“No, not… not now. I talked with Evy, after you’d left. We’ve had some good conversations. Not therapy, I don’t—but it’s helped some. I understand better. Sh-she just surprised me, that’s all.”
Right, Wednesdays were the days of the calls normally. “Did she have a reason to call on a Monday?”
Mark groaned, the sound frustrated today. “Someone shot at a cop three hours from here, so she wanted to know if, by any chance, I had anything to do with it. She sounded hopeful.”
Francis pressed a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying something horrible. Once he was calm again, he sighed. “Do you have plans for Valentine’s?” he found himself asking.
Mark snorted. “Hallmark Holiday? No, not really. I normally work, but I think Erin wanted the shift this year.” Then suddenly he seemed to realize that, in the loosest terms, someone might think they could have something to do with each other during Valentine’s. “Why?” The question came out slightly rough.
“I’ll be in town by Thursday. I’ll make sure Padraig and Kaos have a nice dinner and then I’ll make myself scarce. I thought of going to Tripod to drink for a while. Then get a ride back home if I don’t find another place to rest my head.”
Mark made a noncommittal sound, so Francis continued. “Who knows though, maybe I’ll just curl up somewhere in the house and let them do their thing anyway. It’s gonna be a rough drive with the U-Haul when I hit the snow.”
“Take your time, okay? I know you can drive in snow, but there’s plenty right now. Make sure you rest enough. I’ve seen too many people crashing while towing a trailer because they took their concentration off driving for a moment.”
Okay, so obviously they weren’t going to talk about the possibility of meeting at Tripod. At least it wasn’t an outright no. Not that Francis had counted on anything anyway. He’d just thought it might have been fun to go home with someone on Valentine’s. Hell, he would’ve probably done that in New Jersey too if he’d still been there.And if you hadn’t met Mark yet,his mind supplied.
“I’ll try my best to stay safe. You do the same. And feel free to call me if you want to.”
“Okay. Thanks again. Talk to you later. Bye.” Mark disconnected the call before Francis could reply.
Oh well. At least he now knewexactly nothingabout what Mark thought about whatever it was between them. Francis snorted as he got up to close the trailer doors.
He understood Mark’s hesitance. The fact that he was talking to a shrink at all was a miracle, even if it wasn’t therapy per se. But he was trying to untangle his brain and whatever it was his parents had done to him over the years.
Francis knew he needed to be patient if he wanted Mark. They were worlds apart with their experiences. Francis had known he was gay since he was thirteen. Mark still wasn’t okay with being gay in his early thirties.
Sighing, he went on to carry a few more boxes. It would be time for lunch soon, and he would have to go to the diner at a few blocks away, because his fridge was empty already. Maybe this was the time he should call his friend Joel and ask about the whole BDSM aspect of his and Mark’s relationship.
* * * *
An hour later, he’d texted Joel and asked him if he wanted to grab lunch. Soon after, Francis sat in the restaurant Joel co-owned with his Master, Aiden, because Joel hadn’t wanted to drive to his neighborhood and said this was too important to talk about on the phone.
Joel beamed at him as soon as he came through from the kitchen with plates in hand.
“I was experimenting. Well, our chef was experimenting, but you know,” Joel said as he put the plates down. Then he stood by the table until Francis got to his feet to give him a hug. “It’s good to see you again, Francis.”
“You too. I wish our schedules had aligned more.” He gave his friend a squeeze, feeling the same sadness and gratitude he’d been feeling a lot lately wash over him.
“So, it’s some sort of salmon dish. I don’t even know. Should be good. There’s a twist she wouldn’t tell me, so… here’s hoping it’s good?” Joel grinned, and Francis found himself picking up his fork with gusto. This would beat fast food any day.
“How’s things?” Francis asked, before spearing a piece of the perfectly cooked salmon and putting it into his mouth. It tasted amazing, and yes, there was some sort of twist he couldn’t identify immediately.
“Oh, everything is great. I work here most days and Sir does the finances and his other job, and… I guess we’re still deliriously happy.” Joel beamed. He and Aiden had been together for over a decade, and Joel being older by six years had at first thrown Francis when he’d figured out the dynamics between him and Aiden.
“That’s good to hear. Not everyone gets that.”
“I’m counting my blessings, you can be sure of that. How’s Padraig?” Joel asked, and it occurred to Francis that he’d known Padraig and Marcus once, well before they moved to Acker.
“He’s good. Finally healing. He has a live-in partner now.”
Joel’s eyes sparkled. “Do tell more?”
And so Francis ended up telling him all about Kaos and how Padraig was now so very much in love.
“I hope they can make it work,” Joel said. “Padraig deserves happiness after losing Marcus like that.” Then, because Joel was nothing if not perceptive, he added, “And you do too.” His smile was gentle, and Francis smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
