Page 106 of The Barkeep and the Bro

My legs were sore from going doggy style with Charlie this morning. Not a detail I needed to share with my friends.

On the count of three, we lifted the soundboard, which was dense and heavy. My quads throbbed in pain, but that was better than my back. Leo directed us up the stairs and through the living room. We were slower than paid movers, but we managed to get it outside without scratching the walls or the equipment.

That was the toughest piece to move. Most of the other big furniture items had been sold or donated. Russ was particular about the furniture coming into his (their) house, making sure everything went together. He loved his vintage-meets-Pottery Barn aesthetic. Russ was a great guy who treated Cal wonderfully, but man, there was no way I’d ever want to be with him. I’d go nuts.

We picked up odds and ends and filled up the van. Eventually, the Hogan house was empty. As I walked around checking for any remaining items, the gravity of the moment hit me. This was my home, too, in a way. Infinite memories were made here. That was one of the downsides to getting older—there were more endings than beginnings. But Charlie would be at my house waiting for me, and that was a beginning that filled my heart.

The three of us gathered in the bare living room.

“I think that’s all she wrote,” Leo said.

“I’m not gonna cry,” Cal said. “I’m too tired.”

Russ knocked on the open front door. Cal’s face lit up in the sweetest way.

“Need any help?” he asked.

“Not anymore,” I said.

“Cal said he wanted to do this with you two.” Russ stepped inside and strolled around the house. “Great job.”

“You are giving me a massage when we get home,” Cal demanded.

“You got it!” Russ’s voice echoed in the hall.

“So, how’s loverboy?” Leo leaned against the banister. Even after a day of hard labor, he still had the energy to be a son of a bitch.

“Loverboy’s working his shift,” I said. “And he has a name.”

“Charlie Porterfield. Do you doodle it in your notebook?”

“I’m three seconds away from putting you in a headlock.” I fake lunged at him, and Leo jumped back, hitting the banister.

“Don’t be an asshole, Leo. We don’t want to scare Mitch away. I mean, the fact he is in a healthy, loving relationship with a human man being is a big deal.”

“Why are you talking about me like I’m not here?” My friends were pinheads. The best friends a guy could ask for, but still...pinheads.

“We’re still processing,” Leo said. “I never thought I’d see the day when you would be blushing over a guy.”

I felt my face. Was I blushing? Fuck.

“We’re happy for you,” Cal said, a serious look taking over his face. “We didn’t want you to be alone.”

“I’m happy for both of you. When we were in high school, did you ever think we’d all wind up with serious boyfriends?” I asked them.

“We were still thinking of girlfriends,” Leo said.

“Speak for yourself,” Cal snapped back.

The footsteps of Russ echoed in the room as he returned, hands on hips. “Cal, you forgot a box.”

“I did?” Cal looked at us. “We searched the house when we finished, and we didn’t find anything.”

“You didn’t search thoroughly, I suppose.” Russ crossed his arms.

“Is it a big box?”

“It’s decent sized.”

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