Page 97 of Daily Grind
“I don’t think I’ve eaten that much in ages,” Rob murmured. “Your parents are wonderful.”
“So are you.” He was giddy with relief. Everyone had got along and Rob had taken the… outspokenness of his family in stride and genuinely enjoyed himself.
Rob’s smile crinkled his eyes. “I’m just a bloke from a coal town.”
“Dating a guy from a steel town. Your point?” He grinned.
Rob laughed but his smile slipped. “Not too many years ago, we couldn’t do this.” He squeezed Brian’s hand. “At least not as we are now.”
No. Brian studied the parklet they crossed to reach the other half of Rob’s—and his parents’—street. “I’m not sure I would have flirted with you, even five years ago.”
Rob seemed to chew on that. “Your brother said he’s known forever.”
Brian kicked at a stone and laughed. “Len’s damn observant. I tried to play it cool with posters of my favorite bands and movies. Making sure I had women as well as men, but… I guess it was pretty obvious.” He paused. “But five years ago, I still believed guys could be either gay or straight, at least outwardly. They’d only be accepted…” He trailed off.
Rob squeezed his hand. “There are still fuckers out there who think that. But it’s getting better.”
“I hope.”
Another squeeze. “Me too.” Rob’s voice was warm.
When they reached Rob’s, they parted long enough to go into the house and for Rob to store their leftovers in the fridge, then Brian drew Rob into his arms. “I’m not going to run off with some woman.”
Rob’s chuff was pure amusement. “Oh, I know that.” He brushed his lips against Brian’s. “You’re a give-your-heart-to-one-person type of guy.”
Heat down his spine. “Got my number.”
A sinful grin. “I sure did.” He stole another kiss and gestured at the couch. “Shall we be more comfortable?”
Good idea. Once there, Rob was in his arms and Rob’s mouth was on his. Not demanding, though. These were gentle kisses. Tastes. Touches.
He ran his fingers through Rob’s hair and pressed lips against his cheeks and neck. While his blood heated, he had no need to run straight up to the bedroom. After a while, they ended up snuggled together, his head on Rob’s chest.
Rob stroked his hair. “What did your brother mean when he said he knew your parents would always love you?”
Brian ran his hand down Rob’s leg, the denim warm against his fingers. “Len got into a lot of trouble as a teen.”
“Don’t we all?”
“Kind of. His involved juvenile court.”
Rob shifted and Brian looked up into his face. “Really? He doesn’t seem the type.”
Brian shrugged. “Dad always said he was too smart for his own good. Got bored. Acted out. Fell in with the wrong crowd.” He remembered those days, the worry. The yelling and the crying. Len sitting on the floor of his room, tears in his eyes.Don’t you dare fuck up like I did, Bri.“He spent some time in a detention center, ended up getting a lot of counseling, and as soon as he graduated from high school, he signed up for the navy.”
A nod. “Structure. Rules.”
“Something like that. My parents weren’t lenient or anything—I don’t know. There’s stuff Len doesn’t talk about. When he came back from his tours, he was way more serious in some ways, way less in others. Still himself, though.”
“Older?” Rob ran a finger over his cheek.
That, too. Brian had been in high school when Len left and nearly out of college when Len returned. He’d missed Len something awful in those days, but he, too, had grown up. “He’d become a pilot in the navy and loved it. I think it appealed to his wild side.” He slid his head down to rest it in Rob’s lap. “Less now, with commercial flights. He says it’s like driving a bus, but he wouldn’t give it up for the world.”
“No girlfriend?”
Brian blinked. “No.” There’d never been any that he’d known of. Or boyfriends. “I don’t know if he’s dated at all. He’s never talked about it.”
Rob stroked his hair. “That’s interesting.”
