All the guys smiled and nodded, and suddenly tears prickled. Patrick blinked rapidly, and Simon responded to his emotional state by pulling Patrick into the circle of his arms. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see,” he whispered against Patrick’s ear. The words were reassuring, but being surrounded by Simon’s strong arms was even more so, and Patrick melted into the hug—strong, comforting, and letting him know he wasn’t alone.
By the time they drew apart, Patrick felt a lot better. It helped to know he had the support of friends, especially having Simon to lean on. Mike and Bruce had left the room, and the sounds of a game on the television could be heard coming from the living room. Patrick was smiling again by the time they joined them.
Simon
Simon was stillthinking about the previous night’s conversation in the kitchen when he pulled up outside the house. He yanked on the hand brake and turned off the ignition, but made no move to exit the car. After his hectic day at work, tiredness seeped from every pore, and combined with the worry about Patrick, he couldn’t seem to summon the energy to get moving.
The boys were pissed off about what was going on, but didn’t seem overly concerned, so Simon thought maybe he was overreacting. They’d tossed around ideas, made sure the house was safe, and established some ground rules—no strangers in the house until all the shit was resolved. And the police had now been involved. There wasn’t anything more Simon could do. He decided to try to relax a bit more.
Plus, he had his new relationship with Patrick to focus on, and that definitely put a smile on his face. He looked to the house with renewed energy. Lights shone through the downstairs windows, indicating someone was home. Simon knew Mike was there because his bedroom light was also on. He hoped Patrick was home as well, but as his bedroom was at the back of the house, Simon couldn’t be sure. The Ford hatchback he’d pulled up behind hinted that maybe they had a visitor.
The thought of seeing Patrick was enough to give Simon a second wind, so he finally heaved himself from the car, grabbed his gym bag from the passenger seat, and hotfooted it toward the house. His mood lightened with each step as he started thinking about his budding relationship with Patrick. It was all exciting and new, but he knew deep down he’d found the person he wanted to be with long-term. It wasn’t just a crush or infatuation.
The scent of garlic hit as soon as he entered the front door, and music filtered down the hall. Simon followed the welcoming smells and sounds to the kitchen. Mike was stirring something at the stove and Patrick was talking to a guy who was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar. The pang of jealousy was instantaneous, dulling Simon’s excitement at finding Patrick home.
“Hey, there you are,” Mike greeted. “We wondered if you’d be home for dinner.”
“Hi. Yeah, I don’t have any other plans, so I’d love some of whatever it is you’re making.”
Patrick turned at his voice, his smile broad. “Simon. Hey there. Welcome home.”
Simon wanted to give Patrick a kiss in greeting but wasn’t sure what was expected. Would it be too much? Too early in their relationship? He wasn’t sure if the urge to demonstrate his feelings toward Patrick was just his happiness to see his man, or whether it was a need to stake his claim in front of the unfamiliar guy. But what would Patrick want? Would he be comfortable with public displays of affection?
Simon needn’t have worried. When he got close enough, Patrick wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bringing them close enough for a quick kiss. It wasn’t long or passionate, just a soft touching of mouths, but it was enough to send a frisson of pleasure through Simon’s body. He hoped there’d be more of that later—much, much more—but for now it was enough that Patrick was acknowledging their relationship.
As they parted he saw Mike’s wide eyes, followed by an exaggerated raising of his eyebrows. He guessed they’d be having a talk about that later, too, since he and Patrick hadn’t made a grand announcement to their housemates.
“I want you to meet someone,” Patrick said as he moved away. “This is Dion. Dion was the guy I used to live with before I moved in here. Dion, this is Simon.”
Simon froze at the mention of Dion’s name. Patrick had moved out of his last apartment because of trouble with Dion’s boyfriend, and because Dion hadn’t stood by Patrick when Patrick had voiced his fears.What the fuck is he doing here?
Dion pushed back from his stool and took the couple of steps around the breakfast bar to reach Simon. He thrust his hand out in greeting. Dion was tall, with a mess of dark curls, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt sporting the logo of a local hardware store. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
Simon looked from the man’s outstretched hand to his face. He looked like an ordinary guy—not bad looking but nothing spectacular, kind of like the boy next door, but that didn’t mean that Simon warmed to him. He held out his hand anyway, trying not to cringe as Dion’s slightly moist palm touched his and held on way too long to be comfortable. “Yeah, good to meet you, too.” He let go of Dion’s hand as soon as he could and resisted the urge to wipe his hand on his pants. He met Patrick’s gaze. “Hey, can I see you upstairs for a minute? I need to show you that thing.”
“Thing?” Patrick tilted his head.
“Yeah, the stuff you asked me to bring you home from work.”C’mon, Patrick, don’t be so dense.
Patrick still looked confused but finally nodded. “S... sure.” He turned to Dion. “I’ll be back soon, this shouldn’t take long.”
“No worries.” Dion smiled at Patrick before approaching Mike and looking into the pot. “Can I help you with anything?”
The conversation, as Simon left the kitchen, was Mike extending an invitation to Dion to join them for dinner. “There’s heaps of pasta to go around.”Shit! That’s the last thing I want. I just want to get Dion out of here as quickly as possible.
He took the stairs in his usual two-at-a-time manner, Patrick hot on his heels. Simon pivoted and started speaking as soon as he entered his bedroom. “What the fuck, Patrick? What’s he doing here?”
Patrick’s gaze clouded. “He stopped by to apologize.”
Simon snorted. “Sure. Likely story. What does he want? Why has he come here? Why now?”
“Hey, cut out the attitude, will you.” Patrick’s voice was hard, and Simon flinched. “I’m dealing with Dion and I don’t appreciate you giving me the third degree. Plus, you don’t know the full story.”
“I know enough of the story. That guy was an asshole toward you.”
Patrick sighed. “I know, but if you’d just listen for a minute, I’ll explain what Dion told me.”
“This had better be good.”
