Oliver's Army
9.
A little over a week later, Luke gave himself one last once-over before leaving for the party. His wardrobe had come a long way recently, but he still wasn’t completely comfortable in deciding what “look” to go with. Should he go for “hot, young twink on the prowl” or “sexy, secure professional out on the town”? Neither really described the way he felt about himself, but he knew that these were two looks that he pulled off quite well. He’d decided to go for a mix of the two, pairing a black Marc Jacobs cardigan with a crisp white t-shirt and slim-fitting olive green pants. His black wingtips pulled the outfit together perfectly.
He’d had to take a closer look at his fashion sense a year or so ago when Casey…Casey!…had pointed out that he still dressed like a Kindergartner, asking him if his Mommy still cut the crusts off of his sandwiches for him. Maddie had given Casey a quick smack to the back of his head, but it hadn’t escaped Luke’s notice that she’d never actually disagreed with his best friend’s assessment. And, so, Luke had allowed Casey to take him clothes shopping, and he had to admit that he did feel a little sexier in his new duds. He had a confidence about him that he’d not had before. Of course, some of that could also be down to the fact that he no longer looked to Noah to validate him. He still loved Noah, always would, but ending their tumultuous relationship had given him a whole new lease on life. They were just fine as friends…and even better with a cross-country distance between them.
Turning around to try to get a view of the back, Luke wondered if Reid would appreciate the way the cut of his pants hugged his ass, making it look even more round and pert than usual. Blushing at his own vanity, Luke walked away from the mirror and grabbed his jacket before heading out the door.
Grateful that he didn’t have to try to work the GPS in his rental car (a military man knows how to give directions, apparently), Luke pulled up in front of restaurant to valet park his car. Handing the keys to the uncomfortably baby-faced valet, Luke took a few deep breaths, suddenly feeling more nervous than he’d allowed himself in the last couple of days.
He knew that Martha’s plan to show Reid what he was missing…she hadn’t said as much, but she was hardly what anyone would call mysterious…was likely to crash and burn. He and Reid had seen each other every day for the past two weeks, and Reid hadn’t shown a deliberate interest in him, although he had detected at least a hint of attraction, at the very least. Yes, there was a chemistry of sorts, or at least Luke thought so, but Reid had made it clear time and time again that he didn’t consider Luke a…well, he just didn’t consider Luke at all.
Entering The Columbus House, Luke mentally shook off the touch of anxiety that had snuck up on him and returned the hostess’ greeting, telling her that he was one of the guests for the Santos party. The bubbly blonde tugged at her entirely too-tight sundress (Dear God, why did girls Faith’s age insist on pouring themselves into their clothing?) and lead him up the center stairway to a large room on the second floor of the restaurant.
“Luke! You made it! Oh, my, aren’t you devilishly handsome this evening? May I say, ‘RAWR’?”
Letting the older woman pull him into a tight embrace, Luke chuckled softly “I suppose ‘RAWR’ is acceptable. Thanks again for inviting me, Martha. It looks like quite a shindig. Is Joseph dancing??”
Martha loosened her grip and turned to look behind her. “Oh yes, you may not have guessed it from dealing with him at the hospital, but that man knows how to cut loose when the time is right.”
Grabbing Luke’s hand, Martha led him over to where her husband was dancing with a small group of people, obviously family, judging by their eerily similar features and builds. “Joseph, look who’s here, sweetie.”
Joseph turned from the group and beamed in pleasure when he saw Luke. “Hey, Luke, so glad you could make it! Go grab a drink from the bar, my boy, and come join us.”
Martha tugged at Luke’s hand again and pointed over to the bar. “I think you’ll find whatever you need right over there, dear.”
