“What can we do?” Noah asked, placing both of his hands on the thickest part of Charlie’s back.
“The past few months, I’ve been trying to build a marketing and fundraising plan, not just for adoptions but for funding for the shelter. It’s really not my area of expertise, though. On top of that, I told you how I made some dumb investments with Ma’s money right at the beginning? Well, I’m running out of money now. If something doesn’t come through by the end of the next fiscal year, which is a little over nine months away, I won’t really have much of a choice. I’m going to have to close.”
Charlie had grown up in foster care after his mother lost custody of him for reasons Charlie was never privy to. A littleover four years ago, Charlie had been contacted by a lawyer, who informed him that his mother had died and left him with a small trust. The trust had been more than enough to buy the shelter from the aging couple who ran it, and Charlie had done a phenomenal job with the place, even if he had taken some missteps at the beginning.
“Okay, but we still have at least nine months to keep the lights on.”
Charlie sighed. “If I don’t give up before then, yeah.”
“I’m not going to let that happen,” Noah said firmly. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know how much this all was weighing on you, but I’m here to help from now on. We can figure this all out together.”
Charlie rested his cheek on the top of Noah’s head. “Aren’t you a bit busy figuring out things for yourself?”
He was, but he would just have to find a way to do both. There was no way he was losing AspenorCharlie.
“I promise I can do both. Besides, I have a major in business administration and a minor in finance that goes completely to waste at my shitty desk job.”
Yet another casualty of his mother and father’s expectations, he wasn’t doing anything more than processing spreadsheets and pushing paper most days. He tried not to complain about his job because the three remote days he had each week meant he often got to spend time with Aspen. The actual work, though, hurt Noah’s soul. Just like everything else in his life, though, he wasn’t sure what he actually wanted to do for work. He just knew it wasn’t this job. Helping Charlie, though, sounded like a good place to start.
“How about I take a look at your finances, see if there’s any room to move things around, and maybe we can find some more grants and loans? The Rainbow Bean has a lot of aid funds for queer owned businesses.”
To Noah’s relief, Charlie didn’t argue. Instead, he chuckled softly, his pecs shaking against Noah’s collarbones. “I knew you’d be able to drag me to the Rainbow Bean eventually.”
Noah rolled his eyes and rested his head against Charlie’s shoulder. “Ah, yes, my master plan is working. Drive you to a breaking point with the shelter, so you’re forced to go with me to some events. Maybe you’ll even get to meet Aspen.”
Charlie knocked his head against Noah’s before pulling back, the furrow in his brow lessened but not entirely gone. “Do you think they know anything about marketing? From everything you’ve told me, they strike me as the creative type.”
Noah hadn’t purposefully kept his two friends separate, but Aspen had no interest in walking dogs, and for a while, that was all he and Charlie did together. Once he took over the shelter, he moved into the small caretaker's house on the edge of the property and basically never left.
“They are definitely the creative type, and they actually majored in communications. I’m sure they’ll have lots of ideas.”
Charlie nodded and released Noah, turning to look down at Princess, who was attempting to shove her entire back foot in her mouth. “Alright, well, after you have a nice long chat with Aspen and make sweet love to them, maybe you can ask them about marketing.”
Noah sighed, and Gordon thumped his tail on the ground like he also thought Charlie was ridiculous. “That would require the long chat to go well, which I still have a lot of reservations about.”
Charlie stooped down and picked Princess up one-handed. He grinned at Noah, showing his dimples, and that furrow finally disappeared from his brow. “If you just remember to keep it Gordy Simple, I’m positive nothing can go wrong.”
Chapter 4
Noah
The problem was, Noah wasn’t sure if he’d experienced a Gordy Simple emotion in his entire life. His feelings always seemed to come to him in a snarled knot, like the drawstrings he was currently fighting with on Aspen’s favorite hoodie.
Aspen was supposed to be over any minute, and Noah was freshly showered, standing in his living room in a t-shirt and joggers, struggling to put on the sweatshirt Aspen once called “the softest fucking thing in the entire world.” Sometimes Aspen would steal it, but most of the time they’d demand that Noah cuddle them while wearing it.
Noah figured he could use every advantage he could get tonight.
You must always be not just presentable but refined and at your best. Especially when hosting guests in your own home.
Noah tried to ignore his mother’s nagging voice in his head, as well as the mental image of her in a full pantsuit, scowling at the knotted mess in his hands. He had just managed to untangle it when Aspen’s distinct knock sounded at the door. Noah stumbled through his apartment, tugging the hoodie on over his head as he blindly opened the door.
When he finally popped his head out of the appropriate opening, he found Aspen standing on one foot, wearing Noah’s favorite shirt: a buttery-soft, ancient college tee three sizes too big, that they always wore hanging off one shoulder. Up until this point, he’d never viewed the look as overtly sexy. If anything, it was cozy, warm, and familiar. Tonight, though, it caused another one of those clotted knots of emotion to rise up in Noah’s chest.
Aspen took in Noah’s hoodie and nodded approvingly. “Good to know we’re on the same page for this at least.”
Noah’s stomach churned, and he stepped back, gesturing for Aspen to come inside. They orbited somewhat awkwardly around each other as Aspen removed their shoes and wandered into the living room. Or at least, Noah felt awkward. Should he hug Aspen? Kiss them hello? Was that something they did now? Was that something he actually wanted to do or just something he felt like he should?
“Your poor teeth,” Aspen murmured, stepping in front of Noah and rising up on their toes to press a feather-light kiss to Noah’s jaw.
