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Caleb flushed, but it was a good kind of heat.
“People think I’m not capable of knowing what I want, or understanding complex relationships. They’re going to assume you…” Bodhi hesitated, not like he didn’t know how to say it, but like he didn’t want to.
“They’ll assume I’m taking advantage because you’re autistic. And they’ll think that same thing because I’m your boss too,” Caleb pointed out, not wanting to make Bodhi suffer through his thoughts. “But everyone here knows you and likes you.”Fist-kiss-you. “They want you to be happy.”
“You make me happy,” Bodhi said.
Caleb closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotion. Things had been so awful and chaotic that morning, he was starting to wonder if all he did was bring bad luck. But the honesty on Bodhi’s face was enough to put that thought to rest.
“You make me happy too.”
Bodhi’s smile went soft and sweet. “I want to kiss you more. I want you to touch me and make me feel good.”
Caleb’s eyes cut toward the hallway to check for Ravi because he wasn’t ready to share anything intimate with anyone yet. “Later. When your brother leaves.”
Bodhi nodded. “Okay.”
God, Caleb was going to die from the anticipation of waiting, but looking at the brazen want in Bodhi’s eyes told him it would be worth it. It had been a long while since he’d done anything with anyone. He and Cameron hadn’t been intimate in months—and even before then, it had been almost like a chore than something either of them were interested in.
And he wasn’t sure he had ever wanted Cameron the way he wanted Bodhi.
Cameron had been fun, but nothing more than that. Bodhi made him believe in things like forever.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Caleb’s attention, and he turned to see Ravi shuffling toward them. He looked a little better now that he was freshly showered and changed, but he still looked a little worse for the wear.
“Feeling okay?” Caleb asked.
Ravi nodded, attempting a half-smile since his lip was still split. “Yeah. I learned my lesson.”
Caleb wasn’t really sure what to say about that. He probably would have let his fists fly if he’d run into the asshole who had cornered Bodhi in the bathroom. And God help him if they everdidsee him in public.
“Want me to move?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the fantasy of beating the shit out of anyone that ever made Bodhi feel small—including himself a little bit.
Ravi waved him off and dropped into the armchair. “Wren sent me a message. He’s on his way.”
“If you fuck him, use condoms,” Bodhi signed sleepily.
Ravi flushed deeply and gave his brother an incredulous look. “I’m not going to fuck him.” His gaze cut to Caleb and he flushed harder. “Not that your brother isn’t attractive. He is. But it’s not like that. We’re friends.”
Caleb laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, I’m not offended, and I doubt he would be either. You probably know he’s not a boyfriend kind of guy.”
Ravi pulled a face. “Me either. I don’t…” He hesitated for so long, Caleb wondered if he was just done. “I took this class on gender and sexuality, and I think I’m demi-romantic,” he spelled the word slowly.
Caleb’s brow furrowed. “I’m an old gay. I’m still learning these terms.”
Ravi and Bodhi both smiled at him, and Ravi leaned forward a bit. “I don’t fall for people very often. It takes a lot more for me to want to be in a relationship with someone than most people. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
“You don’t need to,” Caleb told him. “The only thing that matters is that you’re happy.”
Ravi settled back with a tiny grin. “I didn’t think we’d meet anyone like this.” He made the name sign for BrewBiz.
Caleb knew exactly what he meant. He’d had a vision when he started the shop, but he hadn’t realized just how important everyone was going to become. Cafés were usually a stopgap between job and career. He assumed he’d eventually lose everyone to something bigger than mixing espresso drinks and baking cookies.
But he was starting to think that maybe he was building something more. Something precious. Even when the college kids moved on, maybe they wouldn’t move far. It was the only thing he’d ever wanted growing up, feeling isolated and alone and so fucking silent in a world of moving lips and abstract sound that he could never understand.
Now, he’d created this thing that felt big and important, and when he looked over at Bodhi, who was watching him with hooded eyes and fingers gently tapping patterns on his thighs, he realized that happiness was there.
He just had to reach out and pull it close.