Looking over, Luke could see that Martha was talking about much more than just a drink. Almost as soon as Luke laid eyes on Reid sitting at the bar, the other man turned as if he was somehow aware that he’d been spotted and his eyes looked directly into Luke’s. Luke had to fight back a gasp. The man really was fucking breathtaking; he was lithe and long and Luke wondered if he was a runner; he had that leanness to him. And if he thought Reid was sexy in his scrubs, Reid in a slate blue Lacoste and slim black jeans was almost criminal.
Lifting his hand in what he hoped was a casual wave, Luke was surprised when Reid raised his glass to him in response. He seemed almost cordial, and, powered by that and by Martha’s soft nudge to his back, Luke made his way over to where Reid sat.
“Hey.”
Reid nodded his head in greeting. “Hey.” Lifting his empty glass, Reid continued. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll just have a coke.” Luke saw Reid’s eyebrows raise a bit. “Yeah, bum kidney. Long story.”
Nodding Reid raised his hands to signal the bartender. “Two cokes, please.”
“You don’t have to abstain just because I have to.”
Reid scoffed. “Don’t be an idiot. Do I look like the type of guy who would do that? I just finished off my third drink and it’s probably time to switch to soda, lest I find a way to embarrass myself.”
Once the bartender had delivered the drinks, Luke grabbed one and lifted it to Reid’s in a toast. “To not embarrassing ourselves.”
Reid clinked his glass to Luke’s and took a long sip of his drink before setting the glass down on the bar and gesturing to the seat next to him. “Have a seat Mr. Snyder…I’m sorry…Luke. Maybe you can tell me how you endeared yourself so well to Martha you finagled an invite to this soiree.”
Luke smiled and sat down on the stool, giving Reid’s shoulder a nudge with his own. “Well, it would appear that not everyone finds me as insufferable as you do, doctor. In fact, Martha seems to find me quite charming, thank you very much.”
Now it was Reid’s turn to smile. “Oh, I’ll concede that you’re a charmer, all right. It just oozes off you, which, frankly, is what I find the most annoying thing about you.”
“How is my being charming annoying?”
Reid lifted his eyes, pretending to be deep in thought. “I don’t know…it just is for some reason.”
Luke laid his hand on Reid’s arm. “You know what I think? I think that you don’t find me nearly as horrible as you pretend you do. And I think that’s what really annoys you about me.”
Looking down at the hand on his arm, Reid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “And how, pray tell, did you come to such an erroneous conclusion exactly?”
“Oh, c’mon, Reid, just admit it. You don’t hate me. In fact, you find me a little bit irresistible.” Laughing, Luke gave the doctor’s arm a brief squeeze. “How about this, how about if I admit to you that I don’t think you are entirely unappealing and you admit to me that you don’t hate me quite as much as you’d like me to believe, hmmm?”
As he waited for Reid’s reaction, Luke tried not to think about how utterly forward he was behaving. He really didn’t want to try to quantify why all bets were off when it came to this man, as he already felt dangerously close to being in over his head. He couldn’t remember ever having fallen for someone so wrong for him so quickly.
Before Luke could react to his growing chagrin, Reid stunned him by laughing out loud. “Alright, alright, I’ll admit that you aren’t completely useless. You seem to have a good head for business, you put your money where your mouth is, and you’re not a complete disaster in the looks department. But, if you tell anyone I said all that, I‘ll deny it.”
Luke winked a the other man. “You’re secret is safe with me, so long as you’re willing to keep mine.” Reid raised his eyebrows but let Luke continue. “You’re not so bad either, Reid.”
The two men’s eyes met for a few seconds while each struggled with what to say next. As luck…either good or bad, depending on how you look at it…would have it, they didn’t have to struggle for long, since they were soon interrupted.
“Reid, why don’t you get this young man out there and join in the dancing? It’s my birthday and I want to see everyone having fun, no more of this commiserating by the bar for you two,” Joseph slurred just a bit, clapping both men on their backs.
