For November, the weather was pretty nice. Then again, it was California, so there was that.
“I think I need to change into some shorts,” Dev said thoughtfully, eyeing the pool. “A swim after dinner might be fun.”
“Not before dinner?”
“Well, you’d be missing out since you’re going to have your shovel talk.” Dev looked at Leaf, smirking.
“Seth can swim with you. If you can lend him trunks.”
“You just volunteered me like that?” Seth tried to look affronted.
“Do you want him to swim alone? Are you not feeling like you need exercise?”
“Uh….”
“Thought so,” Leaf said knowingly.
“There’s always extra swimwear in the mudroom closet. That’s where we usually change. It’s not a mudroom really, just what we use for the purpose. Utility room gone wild, more or less,” Dev explained as he held a hand to Seth. “You sit here and soak in the sun. We’ll be right back.”
He gave a kiss to Leaf, who then sat down into one of the deck chairs around the pool.
THEY FOUNDgood enough swim shorts for Seth, and Dev’s old board shorts he used whenever he was at home were folded on the top shelf.
“Lime green and orange,really?” Seth asked, looking at the garish shorts Dev was pulling on.
“Yeah, a gag gift from Angel. There’s no way I can swim here andnotuse them.”
“Oh, sibling thing.” Seth nodded solemnly, but the corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes showed his amusement. “In any case, those shorts are an insult to all humanity.”
“Eh, you get used to them.” Dev got them towels, and they went back outside.
Leaf peered at them, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. “Well, there’s a sight for sore old eyes,” he murmured, grinning at them. Then he did a dramatic double take. “Except for those shorts.”
“Hey, they haven’t rescinded my gay card yet,” Dev said, smiling as he walked to the edge of the pool. He raised a brow at Seth and gracefully dove into the water.
When Dev surfaced again, Seth made a splash. He turned around and treaded water, waiting for Seth to rise to the surface too.
“Now I wish I had time to join you,” Leaf said wistfully as Dev and Seth embraced and kissed softly.
“How much time do you have?” Dev asked, and Leaf looked at his cell.
“Ten minutes.”
“Be early. She’ll like that.”
Leaf’s brows rose a little. “Oh, okay.” He got to his feet and stretched. “See you later, then.” Leaf seemed to steel himself before going inside the house.
Dev snorted.
“He looked like he was going in front of a jury or something,” Seth sounded amused.
“In a way, he is,” Dev said, moving to float on his back.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I mean, my parents love us, but Mom especially is superprotective. So while she wouldn’t say anything to me if she didn’t like you two, it would definitely be something she made known in all the little ways. If she really,reallydidn’t like you, she’d tell me.”
“Basically what you’re saying is that she’s a good mother?”
