"I love this room," Garrett says. I can hear the pride in his voice. I know he owns his own company and I knew by the look of the other levels of his house that he has money, but this is a whole new show of money. He goes to a closet door and opens it. There are board games stacked on the lower shelves, some game consoles I'm vaguely familiar with, and two shelves of blankets. He pulls one out and then moves to the door beside it. It's a much smaller room, almost like a closet, but it has a fridge that is filled with drinks. "I keep this one stocked for friends and their partners," he says looking over his shoulder. "I have apple juice, juice pouches, water…"
I know he's offering those because he wants to start the scene we discussed. I'm not sure how this is going to go, but I smile at him and walk over to examine the fridge's contents. The apple juices are in tiny plastic bottles, the juice pouches are the ones with the yellow straw you punch a hole with.
"Apple juice, please Daddy."
Chapter Nine
Icrackopentheapple juice and pass it over to Orion. He smiles at me and we move to the couch. It's a large sofa, a sectional, well used over the past years. I take a deep breath when he isn't looking at me. I'm worried about today, hoping that it goes well. I've had friends over, with their partners. Most of the time, they're here in their big headspace, but even so it doesn't mean they don't enjoy an apple juice or a fun board game. I also never minded having the TV playing whatever show or movie or them bringing toys over.
Riley trots down the steps and hops up in his usual spot. Orion looks up at me and we share another smile. I grab the remote from the side table and hesitate for a second where to sit. Orion is on the middle cushion and I go for the corner where the two sides meet. I unfurl the blanket and glance over at Orion.
"The blanket is big enough for us to share like this," I say, testing the waters. "But you can also cuddle if you want."
"Okay." He sounds just as nervous as I feel. We were just naked upstairs, but this is a whole new level. It's new for both of us. I'm used to taking charge, to demanding things from my Boys. With Orion, though, I'm treading lightly. I don't know how he's going to react. I have to remind myself that I'm not sure how I'm going to react either. It'll be a learning curve.
I pull up the movie on one of the streaming platforms and queue it up. I lift my arm when Orion scoots one cushion over and moves under the blanket to lay against my side. We adjust slightly so we're laying with our feet on either side of the sectional. Orion is on his side, smushed partly between my body and the couch and also half laying on me. His whole body does a cute, little wiggle when the movie starts.
"I love this movie," he whispers. I maneuver my phone out of my sweat's pocket and pull up the house app that controls all of the lights. There are no windows in the basement so when I dim the lights, it gives the whole place a movie theatre feel. "Oh this is amazing, Daddy."
Daddy.
I love hearing him call me that. I'm no stranger to being called Daddy, but the way his tone is so soft and trusting. It's a different feeling that courses through my body, more than just heat and desire. It's pride and caring.
We make it halfway through the first movie when Orion says he has to use the bathroom. I direct him to the door on the other side of the pool table. It's only a half bath down here, but it's rather spacious.
"Did you wash your hands?" I ask when he comes back to the couch.
"Yes." He rolls his eyes at me and I want to kiss the sarcastic expression off his face. He doesn't hesitate for a second to curl back up where he was against my side and we resume the movie. Despite remembering him promising to not ruin the movie, he whispers 'Oh, I love this part' every couple of minutes. It's adorable and I'm not sure he even knows he's doing it.
I do get into the movie. Everyone knows about Ninja Turtles, but I don't know how I missed the live action versions. They're good and I can see why Orion likes them. At one point, toward the end, he decides to sit up beside me and the movement catches Riley's attention.
"Come here, Ri." Orion says in a happy tone, almost sing-song like. Riley walks right over me to snuggle in the space between us and lays his head on Orion's lap. Orion, sitting criss cross on the cushion, rests his hand just behind Riley's front leg and continuously rubs him. I know that my dog is in heaven for the remaining twenty minutes of the film. I'm so grateful that Riley and Orion took to each other so easily. Riley is a great dog and he's trained to behave, but with all the cuddles and the way he looks up at Orion with those big, blue eyes shows me how much he trusts the new person in our home.
When the credits start rolling, I look over at Orion. I do fully plan for us to watch the second movie, but I need to use the bathroom myself and grab a snack. "I'll be right back," I announce. I turn the lights back on and stand up. Orion and Riley don't move. "Do you want a snack or anything?"
"Oh, um." I can see that he's fighting to answer truthfully. I backtrack my steps and squat down in front of him, resting my hands on his knees.
"You don't have to hesitate to ever ask for what you need or want here, okay? If you want to come upstairs with me, you can look in the cabinets and pick something. If there is something that you like and I don't have it, let me know and I'll make sure it's here for next time."
I know his instinct is to refute, but I keep my eyes locked on him to convey I'm serious. After a moment, he nods and I help him stand up. We go back up to the kitchen and I show him where all the snack foods are. I don't keep a lot of food in the house, since it's just me, but I enjoy my snacks. We decide to make a bowl of popcorn and split it between the two of us.
Orion is standing to the side of the island, his hands one on top of the other, as I dump the bag into a bright yellow bowl.
"Orion?" He looks up at me, like I pulled him from a deep train of thoughts. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he says. His shoulders drop and he shifts his weight to his other foot. "Am I doing this whole thing right?"
I leave the bowl on the counter and walk over to stand in front of him. His eyes are wide and I can see the uncertainty on his face. My hands come up and cup his jaw. "There is no right or wrong, Orion. As long as you're comfortable. The only thing you need to worry about is having fun and relaxing."
"I am having fun," he says with a small smile. "I just want to make sure that you're—"
"I promise you that I'm enjoying myself just as much," I interrupt him. I don't want him going down that rabbit hole of worrying so much it takes away from enjoying the moment. "Do you want to watch the second movie or do something else?"
His eyes flick to the basement door before looking back at me. "I actually really do want to watch it. The second one is better than the first."
"Then we'll watch it." I drop my hands, but give him a quick kiss. Kissing Orion is addictive. His lips are so soft. "Now, do you need to potty before we start the next one?"
"Nope." He smiles with all his teeth. "But you do. You said so."