Knowing that, in his slightly inebriated state, Joseph was unlikely to take “no” for an answer and that any further discussion would probably only become more and more embarrassing, Reid raised his eyes to Luke in invitation and Luke responded with one of his million…no, make that ten million…dollar smiles, took Reid’s drink and set it next to his own on the bar and grabbed Reid’s arm to lead him out to the impromptu dance floor.
As they entered the small crowd, Luke couldn‘t help but feel a bit giddy. “Please tell me you have some sense of rhythm, Dr. Oliver. And, no, your expertise at doing the “robot” doesn’t count.”
Reid laughed out loud and shook his head. “Oh, I think that you’ll find that my talents are vast, Mr. Snyder. Watch and learn.”
Reid proceeded to “wow” Luke with his dancing prowess, engaging in an entertaining facsimile of the “Cabbage Patch” and then something he referred to as the “Lawn Mower”. Luke was nearly bent over with laughter as he watched the other man move across the floor and he decided that a loosened up Reid Oliver was a beautiful sight indeed. Trying to mimic Reid’s moves proved to be even more hilarious, as the other man’s attempts at dancing became more and more outrageous. Soon both men were nearly slumped against each other, shaking with laughter, neither of them realizing at first that the music had slowed down.
Luke was the first one to process the change in tempo and he looked up at Reid to see if he, too, had noticed. It took a few more beats, but Reid was soon looking at Luke as well, and it just seemed natural that they put their arms around each other and begin swaying to the music. Luke immediately felt as if every nerve ending in his body was suddenly alight, as he quietly inhaled Reid’s scent. The other man smelled faintly of citrus and something woodsy, nothing that screamed artificial, but almost as if he had just sprouted from the Earth itself. It was incredibly heady and Luke fought the urge to bury his face into Reid’s neck in order to breathe him in even further. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so affected by someone, in fact, he honestly wasn’t sure that he had ever felt precisely like this. Even with Noah, whom he had loved deeply, if not happily, he’d never been this completely poleaxed.
Luke felt himself shiver as one of Reid’s hands moved a few inches toward his lower back and he prayed to God that he couldn’t see just how undone he was becoming. Attempting to play it cool, Luke inched the fingers of his left hand up ever-so-slightly from their position at Reid’s neck so that the very tips could graze the hair that curled there. God, it was softer than he’d imagined. Wait, when had he imagined it? For fuck’s sake, what was happening to him? He felt utterly surrounded by Reid Oliver, as if everything he touched, everything he breathed, everything he thought was Reid.
His reverie was soon interrupted when the DJ announced that it was time to bring out the birthday cake, but as Reid began to loosen his grip, Luke, without any forethought, pulled his head down to his own and planted a soft kiss on Reid’s lips. The kiss only lasted for seconds, but when Reid pulled away, Luke felt the loss to the tips of his toes. Realizing the spectacle he’d just made, Luke quickly turned away, making a beeline for bar, hoping that he’d not just become the topic of conversation. What had he been thinking, kissing Reid right there in front of all of these people, and…oh my fuck…these were mostly Reid’s co-workers!
As he reached for the soda he’d abandoned earlier, he felt a tight grip on his arm and soon found himself being dragged across the back of the room and into men’s lounge. Once they were safely inside, Reid let go of Luke’s arm and crossed his own in front of him, a look of utter consternation in his eyes.
Trying to regain some composure, Luke first went for irritation. “Excuse me, Dr. Oliver, but, first, I think you need to learn to use your words…a little “handsy“ there, aren‘t you? And, second, what the hell do you think you’re doing dragging me away from the party like that?”
Reid’s mouth gaped open for a brief second before he spoke. “What the hell do I think I’m doing? Are you fucking kidding me right now? You…you…you just fucking kissed me out there, and you have the audacity to look at me as if I’ve lost my mind?”
Luke felt his hackles going up and decided to go with it. “Now wait just a minute here, Reid, I may have been the one to initiate that kiss, but, let’s be honest here, you weren’t exactly pushing me away. And you know why? Because you liked it. You liked kissing me. When was the last time you kissed a man in public…the last time you didn’t have to look around to see who might be watching?”
