9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Andre
I get the fire going, and we drink beers as we stare at the flames, a comfortable silence falling over us.
My skin is warm from the sun, no doubt a little burnt regardless of applying sunscreen multiple times. Paul’s skin is tinged pink, too, and hopefully we don’t end up in pain over it. Sunburns suck.
The fire crackles as the condensation on the bottle drips over my fingers.
I lost count of how many we’ve had, but it’s a lot.
Enough. If we were both young again, still in college, we’d be partying the night away.
But now, all these years later, both of us single dads…
we’re just chilling. Enjoying the quiet that we don’t usually get.
And it’s nice to enjoy it with someone else.
The silence doesn’t feel so silent with Paul near me.
I guess it’s always been like that with him, and I’ve just never realized it before.
Out of the entire group, we’ve always been the closest. Two peas in a pod. We both grew up around here, just a town apart, or we’d have gone to the same high school and known each other sooner. Instead, college brought us together. Along with the rest of the guys.
I didn’t think much about it then, but I’ve thought a lot about it now. About how I don’t know where I would be without Paul. He’s been a staple for me since I moved back here. Mentally, he’s what’s holding me together whether he realizes it or not.
“You want to head inside?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says. “AC sounds amazing.”
I chuckle as I finish my beer, putting the bottle on the ground beside the others, and get up to put out the fire. Paul gathers the bottles and puts them in the recycling bin. When everything is all set, we head inside.
“I think I might need a sweatshirt,” I say with a chuckle.
“Kind of mad I wore shorts.”
“I have some sweats you can use,” I say. He just stares at me. “If you’re gonna hang out for a bit.”
“Yeah, definitely. Sure.”
I head into my room and change into sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. My skin burns beneath, so I definitely got too much sun. I grab another pair of sweats for Paul, and a hoodie, just in case he wants it.
He takes both and goes into the bathroom to change, while I wrap up the food. There’s way too much for me and Rylee, so I put some in containers for him to take home with him.
“Didn’t we clean this up already?” he asks as he comes over to the island, standing on the opposite side.
“Yes, but this is for you.”
“Oh—okay. Cool. Thanks.”
“I made way too much. I figure you’re better off taking it. At least it’ll get eaten. Rylee won’t eat half of this stuff.”
“Yeah, Maddox is picky as hell, too.”
I set his containers in the fridge in a separate spot, and then we make our way into the living room. I don’t feel drunk, but I do feel relaxed.
“If I'm overstaying my welcome, let me know,” Paul says as I sit on the couch.
I look up at him and smile.
“I would. But you won’t. Sit.”
He sits beside me, and I scroll through the movies, looking for something to watch. I settle on Adam Sandler’s version of The Longest Yard.
“Wow, I haven’t seen this in years,” Paul says.
“Me either.”
The movie starts, and as time goes on, we both end up curling up a little and laying down more than we’re sitting. It’s been a long day in the sun and the pool. We ate and drank a lot. It makes sense our bodies are finally starting to succumb to it all.
I don’t say anything about the fact that I’m falling asleep. I just let it happen.
The morning sunlight streams across my face. I stretch out, pausing when my foot hits something warm. I jerk my head up and find Paul at the other end of the couch, my foot against his thigh.
I chuckle. “Shit, sorry.”
He groans, burying his face against the throw pillow he is laying his head on. I shift to stretch without hitting him, and that’s when I notice my dick.
Hard.
It’s not unusual first thing in the morning, but it has been a while. And of course, it has to happen now, when Paul is just a foot away.
I ignore it and close my eyes, soaking up the quiet of the morning. I have to get up soon because I have things to do, but right now… I can enjoy this.
I can ignore my aching dick and enjoy the quiet of my house. I only get one morning like this, and it’s not that I’m complaining, but I am appreciating it. Soon enough, Rylee will be off to college or living her own life, and my house will be always empty. So yeah, I’m enjoying it while I can.
“You want breakfast?” I ask.
Paul makes a sound of agreement. I laugh as I get up, grateful my dick is back to normal and won’t scare my friend away.
I shuffle to the kitchen and make scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and coffee. Simple enough.
“You up?” I call out.
“No!” he responds.
I laugh, shaking my head as I grab the two plates and head into the living room. Paul is just getting up.
“Can you grab the coffee?”
He nods as he walks by me. I set the plates down on the coffee table and turn on ESPN.
Paul sets the coffees down and we eat as we catch up on baseball highlights and whatever is going on with the NHL draft. A bunch of rumors right now, but we’ll see what happens soon enough.
When our plates are cleared, and our mugs are empty, we sit back on the couch. Neither one of us seems to care that we’re just sitting here doing nothing.
“This is nice,” I say.
“Yeah,” he agrees.
“We should do it more often.”
I don’t know why those words have my chest fluttering. It’s just me wanting to hang out with my best friend.
“Definitely.” He yawns, stretching his arms above his head. “I should get going, though.”
“You got plans?” I tease.
“Maybe,” he says defensively, but playfully.
I roll my eyes. “Plans to go home and do nothing.”
“I have a million plans today,” he says sarcastically.
“So sorry to keep you hostage then.”
We both laugh, and he stays for a while longer. He says he’ll return my clothes another day. It’s fine. I don’t care. They kind of look better on him anyway.
I don’t say that though. Feels weird.
We don’t make future plans when he leaves, even though I want to tell him to come back soon. Like before next Friday. Maybe for dinner.
That also feels weird, so I don’t.
But I will. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I’ll see if he wants to come by for dinner with Maddox. Rylee has taken a liking to him in the way she would an older sibling. It’s adorable. I know Paul struggles with Maddox sometimes, but he does great with Rylee, which kind of gives Paul a break.
So that’s my plan. I’ll text him in a couple days, say he should come for dinner, and it won’t be weird.