~ Tawson ~
Having dinner with the family of the guy you blew was less awkward than expected.
Even if that guy ended up sitting next to you and slyly tried to play footsie with you all throughout dinner. Tawson did his best not to give anything away, but he did love the constant contact. When they woke up to Vic’s alarm going off, they were exactly like they’d fallen asleep. Vic didn’t want to wake up and it took Tawson pulling him into a sitting position to finally get up and get going. He drove him down to the barn and dropped him off with a kiss.
Going back to work on Monday felt different. The last thing he expected when he took Daniel up on his offer to move and take over his position was to find someone he clicked with. He wasn’t sure what they were doing, but he would enjoy it. As much as he went back and forth with the morality of it. He looked it up Sunday, looking for anything that prohibited it. The only thing he found that could be a conflict was if he ended up in a supervisory way with Vic. He’d have to divulge it to the board or something. But he’d been truthful when he said hescored out of the classes he’d be teaching.
His lectures were going great. He kept the students engaged enough. Only one guy, who he deemed Napper, fell asleep in his early morning lessons. They were also doing their work and putting in the effort. It was different from the grade school kids that he worked with previously. They didn’t seem to care much. He stayed busy, though. With lectures, grading, and the extras that Daniel was still hanging around helping with, he didn’t get much free time when he was on campus.
He did see Vic here and there on campus. Once while Tawson was walking from the cafeteria back to the English department during his lunch. Vic was with a group of friends and only stopped briefly to say hi. Another time was when Tawson stopped by the library to find a book someone had mentioned in one of his classes. He wanted to read an excerpt from it that went well with the lesson. Vic was sat at a table, nose in a textbook. He crept up behind him and laughed quietly when Vic made a startled noise. He got a glare for that but just winked and continued moving on.
They texted throughout the week. It was small things, just checking in or sending little quips about their day. Tawson would spend most nights smiling at his phone. He was quickly becoming used to having Vic to talk to. They would take turns asking random questions, like favorite color and what the other would bring on a deserted island. Vic would answer most with some gif or another. One night, they even played twenty questions. Vic’s was a goat while he’d been thinking of a rose bush. Neither got them right, but the questions veered off topic frequently. They must have sent a couple hundred texts throughout the week between the both of them. Tawson was never a texter before.
They’d end each night with Vic inviting him over and Tawson telling him goodnight. Tawson didn’t have to go on campus Wednesday. He made sure to catch up on work and then went down to watch the horses for a bit. Paxton was on and off the ranch with her job and Zaya popped in just as randomly. They were cute together.
Tawson found himself excited for the weekend. Vic already asked to spend another night with him. Tawson needed to clean up a bit before he came up though. He wouldn’t say he rushed back to the house after his office visit hour was up, but he definitely beat Vic home. He was hanging out with Joe and some friends for a bit but promised to be over by ten at the latest.
He’d just stepped out of the shower when he heard a car pull up and a smile crept over his face. There was no denying something was forming between Victor and himself. But it wasn’t Vic when he opened the door. Instead, it was Brett. “Oh hey.” He tried but knew he failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“Nice to see you too,” Brett said. “I feel like I’m about to interrupt something so I’ll make this quick. We were just doing our checks to make sure there wasn’t anything that needed fixing or updating around the homes. No leaks, appliances acting up, water pressure issues.”
“It’s perfect here,” Tawson said. “I’m really liking it here.”
“Sounds good,” Brett said. “Glad to hear everything is working out. How is teaching?”
“Great, really. It’s nice talking to people who actually want to learn.”
Brett smiled and nodded at that. “Yeah, well, when you’re paying what they charge, you better get your money’s worth.But I won’t keep you any longer. If you need anything, just call.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
He closed the door and reached for his phone on the counter. Vic had texted him that he was going to dip out of the hangout early since everyone was drinking and he had to drive anyway.
T-minus 40 minutes.
Tawson rolled his eyes and but messaged back quickly.Be safe. Also Brett is hanging around doing checks on the property.He decided to play Vic’s game and found a gif of the ‘stealth mode activated’ variety and sent it.
A few seconds later, Vic’s face popped up on his screen for a phone call. Of all their texting during the week, they never called each other. It felt like a next step. He answered before it could go to voicemail. “Hello?”
“I am so proud of you. Your first gif! I can finally stop calling you grandpa behind your back!” Tawson laughed at Vic’s words. Vic joined him and what sounded like a radio playing in the background got his attention.
“Where are you?”
“I’m about to start driving home,” he said. “I’m bringing laundry with me this time so that will be fun.”
“Hmm.” Tawson had gone and done another load in town on Thursday so he was set for the week. “Well, if you come up here tonight, clothes don’t have to be involved.”
“I love the sound of that,” Vic said. “I also snagged a cheesecake from Joe’s fridge. He’ll figure it out tomorrow, but it’ll be worth it tonight.”
“Be careful coming home,” Tawson said. He felt like he needed to repeat the warning because Vic sounded like he was wide awake. He wouldn’t be surprised if he’d had an energydrink or something. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
He spent the time making sure everything was cleaned up. He ditched the shirt he’d put on earlier, opting for just a pair of sweats and nothing else. He picked up a book and scanned through it. He felt like a teenager again, waiting for his date to arrive to pick him up.
Date.
They never labeled what they were doing. Outside of being sneaky. They’d spent one night together. That didn’t exactly qualify as dating. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready for that. But Vic was just something else. He wasn’t old, not by a long shot, but he had a marriage, mortgage, and career behind him. He’d lived a whole life before meeting Vic. He didn’t have anything to show for it but memories. Memories he would have to share if they did label what they were.
His chest tightened at that. He couldn’t- There was too much to explain and he didn’t need to dump that on a nineteen year old that was just starting his life. Sure, they were having fun. But there was an end to this, wasn’t there?