Reid unfolded his arms and threw them up into the air. “So, is that what it was, Luke? Were you just trying to prove a point? Because fuck you, then.”
Luke stepped forward to grab Reid’s arms and pull him closer. “No, Reid, I didn’t kiss you to prove a point. I kissed you because, in that moment, it was the only thing I wanted to do. And, you know what? I’m not fucking sorry. That is what you deserve, Reid. You deserve a man who’s not ashamed to let everyone around him know what you do to him…how you make him feel.”
Pulling his arms away, Reid let out a frustrated sigh. “This again? You’re becoming tedious. I don’t need grand declarations and public displays of affection. That’s you, apparently…but it is most definitely not me. You need to stop with this, Luke, it‘s time to grow the fuck up and accept that not everyone feels the need to vomit their feelings all over everyone around them.”
Frustrated, Luke found it necessary to blink back the tears that were forming behind his eyes. How had everything suddenly become so incredibly fucked up? He’d been nearly giddy in Reid’s arms just a few minutes before, and now he stood there, chastised and defensive, wondering if everything he was feeling was just an exercise in futility.
“Whatever, Reid. Frankly, I don’t think that I’m the one who needs to grow up. Let’s not forget that I’m not the one doing all of the pretending around here.” And, with that, afraid that anything else that could be said could change things irrevocably, Luke left the men’s room, wished Joseph a happy birthday, kissed Martha on the cheek while avoiding her pointed gaze, and left the restaurant.
It wasn’t until the valet had produced his car and he was safely inside that the tears came.
ooOoo
July 1, 2011
Oh God. I blew it. I kissed him. And then I actually acted like HE was the asshole. I laid one on him and then left in a huff when he didn’t swoon at my feet and beg for more. Okay, well he DID act like a bit of a dick, but what did I expect?
It’s time for this little boy to take his toys and go the hell home.
Next
A little over a week later, Luke gave himself one last once-over before leaving for the party. His wardrobe had come a long way recently, but he still wasn’t completely comfortable in deciding what “look” to go with. Should he go for “hot, young twink on the prowl” or “sexy, secure professional out on the town”? Neither really described the way he felt about himself, but he knew that these were two looks that he pulled off quite well. He’d decided to go for a mix of the two, pairing a black Marc Jacobs cardigan with a crisp white t-shirt and slim-fitting olive green pants. His black wingtips pulled the outfit together perfectly.
He’d had to take a closer look at his fashion sense a year or so ago when Casey…Casey!…had pointed out that he still dressed like a Kindergartner, asking him if his Mommy still cut the crusts off of his sandwiches for him. Maddie had given Casey a quick smack to the back of his head, but it hadn’t escaped Luke’s notice that she’d never actually disagreed with his best friend’s assessment. And, so, Luke had allowed Casey to take him clothes shopping, and he had to admit that he did feel a little sexier in his new duds. He had a confidence about him that he’d not had before. Of course, some of that could also be down to the fact that he no longer looked to Noah to validate him. He still loved Noah, always would, but ending their tumultuous relationship had given him a whole new lease on life. They were just fine as friends…and even better with a cross-country distance between them.
Turning around to try to get a view of the back, Luke wondered if Reid would appreciate the way the cut of his pants hugged his ass, making it look even more round and pert than usual. Blushing at his own vanity, Luke walked away from the mirror and grabbed his jacket before heading out the door.
Grateful that he didn’t have to try to work the GPS in his rental car (a military man knows how to give directions, apparently), Luke pulled up in front of restaurant to valet park his car. Handing the keys to the uncomfortably baby-faced valet, Luke took a few deep breaths, suddenly feeling more nervous than he’d allowed himself in the last couple of days.
