AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave me a wide smile and squeezed my shoulder as she spoke, “It’s good to meet you too, darling. You ever need someone to talk to, come to me, okay? I might know a thing or two about not fitting in, and I’d love to help you out in any way I can.”
Then she turned to Brady, and her eyes narrowed. “A little Birdie told me that you’ve been at the building almost every day for the last few months.”
Brady shrugged, giving Mama D a charming smile that had absolutely no effect on the woman, from what I could see. “I had time, and they can always use the help.”
“If you have free time, go out and hang out with your friends. Take Charlie out for dinner somewhere nice. Have some fun. You’re almost thirty! Live a little before you’re too old to!”
“I’m twenty-seven!”
“You’ll be twenty-eight in a month! Now, I’m gonna say this once, so listen to me clearly. If I see you around the building or doing volunteer work that wasn’t strictly your duty, I will fire your ass.”
“But I work for free!” Brady sounded so much like a small kid arguing with his mom that I had to hide a smile behind my palm. Oh, this was so much fun to watch.
“And I know how much you love helping out. And I love that you do. But I don’t want you to stop living your own life while you care for others. Find a balance, sweetie. Do you think I keep Ryan tied to me by spending all my time at work?”
Brady made a face, and I assumed that Ryan was Mama D’s husband, since Brady was making the I-don’t-want-to-think-about-my-parents-having-sex face. It was a very distinct look.
“Remember, no working overtime, or you’re not working at all. I love you.” She pressed a kiss on Brady’s cheek before leaning up and surprising me by kissing my cheek too, and then she was gone, off to shower love on another of her kids, I assumed.
When Brady didn’t say anything, I asked the question that had been running around my head while they talked. “What did she mean when she said that she knew about not fitting in?”
Brady looked up at me, the frown he’d been sporting morphing into a smile as he spoke. “Mama D is trans. She had homophobic parents too. Her grandmother supported her, though, and she left her a lot of money so she could transition and later start this charity. She tells her story to all the kids here, wanting them to know that she understands exactly how they feel and that she really wants to help them. It’s why I love working for her. But apparently, I work too much.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but it was mostly an affectionate gesture. After all, how long could you ever be angry with your mom before you gave in?
I mulled over Mama D’s story as Brady introduced me to people, and I realized that I really could ask for help if I ever needed it, and she’d never turn me away. The thought settled like a warm blanket over me, the idea of having a mother figure again comforting in a way I’d never expected it to be. As I looked around at all the colors, all the people, I realized that maybe I’d been scared for nothing. I would have lost my dad if I’d come out earlier, but I also would’ve found this other family to lean on. A mother like Mama D, maybe brothers like Scott and Luke and a…friend like Brady.
I came back to the present moment as we reached the drink bar at the corner of the room. Obviously, the drinks were of the non-alcoholic variety since there were teens here, and the glasses that spanned the countertop held liquids of all colors, some fizzy. I could swear some even had some glitter in them. Behind the counter stood a woman who was maybe a few years younger than me, her blond hair buzzed close to her head and her blue eyes sharp as she mixed drinks. This must be Angie, the woman Brady taught the self-defense class with.
“Angie!” Brady said, confirming my suspicions. Angie looked up at us and grinned at Brady before her eyes fell on me, and her brows went up, the piercings accentuating her surprised curiosity.
“Angie, this is Charlie. Charlie, this badass woman is Angie.” Brady introduced us, and I smiled hesitantly at the slightly intimidating woman.
“Nice to meet you, Charlie. Here, try this one,” Angie said, handing me a glass of a dark purple drink that matched my top, even the glittery part.
“Don’t worry about the glitter. It’s edible.” Well, that was reassuring.
I took a sip of the drink, and my eyes widened at the sweet, fruity taste. Was it…blueberry? It was mostly a lot of sweetness, but the fruity undertones made the drink perfect. “It’s really good.”
Angie grinned at me before handing a hot pink drink to Brady, complete with a little umbrella and a slice of lemon stuck to the glass. Brady grinned at me as he sipped his drink, and I chuckled when I realized some of the color had painted his lips a deep pink. Did that mean I had blue lips now?
After we’d had a few drinks and eaten some snacks, Brady insisted on taking a few selfies, and everyone crowded around us to get into the frame. My favorite part was the fact that in all the pictures, Brady had one of his arms wrapped securely around my waist as he leaned into my side and grinned at the camera.
10
Brady
TheweekafterthePride celebration passed by swiftly. I hung out with Charlie a few times, but it was mostly to discuss their new job and what changes we needed to make in the café kitchen for it to work out.
They had been surprised when I’d brought it up on Monday evening, since they’d assumed I’d offered the job in a fit offeverish delusions. As if. The idea of working with Charlie every day had been too good to pass up; plus, I reallyhadwanted to add some breakfast and lunch options to the menu. Now that Mama D had also limited my time at Voice Out, I felt like I could finally give this idea my full focus.
We’d spent the whole week designing menus and figuring out what groceries I’d need to add to the café’s usual order. Charlie had wanted to offer a daily special of a different cuisine every day, and I’d loved the idea because it would give them the opportunity to cook for fun rather than just for the sake of cooking. And I knew that once people tasted their food, the daily specials would be all they ordered.
I’d almost forgotten about Scott’s dinner invitation until I received a text from Luke reminding me about it. Since we also needed to go shopping, we made plans to go to my favorite clothing store on Sunday and then head over to Luke’s for dinner in the evening. Which was why I was up and about at nine this Sunday morning, getting all my weekend chores out of the way before our shopping date. Wait. It wasn’t a date.
Once the chores were done, I showered and got dressed. After Cherry had been fed and taken outside, I popped into the café to grab two coffees in to-go cups before making my way to Charlie’s place. I was looking forward to picking some clothes for them, and my head was full of ideas of all the things that would look good on them. Despite their height, Charlie had a figure that would go with just about any type of clothing, all lean, sinewy muscles and a waist to die for. If they weren’t such a nice person, I’d be jealous of them.
I found Charlie waiting outside their building, hands in their jeans pockets as they leaned against their car. As I walked closer, I took a moment to appreciate how stunning they looked. They wore a simple black t-shirt paired with a long coat that reminded me of Benedict Cumberbatch inSherlock, especially with the way their dark curls framed their face. They wore sunglasses, so I couldn’t see their baby blues, but I had a feeling they were watching me too.
I grinned when I reached them, making sure to look them up and down—slowly—as I said, “You look stunning, Ceebee.” There was the blush I’d been missing. They removed the sunglasses and gave me a smile, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the sunlight.
