Chapter 11
Pierce
Once in a while, my mother comes to town, and we have dinner. She’s basically the only one I talk to now. I don’t have siblings and I don’t know where my dad is. We got into a huge fight when he said he was going to leave. I said some things out of the pain of losing my family. He countered, telling me he was an adult and that because I was growing up, I didn’t need him anymore. Which isn’t the point, but if he feels like that, that’s just how it’ll be, I guess.
Mom, on the other hand, loves to chat with me, and we have since healed from the tumultuous time. We speak on the phone mostly and sometimes email. She sends me pictures of her and her boyfriend on vacation, her cats, and anything she knits.
Right now, though, we’re talking in person at a nice restaurant here in Vancouver.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Marie had her kittens!” Mom squeals.
Marie is one of the cats she recently adopted. She texted me when she got here and then a couple of days later texted me that she was pregnant.
“How many kittens did she have?” I ask, sipping my glass of wine.
“She had seven.” she holds up seven of her fingers.
“That’s great. Are they all going to go out for adoption?”
“Yes,” she says slyly, and I look at her.
“What?” I ask, putting my wine glass down.
“Well, I’m just saying. You have a very nice apartment. Having a little cat there might be nice to keep you company. Unless you have someone living there with you now?”
Mom asks this every time. Despite my telling her I’m jaded from past experiences with romantic partners. But that might be changing. I’ve reconsidered a lot since Wesley and I got handsy with each other in my office. And that lunch we had, what I told him, has me thinking that I’m more into him than I thought. Because I trust him not to tell anyone what I told him. I had thought my ability to trust another person was gone.
Having said that, I'm going to tell my mother that right now.
“No. It’s empty, but that doesn’t mean I need a cat.”
“Come on. They're so cute. There’s one that’s black with a white patch on her toes and forehead. She’s so cute, and she matches your living room.”
We laugh at that hilarious comparison.
“Oh, good. Just what I need. To have an animal that will camouflage nicely in my place so I can’t see it ever.”
Mom chuckles softly as she goes back to her meal.
Maybe I could use a pet or something. I have the room, the money, and the time.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell Mom, and she claps her hands softly.
Just then, something catches my eye. I look up to see Wesley come in with his friend, Minnie. He catches my eye and gives me a small wave.
My mother looks over to see who I’m waving at and smiles.
“Who are they?”
“Uh, one of them works for me, and the other is his roommate.”
“Oh, wonderful! Let’s invite them over.”
Before I can say anything, my mom waves them over.
Wesley and Minnie look at each other before making their way over. I give them both an apologetic nod, but they wave me off as they greet my mother.
“Hello, my name is Margaret. I’m Pierce’s mother.”
“Hello,” Minnie says, shaking her hand. “I’m Minnie, and this is Wesley.”
“Hi,” Wesley says, also giving my mom’s hand a shake. “We don’t want to disturb you-”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Please, join us.”
We get two more chairs for them, and the waiter comes over to take their orders.
“So,” Mom says, “How did you two meet my Pierce?”
“I actually just met him at the park like last week,” Minnie says. “I just moved here, and I’m rooming with Wes for a bit.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. And you?” she asks Wesley.
“Yeah, how did you meet?” Minnie says, turning to him with a mischievous grin on her face.
Ooh, she’s trouble. I like it.
“Well, we met in a bar a while ago. Chatted. And then, several months later, I found out he was my new boss.”
“So you work at Sweet Cocktails?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’ve been there for about a year,” Wesley replies.
Thankfully, the conversation about how we met ends there, and Mom doesn’t ask how I’m “friends” with my employee. We just move on to more exciting things, like her cats.
All the while, Wesley sneaks glances at me whenever Mom talks about me. And I can’t help but smile every time they talk. He’s such a good people person, and they seem to be getting along well. The table lights up with laughter and happiness, and I find myself smiling along with them.
There is something so special about this moment. Maybe it’s the fact that if Wesley and I were a couple, this is what I’d imagine life would be like. Hanging out with Mom and Minnie. Laughing and sharing stories.
It’s delightful, and I sit back and soak it in.
“Wesley was the cutest kid. Big cheeks and dimples. Oh, he was adorable. What happened?” Minnie asks, nudging her friend in the side.
“Ha ha,” Wesley says. “Minnie was pretty cute, too. She used to be so quiet, and boy, do I miss that silent little cherub that never got me in trouble.”
Minnie laughs, leans into Wesley, and loud-whispers, “It’s my big mouth that’s gotten you laid. Don’t forget that.”
Wesley clears his throat nervously, and I pretend I didn’t hear that. Minnie has been responsible for a couple of interactions that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, but I’m grateful they did because I got to know Wesley a little more.
Learning about Wesley is something I’ve been doing more lately, and I find that it’s more comfortable than I thought. Sure, talking about my parents sucked, but finding it within myself to trust him with that information makes me believe that this whole relationship thing might not be so bad.
“What was Pierce like as a kid?” Wesley asks.
Mom’s eyes light up, and she sighs, nostalgia hitting her hard.
“My little boy was just the best. I know every mother says that, but it’s true. He was curious and happy. Loved being outside. He used to run around the block where we lived. He was strong and quick. You still are,” my mom says to me. “In the backyard, there was a little sandcastle, and I remember him playing with his Legos. He’d build sandcastles and pretend that he lived there with a prince and sometimes a princess.”
“Hmm, so you knew who he was back when he was a kid?” Wesley asks.
