I remember the conversation I had with Trey about love and how I told him it wasn’t real, that it was just a chemical in your brain. Which it is… but I’m slowly starting to think that it’s much more than that, too.
Trey should be here any minute now. I invited him here for when I get out of work, but little does he know I took a half day today to prepare for everything.
He’s leaving early tomorrow morning, so I want tonight to be memorable.
We also need to have an important conversation about Austen and Cameron’s wedding because that’s been an elephant in the room for months now. I didn’t want to push the issue, since he’s been busy, and it’s not exactly a phone conversation type of thing. Now, there’s only a few weeks before the wedding, and we need to discuss our plan of action. Telling our friends, despite knowing they won’t judge us, is a big step. We haven’t told anyone important to us yet.
Being out in public together is getting easier by the day and the stares don’t make my skin crawl like they used to. But telling our group of friends? My parents? His mom? That’s a big step. A serious step. One that we can’t rush into, but one that also gets harder the longer we’re together because neither of us want them to feel like we’ve been hiding it. Which we haven’t, but also maybe we have a little. Maybe we’ve both been avoiding it because things work when it’s just us. When we don’t have to overthink things. It’s all the outside stuff that makes everything such a mess.
And of course, we can’t make something work if we have to be alone all the time, but… one step at a time, I guess.
I hear the front door open, and a moment later, “Huds?” is called out. I don’t answer, but turn to head toward him. He hurries toward me, leaving his suitcase by the couch. “You’re home already?” He glances at the clock on the wall behind me. “How?”
“I took a half day.” I smirk.
“You… took ahalfday? Why? Are you sick?” He looks me over like I may actually be ill.
I laugh. “No, I’m not sick,” I say. “I can’t just take a half day?”
“You? No, absolutely not.”
I laugh again, then kiss him quickly. “I spent the afternoon getting everything ready for tonight.”
“Tonight…”
“For us to spend time together before you leave. Come on.” When I step into the kitchen, I realize he isn’t following me. “Trey?”
“You took a half day at work to prepare things forme?” he says in disbelief.
“Yes. Now come on.”
His smile is a mile wide as he finally comes into the kitchen and wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him.
“It smells so good in here.”
I can’t help but smile. His body’s warm and solid, and I want nothing more than to just soak up this moment, but I do have things I need to do. Like make sure the food doesn’t burn.
“I found a recipe for lasagna. I don’t know how good it’ll be, but we will find out together.”
“You planning on spoiling me all night?” he asks, his lips grazing my neck.
“Actually, yes. I’m feeding you. I got your favorite beer. We’re going to watch your favorite movie and cuddle on the couch.”
He leans in, kissing me and then burying his face in my neck. “You’re the best.”
“I know,” I say with a laugh. He shoves me and helps get the plates and silverware all set for when the food is done.
We sit at the table to eat, drinking beer and talking about our day. We eat until we’re so stuffed we can barely move—the beer isn’t helping—but we still clean up the mess, put the leftovers in the fridge and make our way to the couch where neither of us plans on moving for the rest of the night. Until he has to leave, that is.
“So, what movie are we watching?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“You think I don’t know your favorite movie?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Do you?”
“Of course I do.” I grab the remote and navigate through the streaming apps and findThe Princess Bride.
He smiles at me with so much love in his eyes it makes my chest warm.
