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I practiced the chords several more times to burn them into memory. A sound startled me, my fingers stilling on the strings, only to realize that Ellis was home and was joining in from downstairs. My heart bloomed so large that I thought it might explode. It didn’t even dawn on me that I was smiling widely until my mouth ached.
We riffed off each other for several minutes before the song reached its conclusion. I listened to see if he might start something up again, but he didn’t, so I set my instrument back on the stand and shook my head at the absurdity of it. Two grown men, living on separate floors, feeding off each other’s whims.
It was kind of great, wasn’t it?
I opened a notes app on my cell to write it all down, just as my phone buzzed with a text from Ellis.
You wrote that down, right? It’s a good melody.
Just did. You’re home early. How was the party?
Fun, but I’m beat. Long day.
Yeah, same.
So get your butt down here and sleep with me because I need some good cuddles.
I smiled to myself again.
Your cuddles are deadly, Ellis. You almost took an eye out once.
You love it and you know it.
I do. I’ll only come down on one condition.
What’s that?
The ugly sweater is gone.
Damn, I thought I’d fuck you in it.
Hot damn, are we into dirty talk now?
Sure, why not?
More of that, please! I’ll see you in a few.
Of course I was already hard. We’d had sex a couple more times since that first night. Facing each other was especially comforting, and then kneeling on the bed while he took me from behind was hot as hell. Any time spent with him was mind-blowing good, and no way I’d pass up another opportunity, ugly sweater or not.
26
Ellis
It was Friday, the last class of the day, and I was tired from playing last night. Plus, Nolan and I had been up late a couple of evenings this week, creating music. He’d been on a roll lately, and I wanted to encourage it because more material helped us stay relevant.
Take that, Perry.
I was about to have another busy night, so I doubled up on the caffeine. We’d taken Anthony’s advice and invited our families over for a holiday gathering, and I was getting anxious. But I needed to set those nerves aside until the end of the day.
“Okay, let’s talk about these poinsettias you’re taking home. It’s a myth that they can kill your pets, but it’s still important you don’t let pets chew on the leaves. They’ll get a stomachache if they ingest too much. So keep an eye out.”
The kids had spray-painted the leaves different colors and were excited about showing their parents and displaying them for the holiday season.
Chase raised his hand. “Will the paint kill the plants?”
“Well, that’s why we only painted some of the leaves. But remember, you still have to take care of them properly. Water them, give them plenty of light, and don’t expose them to freezing temperatures. Any other questions?”
“Nope,” Chase said, and other students shook their heads. Chase was a very inquisitive kid and could lob multiple questions at me that took us off-track, so him using restraint was new.
His mom had taken my advice at the parent-teacher conference and asked the pediatrician about Chase’s struggles. After an evaluation, he was placed on a trial of meds, and his mom secured a referral for a therapist. So far, I’d noticed a huge difference in his attention span and self-control, and I was so fucking happy for him because quality of life was important.
When the bell rang, the students stood with their potted plants and filed out of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was nearly the end of the term and winter break.
As soon as I got to my place, I went into party mode, setting the poinsettias I’d brought home on different surfaces in my apartment. Nolan came down to help with the appetizers while I spiked the punch bowl with alcohol. We’d certainly need it tonight.
He was quieter than usual, and I knew the decision was weighing as heavily on him as it was on me.
“We don’t have to tell them tonight,” I said, winding my arms around him from behind. “It’s okay if it’s too soon.”
“It’s just nerves.” Nolan kissed me. “It seems right. Unless you think—”
“I’m ready. Terrified, but ready.”
The buzzer sounding off startled us, and a few moments later, my parents, Nolan’s mom, Annabeth, and Collin came in. We poured drinks, played Christmas music, and ate finger food I’d found online after querying the other teachers who’d thrown plenty of parties.
“This is so fun,” Annabeth said. “Why have we never thought to do this before?”
“Because our apartments are small?” Nolan said. “You barely fit in here.”