“We didn’t know what to call it then, but I guess we did know. I didn’t know what words to use, and neither did his father, so we just let him figure it out on his own and let him know that we were there for him. All I knew was that I loved my boy and wanted him to love who he wanted to love.”
I try not to get emotional at that. As a kid, I didn’t know that sometimes parents aren't nice to their kids about their sexuality, and it fills me with such pride that my parents were okay with it. Even if my dad was a bad person, he wasn’t a bigot, and even though that doesn’t make him awesome in my eyes, I still can't help myself appreciating it.
“I didn’t really know until I was like fourteen, maybe,” Wesley says. “I just didn’t think about it much, and then one day I saw this guy, and I was like, ‘holy crap, he is so hot.’ I thought at first that it was envy like I didn’t want to be with him, but I wanted to be him. Then I thought maybe I’m gay, but I still liked girls, so that didn’t make any sense. I think the internet was the first time I saw the word bisexual and the description of it just fit me like a glove, and in that moment, I knew who I was. Well, after a while, I knew who I was since I didn’t know if you had to date people to know who you like or just know.”
“Did you talk to your parents about it?” Mom asks.
Wesley shakes his head. “Not really. I’m the kind of person who wants to know some things for sure before talking about them. Sexuality was one of them. I wanted to be sure that I was bi before I started asking questions about it. I know it’s probably a strange thing to do—”
“It isn’t,” I say, putting my hand on his arm.
“Thank you,” he replies, and I slowly pull my hand from his warmth. Even though I don’t really want to.
“I would ask questions but be kind of vague about it. Like I’d ask if you had to date to find out who you liked, and their answers went from yes, you probably need to date to know, to no, you are who you are even if you’ve never dated. After a while, I learned about sexuality on my own and figured out that, no, you don’t have to date to know your sexuality. At least, that’s what I learned from others and some videos. Either way, after I figured it out, I felt so much better. So much so that I could tell my parents, and they were super cool about it.”
“That’s good,” Mom says, and I can feel the smile growing on my face.
I love that Wesley grew up in such a loving environment that was so full of stability.
Halfway through a conversation about the new renovations that Mom is having done on her house, Wesley says that he has to go to the bathroom, and I join him. Feeling this need to talk to him alone for a second.
Someone exits the bathroom just as we enter, leaving no one except Wesley and me. We go to the bathroom in silence, and it’s only when we’re done that we start talking.
“Hey.” I nod at him as I stand next to him at the sink.
“Hey,” Wesley says with a smile.
“How’s dinner?” I ask him, feeling almost naughty. Like I’m sneaking a kiss with the quarterback behind the bleachers before the game.
“Not bad. It’s not as good as the restaurant down the street, but I’m not mad about it.”
After turning off the water, I take one of the paper towels and start drying my hands.
“That’s good. How’s Minnie?”
He chuckles. “Pretty good. She’s still alive from telling you my secret.”
I chuckle as I lean against the wall next to the sink and toss the paper towel into the trash.
“Well, if it means anything to you. It’s nice to know that you don’t hate me.”
He turns to me with a soft look in his eyes.
“I never hated you,” he says quietly. “I was a little mad. Understandably. But I also knew the game. It just would’ve been nice if you hadn’t lied.”
I tug at the back of my neck. “Yeah. Again, I’m sorry about that.”
He shakes his head as he dries his hands. “Don’t worry about it. I think it was clear in my bedroom that I’ve forgiven you.”
I look down at the floor before looking back at him.
“I’m glad. However, if you ever want me to make it up to you some more… I’m open.”
Wesley smiles, locking his hands behind him as he walks the few steps to me, his scent invading my nose, almost making me moan. “Well, if you ever want to offer to make it up to me. I’m open as well.”
As Wesley goes to leave, he cups my ass, making me clench as he whispers in my ear, “I’m real nice and open. Willing to be filled by whatever you have for me.”
Fuck me.
Someone’s flirty tonight.
We exit the bathroom, but before we head back to the table, I pull Wesley to the side and say, “Listen, I just want to say that I appreciate what you said during dinner. I don’t know if that’s easy to talk about, but regardless, I admire you telling us your story.”
Wesley shrugs. “Thanks. I figured since your mom casually brought it up, I was safe. And I know Minnie wasn’t going to judge, and you sure as shit shouldn’t, so I didn’t mind. Also, I felt like since I got to know something about you, I’d reciprocate. Not like because I owe you, but… I don’t know. I wanted to say something to show you that I appreciate letting your mom talk about it.”
“No problem.” I clap him on the back, then head to our table, where dessert is waiting for us.
“I hope you don’t mind. We ordered a bunch of desserts,” Minnie says.
I sit down in front of a smorgasbord of treats. There are a couple of different kinds of chocolate cakes, tiramisu, ice cream, and a bunch of random stuff I don’t recognize.
I look over at Wesley, who decides to try some sort of round, white chocolate ball with a drizzle of chocolate around it. He didn’t expect white cream to ooze out when he bit into it. He gives me a look before his tongue darts out, and I hold my breath as he drags it over his lips, taking the cream into his mouth.
Fuck. Me.
“Good, huh?” I say, winking.
He nods as he gives me the plate.
“Try one.”
I keep eye contact with him as I put the whole thing into my mouth. I don’t bite immediately. I let it melt a bit as I use my tongue to play with it. Wesley shifts in his seat, and it’s satisfying to know I can get to him just as much as he can get to me.
This whole dinner is another thing that’s started to change how I think since Wesley kissed me in my office. I believe he’s opened me up without even knowing it. He’s made me consider trying something new. Brenda gave me a little shove, too, but that was only because of Wesley.
That thought makes me smile.