Chapter 15 #3
Without thinking, he curled his arm tighter around Frode and hugged him.
He wouldn't allow any of his family members near Frode.
The risk was small. He'd been in town for three months, and he'd spotted Uncle Georgiy in the grocery store once, only to have him meet Nikolai's eyes, then whirl around and stomp away.
It didn't matter. Had it been Uncle Mikhail, it would've hurt, but he didn't give a fuck what Georgiy thought of him.
"Hey." Frode patted his hand with a gloved one, and for a second Nikolai could understand why Declan had disliked the gloves.
If Frode hadn't worn them, there would've been skin contact.
On the other hand, if he hadn't worn them, he wouldn't be relaxing under Nikolai's arm.
He'd be lost in a trance and might end up barfing all over him, so the gloves needed to stay on.
"Are you okay?"
Nikolai met Frode's worried gaze. "Yes, fine."
"Then why are you trying to squeeze the air out of me?"
Blinking helped little. "Sorry." He wasn't squeezing him, was he?
"What were you thinking about?"
Ugh, he didn't want to talk. He toyed with Frode's hair and plastered on a smile. "It's nothing. How are we doing in the game?" He glanced at the TV. The numbers on the scoreboard had changed. He must've missed a few goals.
"No idea. Basketball is pretty boring to watch. They're skilled, and if I could've done what they do with a ball, I might have played basketball, but--"
"You're like half as tall as they are." The referee looked tiny next to the players, but Nikolai didn't think he was particularly short.
"Fuck you, Nesterova. We can't all be built like linebackers."
Nikolai grinned. "Compared to those guys, I'm tiny." Which was a bit unnerving to think about. He was used to being among the tallest in a room, and he liked it that way. He and Hjalmar towered over most, which made it easy to exchange looks and eyerolls when they were in a room full of people.
"Is Julian tall?"
Nikolai widened his eyes. The question threw him. "Eh...no. He's your size."
"My size?" Frode raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know. Tiny."
Frode huffed. "I'm not tiny."
No, he wasn't. He was lean, but Nikolai would guess he was 5'11. "Maybe an inch or so shorter than you."
"So you like tiny?"
Nikolai shrugged. He didn't think he'd ever gone for a guy based on his height, but most men he picked up were smaller than he was. He almost snorted. Picked up. As if it was something he did. He hadn't picked anyone up in years, not since before Julian. "I don't bring a measuring tape to a date."
Frode grinned, and it stole Nikolai's breath. He didn't grin often, at least not in this carefree manner. Frode was pretty good at sneers, but this was unguarded amusement, and it made Nikolai's heart speed up.
"What about you?"
"What about me? I think we've established I wouldn't make a good basketball player."
"Was Declan tall? Chance?"
Frode scrunched his nose. "Chance and I were the same size. We wore each other's clothes, shoes, everything. It was neat if you missed doing your laundry."
A strange feeling awoke in Nikolai's chest. He wouldn't call it jealousy, but the idea of Frode wearing another man's clothes made him want to...snarl or something equally stupid.
Frode chuckled. "He's preppier than me. Button-down shirts to my T-shirts, chinos to my jeans, but it worked." He nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "It was good."
Preppy? Nikolai looked down at his worn jeans and AC/DC T-shirt. Not preppy.
"And Declan?"
"Ugh, Declan."
The reluctance to talk about Declan should make Nikolai stop poking, but it only made him more curious. "Preppy?" Nikolai pictured a spoiled brat, pouting because his boyfriend had problems of his own and wasn't a mind reader.
"No. Worn jeans and band T-shirts."
Oh...Nikolai looked down his body again. Fuck.
"A couple of inches taller than me." He waved a hand, looking annoyed. "Fucking gorgeous, the bastard."
Oookay. "Is he still in town?"
Frode shrugged and pushed away from Nikolai to sit upright. Not what he wanted at all. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen or spoken to him for a couple of years now." Frode twisted his head to the side, making his neck pop. "It's getting late. Maybe we should call it a day."
Nikolai didn't want to end the evening with images of Declan in Frode's mind, but it was getting late, and he didn't think pushing was the right way to go about things if he wanted to get closer to Frode.
"You're right. Thanks for the food and the company."
Frode got up. "Sure. Next time, make sure there is a decent game on."
Next time. Nikolai grinned. "I'll do my best." He wanted to kiss him, but...no. A hug? Frode grabbed their dirty plates and carried them into the kitchen, so no.
Nikolai put his shoes on and lingered on the doormat until Frode came to see him off. He didn't enter the hallway, opting for leaning against the door frame instead. Nikolai nodded. "Sleep tight, honey."
Frode huffed, and Nikolai walked out the door with a smile dancing on his lips.
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