Page 60 of Refraction

* * *

“Okay,Cal.They’re done with you.”

Calvin sighed with his whole body. “Thank God.” He was tired. Like, deep-muscle tired. Like, “he couldn’t get up off his chair without help” tired. Michael’s briefcase landed on the table next to him, and warm, strong fingers started working into his shoulder muscles.

Damn, Michael knew what he was doing. “God, that feels good.”

“You did everything right, Cal. You really have a shot at this. You’re in the top two, easy.”

“You think?”

“Positive. And you’re hands down the easiest to work with out of the four of you. I think it’s yours.”

He couldn’t really explain how much getting this gig would mean to him.Forhim. Validation, maybe. He just felt like his spine would be straighter, and something other than unreasonable determination and stubbornness would hold his head up. He tried not to hope too hard, but at this point that was more or less useless. He wanted this job.

“I need some rest.”

“You’ve got until Monday. Sleep. Eat something. Monday’s not half-naked.” Michael let his shoulders go, and he groaned.

“Do you have to stop?”

“Your car is here.”

“Oh, thanks.” Although, that meant he had to get up.

Michael chuckled and helped him, and he didn’t faint once he was on his feet, so he figured he’d make it to Tucker’s okay. He could sleep there. He wanted Tucker’s arms around him.

He got in the car and pulled out his phone to look at the last text he’d gotten from his very own cowboy. Was it time to say things like “I love you”? He didn’t really have words for how he felt, so maybe it was love. All he knew for sure was that he needed Tucker like he needed air, even if it was sometimes hard to breathe around him. Everything outside of his work had Tucker all over it.

He texted Tucker, fingers only hesitating over the keyboard for a second.

Luv u2. OMW

K honey. Waiting on you.

He could almost see Tucker’s smile. It was nice having someone call himhoneywithout the New York sarcasm. Tucker’s version was warm and affectionate and so… Tucker. He loved it.

The ride back uptown seemed longer than it should. But then again, he was so done that even a five-minute ride would have been five minutes too long. He tipped his driver and stepped out of the car and into a misty, chilly kind of rain that stung his face as he hurried into Tucker’s building.

The door was open and so were Tucker’s arms, and he didn’t have to wait for either.

He stepped in, as close as he could possibly get, and slid his arms around Tucker’s waist. His body fit against Tucker’s like the very last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Just slid in and everything was right again.

“Hi,” he whispered into Tucker’s steady shoulder.

“Mmm. Hey, honey.” Tucker sounded so happy, so real, but it was those arms that held him like they could support him forever that did it for him.

He stepped away enough that he could see that face and look into Tucker’s eyes. He figured he looked as tired as he felt now that the makeup was off, but he didn’t think that mattered to Tucker. “Everything went great. But this feels better. Did you get a lot of work done?”

“I did. Lots of black-and-white work. It was peaceful. Good. Just a short series.”

“Wow, that must have been refreshing for you. You’re kind of a long-haul artist.” He lifted his chin to beg a kiss. “Kiss me, and then please tell me you saved me a bagel.”

He was hungry. In that “I would eat just about anything right now” way.

“I have a half dozen here. You can have whatever you’d like.”

“Mmm. Thank you. Kiss first. Just a little one.” Kiss, food, and nap. In order of priority.

---