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Rain’s laughter mingled with his own, and Garrick shut his eyes, inhaling deeply, drinking in every drop of happiness, as long as he could, as long he had it. For right now, right here, this person and all this contentment was his and he was holding on to both as long as he could.
* * *
This was the strangest, best double date Rain had ever been on. They were sharing a picnic table in view of the stage, and mid-bite of pad thai, Garrick offered him an unexpectedly tender look, one that made Linc and Jacob and everything else fade away. Not for the first time, he wondered how in the hell he got so lucky as to have this guy so happy to spend time together.
He hadn’t been sure how Garrick would react to his idea of trying Pride together, wasn’t sure how far the boundaries of him being out extended, but he’d been game enough for going, and there was something really nice about being here, knowing others probably read them as a couple, and being free to touch and preen. Yes, he’s mine, all mine. And at least for right then, it was true.
“You guys are damn adorable.” Linc gestured at how they were sharing food. They’d done what they always did eating out—chose a few things to share, then some meat on the side for Garrick. They’d fallen into that pattern early on, and it worked for them because they both liked having a number of things to sample. It wasn’t about being cutesy, but if it gave them more of the happy couple vibe, he wasn’t going to complain either.
“You could take pointers,” Jacob suggested with a laugh. “Don’t come between Linc and his steak. And we have shared food. But he’s right. You guys are cute. Tell me you’re sticking around, Rain.”
“I—”
“Don’t bug him about that,” Garrick answered for him, rolling his eyes at Jacob’s rather obvious matchmaking. Which was fine because Rain wasn’t sure how he would have answered. Was he sticking around? He didn’t know. A few weeks ago his answer would have been far different than it was these days. All he knew was that Garrick made him damn happy and he wasn’t giving it up, not yet.
“What? I’m not being that pushy. But I know how hard it can be to find work after the fire season. I did some work with the winter crews last year though, and while driving a snowplow and trail grooming isn’t the most exciting, it beats working one of the ski lifts if you ask me.”
“Nah. Ski lift isn’t the worst. I’d rather do that than wait tables again. Tourists, man. They tip worth shit.” Garrick’s observation led to the three of them debating various seasonal employment options while Rain thought about staying, what that might look like. It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed his mind, and he let himself daydream about snow. Surprisingly, the thought didn’t make his skin itch as much as make him curious. Would Cookie like the winter? Could he coax her into a cute pink parka? Which holidays did Garrick celebrate?
It was a nice little improbably cozy fantasy, one that wasn’t likely to come to pass. Garrick would get tired of him eventually if nothing else, but for a minute it was a pretty little picture.
“What are you smiling about?” Turning his attention back to Rain, Garrick gave him an indulgent look, the one that usually meant he’d be up for whatever idea Rain had. However, this time Rain simply shook his head, not willing to let his fragile fantasy into the world. Jacob had it all wrong—the worst thing wouldn’t be some boring job. Rather, it would be Garrick laughing at the prospect, not wanting him. And this day was simply too nice to ruin by inviting rejection.
On the stage, a troupe of young dancers had replaced the folk singer. They weren’t particularly coordinated, but they made up for a lack of talent with a lot of earnest enthusiasm. Rain and the others applauded loudly as they finished their first number.
“Bet this is a far cry from Portland Pride. There you’ve got all the parties and parade and professional acts, right?” Garrick asked.
“Oh, I’ve been.” Jacob laughed. “It’s way more of a hookup scene than—hey, why are you glowering at me? I didn’t say I wanted to go back!”
He bumped shoulders with Linc, more of their easy comfort with each other. Rain couldn’t help but wonder what that would be like, years with one person, shared history and jokes, fake jealousy and real, deep feelings.
“It’s fun,” Rain agreed, mind still on Jacob and Linc and how nice that might be to have. “But this is cute and fun too. It’s nice to not have a huge crowd of people and all the vendors seem really happy to be here. Lots of local flavor.”
