Page 64 of Totally Geeked

“You're serious?” Arlo asks, and I nod.

“Hell yes. I mean if you want to.”

He blushes, but the smile on his lips tells me he’s thinking it over.

“We’d need an old-school camera, one that uses VHS, and a safe, with a code and everything to lock it up in.”

“Ohhh, hell yes,” I say, lying beside him and bringing up the app on my phone.

“I guess I could watch it while you’re away at all your games,” Arlo says, nuzzling into my side. The tour starts soon, and although we will fly to most of the games, making travel time less, it’s been on my mind, too. I don’t want to be away from him either.

“Why do you get to keep them? What if I want to watch them on tour?” I ask, full well knowing there is no way I would risk taking a tape of us fucking out of this apartment let alone on tour with me.

“You know why, you share a room on tour. I don’t think our video, if we make a video, will be suitable for sharing.”

I add four tall standing mirrors to my cart in the app and then start searching for cameras.

“You could come with us, you know?” I ask for the millionth time.

“Actually, I can’t,” he says, and I pause scrolling and roll a little to face him.

“Why?”

“I was asked to host a regular reading spot at the children’s shop, and I said yes.”

“You did?” I ask, my chest swelling with pride.

“It’s all thanks to you,” he says, and I shake my head.

“Nope, I gave you someone to look at, you grabbed and held the attention of a room full of niblets all on your own. I’m surprised none of the other places you read at offered you a similar gig.”

His cheeks blush.

“A couple of them did.”

“See, we all see how amazing you are. Well, I guess we can chat on the phone. You’ve gotten great at flirting, we can work on phone sex next?”

“Only if it’s a video call, I want to see you touching yourself while I watch.”

My dick twitches.

“I expect lots of sketch updates then, too.”

“Deal.”

I go back to searching for video cameras as he curls up beside me, but as we add things to the cart, it sinks in how hard it’s really going to be to be away from him. How do the others do it? I can’t imagine not seeing him for a few days let alone a few weeks.

Chapter twenty-four

Arlo

Harrison flew out yesterday,and as hard as it was seeing him leave, it was just as funny watching Duckie turn green while they waited to board. Harrison had way too much fun tormenting him with the thoughts of disgusting food items, that was until Coach handed him his ticket and he found out he was sitting next to him.

I won’t get to see him for two weeks. First they fly to Charlotte and then Boston before coming back for a week and going out again for three. I considered taking him up on his offer to go with him, but I didn’t want to be the clingy boyfriend, and I have books to get written and the new readings at the children's shop. Which is where I’m headed now.

The old Buick rumbles as I slow and turn into the parking lot across from the row of shops lining Main Street. The next day, after our intervention dinner, Gordon dropped off the papers for it. He never wanted it, and Noah said he doesn’t need a car, or it might have been more that he doesn’t want the old Buick, but I love it. I love the way it smells of leather and sage and Grandpa’sold cologne. I love that it reminds me of Dad and the trips we would take as kids, and as silly as it sounds, I love that it makes me Harrison’s Buick man.

When I walk into the shop, there isn’t a huge crowd like the signing, and the shelves are all in their normal place, just as they should be. Where I’m reading isn’t for everyone. It’s only for the kids, and as I walk through the aisles to the back of the shop where we laid out colorful rugs and set up the floor cushions, I see a few children already sitting and waiting, one in an Animal Control costume, clutching a copy of Gordie Goes Bananas in his lap.

---