Page 44 of Tender
“I’m starving, actually. I always get really hungry after a stress migraine.”
Emmett’s stomach twisted. Stress migraine. Because of them, obviously. He couldn’t go back in time and fix it, but he could make up for it. He plated some turkey bacon, fruit, and some toast, setting it in front of Miles.
He’d seen him choose that more often than not when serving his own plate, and his face bloomed with a huge smile when he looked down at it. “This looks so good.” For the first time,he didn’t hesitate when digging in. Emmett carefully slipped a cup of coffee—also the way he’d seen Miles take it—right by his hand, then sat down with his own fruit and began to nibble.
“So. I was thinking we might go out today.”
Miles’s brows flew up. “Oh. I mean, we did go out already the other day, so…”
“Well, there’s not like a quota that you’re going to hit with me. I like being out in the summer. My workload is small and being at home makes me feel like a house-husband.”
Miles snorted into his coffee, then drained half his mug with vigor. “Where did you want to go?”
Emmett leaned his elbow on the table and smiled at him. “Hmm. The aquarium, maybe?”
Miles’s back straightened. “Oh. I like looking at fish.”
Emmett grinned wider. “We can go to the beach, maybe buy useless things at boardwalk shops and then have some lunch.”
He could see Miles fighting off happiness—almost like he was too afraid to embrace it. But after a slow fight, it was clear his desire to go out had won. “Yeah, okay. I can wear my new shorts.”
“You’ll look good in them,” Emmett said softly.
Miles swallowed very heavily. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” Emmett reached over and tugged on the collar of his tattered t-shirt he always slept in. “Wear the navy-blue shirt to go with it. I really liked that one on you.”
“Yes.”Yes, Daddy? Emmett doubted it, but he wondered if maybe Miles wanted to say it. “Yeah. I can do that.”
“Good,” boy, he wanted to add. It was a close call, that one. “Go ahead and take your shower now. I’ll wait for you.”
Miles’s hands were trembling ever so slightly as he set his fork next to his empty plate, drank the rest of his coffee, then hurried off to obey Emmett’s orders.
Fuck, he thought as he rocked his hips and rubbed his packer against his dick. This was going to be an all-day torture, and he had no idea if or when there would be satisfaction for him when it was all said and done.
“I love jellyfish,” Miles said quietly.
The best part about going to the aquarium during the day was the fact that no one was there. Every now and again, Emmett drove over and spent a few hours wandering around, watching all the fish, and holding his nose while he stood in the sea turtle rehab section watching them in their med tanks.
Sometimes the place was teeming with children on field trips or summer camp activities, but today was one of the quieter days. Miles seemed a lot calmer in the room full of round tanks, lit up by blacklights as the jellyfish gently bobbed in the water.
Emmett watched him press his long-fingered hand to one of the tanks. ASL would look gorgeous on him, he knew.
He walked up and hip-nudged him, and Miles looked over.
‘Jellyfish,’ he signed. It had been one of Selene’s favorite signs when she was very little.
Miles’s face lit up, and he copied him. And yes, Emmett was right. The language looked good on him.
“How long did it take you to learn?” Miles asked as he sat down on one of the carpeted bench blocks.
Emmett joined him and kept him close. “Years, really. I picked up the basics pretty quickly because I was always good with languages. Math, you know—it kind of trains the brain the same way?”
“Yeah,” Miles said softly.
“But I’m never not learning. It’s a living language and half the time I get into a conversation with a Deaf person and realize that a bunch of my signs are considered geriatric now.” He smiled a little and shrugged. “You know it’s not something you have to do, right? I feel like I’ve been pushy.”
“No,” Miles said quickly, then swallowed and shrugged. “It’s this part of me that I’ve always wanted to embrace. Like, my life was always different. I was always different. Until I learned how to hear with these,” he tapped the side of his head, “I remember being so…so angry all the time. Now, when I take them off, it’s nice, but I’m also anxious because it feels like I’m going to miss something important and…”
