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Licking his lips, Sam pried off the top, his light eyes going wide at the silver key nestled in a small bed of cotton. “Is this…?”
“Key to my flat. Ours, if you like,” Oliver said in a rush. “Whenever you want. I’ve talked to Leo about it and…mmfph!” His words were cut off by warm lips on his, a possessive, claiming kiss.
“Yes,” Sam muttered right up against Oliver’s mouth. “Yes, I absolutely will move in with you.”
Unable to hide his grin, Oliver kissed back slowly, trying to shove every ounce of affection he had for this man. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t love. But it was something. It was the start to moving on.
And Oliver knew he could live with that.
Twenty-Four
Half expecting some massive, life-changing disaster to crash down on them during the weekend get-away, Oliver was on edge the entire time they were in Cornwall. But as they made the drive back, holding hands every so often, telling jokes about co-workers and smiling fondly at each other, Oliver realized that everything was fine.
It was more than fine.
Sam was moving in with him, he was moving forward with his own life, and things were getting better.
The following Monday, Sam was out on assignment, and Oliver perched at his own desk editing a piece for the next morning’s print, when he heard a small giggle. Peering up, he saw a pair of blue eyes poking over his cube, and he let out a sigh.
“Yes, Mel?”
Their office was very small, the online publication employing less than twenty people, so everyone knew each other’s business. Melinda was another editor, employed six months longer than Oliver had been, and had been the one to originally point out Sam was taken with him the moment Oliver had been hired on.
She had appointed herself a cupid, much to the chagrin of both men, but they were often too busy or too tired to argue with her. “A little birdie told me you and Sam took a big step last weekend.”
“The little birdies round here need to keep their fucking mouths shut,” Oliver said, with only a hint of venom. He sat back in his chair and reached for his mug of tea, giving her a challenging eyebrow.
A second later, she disappeared, then rolled back in her chair to invade his cube. “Is it true, though? Are you two moving in together?”
“I’m not entirely sure that’s any of your business,” he reminded her.
She scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “You know how this office is. It’s everyone’s business.”
“Yes well, I am working on a deadline, so…”
“So, you’d better spill whilst you have the time, darling.”
Rolling his eyes, Oliver sighed and realized it wouldn’t matter if he tried to keep it quiet. The moment Sam changed his address on the payroll records, everyone would know. “Fine. Yes. We’ve agreed totryliving together.” He paused and then added, “Please don’t make a big fuss.”
Melanie let out a small squeal but covered her mouth. “I’m so excited. I should get a second job as a matchmaker.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “Sure love, whatever you say.”
“Will there be wedding bells in the future?” she asked, waggling her brows.
Oliver, who had just taken a sip of his tea, choked a little. “We’ve been dating six months. You don’t think it’s a little early to be talking about marriage?” Although truthfully, it was less the length of time and more making that kind of commitment to Sam.
Giving a dismissive wave of her hand, Melanie smiled, the expression a little smug. “Look, he’s really fit and very nice. You need to lock that down, you know? I mean, it does pain me that the two fittest blokes in the office happen to be not only gay, but super gay for each other…but really, I just want to see you both happy.”
Oliver sighed, wanting to know why it was important to her. He hadn’t been there all that long, and the idea of being invested in someone else’s relationship seemed ridiculous. But he smiled at her anyway. “Yes well, we are happy, darling. So, if that’s all…?”
“Yes, yes. Alright.” She quickly leaned over and pressed a slightly sticky kiss to his cheek, then swiped at the lipstick mark with her fingers. “I’m happy too, you know, for you both.”
“Thanks,” he said with a gentle smile.
Sam returned to the office a few hours later, and before Oliver could warn him, Melanie was squealing again. Sam was a little more enthusiastic about the whole thing, boisterously declaring his intentions, and Oliver sat at his desk with his head down, a faint blush across his cheeks.
It got worse when Sam kissed him. He heard a few wolf whistles until their boss barked at them to get back to work, and he didn’t miss the knowing looks of several co-workers as the pair left hand-in-hand at the end of the day.
