13. Xander
THIRTEEN
Xander
I hated to say goodbye to Aruba because it was the place where I’d fully come into myself. It was also where Mason and I had finally come together. It’d always hold a special place in my heart, but I was ready for the next phase of my life.
It struck me while taking our seats in first class that, once we jetted away from this island paradise, reality would be waiting.
And while that reality could be—probably would be—bumpy, I was looking forward to it.
Perhaps more than the others judging by the washed-out looks of my friends.
No one seemed to be excited to get back to the real world other than me.
Even Mason seemed reserved this morning.
He’d been on the phone all morning as we’d packed.
He was still on the phone as we boarded.
I tried not to be hurt by his undivided attention to his new business.
It would take a lot of his time, I knew that.
Still, I’d been hoping for a last kiss under a palm tree or perhaps one last lazy morning in bed.
But that hadn’t happened. Guess reality had found us.
I sat across the aisle from Mason, who had wanted a window seat.
Marquis was on my right looking dapper but drained.
Eli was seated in front of his brother and Renco and Dunny were ahead of me.
Renco had been tightly wound this morning, pulling on a ballcap and dark glasses as if he were trying to avoid the paparazzi or the feds.
Goalies. Who knew what oddness bubbled away in their heads?
“Are you looking forward to getting home?” I asked Marquis. He made a small noise like a snort, only not because Marquis was way too elegant and classy to pig snort.
“The rest of my summer is packed with travel.” He sighed as if seeing the world was something terrible.
“First world problems,” I mumbled and got a dry look from the man in the Bruno Margo acid-washed jeans and plum polo shirt that I’d guess had set him back a cool two grand.
“I suppose.” He sighed as he removed his sunglasses. “I enjoy traveling, I do, but my family has set up things for me. Destinations I couldn’t care less about but my father’s ill, and my uncle refuses to fly so someone has to represent the family business overseas.”
“And that’s you?” He nodded while twirling his shades back and forth. “What’s your family business?”
“Plumbing.”
Oh. That wasn’t at all what I’d expected. “Do plumbers have overseas deals?”
“They do when they’re Miller & Miller Plumbing.
I’m sure you’ve heard of them.” I shook my head.
His dark brown eyes flared. “Oh, well if you’ve ever strolled through Manhattan, London, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City, or Mumbai and looked at the skyscrapers while wondering who does the plumbing for over ninety percent of those huge buildings the answer is Miller & Miller Plumbing.
My father and uncle own it and are looking to branch out more into Europe.
And since my cousins are useless, it falls to me to fly all around the world to break bread with piddly little countries and charm the local governments. ”
“Life is rough,” I tossed out. That made him smile a little. “Eating caviar with kings, prime ministers, presidents, and sheiks.”
“Well, when you put it like that… ” He chuckled.
“I know I’m being bratty. I just had plans for the summer.
I wanted to disengage from the family business and coach a tee-ball league for underprivileged Boston youth.
Now I’m stuck on the family Lear flying from one boring ass dinner to another, talking about toilets.
Most of the other guys are already gone.
I hate to let the kids down, but I can’t tell my family no either. ”
“I can take your tee-ball league if you want. I’ve literally nothing going on. I was going to go home but now that Mason and I are… you know, a couple, I want to stay in Boston with him.”
His sour gaze dissipated. “Really? That would be amazing. Thank you. I’ll text you the info and let them know you’ll be coaching in my place. You’ll love it. The kids are four to six so just the perfect age to get into sports.”
“Cool.” We fist bumped. I turned to smile at Mason, but he was jabbering away to Becca.
I’d tell him later about the tee-ball league.
We had all the time in the world now. Settling back into my seat I felt a serenity settle over me that I’d not felt in…
well, ever. My life was finally starting to look as if it was falling into place one incredible bit at a time.
Maybe I should thank that asshole who’d tried to lean on me for cash.
Without his push, I’d probably still be in the closet all alone. So yeah, thank you asshole.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised when our cheery pilot announced that we’d be landing at Logan with some delay. Like seriously, what the hell else was new? As we circled, I kept shooting glances at Mason, who sat stiffly in his seat, phone in hand, eyes glued to the wing.
“See a monster out there?” I asked. His sleepy gaze moved to me.
“What?”
“On the wing. A monster.” He stared at me as if I’d asked him if he’d seen a hippo in a tutu dancing Swan Lake back in economy. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember.”
“Guess not?” He shrugged then scrubbed at his eyes.
“How could you forget? Eli and I used to watch those old Twilight Zone shows every Saturday night. There was one with William Shatner, and he’s recovering from a nervous breakdown and sees this monster on the wing of the plane he’s flying in. You really don’t remember that?”
“No, sorry.” He did put his phone down to focus on me.
Which was nice. The rest of the guys were sleeping or watching movies.
Earbuds in meant “do not disturb” to me, so I’d spent the flight thinking.
Probably not a good thing but I was too wound up in this exuberant new love affair, and what our futures held, to nod off.
“I’m shocked that you don’t recall it. It freaked you the hell out,” I said then chuckled at the memory of a maybe five-year-old Mason losing his shit over that episode.
“Okay, so was I just mildly freaked out or totally Spooky Space Kook freaked out? I have levels of freaked out,” he explained as a smile danced on his lips. Lips that needed kissing. And soon.
