Everett
Tucking Rafi into my side, we walk into the house together. Everyone is in the living room, playing cards around the coffee table. They look up as we walk in.
Anders walks up to us, and I cringe, not sure what’s going to come out of his mouth.
“Hey, dude. I’m sorry for running my mouth earlier. It wasn’t cool.” He opens his arms, and Rafi walks into them, accepting and returning the hug.
“I’m sorry for being a douchebag about Roly,” he mumbles into Anders’ armpit.
“I get it. It’s hard,” Anders replies, picking him up and swinging from side to side.
I put my hand on his shoulder and pull Rafi away, more territorial than is strictly cool. “Okay, now. Don’t squish the goods.”
Rafi rolls his eyes at me, and we join our friends—and they areourfriends—around the coffee table, everyone adjusting to make room for us.
We sit cross-legged as Thane deals out the cards, my arm wrapped around Rafi. After some initial ribbing, he opens up about how hard this past year has been, even admitting to talking to Asadi, which gets a laugh. He also tells them about sharing a beer with our good buddy Roly.Odd smiles and gives him a quiet fist bump across the table.
He gets another laugh when he proudly admits to being initiated into the five-dollar bets, and there is quiet acceptance when he says it’s still hard, but he does admire and respect Roly. No one questions his solemn promise to never use Roly as a physical or verbal punching bag ever again.
Parker sits on the other side of him, joining me in wrapping an arm around him. She rests her head on his shoulder for a very long time, at least until Anders goes and opens his mouth, lewdly asking for another hug. Odd leans over and thumps him on the back of his head, putting an end to that. Just being honest here, dude probably saved his brother’s life.
By the end of the evening, it’s clear Rafi feels like part of the team, laughing and joking and making five-dollar bets, most of which he loses.
Now that we’re cleaning up, Parker leans over to me, saying, “It’s amazing how the team is with one another. It’s just brutal honesty and immediate reconciliation. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such emotionally loaded conversations come up and then get resolved so quickly.”
I grab a stack of empty beer cans off the table and walk with her into the kitchen. “When you deal with life and death every day, you make a point to stop and appreciate the good things. To take care of the people in your life who are important, and to never waste time lying to yourself or others.”
She looks dead at me, serious as I’ve ever seen her. “You know he’d be good at it, right?”
I smile. “I’ve already talked to DB. He agrees.”
“And how do you feel about it?”
I try not to focus on the fact she’s holding a kitchen knife. “Afraid, but not willing to hold him back.”
She puts the knife down and pats my shoulder. “Good man.”
Our chores for the evening accomplished, I go to the back and find Rafi passed out in the middle of the bed, spread-eagle with Windsor tucked into his side. I take off his shoes and carefully undress him, leaving him in his baby blue briefs.
We have a lot to discuss, but it will wait for the morning.
29
Rafi
My half-asleep mind, the place in my head that’s hazy right before wakefulness, notices Everett’s absence before my body does. It’s also the place where wishes have a little extra magic, and I find myself wishing I had his warm body around me right now.
That’s because you have the coldest toes on the planet.
So much for the hazy magic of middle-wakefulness. It’s nice to know my late husband will be busting my balls into the next millennium.
I’m a little embarrassed about the fact I got into bed last night and immediately fell asleep. Yesterday was…it was hard. But good, I think, in the end.
I finally will my eyes open and…oh myyyyy.
I immediately thank the heavens, the universe, and evolution for eyesight. Right at eye level is the most perfect bare ass, muscular and so juicy I can barely restrain myself from taking a bite of it.
This is my favorite angle of Everett because only one cheek is tattooed, continuing down to his calves and feet, while the other side is not tattooed at all, giving me a glorious view of his skin and sculpted glutes.
