I despise the thought of bursting this bubble, but I know it’s the right thing to do. I gently shake Harlan’s shoulder, and he snorts and shifts. The problem with the shift is that he rubs against my dick. Naturally, I feel myself hardening at the contact. I shake him a little harder. “Harlan, you have to wake up. Come on, sweetness,” I whisper, ignoring my erection. His eyes flutter open, glassy with sleep. I expect him to panic at our proximity, but he offers me a sleepy smile instead.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how tired I was. How long have I been asleep?” He stretches his arms above his head, letting out a noisy yawn. I don’t mean to look, but when his shirt lifts, I stare at the strip of skin that’s revealed. So soft and inviting.
“Not sure. I fell asleep, too.” My hand is still in his hair, and he nuzzles into the contact. The movement brings him closer to my very hard cock. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything. I can’t help but notice, though.
“Mmm, I loved it when you used to play with my hair.” He closes his eyes while I continue to massage and scratch his scalp, threading his curls through my fingers. I’m barely breathing as we sit in silence, for fear that he’ll realize he doesn’t want this.
“It would always put you to sleep,” I remind him fondly. He nods in acknowledgement, a soft smile gracing his lips. The memories feel closer than ever with him here, and I’m tempted to ask him if he remembers them as often as I do. There was a time when I’d be able to read him—to know exactly what he was thinking and feeling—even if he didn’t say anything at all.
As though he can still read my mind, he speaks into the weighted silence. “I can remember so many of our firsts. Date, kiss, argument. But I can’t remember the lasts. Not for the small things. The things I ended up missing more than I thought possible, you know?”
I spent so long combing through memories, trying to recall the small details. “I know exactly what you mean.” It’s a dangerous place in my head right now. Everything feels fragile with us, and I don’t want to steer us in a direction that neither of us is quite ready for. “You don’t realize how you take the small things for granted until you don’t have them anymore.”
Harlan sits up, disrupting the exploration of our personal time capsule. The abrupt loss of contact is almost overwhelming. I’m not prepared to unpack the complicated feelings that have been dragged to the surface tonight. Not that they were buried too deeply. “At least we can make new memories.” Regret flashes in his eyes but quickly disappears.
I offer him a smile, hoping my own regret is masked. “Starting with Friendsgiving. You saved my ass today, so thank you.” There is no chance that I would have been able to accomplish all we did if he hadn’t appeared on my doorstep.
“I did indeed save your arse.” Harlan winks, his eyes sparkling. “It’s getting late. We should get the dishes done,” he says around a yawn, before letting out an adorable squeak.
Standing, I take his hands, pulling him to his feet. “I will take care of the dishes. It’s the very least I can do after all your help today. Are you sure you’re ok to drive? I can take you home, or you are more than welcome to spend the night.” I cringe, realizing how that sounded. “To sleep, obviously. I didn’t mean?—”
“Hush, Dare. I know what you meant,” he assures me, chuckling lightly. “I’m fine to drive, I promise. If you’re sure about the dishes, I’m going to take you up on that. I’ll be backbright and early on Friday morning so you don’t massacre any more unsuspecting vegetables.” I reach to pinch his side, but he steps out of reach, his musical laugh enveloping the space around us.
“I maintain that it’s your fault the pie didn’t survive,” I sniff. Placing my hand on his back, I guide him to the foyer. “Thanks again for today. I had fun, despite the pie homicide. Please text me when you get home.” I almost choke on the word “home.” It’s hard to remember, especially after tonight, that this house is no longer his home.
“You don’t have to thank me, Dare. I’m happy to help. Happy Thanksgiving,” he murmurs, stretching to kiss my cheek. “See you Friday. I’ll let you know when I’m home safely.” Once he’s in his car and pulling away, I raise my hand to the cheek he kissed. I wonder if his lips still taste the way I remember.
