Chapter Fourteen
Ari
I knew where they lived, in that amazing little house. But it wasn’t as if I could just show up and say “Hi, I’d like to take one or two of you out for the night.” Or maybe I could have, but it just didn’t feel right. No, I knew Colter at least had been at Chained, as had Scottie, so maybe all the littles there belonged?
As the week went on, I visited every night, but neither Colter or Dallas was present, and I just ended up hanging out in the conversation area with the daddies and littles there, eating snacks, having a drink or two, and relaxing. At least as much as I could while watching each person who passed us on the way to the main floor and the private rooms. After a few days, I began to think they wouldn’t come at all. After what happened to Scottie, they might be nervous. I couldn’t blame them. Even if Ms. Lily had stepped in and banned the perp, he’d still had enough time to get the little very upset, and rightfully so from my observance.
“Who are you watching for?” Bridger asked, sitting on the sofa across from mine. “You’ve been doing it all week.”
“No…” I lost the ability to fib under his stern daddy stare. “Okay. Yes. I’ve met two littles recently and am hoping one or the other might show up.”
“Really?” He cocked his head, his interest obviously piqued. “I’ve never heard you mention a particular little like this before. They must be special. Do I know them?”
“I don’t know if you do. You weren’t with me when I met either of them, but I know at least one comes here, and I’ve been keeping an eye out.”
“As busy as it is tonight, you might miss anyone coming in. Why don’t we go to the little room and be sure you see them if they do show up.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Hudson, let’s go play.”
He just wanted to get a look at them, and I knew that, but I didn’t mind all that much. Bridger had been my first friend at this club, Ms. Lily excepted, of course. He didn’t know a lot about my past, but he did know I’d lost Marty and was a widower. Something about that status made everyone want to see me in another relationship as quickly as possible. “All right.” I joined the two of them on their way to the little room. “But if I do see one of them, you won’t send Hudson over to be all middle school, right?”
“I’m not a middle,” Hudson said. “I’m a little.”
“He means no snooping or trying to find out if the other little likes him,” his daddy said. “Got it?”
“Yes, but I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to know if the little likes him.” He shrugged. “Big people are weird.”
We got to the little room, and Hudson dashed off because there was a glitter table set up.
“Ugh,” Bridger groaned. “Ms. Lily must hate me.”
“The littles love it,” I reminded him. “Even if we don’t.”
“Well, Hudson doesn’t love having to sit while I use a fine-toothed comb to get all those sparkly bits out. But”—he waved at his little who was sitting on a low stool and rubbing his hands like an evil villain about to enact his best plot yet—“he never remembers that when he’s confronted by all those colors.”
Despite his apparent complaint, Bridger’s tone held easy affection. Their relationship was one of those anyone could aspire to. They saw one another through all the ups and downs of life. I was just about to say something about that when I saw them come in together. I hissed in a breath through my teeth, and Bridger turned away from his little to follow my line of sight.
“Is that one of them?”
“Both.” They came together, and they looked so perfect in their onesies and short shorts and sneakers. “What do I do?”
They had not seen me or at least not said something if they did.
“Go over and make sure you are in their line of sight.” He gave me a little push. “See if they come up to you.”
“While you enjoy watching from here.”
“Yes, exactly.” He looked around and found a chair to sit in. “Rather from here.”
I gave him an evil look, but he appeared unimpressed as I stood a few feet from where the littles had come in. They were clearly together, but I didn’t know what that might mean either to them or to any future I might have with either.
If they were together, did they even need a daddy?
“Daddy Ari!” Dallas’ voice carried over to me. “Will you color with us?”
Would I?
I sat down at the table where they had big triangular crayons scattered over the surface. “What are we coloring, boys?”
We had fun for a while coloring cartoon animals in unlikely hues, followed by a snack of cookies and orange juice before we retreated to the conversation area to get to know one another, or just to relax.
After we had lemonades in front of us, I looked at Dallas and Colter, seated on either side me, and offered an encouraging smile. “So, how long have you been together?”
They both looked surprised. “We can’t be,” Dallas said. “We are both littles.”
Like they had to tell me.
“You can be together, whether you are littles or not. You could even share a daddy if you chose to.”
“How would that work?” Colter asked.
“Maybe we should try that,” I suggested, “and see how it turns out.”