“I guess you're right,” Matt conceded.
We wandered the main corridor or as we sipped on our drinks. I pointed out a few different shops where we might find something Kim would enjoy for Christmas. Every suggestion I made, Matt shot down. His mood had soured since he’d told me about his assumptions that she was dating. I had no clue when she’d find the time, but I was happy for her. And whether Matt realized it or not, he would be too. He spent a lot of time worrying about how she was doing when we were at school.
With every storefront we passed, Matt’s attitude worsened. I chuckled when I noticed there were kids putting up less of a fight than he was. I slipped my hand around the small of his back and leaned in so I could whisper without anyone overhearing us. “If you keep fighting me, we’re going to be here until closing time. And then there might not be time for me to reward you for being good today.”
Matt swallowed hard, and his steps faltered. He looked at me with wide eyes. “You can't go around saying shit like that to me.”
“Oh? And why not?” I teased.
“Because you’re going to get me hard,” he informed me. He tried dropping my hand, but I held his tighter. If I was walking around with an uncomfortable erection, so could he.
“Then I highly suggest we figure out what all we need to buy for everyone so we can get home.”
“Gift cards for everyone!” Matt exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
“We’re not buying gift cards just so we can go back to your place and get off.” There was a small boutique my mom liked up ahead. Maybe we could find something for Kim in there. Matt whined as I dragged him toward the entrance. “We just need to find something for your mom and my nephews, and then we’ll be set.”
“You didn't tell me we were buying for the boys today.” His face brightened a bit. “Can I help you pick out their toys?”
“Of course,” I scoffed. “Why do you think I brought you with me? You're the biggest kid I know.”
Now that he knew it wasn't all going to be boring shopping, Matt was the one dragging me into the store. He was immediately drawn to a cashmere sweater on one of the mannequins. It was light pink—I was pretty sure they called it champagne—and would look amazing on his mom. Matt lifted the arm of the sweater and his shoulder fell when he saw the price tag. I grabbed his hand as he tried to walk away. “I think that would be perfect for your mom. And if you're right, and she is dating, I bet she’d love to wear it if her new guy takes her out for dinner.”
“That was my thought, too, but no way can I afford that. If I get her the sweater, I'm going to have to eat Ramen all of second semester,” he grumbled. Life wasn’t fair sometimes. I hated that I had credit cards in my wallet with four-figure lines of credit and he was serious about having to essentially starve himself if he did something nice for his mom.
“As if I'd ever let that happen.” I laced my fingers through his, moving so we stood toe to toe. “Do you know one of the best things about having a boyfriend?”
“Sex on demand,” Matt deadpanned. I chuckled because I couldn't fault his logic.
“No, you horn dog.” I gave his shoulder a playful nudge. “You don't have to do everything alone anymore. We’re going to buy the sweater, and you're not going to argue with me. Then, were going to find a nice pair of dark washed jeans and some kick ass boots so she has an outfit that'll make her feel like a million dollars.”
Matt groaned and threw his head back. “If I can't afford the sweater, how the hell do you expect me to afford an entire outfit?”
“Easy. It's not going to be just from you. It's going to be from both of us.” Giving joint gifts felt like a bold statement. If it had been anyone else I had just started dating, I wouldn’t have considered it, but this was Matt. Putting a label on our relationship felt like a natural progression.
“Brandon, I can't let you do that. I know you want to help but face it, if we go with your plan, you are going to be spending like a billion times as much as I am. That's not fair. I don't want to take advantage of you.” He tried pulling away again. I still didn’t let him go. We were buying this damned sweater, even if I had to cause a scene in the middle of the damn store.
“It's not taking advantage if I offer, for one thing,” I lectured him. “And for another thing, I like your mom. She always let us get away with more shit when we were teenagers. Part of it can be a way for me to thank her.”
“I still don't like this,” Matt protested even as he flipped through the stack to find the pink sweater in his mom's size. “I'm going to make this up to you, one way or another.”
“Lucky for you, I accept blow jobs as a form of payment. That's more than you can say for the store.”
“I know, they have no sense of humor,” he quipped. I let out a deep breath, only then realizing how worried I'd been that we were headed toward our first fight as a couple.
Luckily, the boutique had everything we needed to give Kim the ultimate date night outfit for her Christmas gift. I also sent off a quick text to my mom, asking her to pick up a gift certificate for the massage place where she went. That would have to be from Santa, because Matt would lose his shit if he found out I'd spent even more money on his mom. I paid close attention as we wandered through the mall, trying to figure out what to get my boyfriend for Christmas. Everything I thought of was either cheesy or didn't seem like nearly enough.
I was tempted to come back to the toy store when I didn't have him with me after watching his eyes light up as he played with all the toys on the shelf.
“What about that?” he asked, pointing to a huge Lego set. It would've been a great idea if the boys weren't still in the big block stage. Matt frowned as I shook my head. “Yeah, you're right. Maybe in a couple of years.”
It would have been an awesome present for Matt, but he wasn’t great about picking up after himself. The last thing I needed was to hop out of my bed in the middle of the night to take a leak and wind up stepping on a fucking Lego.
“Probably a good idea.” We turned down the next aisle and Matt nearly got whiplash as he took in the sight of brightly colored dragons and dinosaurs. He started dancing around and squealing when he picked up one of the boxes and the dinosaur started talking and moving around. He shook the box again, giggling with delight as the dinosaur reared back on its hind legs.
“Oh my God, Brandon! You have to get this for them. It's totally obnoxious and your brother’s gonna hate it.”
“And that's why should get it for them?” I'd never been that uncle, the one who picked out the most obnoxious toys, but there was no denying the blue and green dinosaur was adorable. The boys would probably love it.
