Thirty
Blaine
The sound of the TV filters down the hallway as I open the door to my apartment, wheeling my suitcase behind me. Our flight was delayed by an hour, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to ring in the new year with Alex, but I made it home with six minutes to spare.
Leaving my luggage by the door, I take off my jacket and toss it onto the kitchen counter when I pass, then stop in my tracks when I see Alex asleep on the couch.
His arm is flung above his head, the other resting on his stomach next to his phone.
ESPN is playing highlights of tonight's game, and the light illuminates the soft features of his face.
Quietly taking off my shoes, I crouch down in front of him and run my fingers through his hair. His long blond eyelashes cast a shadow across the top of his cheekbones, and I gently stroke my thumb over his cheeks, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth.
He looks so peaceful. I don’t want to wake him, but at the same time, I’ve missed him so much the past few days that all I want is to see those beautiful blue eyes and kiss him at the stroke of midnight.
Alex stirs as I sit back on my haunches and watch when he blinks a few times.
“Blaine?” His croaks, his voice all sleepy and tired.
“Hey, baby.” I smile, leaning in and capturing his lips in a kiss. “I’m sorry I’m late, our flight was delayed.”
“It’s okay,” he says with a yawn. “What time is it?”
I tap the screen of his phone. “It’s eleven fifty-nine.”
His eyes sparkle when he smiles. “Can we watch the fireworks?”
“Of course.” I nod, taking his hand when I stand. Leading him down the hallway, we enter my bedroom just as the first firework lights up the sky over the lake. I pull him into my arms and cradle his face with my hand, sliding my lips over his.
“Happy New Year, baby,” I murmur against his lips.
“Happy New Year!” He wraps his arms around my neck. “This is gonna be our year.”
He’s right, and I lose myself in him as we make love for the first time while the night sky turns technicolor.
Hours later, I wake up to the sound of my apartment door slamming, followed by the sound of my brother’s voice. My eyes flicker open, quickly checking it didn’t wake Alex up, but thankfully he’s still sound asleep, and I watch the soft rise and fall of his chest and the slight parting of his lips.
Those dark blond lashes resting on the top of his cheek.
My heart swells in my chest at how fucking gorgeous he is.
The door swings open, and my brother appears holding a white paper bag from our favorite sandwich shop. “Good morning, twinny! We’ve bought bagels—whoa” Elliot sighs dramatically. “Blaine, what have I told you about having your dick out? You know I bring bagels on non-game day Sunday’s.”
“Shush,” I whisper.
I carefully slip out of bed, trying not to jostle Alex, and pull on my pajama pants before leading Elliot out into the hall, closing my bedroom door behind me.
Zach’s in the kitchen sorting through different-flavored Nespresso pods, and raises his chin in greeting as I walk in.
“You guys need to be quiet; Alex is still sleeping.”
“Sorry, bud, we didn’t know he would be here." Elliot knocks my shoulder with his fist, then his eyes widen in alarm. “Shit, I don’t have a bagel for him. What would he like, and I’ll go grab one.”
I smile at my brother. He’s such a good guy.
“He’d probably like the same as us.”
“You got it.” He fires finger guns at me. “Reid, get that coffee brewing for when I come back.”
Zach gives another grunt, finally choosing a pod and shoving it into the machine.
Elliot jogs out the door, and I take a seat at the breakfast bar.
I watch the tightness in Zach’s shoulders as he scoops the unused coffee pods back into the glass jar I keep them in and how his lip curls in discomfort whenever he moves his right shoulder.
He took another nasty hit into the boards during our game last night against Miami.
“Is your shoulder still hurting?” I ask.
He turns to face me, and nods, raising his left hand to run through his shaggy, dark hair. “Yeah, I slept like shit, too, because no matter what position I tried, there was pain shooting through it.”
“What did Joe say?” Referring to our trainer.
“I saw him again this morning and he said I’ve pulled a muscle. Joe’s worked on it but I think he’s a bit concerned.”
As the coffee machine finishes one cup, he hands the mug over to me before putting another pod in and starting it again.
I lift my head to the sound of soft footsteps coming from the hall. Alex appears, looking all sleepy and disoriented, his hair disheveled and sticking all over the place, a clear sign of what we got up to last night. He's wearing a pair of my sweats and one of my t-shirts, which looks huge on him.
Fuck, I feel so overwhelmed with emotions.
Happiness because of the sight of him and the fact he was here when I got home so I could ring in the New Year with him. But there’s also fear.
