I dug around in my backpack for the gift I’d wrapped this morning. I offered it to Manny whose eyes lit up. He tore through the colorful paper and his smile widened when he realized what I had given him. It wasn’t much but would keep him busy for a bit.
“Happy birthday, buddy.”
“Wow, Jake!” Manny said, agape as he flipped through the pages of my drawings.
The kid was big into robots and mechas, so I had spent the last few weeks drawing sci-fi scenes. I liked hard angles, so all the mechanical stuff was right up my alley. I’d stapled the pages together, creating a coloring book. I’d thrown in a cheap box of crayons too.
“You should put your stuff in one of those galleries. Make big dinero,” he said.
“What do we say?” Maria asked as she set a laundry basket on the table. Her dark hair was tied into a bun, little wisps wild around her face. She looked as overworked as she probably felt.
“Thank you, Jake. This is awesome.”
“Let your sister color a page,” I said as he gathered his birthday present and found an empty space on the floor. He spread everything out. Jazmine watched with interest before her big brother invited her to color with him.
“That was really kind of you,” Maria said, smiling tenderly at her children. She looked at the bag of lunchmeat and cereal bars with a hint of sadness. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do for having me over for dinner several times a week,” I said honestly.
“You’re good for them. Manny needs a positive male influence in his life,” she said and dumped the freshly laundered clothes on the table. Her expression turned playful. “If you were a bit older…”
Heat licked at my cheeks. “Stop it. You’re going to make me blush.”
“I forget. You don’t take compliments well. You’re a good guy, Jake. Even if you might not believe it,” she said, eyeing me seriously. “I expect you over tomorrow. We’re doing sloppy Joes and a birthday cake. My parents will be over. They’re always asking about you.”
For a split second, I wanted to tell her that I was gay. I’d never told anyone, mostly because I didn’t have anyone to tell. I wondered if those little hints she dropped were meant to be harmless flirting or something deeper. At thirty-four she wasn’t out of my bracket. Perhaps, in another life, we might have had something. I should tell her I was gay, but I didn’t want to give the only people I had in my life a reason to leave.
I put on a fake smile and perked up. “I love Sloppy Joes. Count me in.”
CHAPTER TWO
GABRIEL
“How’s that feeling?” I asked as I leaned in close enough to get a lung-full of cologne. “Still tight?”
The man made a sound somewhere between pleasure and pain. He shook his head in defiance. “I’m good. I can take it. Don’t stop.”
I ran my hands up his back, concentrating on the stiffness in his muscles and the minute knots deep within. I was better at seeing with my hands than my eyes. It was a gift from my father. His skin was warm, suggesting swelling. “It feels better than last week.”
I’d been taking care of Danny’s back for almost a year ever since he’d gotten bashed and suffered brain damage. He was a friend of a friend and I'd offered my services free of charge without thinking twice.
“The pain hasn’t been as bad,” he said with a gasp as I hit a sensitive spot. “It’s been a lot better, in fact. But it’s still there, you know? Like an annoying buzz.”
“Leaning over a desk all day isn’t good for your posture. Have you been keeping straight?” From my understanding he’d been an engineer before the assault had put him in the hospital and destroyed his career. It was a fucking tragedy because he was young. Recently he’d decided he wanted to teach so he was pursuing a certificate. All that studying took a toll.
“I catch myself slouching. I’m more aware of it now and correct myself when I can,” he said. His lip curled up over his teeth when I thumbed a knot. It was no wonder he’d developed a problem, but I was glad I could help him out in some small way. “I think the issue stems from compensating on one side with my cane.”
“Well.” I erected my spine, pissed off for him. “You’re not as tight this week which is good.”
“Crack and stretch?” He inquired, already turning to lay on his back.
“You betcha,” I said. We went through the process of adjustments, the sound of ligaments and bones shifting exactly what I was looking for. When I’d first started taking care of him, he’d been so tight, I couldn’t get anything to move. “We will pass on the stim today, but a massage is in order.”
“Sounds good to me. I can’t complain.” He sat up, his smile touching the corner of his baby blues. In the beginning, he’d been sullen and depressed, which was understandable given his situation. Things had turned out pretty good for him recently.
“Berny has the hands of a Goddess, doesn’t she?” I jotted some notes down concerning his condition in a folder then offered him a smile. “How was the honeymoon?”
His smile widened. “It was excellent. We had a lot of fun, but I did end up taking a spill in the sand. Uneven ground is an issue. I can’t complain though when everything is good right now.”
