over.
“I’m coming for summer break!” Jake said.
Noah and Angela and Jake had already talked it over. Jake would stay with Noah for the school year, Angela would visit over Christmas, and Jake would visit her over the summer.
Noah might visit, too—not for the whole summer, but for a little while.
Ramin might come along, too.
“I can’t wait!” Nonno said, taking his turn to hug Jake. “Bring your fishing rod, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll try.” Jake’s face turned serious. “It’s okay if we don’t have time to go fishing, though. I’ll still love you.”
Noah grinned. That was progress. Right?
As he loaded the suitcases in Nonno’s car, he spotted a familiar striped tank top out of the corner of his eye. Ramin glanced both ways before jogging across the street, ignoring the crosswalk completely.
“Hey.”
Noah pulled him in for a kiss. “Hey.”
Ramin took his time hugging Angela and Nonno. He gave Nonna an extra-long hug and said something that Noah couldn’t catch but that had Nonna blushing. Then he knelt down next to Jake.
“See you soon, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We can play with your new set when I get back, if you like.”
“Really?” Jake asked.
“Really. If you don’t mind.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Good.” Ramin glanced Noah’s way, then looked back at Jake. “Thanks for letting your dad stay with me. We’ll be back home soon.”
“Okay,” Jake said. “Don’t worry. I won’t call you Steve.”
Ramin looked back at Noah, bewildered.
Noah could only laugh as Jake threw his arms around Ramin’s neck. Ramin hugged him back, tight.
Noah’s chest lightened. He looked at all his favorite people, standing in the Italian sun, smiling and laughing, even though they were saying goodbye.
No, not goodbye. Just see you later.
“I love you, buddy. More than anything,” Noah said when it was his turn to see Jake off.
“Love you too, Dad.” Jake hugged him tight.
Noah brushed the hair off his forehead and kissed it.
“I’ll see you soon, yeah? Try not to burst anymore appendixes.”
Jake cheesed and got into Nonno’s car.
Noah wrapped his arm around Ramin’s waist as they watched his family drive away.
He waited for the anxiety to hit. Or the guilt. He was letting his family go home without him. He was being selfish, staying in Italy for another ten days, just him and Ramin.
But it was okay.
They were all okay.
“So,” Ramin said, leaning his head against Noah’s shoulder. “What now?”
“Now I still have to finish packing,” Noah said. “And checking out.”
“I can help.”
“Thanks, baby.”
Noah would never turn down Ramin’s help.
“What about after?”
Ramin fiddled with one of his studs. Noah reached up and twisted the other, which got a shy smile out of Ramin.
“There’s lots of cities we could visit.” His smile turned devilish. “And lots of bathrooms I could blow you in, too.”
Noah giggled, though his penis twitched in his jeans.
Both things sounded… well. They sounded like heaven.
“Why wait for a bathroom?” Noah asked. “I don’t have to check out until noon.”
Ramin sighed. “I love you, you know.”
“I love you too.”
And then he dragged Ramin toward the elevator.
They had the room for another three hours, and Noah intended to make the most of them.