Page 118 of Time to Shine

Landon was drinking beer, slowly. Everyone else was drinking wine and plenty of it. Dad was telling hockey stories that Casey had heard a million times before, but that Mike, Joanna, and Landon were enthralled by. So Casey just watched Landon. He was wearing his lavender sweater. Casey had gotten it dry-cleaned with his own clothing so that Landon would have it for this weekend. Obviously he didn’t need Landon to wear expensive cashmere sweaters to turn his head, but he just looked so fucking cuddly in it.

At some point the Stackhouses went to the kitchen to get the chowder started. Casey was well into the wine by then.

It was fun being with his family like this. Being with Landon’s family. Eating cheese and meat and little pickled red things that looked like berries but tasted like vinegar. Drinking wine that was really delicious. Casey wondered if he should become a wine guy. Landon would be a good wine guy. He already looked so classy.

If Casey wasn’t sure he’d only be in the way, he’d go to the kitchen to help. And to be closer to his wonderful, mostly secret boyfriend. He missed him.

Seriously, what were these little red things? They were like little baby red peppers. Holy shit. Were they? “Hey, are these little baby red peppers?” he asked the room, holding one up between pinched fingers, squinting at it as if it might reveal its secrets.

“Sort of,” Brooke said. “They’re sweety drops. Tiny pickled peppers from Peru. Aren’t they good?”

“Sweety drops,” Casey repeated, whispering the words like they held power. Then he popped the pepper in his mouth.

He stood up to go to the bathroom and the room tilted slightly. Maybe he should cool it on the wine. He roamed around the main floor until he found a bathroom, used it, then went to the kitchen.

“Hey, sweety drop,” he said to Landon.

“The hell?” Landon said. He turned away from the scallops he was doing something with to study Casey. “Oh. You’re drunk.”

“Nope. Just...hey, is there any lemonade?”

Landon pressed his lips together and shook his head.

“That’s cool. Brooke showed me the recipe.” He grabbed the limoncello bottle from where he’d left it on the counter.

Landon snatched it out of his hands. “How about some water?”

“Boooooo.” Then he noticed something on the counter. “Are those fucking biscuits?”

“They are,” Joanna said. She seemed to think something was very funny.

Whatever. Everyone always laughed at Casey. He was used to it. Everyone but Landon. Landon was awesome, and very soft.

Landon gently removed Casey’s hand from his chest. “Why don’t we take our bags up to our bedrooms?” he suggested. “We haven’t done that yet.”

“Bedrooms?” Casey asked sadly. He didn’t like the plural. “Can’t we stay togeth—”

“Okay,” Landon interrupted. “Upstairs. Let’s go.”

Casey heard Mike and Joanna laughing behind him as Landon practically pushed him toward the stairs.

“This tree is so big,” Casey said as they walked past it.

“Yep.” Landon gathered their two small weekend bags and prodded Casey again toward the stairs.

“Turning in already?” Grandma joked. “Can’t keep up with us, huh?”

“Just going to put our bags away,” Landon said. “And maybe, um, freshen up.”

“The two rooms at the end of the hall on the right were the ones we were thinking you’d take,” Mom said.

“Sounds good,” Landon said.

They found their rooms, and they were very nice and conveniently next to each other, but still sucked because there were two of them instead of one.

“I’m gonna sleep with you anyway,” Casey announced.

“Not here, Case.”

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