An all-encompassing fear because of how hard I’m falling for him and how I want him to be here permanently scares the shit out of me.
Is there an accurate timeline you have to follow when it feels right in your gut?
“Morning, gorgeous.” I smile brightly.
His cheeks flush as he heads toward me. I spread my legs where I’m sitting on the stool, and he steps into them, pressing a gentle kiss against my lips. It takes him a few moments to notice Zach, and the second he does, his face turns a deeper shade of pink.
Zach chuckles. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, Zach. Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.” Alex waves shyly.
My best friend simply shakes his head, a soft yet sad smile on his face. “Don’t sweat it. Would you like a coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Zach turns around to empty the jar of coffee pods onto the counter again.
“How did you sleep?” I press a soft kiss to the underside of Alex's jaw.
“Amazingly, your bed’s like a cloud.”
I laugh, nodding. “It is.”
“Plus, having you next to me is nice.” He wraps his arms around my neck. His eyes are still small and tired. “I only woke up because I rolled over to cuddle you and you were gone.”
“I had an alarm that I had forgotten about.” And just as my twinny senses tingle, Elliot bursts through the door like he’s being chased by a pack of rabid dogs.
“Holy shit, you’re never gonna guess what I just saw.
” Elliot's eyes go wide with glee. “A man walking a rabbit on a leash. It had a fucking harness on like a dog, and it was just hopping down the street like—” He starts hopping through the kitchen, still holding the white bag that contains Alex’s bagel.
We all burst into laughter at his ridiculous re-enactment.
“Hey, sleepy head! I got you a breakfast sandwich!” Elliot hands over the paper bag. “It’s a toasted sesame seed bagel with sausage, bacon, egg, and cream cheese.” He counts the ingredients on his fingers. “It’s cheesy good.”
Alex's eyes widen slightly in surprise as he takes the bag from my brother. He looks down at it for a moment before looking back up at Elliot, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you; that’s really kind of you.”
Elliot shrugs, completely unaware of how much his thoughtfulness means to my man.
My man?
I shake my head, at war with myself at how natural it feels while part of my subconscious screams that it’s too soon. But then, seeing the wonderment on his face at what would usually be deemed a small gesture?
It makes me so happy to see Alex getting along so well with those important in my life and I know that this will mean a lot to him because it does to me.
Zach makes everyone a cup of coffee, and we sit at the breakfast bar to dig into our bagels. He tells me how Carter is feeling ahead of his game tonight, which we will be watching over at Ethan's apartment for boys’ night, while Elliot discusses what snacks he’s hoping people will bring.
“Would you like to come tonight?” I turn to Alex.
He looks up to face me, surprised. “Really?”
I nod.
“I… I’d like that, thank you.”
I can’t help but smile. That bubbling sensation in my chest heightens, making me feel like I’m walking on the fucking moon, and I completely let go of the timing issue.
It’s not too soon at all.
* * *
“What the fuck are these?” Elliot shrieks from the kitchen.
I glance over my shoulder to see him holding up a bag of chips between his thumb and forefinger like it’s a dirty jockstrap, his nose scrunched up in disgust. “Oyster mushroom chips? Who the heck bought oyster mushroom chips? Why would you even have mushrooms as chips?”
“Hey, don’t knock ‘em ‘til you’ve tried them. Maria got them for me; they’re like super food in the shape of potato chips.” Kendrick gets up from the couch and walks toward the kitchen where Elliot’s still standing with the bag in his hand as if it’s some kind of deadly fungus.
Elliot quickly throws the bag of chips at Kendrick, then continues his pursuit of the selection of snacks.
Ethan makes a kickass spread when he hosts boys' night: pizza, wings, a wide selection of meats, cheeses and olives on a charcuterie board, fresh fruit, potato chips. You name it, it’ll be on the counter.
Elliot’s eyes widen when he spots the box of cupcakes Alex made earlier.
“As the great Obi-Wan once said, Hello there .” He opens the lid and takes a deep inhale. “Mmm, I can already smell the tears from an extra workout, and it smells divine.”
He takes one out, and then, just as he’s about to take a bite, Zach jumps up from his spot on the couch and practically runs to the counter. He’s already had two since we got here just thirty minutes ago.
Elliot slaps his hand away from the box and points his finger. “Hey now, big guy, you’ve already had two, and while I know you’re a growing boy, didn’t ya mama teach you about sharing?”
I can sense Zach’s pout from here, even with his back turned to me. The man’s such a weakling for cupcakes or donuts.