When my alarmgoes off on Friday morning, I wonder what I was thinking when I planned to go for a run this morning. I ate far too much food and drank more wine than I should have yesterday, to even go for a light jog. The wine was in support of Penny, since dealing with her family is…an experience. All things considered, it was a fairly mellow holiday. I’m feeling groggy, despite falling into bed at a reasonable time. It won’t stop me from enjoying tonight’s dinner. Exercise will be there after I’ve eaten enough turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing to sustain me for another year.
In an attempt to keep my mind off spending the entire day with Darío, for the second time in a few days, I check in with everyone to make sure they remember what they’re responsible for. Wednesday left me with more questions than answers where my feelings for Dare are concerned. It was hard to get a read on him. Friendship is such a strange way to classify our relationship, because how can we bejustfriends after all we’ve shared? I didn’t expect things to feel so easy when I showed upat his house, unannounced. We fell into a comfortable routine, working alongside each other, as if no time had passed.
On my way to Dare’s, I stop at the deli between our streets for breakfast. Settling on bacon, egg, and cheese on hard rolls for both of us—Dare’s with salt, pepper, and ketchup, and mine with hot sauce—I also get him the largest coffee they have. I anticipate reluctance on his part for our early start. A caffeinated Darío is an agreeable Darío.
“I’ll be damned. I must be hallucinating in my old age, because you look like the handsome boy who used to live next door to me,” Allegra’s scratchy voice carries through the window of the brownstone next door. “There’s simply no way that Harlan would ever be back in this neighborhood without stopping by to say hello.” Guilt slams into me for not prioritizing a visit with her.
“Hello, Allegra,” I call out. “Let me drop my things, and I’ll be right over.” I hear her window slam shut while I place Dare’s breakfast on his steps. By the time I’m at her door, Allegra has flung it open with a strength that still amazes me for a ninety-year-old woman.
She pulls me into a hug that feels like home before tutting. “You and your baseball player are back together?”
“No, nothing like that,” I tell her. “I just moved back a few months ago, but we’re just friends.” If I sound a little disappointed, she ignores it in favor of assessing me with squinted eyes. “How are your friends at the senior center?”
“Ah, well, I haven’t been able to get there too much. My grandson insists that I can’t walk alone anymore. They all want me to sell the house and move upstate. It’s too quiet up there if you ask me. I told him where to go, because he forgets that I’m the one in charge.” I laugh because Allegra won’t listen to anyone, least of all her grandchildren.
“Stubborn as ever, Allegra. I’m back in the city for good, and only a few blocks over, so if you need me to drive you to the center, you know I’m more than happy to do that for you,” I assure her.
“It appears your baseball player is waiting for you.” She gestures behind me before taking my hand. I turn to see Dare exiting the house with Craig. “I won’t keep you, but now that you’re back, I expect to see more of your face. I’ve saved a lot of gossip for you.”
“Hello, Mrs. Bianchi,” Dare greets the tiny Italian holding my hand. “I hope you’re well.”
“Good morning, Darío,” she replies. “You’d think that handsome man would stop being so formal after so many years,” she whispers to me conspiratorially. “Go enjoy the day with yourfriend.” Allegra shoos me off her steps after giving me a kiss, with a promise to have lunch with me soon.
Craig immediately rushes to my feet, jumping in excitement. Once I’ve provided him with the love and attention he deserves, I meet Dare’s eyes. “You look tired already,” I tease. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us, so you better get excited.”
“Another day spent with you bossing me around sounds like something dreams are made of,” he deadpans. I stick my tongue out as I rise to my feet.
“That’s fine. Guess I’ll find someone else to enjoy your breakfast, you ungrateful monster.” He scoffs, moving to the stairs, where the items in question still sit. Craig is too busy making sure he pees on the trees lining the walk for Dare to get close enough to take his coffee. “I bet Allegra would quite enjoy a hot cup of coffee.”
We bicker back and forth, waiting for Craig to do his business. Once we’re inside, we enjoy our breakfast while we talk through the timeline for the day. Priority goes to the turkey, which the big, bad baseball player won’t touch without gagging.“You’ve no problem eating arse, but a turkey is your limit. Make that make sense.”
