Page 55 of Daily Grind
Brian’s blush deepened. “I still have to tell my folks I’m dating a guy.”
Ah. An ache—like an old wound reacting to a coming storm—flared in Rob’s chest. “You said it would be fine before… are you sure?”
“I think? But I don’t know.” Quiet words. “I mean, they’ve never reacted badly to anything LGBTQ. Didn’t freak out when same-sex marriage became legal or anything like that. They’ve met Justin and Eli—knew I went to their wedding.” He shrugged. “But—”
“You’re their son.”
“Yeah.” Soft, nervous words.
Their beers came, thank goodness. This topic brought too many old memories close to the surface. Shouting. Tears. Slammed doors. He took a long sip of his beer.
Brian fingered his glass. “Every month we have a family dinner—my parents and brother and sister. It’s next Sunday.” He lifted his beer and drank.
“And you plan to tell them?”
Brian nodded. “I don’t want to hide it. Don’t want to hideyou.”
A different ache in his chest. Warmer. It stung in a way that brought moisture to his eyes. “I—thank you.” He took a breath. “I know family is complicated. If you need to…”
“No.” A single strong word. “Look—I hid this part of myself for so long. I’mdone.” This time it was Brian who reached out.
Rob slipped his hand into Brian’s. “Why now? Why me?”
Brian ran a finger around the top of his glass. “Been asking myself that, too. Maybe because I’m thirty-eight and the world has changed and I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” He met Rob’s gaze. “You walked into my shop and brought the freaking sun with you. I’ve been blinded since.”
Now that was a line and a half. He couldn’t help laughing. “Get off.”
A squeeze of his hand. Brian’s smile was as warm as it was serious. “I’m not joking.”
His heart tumbled around in his chest at that. “Good.” The word was too thick in his mouth, but it made Brian beam and blush again.
Like always, he’d fallen fast. Usually that meant he’d smack up against the ground at some point, but he intended to enjoy this particular fall for as long as it lasted.
He hoped the ground never showed up.
Their food came and they spent the rest of dinner stealing bits from each other’s plates, laughing, and talking about where they wanted to bike next.
Rob set down his fork and pushed his empty plate away. “Someday I want to bike the Great Allegheny Passage.”
“Just the Passage, or all the way to DC?” Brian finished his beer and set the empty glass down.
“At least to Cumberland, Maryland. I’d love to do the whole thing, too, but that’s a long haul.” He’d need at least a couple of days to make the trip to Maryland. “There are places catering to bikers along the way.”
An absent nod from Brian. “There was an article in the paper awhile back from a reporter who did the ride to DC.” Brian frowned. “I wish the shop were in a good enough place to do something like that.”
Rob bit his tongue to keep from grilling Brian about work. The few times he had, Brian had shut those conversations down. It had been such a perfect day so far, no need to ruin it. “Maybe someday you can.”
A wan smile. “Maybe.” A peek of tongue from his pink lips. “I’d love to go with you.”
Oh, the trouble they’d undoubtedly get in together. And thenights. He shifted again and wondered if Brian was the least bit interested in bottoming. He wouldn’t mind sinking into that body sometime. He glanced at one of the saints in the stained-glass window and laughed.
“What?”
“I confess, I’m having impure thoughts.”
That brought out Brian’s big grin. “Me too.”
“Well, let’s go do something about that, shall we?” He caught the attention of their waiter and asked for the check.