He knew that Martha’s plan to show Reid what he was missing…she hadn’t said as much, but she was hardly what anyone would call mysterious…was likely to crash and burn. He and Reid had seen each other every day for the past two weeks, and Reid hadn’t shown a deliberate interest in him, although he had detected at least a hint of attraction, at the very least. Yes, there was a chemistry of sorts, or at least Luke thought so, but Reid had made it clear time and time again that he didn’t consider Luke a…well, he just didn’t consider Luke at all.
Entering The Columbus House, Luke mentally shook off the touch of anxiety that had snuck up on him and returned the hostess’ greeting, telling her that he was one of the guests for the Santos party. The bubbly blonde tugged at her entirely too-tight sundress (Dear God, why did girls Faith’s age insist on pouring themselves into their clothing?) and lead him up the center stairway to a large room on the second floor of the restaurant.
“Luke! You made it! Oh, my, aren’t you devilishly handsome this evening? May I say, ‘RAWR’?”
Letting the older woman pull him into a tight embrace, Luke chuckled softly “I suppose ‘RAWR’ is acceptable. Thanks again for inviting me, Martha. It looks like quite a shindig. Is Joseph dancing??”
Martha loosened her grip and turned to look behind her. “Oh yes, you may not have guessed it from dealing with him at the hospital, but that man knows how to cut loose when the time is right.”
Grabbing Luke’s hand, Martha led him over to where her husband was dancing with a small group of people, obviously family, judging by their eerily similar features and builds. “Joseph, look who’s here, sweetie.”
Joseph turned from the group and beamed in pleasure when he saw Luke. “Hey, Luke, so glad you could make it! Go grab a drink from the bar, my boy, and come join us.”
Martha tugged at Luke’s hand again and pointed over to the bar. “I think you’ll find whatever you need right over there, dear.”
Looking over, Luke could see that Martha was talking about much more than just a drink. Almost as soon as Luke laid eyes on Reid sitting at the bar, the other man turned as if he was somehow aware that he’d been spotted and his eyes looked directly into Luke’s. Luke had to fight back a gasp. The man really was fucking breathtaking; he was lithe and long and Luke wondered if he was a runner; he had that leanness to him. And if he thought Reid was sexy in his scrubs, Reid in a slate blue Lacoste and slim black jeans was almost criminal.
Lifting his hand in what he hoped was a casual wave, Luke was surprised when Reid raised his glass to him in response. He seemed almost cordial, and, powered by that and by Martha’s soft nudge to his back, Luke made his way over to where Reid sat.
“Hey.”
Reid nodded his head in greeting. “Hey.” Lifting his empty glass, Reid continued. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll just have a coke.” Luke saw Reid’s eyebrows raise a bit. “Yeah, bum kidney. Long story.”
Nodding Reid raised his hands to signal the bartender. “Two cokes, please.”
“You don’t have to abstain just because I have to.”
Reid scoffed. “Don’t be an idiot. Do I look like the type of guy who would do that? I just finished off my third drink and it’s probably time to switch to soda, lest I find a way to embarrass myself.”
Once the bartender had delivered the drinks, Luke grabbed one and lifted it to Reid’s in a toast. “To not embarrassing ourselves.”
Reid clinked his glass to Luke’s and took a long sip of his drink before setting the glass down on the bar and gesturing to the seat next to him. “Have a seat Mr. Snyder…I’m sorry…Luke. Maybe you can tell me how you endeared yourself so well to Martha you finagled an invite to this soiree.”
Luke smiled and sat down on the stool, giving Reid’s shoulder a nudge with his own. “Well, it would appear that not everyone finds me as insufferable as you do, doctor. In fact, Martha seems to find me quite charming, thank you very much.”
Now it was Reid’s turn to smile. “Oh, I’ll concede that you’re a charmer, all right. It just oozes off you, which, frankly, is what I find the most annoying thing about you.”
“How is my being charming annoying?”
Reid lifted his eyes, pretending to be deep in thought. “I don’t know…it just is for some reason.”
