Page 80 of A Little Bit Naughty

“I don’t know about Daddy of the Year,” Remi laughed, “but I want him to have a good birthday.”

“Well, I think that’s pretty much guaranteed. He talks about you all the time.”

He did? That was… very promising. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Um… For his actual birthday, chocolate cake and Thai food. Be prepared to visit some of his friends the other days if you stay for the whole week. Oh, and if you really want to blow him out of the water, learn the prayers for the sukkah.”

“I’ll just be there through the weekend. And are the prayers in Hebrew?” He wasn’t as bad with languages as he was with names and faces, but it came in a close second. He could get the logic of them, but the words slipped through his brain like water.

“Yeah, but they’re short. Just a couple of lines and they all start the same. You can download audio files and listen to them a couple of times a day. Honestly, if you even come close he’ll be impressed. Bonus points for the Shabbat prayers over the candles, wine, and challah.”

Remi hid a laugh. Judaism seemed to have a lot of bonus points, but Isaac had told him he got bonus points for sex.

“Got it. And I guess I need candles, wine, and challah, then?”

“Since you’re missing the first few days of Sukkot, you just need them for Shabbat. That’s Friday night.”

“And it’s OK if I don’t get there till Thursday night? I know Sukkot starts earlier.”

“Yep. You can build the sukkah then. Oh my God. I still can’t believe you’re doing this. It’s going to be so hard not to tell him!”

“You better not…” Remi warned.

“I won’t. Pinky-swear promise.”

That would have to do. “Thank you. I’d say that I’ll let you know when I’ve told him, but I’m sure he’ll tell you first thing.”

Tommy’s laughter rang out. “I’m sure he will. Good luck, Daddy Remi!”

“Bye!”

18

Isaac

Something was going on.

Isaac didn’t know what it was, but Tommy kept giggling and saying “Oops! Never mind.” when they talked. Remi was a lot more subtle, but sometimes he’d hang onto a seemingly random question for just a minute too long, pressing for just a few too many details.

Isaac couldn’t quite get a handle on the pattern, but between Remi and Tommy, he had the sense that it was going to be something very good. And that had him floating through his days.

Really, he was always floating through his days now. His program was harder this year, while he focused on writing his own publishable research paper, led supervised consultations among clinical teams, and continued to pack away facts and techniques about anything and everything.

More importantly, though, with the shifts in their two schedules for the fall term, he and Remi suddenly got to have dinner together four nights a week instead of two. They were still claiming they were “just friends.” And if it was dating, it was the most vanilla dating Isaac had ever done. Remi hadn’t even bought him dinner again after that celebratory night. Every single time Isaac slipped and said something just a little bit flirtatious or suggestive, Remi turned it easily aside.

And yet, Isaac’s whole existence was oriented around those dinners in front of the computer.

Today was Sunday, which meant extra Remi time. He’d hurried through all of his chores for the week, waking up early for laundry and the gym before he went to the grocery store and filled his cart with fresh vegetables and fruits. He never quite said, “Look at me, Daddy! I’m doing all my chores.” And Remi never quite said, “Good boy, I’m so proud of you.” But it felt like that sometimes when Isaac told him the little bits of his day and Remi’s eyes sparkled like just hearing that Isaac was taking care of himself brought him joy.

It was almost four p.m. now—one for Remi—so Isaac piled his clean laundry on the bed and set up his computer. The video call took a moment to connect, and there was Remi, practically in his bedroom. Though Isaac was now in… Remi’s bathroom? Yes, that was it. The downstairs one that he was renovating, though it looked different. Clean and sort of blank in that almost-done way.

“Hey, Isaac.” Remi’s voice was deep and fond, his expression saying something completely different. Hey, baby boy.

“Hey, Remi.” Hey, Daddy.

“What are you up to today?”

Isaac held up a handful of mis-matched socks and a crumpled t-shirt.