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They all met in the suite that Charlie and West were sharing for food and an update of what they’d discovered so far. Ehren was suddenly awake, his stomach growling, as he loaded his plate with pide with ground beef, saksuka, three yaprak dolma, and some warm simit covered in sesame seeds.
While they were on the plane, Stephen had revealed that he’d never traveled to Turkey prior to this trip. If this had been a real vacation, Ehren would have been excited to show him every inch of the city, exploring all the historic sites, the museums, the Anitkabir, and especially the Ankara Castle. From there, they would go to explore Istanbul for a few days.
After that, it would be a real temptation to skip across the Aegean to see his parents in Greece and say, “Look! This is the most amazing man in all the world, and he’s mine.”
He’d come out to his parents years ago. His father had shrugged, acting as if Ehren had just announced that the sky was blue. His mother had worried. She’d understood fixing him up with a nice girl, but how in the world was she going to find him a nice man?
Sitting on the couch, Stephen moaned softly and bit into some lamb. “Oh, God. Is this food common to Turkey?”
Ehren nodded. “It is. Because Ankara was a major city on the trade routes, we have a mix of Middle Eastern, Greek, Eastern European, and even some Italian influences in our food. Every time I visit family here or in Greece, I eat way too much.”
“I’ve made the mental note. When we return for vacation, bring loose-fitting pants.”
Ehren leaned over and pressed a kiss to Stephen’s jaw, his heart swelling every minute they were together. Not only had he jumped to help Ehren with this problem, but he was planning a vacation in their future.
“Exactly how long have you two known each other?” Charlie interjected into their bubble of happiness.
Ehren dropped his eyes to his plate, heat starting to sear his cheeks while Stephen cleared his throat.
“Come on, man!” Edison said before either of them could answer. “Can’t you see it’s love at first sight? Those two are in deep smit, and it’s adorable.”
“Deep what?” Charlie squawked.
“Smit. As in this boy is thoroughly and completely smitten,” Edison explained.
“It’s true,” Kairo chimed in. “Have you ever seen the doc so happy?”
“You’ve always complained that he’s too picky and never going to be happy,” West muttered.
“Yeah, yeah.” Charlie waved a hand at his teammates, fending off their arguments. “I’m not saying they’re not adorable. This all seems fast. Particularly because of Stephen’s relationship phobia.”
“I do not have a relationship phobia!” Stephen snapped. “Just because I don’t adhere to your preferred approach of fucking anything with a pulse—IQ not required—doesn’t mean that I am averse to relationships.”
“Yes, but if Charlie didn’t sleep with everyone, we’d miss out on the entertainment of watching him escape the really clingy ones,” Kairo added.
“Oh, my God! Like that one in Ibiza who kept calling him Daddy Christmas and trying to climb him like a coconut tree,” Edison recalled.
Ehren snickered, nearly choking on his food.
“I particularly liked the twins in Copenhagen that kept trying to undress him in public,” West added.
“God, I couldn’t keep up with all the hands,” Charlie moaned.
“Good to see some things haven’t changed,” Stephen muttered.
“Soooo,” Ehren drew out loudly. “Let’s talk about my uncle and his possible criminal activities.”
To his surprise, everyone in the room broke out into laughter. Even Stephen. Ehren looked at him, utterly confused.
“What?” he demanded.
“You need to understand that Stephen and Charlie need to bicker more than the rest of us need air,” West offered up.
“It’s true. If they’re not arguing, you know that something bad is going down,” Edison said with a nod. “But you’ll never meet two more devoted brothers.”
Charlie shrugged, smiling warmly at him. “We bicker because we care.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Stephen whispered, brushing his lips against Ehren’s hair. “I didn’t mean to stress you out. I’ll watch myself from now on.”
“No, it’s okay. I was afraid that I was causing problems for you and your brother.”
Everyone quickly jumped in to reassure him that Charlie and Stephen arguing was quite normal and gave many examples of their rather ridiculous arguments, which was kind of funny considering the Stephen he knew always seemed so logical. Apparently where his brother was concerned, all that touted logic went out the window.
Kairo and Charlie stood, gathering up everyone’s empty plates. Ehren offered to help clean up, but both men waved him off. He had to admit that he was grateful. His stomach was full, and he was feeling quite relaxed with his new companions. They were friendly and told hilarious stories. He liked them, and they weren’t nearly as scary as he’d imagined them to be.
