MATTHEW
My phone woke me up with a text from one of my clients in Half Moon Bay. They were having some issues with their permits and wanted me onsite for the day to deal with the inspectors the city was sending.
That meant I needed my truck. It also meant extra time spent with Joshua while I drove him to work and picked him up.
The house was quiet, so I got up and started the coffee. Then I pulled out eggs and a loaf of bread and began making French toast. When I heard Joshua's door, I poured a second cup for him and had it waiting for him when he came around the corner.
His eyes were half closed, so as he headed to the counter, I stepped into his path and he walked right into my chest.
“Oof. Sorry.” He was groggy as he grunted against me.
“I’m not.” I put my arms around him and held him tightly. “Good morning.”
He was warm from sleep and slightly out of it, but after a second, his arms came around my waist and he dropped his head againstmy shoulder. "Mm." He held on for another moment before tilting his head back to look at me. "Good morning."
I kissed his forehead and handed him his coffee. "French toast?"
"Yeah. Thank you." He took the mug and watched me go back to the stove with a stare I felt on the back of my neck.
We ate breakfast at the counter, and I told him about the job site I needed to be at today.
“So I’ll drop you off and then pick you up this afternoon.”
Joshua chewed his bite and kept his eyes down. “I can ride my bike. I don’t want to make you go out of your way.”
“It’s not out of my way.” I reached over and grabbed his hand. “And I’m looking forward to spending more time with you today.”
He smiled and looked up at me. “Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
As we got into the truck, Joshua blew out a heavy breath and turned to me. “So, we're good?"
"We're good, sweetheart." I tucked a stray hair down behind his ear. “I want you to have a great day and not worry about anything at all.”
He shook his head and scoffed. "Whatever you say."
He was finally getting it.
The codes had recently changed, and we needed to make some significant changes to the plans, so I spent the rest of the week onsite. That meant Joshua and I commuted together and took the time to chat about random things like favorite songs and movies and books. A routine quickly settled in around us.
He’d moved his therapy calls to every other evening, but even that was feeling like more than he needed. He was doing great and thriving in his new job.
It was usually too late to run the trail, but on Thursday evening, we got home early enough to take a lap around the neighborhood. It wasn’t intense, but it felt good to sweat, and Joshua counted seven squirrels along the way.
By Friday morning, I'd figured out how I wanted to celebrate his first week at work. "I made reservations for dinner, so maybe pack a change of clothes so we can go straight after work.”
He looked up. "In the city? Like, is it fancy?"
"Not fancy, but you might be more comfortable in shoes rather than your work boots."
He considered this and then cocked his head. "Where are we going?"
I winked at him over my steaming coffee mug. "It’s a surprise."
Something warm moved through his expression before he swallowed. "Yeah, okay."
The restaurant was in the Ferry Building, right on the water. It was the kind of place that felt fancy even while you watched the sea lions playing right on the boardwalk below. And as the sun set and the bay went dark, it just felt even more intimate.
