“You’ll never get these years back, my friends. Especially when kids come along.”
I coughed. “What?”
Noah’s smile turned into laughter when he saw my reaction. “My Lioreo isn’t sure about kids, but that’s okay. As they say, we’ll have fun trying.”
The driver let out a hearty laugh.
“You can leave us here,” I said as we reached the museum’s parking lot.
“All the best, boys. May health and happiness be with you always,” the driver said as his parting words.
“Aww, he’s sweet,” Noah said.
I grabbed his bag and mine and started walking to my place.
“Wow, I didn’t know you live in the actual museum. This was your family’s home?”
“I don’t live in the museum. Come on, I’ll show you.”
The museum gardens were by far one of my favorite places in the world. Whenever I looked out my office window and saw visitors admiring the sculptures and using the many benches to appreciate the art, it made all the hard work worthwhile.
What many people didn’t notice, even though there were countless photos of it circulating the internet, was the gate with the intricate design that led to my grandfather’s old workshop, which was now my home.
“I bet this place is magical in the daylight,” Noah said, following me up the gravel path.
“It is. You’ll get a chance to see it.”
I made sure to close the gate behind us. Charlie loved to tell me off when I forgot because it left my home vulnerable to curious eyes when the museum was open.
It wasn’t a problem if I worked in the museum office, but these days, I spent a lot more time in the city and drove out of a secret private entrance.
“This was my grandfather’s workshop, so it’s not a huge place,” I said. “When we moved his stuff to the museum, this place was left empty. It made sense to convert it into a home because I spent all my time here anyway.”
Noah walked in after me, taking in all the glass panels and the skylight that illuminated the open-plan living space during the day. When I’d worked with the architect on the conversion, I hadn’t wanted to lose it. Instead of having a separate kitchen and living room, I had a single door at the back where an extension had been built for the bedrooms and the bathroom.
“Your home is nothing like I imagined. When I first met you, you were so composed, so in control. I made you for the kind of man who lived in a minimalist apartment.”
“You mean clinical?”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
With piles of books on the coffee table, furniture that had belonged to my grandparents, and old photos of my grandfather working, this place was anything but minimalistic.
“Let me show you to your room, and then I’ll make us something to eat.”
“Okay.”
While Noah got settled, I took some bread out of the freezer and put it in the oven to warm. I also got out a container of homemade tomato soup and started defrosting it in the microwave.
“It’s a shame we need to set off early tomorrow. I’d love to see all these windows in full light.”
When I turned around, I saw that Noah had changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old college T-shirt. He was barefoot. Not a single inch of him looked out of place in my home.
He leaned against the door, his crossed arms over his chest, raising his T-shirt enough to show a line of skin and hair that trailed down to what I knew was a stunning cock.
“Having a moment there?” he teased.
I bit my tongue and didn’t reply. If I was as honest as Noah was with all the thoughts that crossed my mind, we’d be naked in my bed already.
