Page 31 of Snowballing

Eli’s answer was enough to satisfy Trey, who finished pulling me into the kitchen. My stomach gurgled embarrassingly loud.

“Hungry?” Eli asked.

I nodded and Trey said, “Famished.”

“I’m not much of a cook. Pizza Bites okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I answered.

“Can I have a corn dog, too?” Trey asked.

“A corn dog and pizza bites?”

It seemed one junk food was where Eli drew the line. If he didn’t cook, how the hell did he stay so fit?

Trey shrugged. “What? I’m a growing boy.”

“Maybe I should leave it up to your new manny.”

“I’m hired then?” I asked, eyebrows lifting.

“Trey seems to like you, and that’s what matters to me.”

“Can’t I have a corn dog and pizza bites, Gareth? I just want to know what true happiness feels like.”

This kid was too much. Eli and I shared a laugh.

“True happiness? Video games all day and pizza bites isn’t true happiness? A corn dog is required for that?” I asked.

Trey nodded.

“Well, I can’t deny a young man true happiness, now, can I?”

“Yes!” Trey ran to the freezer.

“Next time, I’ll make us a homemade pizza or stir-fry.”

“You can cook?” Eli asked.

I nodded.

“Jesus, what can’t you do?” I heard him mutter under his breath, which made me smile.

Trey and I played Call of Duty with some of his friends until it was far too late. I tried not to read into it when Eli, who fell asleep hours ago, leaned into me, his head eventually finding its way to my shoulder.

Trey hadn’t noticed. His eyes were glued to the screen.

When the other kids’ parents finally got on to them and they had to go, the need for sleep seemed to hit Trey.

“I’m gonna-oh!”

I met Trey’s eyes and watched a little smile pop, his dimples disappearing as quickly as they had come.

“I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Hey!” I whisper-yelled, but he was already gone.

The polite thing to do would be to wake him up and be professional about it. But my dick brain took over and instead, I enjoyed the warmth of his body and the scent of his musk. I turned my head and may have been able to smell a hint of coconut coming from his blond hair.