Luke laid his hand on Reid’s arm. “You know what I think? I think that you don’t find me nearly as horrible as you pretend you do. And I think that’s what really annoys you about me.”
Looking down at the hand on his arm, Reid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “And how, pray tell, did you come to such an erroneous conclusion exactly?”
“Oh, c’mon, Reid, just admit it. You don’t hate me. In fact, you find me a little bit irresistible.” Laughing, Luke gave the doctor’s arm a brief squeeze. “How about this, how about if I admit to you that I don’t think you are entirely unappealing and you admit to me that you don’t hate me quite as much as you’d like me to believe, hmmm?”
As he waited for Reid’s reaction, Luke tried not to think about how utterly forward he was behaving. He really didn’t want to try to quantify why all bets were off when it came to this man, as he already felt dangerously close to being in over his head. He couldn’t remember ever having fallen for someone so wrong for him so quickly.
Before Luke could react to his growing chagrin, Reid stunned him by laughing out loud. “Alright, alright, I’ll admit that you aren’t completely useless. You seem to have a good head for business, you put your money where your mouth is, and you’re not a complete disaster in the looks department. But, if you tell anyone I said all that, I‘ll deny it.”
Luke winked a the other man. “You’re secret is safe with me, so long as you’re willing to keep mine.” Reid raised his eyebrows but let Luke continue. “You’re not so bad either, Reid.”
The two men’s eyes met for a few seconds while each struggled with what to say next. As luck…either good or bad, depending on how you look at it…would have it, they didn’t have to struggle for long, since they were soon interrupted.
“Reid, why don’t you get this young man out there and join in the dancing? It’s my birthday and I want to see everyone having fun, no more of this commiserating by the bar for you two,” Joseph slurred just a bit, clapping both men on their backs.
Knowing that, in his slightly inebriated state, Joseph was unlikely to take “no” for an answer and that any further discussion would probably only become more and more embarrassing, Reid raised his eyes to Luke in invitation and Luke responded with one of his million…no, make that ten million…dollar smiles, took Reid’s drink and set it next to his own on the bar and grabbed Reid’s arm to lead him out to the impromptu dance floor.
As they entered the small crowd, Luke couldn‘t help but feel a bit giddy. “Please tell me you have some sense of rhythm, Dr. Oliver. And, no, your expertise at doing the “robot” doesn’t count.”
Reid laughed out loud and shook his head. “Oh, I think that you’ll find that my talents are vast, Mr. Snyder. Watch and learn.”
Reid proceeded to “wow” Luke with his dancing prowess, engaging in an entertaining facsimile of the “Cabbage Patch” and then something he referred to as the “Lawn Mower”. Luke was nearly bent over with laughter as he watched the other man move across the floor and he decided that a loosened up Reid Oliver was a beautiful sight indeed. Trying to mimic Reid’s moves proved to be even more hilarious, as the other man’s attempts at dancing became more and more outrageous. Soon both men were nearly slumped against each other, shaking with laughter, neither of them realizing at first that the music had slowed down.
Luke was the first one to process the change in tempo and he looked up at Reid to see if he, too, had noticed. It took a few more beats, but Reid was soon looking at Luke as well, and it just seemed natural that they put their arms around each other and begin swaying to the music. Luke immediately felt as if every nerve ending in his body was suddenly alight, as he quietly inhaled Reid’s scent. The other man smelled faintly of citrus and something woodsy, nothing that screamed artificial, but almost as if he had just sprouted from the Earth itself. It was incredibly heady and Luke fought the urge to bury his face into Reid’s neck in order to breathe him in even further. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so affected by someone, in fact, he honestly wasn’t sure that he had ever felt precisely like this. Even with Noah, whom he had loved deeply, if not happily, he’d never been this completely poleaxed.
