“I’m... very grateful you’re here, Sam,” Barry said quietly. “I know this hasn’t been easy. Hell, I know I’m not always the easiest person. I joke too much sometimes, and Iama stubborn old man—”
“Barry, I didn’t—”
“Oh, it’s true, kiddo.” Barry laughed and then immediately seemed to regret it, grimacing a bit as he pulled his hand back. “Stubborn and impatient, that’s your uncle Barry. Ha. But, kiddo, I just... Boy, I’m so happy that you and Ollie have each other. It’s... all I’ve ever wanted for you—to find that happiness that you were always searching for. And I’m so happy I finally got to meet him. He seems like a special guy. And it’s easy to see how much the two of you love each other. And ah, well, I just...”
Barry trailed off, and Sam blinked back several heavy emotions as he nodded again.
“He is... very special to me,” Sam said, and he pictured the photo Ollie had just sent him, with Ollie’s huge, uninhibited grin. He felt a gentle tugging at his heart, and he had to close his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, Barry was watching him with a thoughtful half-smile. The older man sniffled and reached up to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. Sam frowned and started to speak, but Barry beat him to it.
“Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding. You got that, kiddo?”
God, a wedding. They hadn’t even talked about getting married yet. But...
A wedding. A puppy. A house. Sam could see it all. Picture it all, feel it all. And he suddenly wanted nothing more than that. With Ollie.
The tugging at his heart turned into a full-blown flutter of love and hope, and Sam pursed his lips together to stop himself from crying as he nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, of course, um . . . When we—when we hopefully . . .”
Barry stood slowly. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go outside for a bit. Enjoy this amazing weather while it lasts. Think I can make it all the way past old Mrs. Riddle’s house before I’m out of breath today?”
Sam chuckled and shook his head. “You’re not going to get to find out because we’re not going that far. To the corner, and that’s it. Don’t be so—”
“—impatient. I know, I know.”
Pushing himself to his feet, Sam pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw he’d missed another text from Ollie. He tapped the notification, and a smile immediately formed on his lips.
Oliver (3:39 p.m.):Here’s another one to tide you over. You owe me now though. Counting the minutes until tonight. Hopefully I’ll finish early here, so I can call around 8 your time. <3
The picture Ollie had sent showed him sitting at his desk, his lab coat on but unbuttoned and a pencil tucked up behind his ear. He was still grinning—that same happy smile that was so real, so bright, so... brilliant.
Sam closed his eyes as he felt a rush of love and gratitude.
You owe me now though.
He laughed a little. God, when was the last time he’d taken a selfie? He...really didn’t do selfies. But maybe he’d have to make an exception.
“Something funny, kiddo?”
“Uh, no. No, I just...” Sam opened his eyes and cleared his throat. “You ready?”
“Oh, I’vebeenready. Been standing here watching you grin at your phone like you won the lottery or something.”
Sam groaned. Teasing Barry was back. But he honestly sort of liked it. He shoved his phone back in his pocket, promising himself he’d text Ollie back later, after his walk with Barry. “Come on, old man. Let’s go.”
Chapter 25
Ollie finished work at 5:00 p.m. on the dot, grabbed his coat and umbrella in case the rain had started up again, and headed out, locking up the lab as he left.
He’d been the only one at work most of the day, although John had stopped in for a few minutes, as had Susan. Being that it was Sunday, however, that hadn’t been unexpected. With the lab quiet, he’d been able to finish several experiments and wrap up a report on all his recent data to give to John tomorrow, and then he’d planned to have the rest of the week to finalize and practice his presentation for the conference the following weekend.
He exited the building, glad to see that the sun was still shining brightly, with only a few thin wisps of clouds left in the sky. Shifting his umbrella to his left hand, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked briskly along the sidewalk toward his apartment. Multiple notifications popped up on the screen, and he grinned as he saw that he’d gotten several texts from Sam.
It was hard to not just click on the texts right then, but since he had to cross several busy streets on his walk home, he decided to wait, and instead, he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and picked up his pace. After only a few more minutes, he unlocked the door to his apartment, tossed his keys and umbrella on the console table near the front door, slipped off his shoes and coat, and pulled his phone back out again.
Sam (1:19 p.m.):You know I’m a sucker for a hot guy in a lab coat...
Sam (1:19 p.m.):You also know that I don’t really do selfies. So, consider yourself really, really special, love. ;)
