Russell
Saturday morning, I laid sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling.
The worst had already happened. Or at least, that was what I was telling myself. Instead of having a chance to explore on my own and take things at my own pace, I’d gone and shoved my panty-covered butt in Blake’s face.
Surprise! And now I had to worry he’d tell Casey or Peyton or god knew who else. I’d only been out of the closet for a year, and I just wasn’t ready for this kind of thing.
At least it was over with, and Blake had actually acted totally respectful and didn’t tease me or anything mortifying. Because of course he didn’t. He was usually just frowning to himself and minding his own business, and when he wasn’t, he had some serious caretaker energy that came through. Blake wasn’t going to harass me about the panties, and now I just needed to get over it and move on.
I was seeing a documentary that afternoon and hopefully crossing paths with River. And in the evening, I was going to hang out with Casey and Blake, and it was going to be chill and fun and normal.
And it was absolutely not going to turn into the pornographic fantasies I kept accidentally obsessing over.
I headed over to one of the mirrors and took a minute to mess with my hair. Outside of a couple boxes, I was pretty much unpacked. Since I only intended to stay there a few months while I saved some money and looked for my own place, though, I hadn’t bothered to make it too homey. Some of my books were stacked along the wall, and my boxes of things that I didn’t know what to do with waited there, ignored.
A clattering noise from upstairs caught my attention. I knew Blake was making breakfast, and instead of hiding like a weirdo, I’d decided to actually join him and Casey. I adjusted my blue button-up, then hurried up the stairs before I could change my mind.
“Oh shit!” Casey declared from around the corner. “How the fuck did you do that?”
I jumped up the stairs, and when I got to the top, I saw Blake standing under the wide archway that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house. He was holding the crown molding above himself, and the plaster was torn where it had been ripped off near the ceiling.
He pulled the molding down and stared at it. “I was doing a pullup,” he explained.
Casey laughed loudly. “This has actually happened before, if you believe it.”
I grinned. “Really?”
Blake carefully set the molding down. “Bad habit?”
“And molding that isn’t very secure,” I said as I stepped over and glanced up. “Do you want some help fixing that?”
“Yes,” Casey answered quickly. “Mr. Practical here went and bought a house with a reasonable mortgage the second he qualified for it, but a mortgage doesn’t make you handy.”
Blake scowled at Casey. “You’re no help, either.”
“Okay,” I laughed, entertained by the way they teased each other. “Maybe I’ll actually be useful around here, then. Just point me toward what’s broken.”
It was nice to feel like I was the capable one, and I got a little boost of confidence from the relieved expression on their faces.
Casey waved at the molding. “Deal with that later. There’s breakfast. An omelet with tomato and salmon and cheese and some fried potatoes. Sound good?”
I blinked. “Really? You made that?”
“Like I said, Casey loves cooking,” Blake said as he took a seat at the counter.
“It’s my thing,” Casey added with a shrug. “I find it relaxing.”
I joined Blake at the counter. He was dressed in a pair of chinos and a button-up, which I knew meant he had meetings that day. Casey was still in his pajamas, a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips and a white T-shirt that was worn thin. I spotted one of the tattoos on his bicep and realized that the two crossing knives inked there were actually cooking knives, with some onions flying to the side as they swung together.
“When’s the last time you went out dancing?” Casey asked as he tossed the food onto plates.
“Dancing? The bar you work at is a club?”
“No, Harts is just a bar. But I’ve made a ‘no socializing at work’ rule, so you’ll have to come in when I’m on the clock for a free cocktail if you want to check it out. Tonight, I thought we’d hit up that burger place for a late dinner, then go to the gay club for a drink.”
“Don’t worry,” Blake said as he took his plate. “He won’t actually make you dance. Casey just wants to drag us there so he can pick up a date. It’s been too long since he got laid.”
Casey stuck his tongue against the side of his mouth and shot Blake a look that was a little surprised. “You keeping track of when I get laid now?”
