“More, Little Red? Didn’t you come enough last night?” Gabriel rasped, voice hoarse with sleep as he kissed the back of Joel's neck.
Joel shifted, aligning himself more evenly with Gabriel, until another barely restrained groan left Gabriel's lips.
“I need to go to work,” Joel complained, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. “And then when I’m off work, I need to go see about getting a replacement phone, and I should go by my apartment to get some more clothes.”
Gabriel nuzzled his way back against Joel's side. “When are you off? Can I take you somewhere after?”
A smile snuck across Joel's lips. “Like a date?”
Gabriel nodded against him. “Like a date.”
Joel turned slightly and kissed Gabriel on the forehead.
“I’d like that. I’m off work at three today.” He kissed Gabriel's eyelids.
“Then I’ll see you at three.” Joel kissed Gabriel's mouth, licking along his lips, tasting whiskey and sweat from last night underneath the hint of sleep. Joel moaned into the kiss.
Gabriel was unexpected, and Joel was slightly overwhelmed with the way his heart tried to escape from his chest when Gabriel looked at him. Gabriel looked at Joel like he truly saw him. Behind the dyed hair, beyond the wrinkled thrift store clothes, as though he saw who Joel could be if he tried.
Joel had never realized he wanted someone to look at him the way Gabriel did. And instead of trying to rebuild the walls that had crumbled around his heart, he wanted to allow himself some time to enjoy this feeling of being wanted and desired as strongly as Gabriel desired him. He knew it wasn't safe or smart to let himself succumb to everything that was Gabriel. It felt too good to be true, and Joel knew that meant it was.
***
Sitting in the passenger seat of Gabriel's car, Joel powered on his new phone. Almost immediately, pings and dings and alerts began to sound off. Joel cast a sideways glance at Gabriel as he started to thumb through the notifications.
“I thought you didn't have any friends.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow as he pulled out into traffic.
“I don't. They're all from Athena. And my landlord, and Athena, Athena, Athena, oh, fuck.” Joel bounced his head back against the cushioned headrest. “And Davis.”
Gabriel's jaw tensed. “Davis?”
“Yeah, he's a guy I met at work. We were supposed to go out the night my apartment flooded. That whole night was such a disaster. I didn't even tell you, I almost got carjacked!”
Gabriel's face barely showed any signs of recognizing Joel had dropped such shocking news on him.
“You should be more careful. Don't sit around in your car talking to yourself in a shitty part of Hollywood.” Gabriel's voice was tight.
“How do you know that's what I was doing and where I was?” Joel dropped the phone onto his lap and shifted to look at Gabriel.
“I assumed. You live in a shitty part of Hollywood, so it makes sense you were in your car in a shitty part of Hollywood.” Gabriel's knuckles tightened around the steering wheel with such force, the leather creaked.
“No, I live in Echo Park, but whatever. Why are you being so rude all of a sudden?”
“You could have been seriously hurt, Joel! What if someone wasn't...” Gabriel snapped his jaw shut.
“Wasn't what?”
Gabriel remained quiet, and Joel watched him try to bring his breathing under control. “What if someone wasn't as unprepared as your assailant? What if you were hurt?” His hand shot off the steering wheel and grasped Joel's knee in a firm, and protective grip. Joel placed his hand on top of Gabriel's, weaving their fingers together.
“I'll be more careful in the future,” Joel promised and after some time, Gabriel's entire body unwound itself.
They sat in silence, Joel tinkering with his phone with his free hand.
“Where are we going?” Joel finally spoke up. The silence between them was palpable, rather than companionable, and Joel hated it. He liked it when Gabriel smiled. He liked when Gabriel madehimsmile.
“You said you wanted to get some things from your apartment, so we’re going to your apartment.” Gabriel was short in his reply and changed lanes as they approached a stoplight.
“Oh, you’re going to want to turn right at this light,” Joel said, then noticed the car’s right-hand turn signal was already on.
