xVerity: I feel like it’s a little early for him to beworking
Gwynning: I think Knot’s right. He was going on the other day about how he’s been meaning to put in morehours.
Laurence dragged his thumb across the top of his screen, bringing down his phone’s menu bar, to check if he’d missed an incoming text. He’d sent a message to Alex a few hours ago but hadn’t received a response. A few hours wasn’t all that much time to wait, but so long had already passed since they’d last seen each other that each minute dragged. Waiting to see if Alex could forgive him for the spectacular failure that was Friday night was killinghim.
At least the Single Dads were around to keep him inline.
LoveHarley: Hey, I’m back. What did Imiss?
KnotMyProblem: Notmuch
xVerity: Nikki attempted to stretch out a balloon so she could blow it up more easily and promptly punched herself in the face. She gave herself a black eye and cried for two hours while I had to do my best to look concerned and not like I was about to double over with laughter. I think that’s the most exciting thing that’s happenedtonight
Gwynning: Matthew decided to keep thebaby.
LoveHarley: Oh shit, Gwynn, really? How do you feel aboutthat?
Gwynning: Better than I should be feeling, I think. Maybe I’m still in shock. He may still change his mind, so I’m trying not to get emotional over it one way or the other. Even though he’s made some pretty stupid choices, he’s a good kid. I think everything is going to beokay.
LoveHarley: @xVerity, you need to start a new group. Single Grandpa Support Group. Gwynn’s gone and graduated onus
xVerity: I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for the next seven months to pass so I can send Gwynning Jr. his invitation to the SDSG. He’s going to have an October baby, isn’the?
Gwynning: Or end of September. We’re trying to find him an obstetrician right now who might be able to give us a betteridea.
xVerity: Perfect. I can make the invite Halloweenthemed
Gwynning: Verity, if you send my son an invite to this group, I will never forgiveyou
xVerity: You don’t want us to pass along all oursupport?
KnotMyProblem: And all of our dirt on you, too, Gwynn. Don’t think that those photos from college you sent us disappeared into theether
Gwynning: And this is exactly why I don’t want Matthew to join the group. There’s too much ammo against me. He’d never take me seriouslyagain.
Laurence checked the status bar again, but there was nothing there. With a sigh, he stretched out on the couch and wondered if making dinner was a good idea. He’d heard Matthew rooting around in the kitchen an hour before, which meant that he’d probably fed himself, and Laurence saw little point in cooking forone.
Maybe he’d order something and spend the night watching whatever sounded good on Netflix. Matthew wasn’t the only one who had to adjust to the idea that he’d be having a baby—Laurence was emotionally depleted from the news aswell.
LoveHarley: Okay, so now that kiddo updates are out of the way, what about you, Gwynn? Did you text your dream boy like we told youto?
Gwynning:Yeah.
LoveHarley:And?
Gwynning: He hasn’t replied yet. It’s been a few hours. I’m not sure if he’s ever going to get back tome.
KnotMyProblem: How good was thesex?
KnotMyProblem: I mean, for him. You’ve been a monk for like sixteen years now, or however old Matthew is, so the fact that you were getting it on with something other than your right hand guarantees that it was phenomenal foryou.
Gwynning: I’m taking a page out of TD’s book in his absence—oh my god,really?
KnotMyProblem: it’s a serious question. Did you fuck him within an inch of his life? Did he walk away bowlegged? Because at this stage in your relationship, that’s going to determine whether he texts you back ornot.
Gwynning: He was really into it. He seduced me and instigated everything. I didn’t even want to do it, but he… he has a way withwords.
Words, and touch, and taste. Each was a vivid image Alex had painted in his mind—torn lace, filthy, dirty sex, and indulgent depravity. Laurence had taken everything he’d whispered into his ear and made it intoreality.
