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“It’s Sunday. I skipped Wednesday and Friday service to be with you.”
“So, what’s another day going to hurt?”
He glanced back at me with a scowl on his face. “My soul as I burn in eternal Hell.” His hands fumbled with his tie. He’d never been any good at tying them. As children, he’d always show up to church ten minutes early so that I could do it for him. Though, looking back, perhaps he just wanted me to get my hands all over him.
We’d been spending more and more time at Gray’s place in Cobb recently, and each time I walked into the small studio apartment, it felt like coming home. His space was just sohim.Small in size, but full of heart. There was one small bathroom in the corner, but aside from it, the place was all open. Three beige walls, and one made of brick that looked out over a small pond. On his walls, there were crucifixes and pictures of us as children, as well as a few of Gray and Marty. There were empty spaces as well, one where framed photographs of his mother had been, he’d told me. He had no television, just a lonely little laptop on which he’d written GC+KF in black marker on the lid. We spent most of our time cuddled up on his queen-size bed, watching videos that reminded us of our youth. Televangelists for him, Spice Girls performances for me.
Another welcome addition to my life was the infamous Dog-Dog. Gray had hyped him up to be this hellhound who was hell bound on murder. Instead, the second he spotted me, the beast trotted over, plopped down on his wiggly butt, and yapped once. The little guy was maybe twenty pounds. He was a short-haired dachshund, black and brown in color. The moment I picked him up, I knew it was love. He did show his murderous side, though—always directed at Gray. Thankfully, I could usually rein him in by clicking my tongue against my cheek.
I had news for Gray. News that I was nervous to share. I’d already tried to tell him twice, but each time I worked up the courage, he’d done something absolutely filthy, like licking his lips with his tongue, which would lead to me lunging at him like a sex-crazed deviant. As stunning as his ass looked in those slacks, I knew I needed to tell him. If I waited any longer, I’d never find the courage. With Dog-Dog napping on my lap, I took in a deep breath, and I took the plunge.
“Gray?” He turned around with a look that made my heart race. His lips curved up in a half smile, and he still had that pre-coffee sleepiness about him. “Do you ever think about us maybe ...” I glanced down, not really sure how to get the question out without sounding like a fool.
He sighed, pulling the tragic excuse for a tie from his neck and hanging it on the bedpost. “If this is about that stupid ring again—”
“My ring. It was my ring.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Not your ring, Half-pint.”
Ignoring his ridiculous, borderline-treasonous words, I returned to the matter at hand. “It’s not about the ring.” I gnawed on my bottom lip. “Kate called me yesterday. Jeff said they lost one of their marketing directors and he thought maybe I might be interested. He asked if I wanted to interview. It’s good money, Gray. Damn good money.”
“Oh.”
When I found the courage to look up, he was staring at the floor.
“That’s great, Half-pint.” He inhaled inconsistently. Jagged little bursts of breath through his nostrils. His jaw was trembling, and when he spoke, his voice cracked. “I’m happy for you. I’m really happy for you.”
“Do you, I mean, would you—fuck, why is this so hard?” I closed my eyes and tried to steady my racing heart. “Would you come with me? If I got it, would you move with me?”
“You’d want me to?”
I scoffed at him. “Well, I’m hardly going to leave you behind. Jesus, Grayson, did you think I was breaking up with you?” The relief on his face put me at ease. “I know we haven’t talked about what comes next, but wherever you are, that’s where I want to be. Why do you think I stopped looking for jobs after we started working together?”
His brows bunched together in the center of his forehead as he took in a deep breath. “You stayed for me? Right from the start?”
“I mean, not that first night. If I recall, you were kind of a douchebag after you saw my dick in the bathroom.”
He smirked. “Not a verybigreason to get mad at me. Gosh.”
“The next time you insinuate that I’ve got a small dick, I’m cutting the brake wires on your truck. Honest to freaking God, Gray. It’s borderline abusive at this point.” As usual, Dog-Dog had my back, growling at Gray from my lap.
He walked toward the bed and smiled down at me. “It’s perfectly proportionate to your small stature.”
“I despise you,” I said, rolling my eyes so he knew that I meant it. After setting Dog-Dog on the bed, I wrapped my arms around Gray’s waist and rested my head against his stomach. “So, what do you think? It could be a fresh start. No more Trevor, no more manual labor. Maybe you could even try to get back into singing? You’ve got a beautiful voice, Gray.”
“You really want to live together?”
“Do you even have to ask?” I reached forward, holding my hand out for him to take. When he did, I pulled him closer to me and brought it to my heart. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Of course, I want to live together. Just think it over. If you decide you can’t, I’ll stay here. Right here with you. And if you think that you might want this, we can treat it as a fresh start. It’s your call, Gray. Just think about it.”
“I just assumed you were happy here. Yeah, I’ll think it over. I will.” He looked down, staring at his feet. “You won’t be mad if I can’t?”
“As long as I have you, nothing else matters. I’ll work at the Pick-n-Save for the rest of my life if it means that I get to spend it with you.” I pointed at his tie. “Let me.” Rising to my knees on the bed, I took the fabric into my hand and began twisting it into a shape he would never be able to replicate. “Honestly, how did you get by without me? You’re like a toddler.”
“Sarah used to tie it for me.” He said, his voice almost apologetic in tone.
“You don’t have to do that, you know? I don’t care if you talk about her. You dated for ...” I twisted my neck, popping both sides as I ground my teeth. “Eight years. You don’t just forget eight years overnight.” I was trying my best to hide the bitterness swelling inside of me, but his smirk told me I’d failed miserably.
“You look like you want to punch a hole in a brick wall.”
