My Stardust Melody, Chapter 48
The sun shone down on Reid’s car as he drove to Luke’s house to surprise the blond with lunch. Every day since his big-f’ing-gesture had seemed sunny to Reid, he thought with no small amount of chagrin at the thought of becoming such a clichéd sap. But, he couldn’t bring himself to care that much about his own downfall. He smiled at the memory of the first time he heard the sounds of the well-polished piano drifting into the hall as he came home from work. Luke had used his key, and the realization thrilled Reid. The doctor had stood outside his own door for several minutes and allowed a silly grin to plaster itself across his face.
Needless to say, when he went inside, he and Luke made good use of his bed.
Today, however, he didn’t have much in the way of carnal expectations. Luke was likely busy with the horses or school. With the Derby a little over a week away, Luke had been working like a maniac to get everything ready for the anticipated day. Reid just hoped Luke would have time to grab a quick bite to eat. Henry had packed Reid some chili and cornbread, saying that it was one of Luke’s favorites.
When he pulled up to the drive, he was surprised to see a compact car that he didn’t know. Reid surmised Luke must have company, probably horse-related, and felt a little disappointed that his plans would be disrupted. But, maybe he could scare the idiot away and save the day. Funny that Henry didn’t know about it, he thought, but when did any thought actually remain in that idiot’s head?
Reid walked into the kitchen and put his keys on a hook by the door. Luke had given him a key to the farmhouse last week. Reid had insisted on organizing the disaster of a key bowl that had once been on the counter. Its mere existence had bothered Reid since he’d first spotted it. He didn’t know how anyone could live with such a system. Thankfully, Luke hadn’t minded when Reid had offered to reorganize it.
Luke wasn’t in the kitchen, so Reid approached the swinging door to the living room quietly in case he was interrupting something important. He listened for a moment, and his mouth hung open at the discussion he was hearing.
“I can’t do that to him,” Luke was saying, sounding upset.
A low, urgent voice replied, “But, it’s been months. He needs to know about us.”
Reid raised his eyebrows at that.
“He’s been through so much, how can I possibly tell him? It will destroy him,” Luke said with feeling.
The mysterious voice replied, “What about us? What about how you feel about me? I’m tired of the secrets. Don’t you love me?”
He sounded a little petulant to Reid’s ears.
Luke said, “Of course. Of course I do. But he still loves me, and he doesn’t know. I just need time.”
“You’re not going to be able to let him down easy. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be. He’s not going to be able to just fall out of love with you.” There was a pause, and then, “I would know. And he can never touch what I feel for you.”
Well, Reid had heard enough. He pushed open the door and walked in. Luke, who was standing in front of the douche Reid recognized from Java, jumped at the sound of the door swinging. The douche’s hands dropped from Luke’s waist as a result.
“Reid! You scared the heck out of me.” He smiled, walked over to Reid and gave him a kiss.
“So, uh, am I interrupting a touching scene of banal Oakdale angst?” Reid asked, shooting the barista a bored look. What was his name? Homer? George? Meh, who cared?
Luke blushed and shook his head in a way that meant he thought Reid should stop before getting himself into trouble that Reid was unknowingly stepping into. “Uh, no. We were just working on something for English class.”
“Sounded like drama to me,” Reid stated. Bad melodrama, he amended silently.
“How much did you hear?” Luke asked.
“I heard that you couldn’t do it, and that it had been months. Something about not letting down some poor guy easy.”
Luke wrinkled his brow in confusion. “Wait…did you know I was rehearsing for English class?”
“Nope,” Reid said with a popping sound accenting the “p.”
Quietly, Luke asked, “And you heard me say that I’d been hiding something for months and that I was planning to get out of the relationship?”
“Yep.” He used the popping sound again-it seemed to annoy the douche barista.
Luke paused for a moment, heat infusing his expression. Without looking at his classmate, he announced, “Noah…it’s time for you to go.”
“Hey, what about my script?” Noah demanded. “You need to work a lot on getting the right emotions conveyed. I’m sorry, but you’re just not there yet.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you go work on the script some more? We’ve got plenty of time to rehearse before the next class.”
“Look, your grade might not matter to you with your cushy racing job, but I have a film career to think of. Everything I do is important to my future. What about me, Luke?”
If he’d been any more pompous, Reid thought there was a chance he could pop the douche with a pin. What a windbag. Reid stepped in, “And you chose Oakdale U? What, UCLA was too tried and true for you?”
“I didn’t get in,” Noah mumbled.
Luke let out a small sigh that probably only Reid could hear. “Noah, while I do care about our grade, I rarely get to see my boyfriend these days. And the script still needs a little work, so rehearsing is a bit premature. Why don’t you go call that girlfriend you’re always telling me about?”
Reid rolled his eyes at the idea that the script needed “a little” work. However, he kept silent as he enjoyed watching Luke try to maintain his polite coolness in front of this jerk. Luke really was a master at this sort of thing as far as Reid could tell.
