“I want you to be happy, too,” Blake said, unable to stop himself from smiling.
“This coffee is making me happy,” Rusty said. “And I’ll be right. Always am.”
Blake licked his lips, not sure that was entirely true, but not wanting to argue with him. If Rusty wanted to open up to him, he would. On his own terms, in his own time.
“Cupcake’s good,” Rusty said through a mouthful, licking his lips.
“You have frosting on your nose,” Blake pointed out. It was adorable, but he wasn’t sure Rusty would appreciate having that pointed out as well.
“It’s icing,” Rusty said.
“Listen,” Blake began, a smile tugging at his lips and ruining the authoritative tone he’d been going for. “You’re in America now. The thing you’re wearing is a sweater, and the stuff on your nose is frosting.”
Rusty raised an eyebrow. “You’re so cute when you’re annoyed,” he said.
Blake blushed, looking down at his own cupcake and peeling the wrapper off. Rusty had a way of disarming him, and he hated to admit it, but he liked that.
It was nice to have the seriousness of his world broken up by a man who was apparently incapable of being serious.
Well, no, that wasn’t fair. Rustydidhave a sensible streak, and at his core he was a solid, reliable man, wise beyond his years. He’d never once broken a promise, and judging by what Blake knew about his family, he was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders.
He just didn’t take anything that didn’t require seriousness seriously.
Hestillhad frosting—icing, whatever he wanted to call it—on his nose.
“Are you gonna clean your nose, or not?” Blake asked, realizing that he’d opened himself up to hearingor not.
“You can lick it off if you want,” Rusty grinned at him, but grabbed a napkin before Blake would have been forced to respond.
He…probablywouldn’t have licked Rusty’s face in public. The sting of his earlier rejection was fading, though, so no guarantees he wouldn’t have done it in private.
Rusty was hot. There was no point in pretending otherwise.
“You wanna do the honors?” Rusty asked, offering Blake the napkin.
Blake sighed, taking it from him and wiping the little peak off the end of Rusty’s nose across the table. “You’re like an overgrown toddler,” he said, though Kayla had beenmuchneater about eating her cupcake.
Rusty beamed proudly, straightening himself up as though that was the highest possible praise. “I get that a lot,” he said, apparently thrilled that Blake thought so.
“It… wasn’t a compliment,” Blake said, though part of him envied Rusty’s ability not to let life get to him. Toplay, even though they were both too old for it.
Well, not too old. Too mature, in Blake’s case. He’d often thought of that as a good thing, but seeing how carefree Rusty was made him question it. Maybe a little immaturity was called for sometimes.
“I took it as one,” Rusty said. “I guess I could get a business suit and a sensible pair of Oxfords, maybe some rimless glasses to perch on the end of my nose and read the financial times with, but… I’m not ready for that, yet. I don’t think I ever will be.”
Blake wet his lips, picturing Rusty in a mid-grey fitted suit, blue shirt, subtly patterned tie, sitting back with thin glasses to read the newspaper.
It wasn’t a bad look. Not atall. Rusty could have been a gorgeous grownup.
But the overgrown puppy vibe had its appeal, too.
“You’re getting all hot and bothered picturing me in business wear,” Rusty said, incredulous. “Youpervert.”
Blake rolled his eyes. “I appreciate a well-cut suit, is all,” he said. “Newsflash, I’m super gay and you’ve got really square shoulders.”
Rusty grinned at him. “Sounds like a kink to me.”
To his horror, Blake blushed. Itwasn’t—or at least, he didn’t think it was—but the thought was enough to make his cheeks burn anyway.
