Page 76 of Love Unlimited

“But you like him,” Mr. Isling pressed.

Ash let just a little smile slip. “I do.” It was true. They’d been thinking it more every time they saw him. Still, the idea of changing things when their primary relationship was so new and Zhong and Dustin were still finding their way gave them pause.

Poly relationships were messy. And what they had right now was too good to mess up.

“So….” Mr. Isling prompted.

Ash grinned. “So… we’re going to hang out and play guitar tonight.” Just the two of them. “Now, let’s get your lotion and then you can get moving. What’s on your agenda today?”

“Book club this afternoon.”

“Oh? What are you reading?”

Ash already knew the answer, since they’d seen the book with a couple of other residents. But it was an effective diversion from their love life. They went to work applying the lotion to Mr. Isling’s back.

They were still humming under their breath.

***

Ash pulled up in front of the garage at Dustin’s place. They chose the spot on the right, since Landon always parked on the left. Dustin had a car, but he kept it in the garage and rarely drove it since he worked from home.

It was kind of cool having a parking spot. Well, a parking spot that Ash shared with Zhong, whichever of them was driving or whoever got there first.

Tonight would be different, though, because Zhong and Landon wouldn’t be there. They were already deep into their own evening of back-to-back superhero movies at the university theater. Ash really hoped it was going well.

This was Ash’s special time to get to know Dustin. Of course, it wasn’t a date. Just the next right step, given their whole arrangement.

If it were a date, though, they already knew it would be a thousand times better than any of the dates they’d gone on over the past year. They already knew that Dustin liked to find quirky stories from the news to talk about and needed a break from his stressful job. They already knew that Dustin was a perfect Daddy for Landon and thought Ash’s little side was cute.

They already knew a dozen ways to make his stern face transform into a smile, eyes crinkled with delight. They’d been thinking about that smile all day and how they could get him to do more of it.

They stepped up to the house and rang the bell.

Then they waited.

And waited.

They rang the bell again and gave it a few more minutes.

No answer.

Was the bell broken? It was more likely Dustin’s APD. They sent a text and then rang again.

A moment later, Dustin opened the door. While his long, elegant feet were bare, his hair was carefully styled and he was wearing the soft blue shirt that Ash had once said was their favorite on him. It was a collared button-down that he wore for virtual work meetings, but Ash had mentioned off-handedly that they loved the soft texture and that it brought out his eyes.

And now he was wearing it just for them. Well, probably. He only had a dozen or so work shirts so it could have just been chance.

I’m so sorry. Were you waiting long? Dustin looked eager and a bit nervous.

Not long, Ash answered. I rang the bell a few times. Is everything OK?

Yeah, I just had music on and I don’t always notice different tones like the doorbell at the same time. He was standing awkwardly in the doorway, like he’d forgotten how to walk into his own house and wasn’t sure how to invite Ash in.

It was beyond adorable.

Was he nervous about Ash, or just what they represented? It was important to Ash to get along well with the man their Daddy had loved for fifteen years, and they were sure it went both ways. It felt like this was something more, though.

As cute as it was, Ash didn’t like seeing him worried. They kept the conversation flowing, like it wasn’t strange to be standing around on the porch. What were you listening to? Something we can play tonight?