Tawson swallowed, his Adam’s Apple bobbing with the motion. His tongue darted out quickly, swiping over his lips. “I don’t know what to do,” he whispered eventually.
“Don’t fight it,” Victor said. “I don’t even need… all that. I just want to keep kissing you.”
“Your body says otherwise, Vic.” Tawson’s eyes dropped to him once again. “I’m sorry. I can’t- You should take care of that.”
“Hey, it’s okay. It was just a joke.” Victor reached out and laid a hand on Tawson’s forearm. “I’m no stranger to an erection. It can wait.”
Victor tilted his head up and pursed his lips for a chaste kiss. Tawson gave it willingly, no hesitation. Something flipped in Victor’s stomach when he pulled back and Tawson was smiling. His eyes were glassy, but he didn’t want to risk asking about it and ruining the moment.
Victor didn’t know what to say. They just stared at each other for several, long moments. Victor moved first, wrapping his arms around Tawson and hugging him tightly. Tawson hooked his chin over Victor’s shoulder. They stood, wrapped in eachother’s arms. Victor didn’t want to move, but they would both need to get a move on if they wanted to make it to the ranch before too long.
“Can I come see you this weekend?” Victor mumbled against the front of his shoulder. He made a small, squeaky noise when Tawson started to pull away. It wasn’t cute, but it kept Tawson in place. “Not yet.”
“I don’t know,” Tawson said. “I don’t want you risking getting caught by your parents.”
“It’ll be okay,” Victor said. “I promise. Can I?”
“Give me your number and I’ll send you a text later, okay?”
Victor finally let him go and took Tawson’s phone. Tawson gave him one more quick kiss before putting his hat back on and leaving him to think about what just happened.
He drove back home in a partial daze. His parents were there to greet him, his mom made sure that his food was warmed up while he put his things in is room. If all went well, he wouldn’t be sleeping in it tonight.
His parent grilled him on the roommate and true to his word, he pretended like they’d hung out a few times. He told them about his classes and what work he already had to do. They asked him if he saw Paxton at all, which he had once just long enough to say hi and bye. Then they asked the question he knew was coming.
“Have you seen Tawson around much?”
Victor tried to keep his expression in check. “We’ve seen each other a couple times. He was with Professor Cadman last weekend and then I saw him earlier today.”
“He’s been keeping to himself lately,” his mom said. Both of his parents were sitting at the island on the other side of the stovetop. “I hope he’s doing okay. Taking a new job like thathas to be stressful.”
“I think he’s doing alright,” Victor said. He finished off the last bite of food on his plate and then turned to put it in the sink. “He did tell me that he thinks you think he can’t fend for himself cooking wise because you’ve invited him to dinner this weekend.”
His dad chuckled at that but his mom almost looked offended. Whether at the words or the way her husband was laughing. “I’m just tired of spending every night alone with you.”
Victor watched his parents joke back and forth. Despite the words that she said, the way they looked at each other was with nothing short of absolute love. He loved his parents. They were always a great example for them growing up, open and accepting. When William came to the ranch with the idea, Victor knew it was a lot of conversation around it and their parents sat them down to explain everything. His dad made sure that it was okay with both him and Paxton and that they were comfortable with it before agreeing to anything.
He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out, expecting a text from Joe. He’d been talking about a party on Greek row that morning that the whole dorm seemed to be buzzed about. The text wasn’t from his best friend though. It was an unsaved number. But he knew who it was from the simple text.
Whenever you want.
“What has you smiling?” his dad asked, startling him. He looked up to see both of his parents were standing now.
“Just a dumb joke that Joe sent me,” Victor said. “Are you heading to bed?”
“You should too,” his dad said. “I’ll be up in the morning to help with the horses.”
“Sounds good,” Victor said. “I’m not terribly tired right now so I’ll probably be up for a little bit. I’ll make sure to set my alarm.”
“Love you, sweetie. I’ve missed having you around.” His mom held her arms out and he stepped into them easily. “I’m so proud of the man you’re becoming.”
Victor could feel the lump forming in his throat. He didn’t like that phrase. He heard it a lot and he knew his parents didn’t mean any harm in it, but the last couple of years… He just felt itchy inside when he heard the words.
“Thanks, Mom.” His dad hugged him too before they made their way upstairs. He thought about going up to his room to change his clothes. He’d already changed from his jeans to a pair of shorts before coming home. Tawson had left him to get to his own car and head home. Instead, he walked back outside and took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure how late his parents were going to be up, but he’d wait a little while before chancing it.
I’ll be up soon. Sitting outside on the porch. It’s a nice night.
He reread the message after he hit send, cringing at the mention of the weather. This guy was someone he’d made out with twice. And the first thing he texts about is the weather?
