Page 22 of Asher's Answer
When he answers the door and takes one look at me, he ushers me into his state-of-the-art kitchen and shoves a beer in my hand.
“Your boy is napping,” he says, tilting his head towards his playroom. “Tuckered himself out with the train set.”
I take a healthy swig from the bottle in my hand and hiss through my teeth as the liquid hits the back of my tongue. “I’m surprised he was comfortable enough to be little around you,” I say, then recall how deeply little he was after the near disastrous get-together at my place. “Did he go to the bathroom before he crashed?”
“He did. And, no, he didn’t need my help.”
It’s a relief to have a friend who understands the lifestyle, and I feel a tiny bit guilty for being pleased that Ash is only comfortable enough to be that little for me.
“Just a head’s up, though,” Ted adds, and the tension is back in my shoulders, “he had a pretty shitty day at work. We’ve got auditors in and they made a lot of demands on the admin staff.”
All I want to do is storm into that playroom and wrap my boy in a hug. “Then his car wouldn’t start and I couldn’t be there for him.” Guilt eats away at me.
Ted’s hand squeezes my shoulder. “None of that is your fault, and he knows it.”
It still doesn’t make me feel any better. “I’m his Daddy. I’m supposed to-”
“Charlie, you need to trust him as much as he trusts you. You’re in a consenting adult relationship together. Remember that. Besides, Ash isn’t a full-time little, and it’s pretty obvious that your job is also stressful right now.”
Well. Damn.“I hate it when you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
I laugh, and more of the tension from today slips away. Then there’s footfalls behind me and a sleepy, “Charlie?”
“Hey, babe,” I set down my beer and turn to face Ash. He’s got a crease line across his cheek from whatever he’d fallen asleep on, and his flop of curls is all mussed. Even though he’s in his business pants and dress shirt, he’s adorable. I open my arms and he walks into my embrace, kissing my cheek.
“Long day?” he asks me, nuzzling into the short beard I’ve grown out.
“Yeah. I hear yours was pretty crappy, too.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” He pulls away to grin at Ted, and it makes me so happy to see them getting along. “Thanks for the rescue, by the way. And the nap. I needed both.”
“I told you,” Ted brushes him off, waving his own beer in the air between us, “any time. And if tomorrow’s anything like today, head into my office and steal some little time if you need to relax and regroup. I have a stash of coloring books and some blocks there.”
What he doesn’t divulge is that they’re there because his last little boyfriend used to visit him in the office, something he absolutely adored. I know he misses being someone’s Daddy as much as I did, but it’s not a topic I push him on. He’ll move forward when he’s ready.
“I appreciate that,” Ash replies, and we all know that he’s not going to take Ted up on the offer. But I’m happy to know that, in an emergency, my best friend is there for my boy.
“Should we get burgers on the way home?” Ash asks, and I take that as my cue to give Ted back his space.
“Burgers sound fantastic.”
Chapter Eleven – Asher
Charlie and I have our first actual fight three months into our relationship. I don’t even know what starts it. One second, I’m asking him for his opinion on buying a new car now that I’ve got some savings behind me, and the next we’re yelling at each other.
And, okay, maybe I do know what started it.
Because he constantly wants to buy me things and I hate being a leech.
“You’re not a leech, you’re my boyfriend!” He seethes, and a part of me is starting to find this amusing because instead of fighting with negativity, he’s yelling nice things at me.
But apparently smirking at him only makes him angrier.
“What the fuck is funny about that?”
I try to explain, but I can’t get the words out for laughing.