Luke felt himself shiver as one of Reid’s hands moved a few inches toward his lower back and he prayed to God that he couldn’t see just how undone he was becoming. Attempting to play it cool, Luke inched the fingers of his left hand up ever-so-slightly from their position at Reid’s neck so that the very tips could graze the hair that curled there. God, it was softer than he’d imagined. Wait, when had he imagined it? For fuck’s sake, what was happening to him? He felt utterly surrounded by Reid Oliver, as if everything he touched, everything he breathed, everything he thought was Reid.
His reverie was soon interrupted when the DJ announced that it was time to bring out the birthday cake, but as Reid began to loosen his grip, Luke, without any forethought, pulled his head down to his own and planted a soft kiss on Reid’s lips. The kiss only lasted for seconds, but when Reid pulled away, Luke felt the loss to the tips of his toes. Realizing the spectacle he’d just made, Luke quickly turned away, making a beeline for bar, hoping that he’d not just become the topic of conversation. What had he been thinking, kissing Reid right there in front of all of these people, and…oh my fuck…these were mostly Reid’s co-workers!
As he reached for the soda he’d abandoned earlier, he felt a tight grip on his arm and soon found himself being dragged across the back of the room and into men’s lounge. Once they were safely inside, Reid let go of Luke’s arm and crossed his own in front of him, a look of utter consternation in his eyes.
Trying to regain some composure, Luke first went for irritation. “Excuse me, Dr. Oliver, but, first, I think you need to learn to use your words…a little “handsy“ there, aren‘t you? And, second, what the hell do you think you’re doing dragging me away from the party like that?”
Reid’s mouth gaped open for a brief second before he spoke. “What the hell do I think I’m doing? Are you fucking kidding me right now? You…you…you just fucking kissed me out there, and you have the audacity to look at me as if I’ve lost my mind?”
Luke felt his hackles going up and decided to go with it. “Now wait just a minute here, Reid, I may have been the one to initiate that kiss, but, let’s be honest here, you weren’t exactly pushing me away. And you know why? Because you liked it. You liked kissing me. When was the last time you kissed a man in public…the last time you didn’t have to look around to see who might be watching?”
Reid unfolded his arms and threw them up into the air. “So, is that what it was, Luke? Were you just trying to prove a point? Because fuck you, then.”
Luke stepped forward to grab Reid’s arms and pull him closer. “No, Reid, I didn’t kiss you to prove a point. I kissed you because, in that moment, it was the only thing I wanted to do. And, you know what? I’m not fucking sorry. That is what you deserve, Reid. You deserve a man who’s not ashamed to let everyone around him know what you do to him…how you make him feel.”
Pulling his arms away, Reid let out a frustrated sigh. “This again? You’re becoming tedious. I don’t need grand declarations and public displays of affection. That’s you, apparently…but it is most definitely not me. You need to stop with this, Luke, it‘s time to grow the fuck up and accept that not everyone feels the need to vomit their feelings all over everyone around them.”
Frustrated, Luke found it necessary to blink back the tears that were forming behind his eyes. How had everything suddenly become so incredibly fucked up? He’d been nearly giddy in Reid’s arms just a few minutes before, and now he stood there, chastised and defensive, wondering if everything he was feeling was just an exercise in futility.
“Whatever, Reid. Frankly, I don’t think that I’m the one who needs to grow up. Let’s not forget that I’m not the one doing all of the pretending around here.” And, with that, afraid that anything else that could be said could change things irrevocably, Luke left the men’s room, wished Joseph a happy birthday, kissed Martha on the cheek while avoiding her pointed gaze, and left the restaurant.
It wasn’t until the valet had produced his car and he was safely inside that the tears came.
ooOoo
July 1, 2011
Oh God. I blew it. I kissed him. And then I actually acted like HE was the asshole. I laid one on him and then left in a huff when he didn’t swoon at my feet and beg for more. Okay, well he DID act like a bit of a dick, but what did I expect?
It’s time for this little boy to take his toys and go the hell home.
Next