He lets out a watery laugh.
I want to hug him more than ever. "I wanted to give you this." I hold out the hippo rattle. I have to go closer to him so he can take it from me.
He turns it over in his hands, the three loose pieces of wood jangling together. "It's so smooth." He sounds like he’s in awe. “It’s beautiful, Rory. Thank you.”
I rub the back of my neck. "It's nothing."
"Nothing? It's one of the nicest things anyone's ever given me. Thank you."
For some reason, I need to make light of the moment. "I'm not giving it to you. It's for your baby, but I’ll make you a bigger one if you want."
Callan laughs. “No, thanks. I'll give it to the baby when I go."
"He still doesn't have a name?" I sit opposite Callan.
"Niamh didn't want to talk about it yesterday. She said I should think about what I want to call him."
"Have you?"
He shakes his head.
"Maybe you should."
"It doesn't feel right. Enough about us. Tell me what you're up to today."
"Not much."
"You must have some plans."
I shrug. "I've got a standing offer from Stefan to teach me how to do wax play."
"Wax play? You mentioned that.” He looks away for a few seconds before flicking his gaze back to me. “Dripping candle wax over someone? Special candles.”
“That’s right. I've got the candles, but I don't have a sub to try it out on."
"Did I hear someone requesting a sub?" Hendrix asks as he swans into the room.
"No."
I clench my jaw. The downside of living in a shared house is that it’s next to impossible to chat with someone privately for more than a few minutes. I relax my jaw. It’s not Hendrix’s fault he walked in on our conversation.
"Liar.” Hendrix pouts. “I’m hurt. I'll have you know that I'm an amazing sub. What do you need one for anyway?"
"Learning how to do wax play," Callan says when I stay silent.
I glare at him, but he just shrugs.
"Oh. I can do that. All I'd have to do is lie there," Hendrix says. “It would be relaxing.”
"It's fine," I say. “But thanks for the offer.” I can’t imagine that Hendrix would lie there quietly while I dripped wax over his body. He’d probably make a string of sarcastic comments just to wind me up.
"Now I am hurt." Hendrix looks between Callan and me. "You could do it," he says to Callan. "You look tense. It would help you relax."
Callan shakes his head. "I don't —"
"Have any experience?" Hendrix asks. "You don't need any. Seriously, it's as easy as lying there. The most you'll have to do is let Rory know that it's too hot. You can keep most of your clothes on. It wouldn't even be very kinky."
"Leave it," I say in a warning tone.
