Landon started a pot of coffee then found one of Ed’s meal Tupperwares in the fridge. He heated up the lovingly diced chicken and green beans that Verity had prepared and scooped it into Ed’s bowl. The coffee pot beeped, and Landon poured himself a large mugful. He pulled eggs and bacon from the refrigerator and set to making breakfast.
He’d slept better last night than the night before. Generally, Landon wasn’t a bad sleeper, but last night he’d been out almost as soon as his back connected with Gregory’s chest. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like sharing his bed with the man, but then his heart reminded him he didn’t know the man at all anymore.
Landon knew Greg, the eighteen year-old boy he’d been ardently in love with who used to spank him and milk his prostate instead of letting him come. Whereas Landon knew himself from the boy who played at being a submissive, to the actual submissive he was now, Landon only knew the training wheels kind of dominant that Greg used to be. He had no idea who Gregory had become.
They had both been so fucking young. Neither of them had any business looking up the things they had on the internet or watching the kind of porn they’d favored. But Landon had this feeling inside of him about the way he wanted to be, needed to be, and with Greg, they’d explored that, fitting together like oversized puzzle pieces. Every part of his teenage self that Landon had assembled into adult-Landon was built on a foundation he’d established with Greg.
Greg was gone, though, and in his place was Gregory, the broad-shouldered and level headed man that Greg had grown into. Landon whisked some eggs and wondered if Gregory’s foundation was structured around Landon, too.
Landon didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where to go from here. The idea of re-kindling his relationship with Gregory wasn’t something that had crossed his mind in years. Even with him upstairs, asleep in Landon’s bed, it seemed impossible. Their paths had diverged years ago, and Landon wasn’t sure if this moment in time was when they twined back together, or merely crossed and carried on.
Landon laid the strips of bacon on a hot pan on the back of the stove and shook his head dismissively. He didn’t even know what Gregory wanted with him, if anything, and here he was making plans in his head about living his life with the man. Landon was being ridiculous. Their past was a heavy bag that needed to be unpacked, and Landon was pretty sure Gregory just wanted to do it so he didn’t need to shoulder the weight anymore, not so he could carry it forward unhindered.
“He doesn’t want to be with you,” Landon grumbled to himself, flipping the bacon.
“Who doesn’t want to be with you?”
Gregory’s voice came from behind him and startled him, causing the spatula fell to the floor with a clatter. Landon’s neck colored red and the heat rushed into his cheeks as he picked it up, rinsed it in the sink and then turned to face the man he’d just been mentally pining over.
Gregory was there in Landon’s kitchen wearing nothing but the small black briefs he’d slept in. His legs were as thick and strong as Landon had imagined them to be through his pants. A stripe of curly brown hair traveled up Gregory’s stomach, fading into a spattering of curls spread across his chest. His arms were sturdy. The veins that traveled the length of his forearms showed under his skin and served to only emphasize his build.
Landon swallowed and stared at Gregory’s feet.
“Who?” Gregory repeated, his voice recalling an inflection that Landon hadn’t planned on hearing again.
“You,” he mumbled, turning away and flipping the bacon again.
“Says who?” Gregory asked, his voice closer now.
Landon took the pan off the heat and transferred the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
“You can’t want to be with me. You don’t even know me,” Landon verbalized his earlier thoughts.
Gregory’s fingertips brushed lightly up his thigh, just below the hem of the short robe.
“I’d like to.”
“Why?” Landon managed to ask, turning in place. Gregory’s fingertips didn’t move and they grazed over Landon’s hip as he turned.
“Call me nostalgic.”
Landon side-stepped away from Gregory and moved the plate of bacon to the table.
“I’m not anything like who I was back then,” he warned.
“I’d hope not. You were a brat.”
Landon glared at Gregory then went back into the kitchen for plates and silverware. He dropped them onto the table a little rougher than was necessary, not entirely sure of why he always felt so fickle and hostile with Gregory was around.
Gregory watched him sit down then he forked some eggs onto his plate.
“You still like olives,” Gregory observed. He gestured to the plate of bacon. “You still like your bacon overcooked.”
“It’s not overcooked,” Landon grumbled.
“You’re still wrong about that.” Gregory smirked. “There’s at least three things I still know about you.”
Landon's heart felt like it was going to split down the center.
