Adathan ran his fingers through William’s hair as he gave him hungry kisses—one for every hour they’d spent apart. William returned them with equal vigor, their groans joining forces to compete with the noisy A/C unit.
“I missed you,” Adathan exhaled, catching his breath.
“Missed you, too.”
Adathan nuzzled his neck as William carried him to the lavender-scented bathroom, where a thick layer of bubbles awaited them in the bathtub. William would have preferred a shower in this weather, but he kept it to himself. They’d started taking baths together over the winter, and it had grown into a daily ritual—which was off limits, as far as Adathan was concerned.
Adathan wasted no time taking off the sweater and socks, and stepping into the hot water. He let out a sigh as he sat in the bathtub, smiling at William expectantly.
William bent down to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” Adathan said, gripping his hand.
“Hmm?”
Adathan scooped some foam and placed it atop William’s head. “You forgot your hat.”
William chuckled. He straightened and glanced at the mirror as he left the bathroom—a man with a jiggly mass of foam on hishead smiled back. There were days he hardly recognized his own reflection. Happiness suited him.
William took off his shoes by the door and grabbed the cold bottle of sparkling wine and the box of donuts from his bag. He fetched two stainless-steel tumblers and returned to the bathroom with his cargo. “I thought it warranted a little celebration.”
Adathan beamed. “Champagne and too much dessert?”
William had been tempted to get the same champagne they’d drunk at the hotel—until he saw the price tag, choked on his spit, and fled the wineshop. “Cheap sparkling wine and a box of donuts.”
“From Annie’s Delights?”
“Of course.” It was their favorite spot for a decadent date—the absolute best donuts in the city. William’s heart melted every time Adathan squinted at the vast selection, tapping his index finger against his pursed lips as if he were trying to crack the code to a complex riddle. When it came to making decisions, Adathan always took his time. William would be lying if he said it didn’t occasionally annoy him, but he did his best not to let it show.
He could stand to learn from Adathan’s example. Why rush through life as if it were a race?
William placed his load on the spotless floor and served them both some sparkling wine. He stripped and tossed his clothes into a heap, then joined Adathan, who’d scooted forward so that William could sit behind him.
They clinked their glasses. “To your promotion,” Adathan said.
“To your cute little butt.”
Adathan nodded with a scholar’s seriousness. “It is very cute indeed.”
William smiled against his tumbler as he took a sip of the delightfully cold liquid.
Adathan leaned back against William’s chest and propped his ankles over the edge of the bathtub.
“What did you do today?” William asked, wrapping his free arm around Adathan’s waist. No email normally meant he’d been quite busy.
“First, I had breakfast with Rosanna. Then I went to the park to draw.” Adathan’s toes wiggled. “I saw a cute Boston Terrier with heterochromia.”
“With what?”
Adathan tilted his head back to give William a smile. “It means its eyes were not the same color. One was light blue, and the other was brown.”
“Half you, half me.”
“A perfect combination.” Adathan took a sip before resting his head against William’s chest again. “Then I came back here, and I had soup. It was so good.” He wiggled his toes. “You make the best soup.”
William kissed the top of Adathan’s head. It was no fine gastronomy; he just boiled whatever vegetables they had in some broth, then dumped it all into the blender. Adathan was easy to please, especially where soup was concerned.
“Then I visited Oliver.”