“What the hell is a Spooky Space Kook?”
“Dude, honestly? From Scooby-Doo?” I shrugged. “Do not tell me you don’t remember Scooby-Doo. If you do, I am telling the Rebels you need a brain scan to check for concussion damage.”
“Of course I remember Scooby-Doo but not that kooky space guy.”
He tsked me soundly. “I’m not sure we can be a couple anymore.” That made me snicker. “He was this big guy in a cheesy spacesuit with a skull in the headpiece. Made this creepy wailing laughing sound. That bastardly thing scared me to death. Every time it’d laugh, I’d cry.”
“Oh yeah! I remember now. Eli and I would chase after you making that stupid sound until you cried and ran to your mother.” He tapped his nose. “God, we were such assholes to you.”
“The biggest assholes,” he agreed far too readily.
I leaned over into the aisle so we could speak more quietly. “If you ever get scared at night, I’ll hold you close until the scary things go away.”
He smiled that soft, dopey lovestruck smile I’d seen in the mornings in Aruba.
“What happens when I’m home alone in that creepy pool house?” he teased. Eli’s pool house was far from creepy. It was damn swanky.
“That’s a problem. You’ll just have to move in with me then,” I tossed out.
He snorted in amusement. I wasn’t joking though.
I was serious. His smile began to slip when I didn’t laugh along.
The flight attendant came through with the drink cart.
I waved him off as did Mason. Handing out drinks wasn’t a good sign.
Landing delays sucked. Generally. Maybe this one would work to my advantage.
Because now that I’d said it, I found I really wanted Mason to live with me.
Once the cart was gone, I leaned back into the aisle.
Mason was still gaping at me, his phone clutched in his hand.
“You weren’t serious were you?” he asked in a whisper. I glanced at Eli napping in front of his brother, his ballcap pulled down low on his brow.
“As a heart attack.”
He began chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Xander, that’s totally insane. We’ve only been a couple for what? Eight days? Nine?”
“Yeah, around there but we’re not the typical couple, Mason. We know each other. And not just in the biblical sense.” He was shaking his head. “Don’t get locked into denial. Just hear me out. We’ve lived together or close enough to count. I know everything about you.”
“Not everything,” he weakly argued.
“Please. I know you squish the pimentos out of olives then toss them on my slice of pizza. I know you squeeze the toothpaste from the middle. I know you cannot watch anything scary hence the monster on the plane wing and spacey kook freak-outs.”
“Spooky Space Kook and he was terrifying.”
“Sure he was. I know what music you like, what shows you record, what flavor chips you adore. There’s nothing that’ll surprise me about you since I’ve known you my whole damn life. Move in with me.”
“Xander, this is insane. No, I can’t. It’s too soon. Everyone will say it’s too soon.”
I took his hand, the one without the phone, and held it tight. “To hell with what people’ll say. We know we love each other. We know we can spend lots of time together. I used to be at your house or you at mine every damn day. Weekends, vacations, hockey camps.”
“The hockey camps were you and Eli.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that, but we camped out all the time. Slept in the same tent, drank out of the same water canteens. Hell, we used to share chewing gum.”
“Yeah, that was gross.”
“It was but we were kids. The point is that we know each other. We’re years ahead of most people in terms of discovery. There’s really nothing left for us to find out because we already know it. Why spend time driving to each other’s places? Paying rent and utilities?”
“I’d pay for my share at your place,” he said, and it was right then that I knew I had him hooked.
Now I just had to reel him in. My heart was thumping madly in my chest. This was so right. I knew it. Deep down in my marrow having Mason in my home and life and bed was where my future lay.
“Of course. We’ll work all that out. Just think though.” I gave his hand a squeeze and stared right into his soul. “Waking up with each other every day. What we had in Aruba we can have in Boston. We can make this work. I know we can. We love each other so much. Move in with me.”
He seemed to be searching for something in my eyes. His reply was slow in coming. I held his hand as we made another loop of Logan.
“It would look more professional if I wasn’t living in a pool house.”
“Yeah, it would. My place is perfect for a new businessman. We can invite people over for dinner parties. Everyone is always impressed.” That was no lie.
My place was worth a cool two point four million.
It was a double townhouse, south facing, close to Public Garden, a tree-lined street, and had been decorated by the internationally known but Boston living designer Sacha Zhao.
The cost of having Sacha do the place nearly cost me what I’d paid for the house but it was really stunning.
Empty though. But if Mason moved in life and light would burst from the windows to warm the neighborhood.
“There’s plenty of room. We can take one of the three bedrooms and make it into a home office for you.
You can even have your own bath if you want.
There are three and a half. Take your pick!
I know you like privacy when you’re manscaping. ”
He blushed. “You really do know everything about me.”
I nodded. “Say yes, baby.”
He wet his lips then nodded. I climbed out of my seat and kissed him hard on the mouth. Within seconds, flight attendants were hovering around me like vultures over a dead water buffalo.
“Sorry, sorry, I just had to kiss my boyfriend.” I sat back down and buckled my belt. “He just agreed to move in with me.”
I was beaming. Mason was red-faced. And Eli was now eyeballing me from under his Rebels ballcap. Guess he had overheard. Oh well. He could be pissy about it all he wanted. This was our life, and we were going to live it our way whether or not he or anyone else approved.
I hoped he would though.