Chapter 10 #3
“Yeah,” he agreed, hand sliding down Sean’s back, resting right in the small of his back, feeling the heat of his skin through the thin fabric of his t-shirt. They wandered over to where Tony was pulling beers.
“Hey,” Tony said glancing up at them. “It’s a great night, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Gabriel agreed. “I’m glad we do this.”
“I’m glad we’re still doing this,” Sean added.
Tony grabbed them two beers. “It’s gonna take more than a little bit of bullshit to scare us away.”
“The glitter looks great,” Sean enthused. “Honestly, I love what you did with it. It never would have occurred to me to turn it into a celebration.”
Tony’s smile was soft and sweet. The kind of look that Gabriel would never have imagined he’d wear, once upon a time. “That’s all Lucas,” he said. “He didn’t want us to be ashamed.”
With Sean’s skin only a thin layer of cotton away from his hand and the wonder and awe of his feelings cresting through him, Gabriel thought to himself that he’d never been less ashamed in his life.
If he thought Sean wouldn’t panic and freak out, he’d tell him how he felt. He wouldn’t waste a single moment; he’d tell him tonight.
“And we’re not,” Sean said, sounding just as certain as he’d ever been about anything.
“How’s the new menu item coming along?” Tony asked casually, changing the subject. “Ren mentioned you guys were working on it.”
“It’s going good,” Gabriel said. “It’s not what I expected it would be, but I think . . .” He glanced over at Sean, who was still smiling. “I think it’s better because it’s not what anyone would expect.”
“I think so too,” Sean agreed.
“You two seem to be on the same page recently . . .”
But that was all Tony got out before Sean interrupted him. “Tony, we said we’d take care of it, and we are.”
Gabriel was surprised at the vehemence in Sean’s voice. He hadn’t expected that at all. Tony clearly hadn’t either.
“Uh, okay,” Tony said. “I wasn’t saying . . .”
“Yeah, you were,” Sean said, again not letting Tony finish. “You wanted to remind us that we still need to come to an agreement over who’s going to keep the name. I know. I think about it every day, okay? I know Gabriel does, too.”
He didn’t. Not really. He thought about it every once in awhile, the ugly thought intruding in the happiness he’d found, and every time it showed up, he pushed it away, because he didn’t know how to deal with it.
He’d never known how to deal with it.
But he was not going to be stupid enough to say that, especially not now.
“Alright,” Tony said, his expression smoothing into a charming smile. “I trust you guys.”
“You should,” Sean retorted.
“Hey,” Gabe said, fingertips brushing against his back. “Come on, let’s have that dance, okay?”
“Yes,” Sean said, and his smile was back. Brighter than ever. “Let’s do that.”
They set their beers on a nearby table, and Gabriel was pleasantly surprised when Sean was the one to take him by the hand and tug him onto the makeshift dance floor.
The band that Tony had found for the night was a little more honky-tonk than they usually got, but Gabriel found himself really enjoying it, and the lead singer’s rainbow cowboy boots.
The song wasn’t particularly up-tempo, but slow enough that it felt right for Gabriel to wind his arms around Sean’s waist and pull him close, moving along to the beat.
They’d been slightly more circumspect around the lot—ever since the first night, when they’d barely been able to keep their hands off each other—but there was a crowd tonight.
If anyone saw them, Gabe decided he didn’t care.
“This is nice,” Sean said with a soft sigh, as his head rested on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Really nice, actually.”
“We did duck out on the six-month anniversary party early,” Gabriel pointed out. “It feels good to celebrate that we’re still here. Still going strong.”
Sean pulled back, his eyes deep and dark in the shadows of the evening. “Better than ever,” he agreed as they moved to the music together.
It was the perfect moment—and of course Gabriel had to ruin it by opening his big fat mouth and sticking his foot in it. “Did you mean it?” he wondered, before he could stop himself.
“Mean what?” Sean asked, sliding his fingers under the hem of Gabriel’s t-shirt, making him shiver as they danced up his spine.
“That you think about it all the time?”
Sean still looked baffled.
“The name,” Gabriel said. “You told Tony you think about it all the time.”
“Oh,” Sean said. “Yeah, actually,” he added. “Sometimes I think if I could just think about it long enough, and clearly enough, I’d come up with the solution we’d both be happy with. Because . . .” He hesitated. “I don’t want to lose this.”
“I don’t want to lose it either,” Gabe said seriously.
“We’ll get there,” Sean said confidently. His entire hand pressed against the damp skin of Gabriel’s back and he tensed, then relaxed into his touch. “Fighting with you was really fun, actually, but it turns out this is more fun.”
“Orgasms usually are,” Gabe teased.
Sean’s gaze was serious. “And you give such good ones,” he said.
He was wading right into the deep end—or maybe he’d been there long enough that the shock of it had worn off already—but he leaned in and kissed Sean anyway.
And Sean didn’t hesitate, he kissed him right back, their lips moving together in a woozy rush.
It was hot, because kissing Sean couldn’t ever be anything else, but there was a soft sweetness to it, a lack of rushing, that warmed Gabe’s heart.
The frantic heat of the last few times they’d fucked had been glorious, but this felt even better. Not like they were just racing to the inevitable end, but like he and Sean were savoring every single moment.
Sean broke the kiss first, resting his head back on Gabe’s shoulder. They were barely swaying with the music now, but it didn’t matter. Gabriel’s heart still felt so full it might explode. “You still going with me tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course.” Like Gabriel would let anyone else go with him. He’d already planned the restaurant supply stores they’d go to, and the really great Asian fusion place that was near one of them. They’d make a day of it. A date of it, if he had any say in the matter.
“I can’t believe I used to think you were a stubborn asshole.” Sean chuckled under his breath.
“I can’t believe you think I’m still anything else,” Gabriel retorted. It was kind of selfish asshole territory, pushing them both into this dating thing, without even telling Sean about it, especially when he’d been so clear about what he’d wanted.
But he was a grown man, wasn’t he? If he didn’t like any of it, he could pull back. He didn’t have to cuddle in closer, burrow so near that if Gabriel could tuck him inside, he would.
“You’re a lot of things, Gabriel Moretti,” Sean said quietly. “But meatballs notwithstanding, you’re anything but an asshole.”
“I could . . .” Gabriel licked his lips. It felt like such a risk, telling him now, about the name he’d picked out, about the plans he’d made, about how he’d rather cut off his own arm than take away something that Sean cared about, like he did his ex-husband.
But what if Sean was still operating under the assumption that when they figured their shit out, it was over?
Deep down, Gabriel didn’t really believe that was true. Sean had even said that what they were doing was more fun than arguing. But how long would that last?
What if he woke up one morning and knew, once and for all, that Gabriel could never fill Milo’s shoes? The same way Gabriel knew it?
Gabe couldn’t let him go, not just yet. If he did, and it ended, he was going to end up just as bitter and bereft as Ren, and that was a cautionary tale if he’d ever seen one.
“What?” Sean asked softly. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Gabe said. “I just wanted to say I could make you pancakes tomorrow. Blueberry. If you wanted.”
“How did you know that was my favorite?” Sean sounded absolutely delighted.
“I know more than you think,” Gabriel said.