Noah folded his arms across his chest and looked at Luke with resentment. “Fine! But if we get a B, it’s going to be your fault.”
“The horror,” Reid mocked, not able to restrain himself this time.
Luke more-or-less pushed Noah out the door after that. He spun and said, “I can’t believe he’d blame me for a B after that stupid script of his. He insisted on using his and not mine, and then wouldn’t let me make a single change to that generic drivel.” He shook his head and shoulders and took in a breath.
Marching over to Reid, he said, “Anyway, where were we? Oh, that’s right-you overheard me tell some guy that I was planning on dumping you, and you didn’t come in here and tear us apart.” He took Reid’s hands in both of his and stroked them with his thumb.
“I thought we might have a threesome,” Reid countered with a lopsided leer.
“You did not, and don’t dismiss it. This is a big deal.”
Reid couldn’t figure out why Luke had such a gleam in his eyes. “What do you expect me to think? I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. You’re not like that.”
Luke sucker punched Reid with an adoring smile and declared, “Reid Oliver, just when I think I couldn’t possibly love you any more than I already do…”
“What’d I do?” He spotted some chips and salsa on the table and was torn between getting some praise and munching. There had to be a way to pull off both.
Wrapping his arms around Reid’s waist, Luke said, “I handed you a perfect reason to jump to some pretty bad conclusions, and you didn’t! I’m…I’m so proud of you.”
Now that he thought of it, Reid had to admit he was proud of himself. He hadn’t even considered for a second that Luke was cheating. The idea was just too ridiculous.
Smugly, Reid said, “I am awesome. It’s a fact.”
Luke chuckled into his ear and said, “Well, I can’t argue that today. I’m still pretty darn proud.”
Reid could hardly ignore the feel of Luke’s warm body snuggled up against his or the blond’s warm breath in his ear. He was hard in an instant. “Proud enough to want to polish the piano?”
“In love enough to want to fuck you upstairs on that big bed.”
Reid’s mouth went dry. Anytime Luke swore, it was a major turn-on.
“Kids at school?” Reid asked, praying that they were.
“Yeah, we have the whole house to ourselves for at least a few hours.” His fingers ran up Reid’s arm to the opening of his shirt and toyed with the small amount of exposed skin there.
For a brief moment, Reid considered putting the chili in the refrigerator first, but then he looked at the smoldering expression in Luke’s eyes. He gulped.
“Let’s check out that bed.”
“Good choice,” Luke said, taking Reid by the hand and leading him upstairs. Reid loved it when Luke took charge.
As they walked up the stair to the bedroom, Reid didn’t need to look out the window to know it was still sunny. He didn’t need to walk outside to know that the birds were chirping or that the cows were dancing in the meadow, or whatever sentimental and cheesy crap happened when people were happy. All he had to do was gaze into Luke’s eyes and feel all those warm things in his heart to know they would always be together, blissful and in love.
Needless to say, when he went inside, he and Luke made good use of his bed.
Today, however, he didn’t have much in the way of carnal expectations. Luke was likely busy with the horses or school. With the Derby a little over a week away, Luke had been working like a maniac to get everything ready for the anticipated day. Reid just hoped Luke would have time to grab a quick bite to eat. Henry had packed Reid some chili and cornbread, saying that it was one of Luke’s favorites.
When he pulled up to the drive, he was surprised to see a compact car that he didn’t know. Reid surmised Luke must have company, probably horse-related, and felt a little disappointed that his plans would be disrupted. But, maybe he could scare the idiot away and save the day. Funny that Henry didn’t know about it, he thought, but when did any thought actually remain in that idiot’s head?
Reid walked into the kitchen and put his keys on a hook by the door. Luke had given him a key to the farmhouse last week. Reid had insisted on organizing the disaster of a key bowl that had once been on the counter. Its mere existence had bothered Reid since he’d first spotted it. He didn’t know how anyone could live with such a system. Thankfully, Luke hadn’t minded when Reid had offered to reorganize it.
Luke wasn’t in the kitchen, so Reid approached the swinging door to the living room quietly in case he was interrupting something important. He listened for a moment, and his mouth hung open at the discussion he was hearing.
“I can’t do that to him,” Luke was saying, sounding upset.
A low, urgent voice replied, “But, it’s been months. He needs to know about us.”
Reid raised his eyebrows at that.
“He’s been through so much, how can I possibly tell him? It will destroy him,” Luke said with feeling.
The mysterious voice replied, “What about us? What about how you feel about me? I’m tired of the secrets. Don’t you love me?”
He sounded a little petulant to Reid’s ears.
Luke said, “Of course. Of course I do. But he still loves me, and he doesn’t know. I just need time.”
“You’re not going to be able to let him down easy. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be. He’s not going to be able to just fall out of love with you.” There was a pause, and then, “I would know. And he can never touch what I feel for you.”
Well, Reid had heard enough. He pushed open the door and walked in. Luke, who was standing in front of the douche Reid recognized from Java, jumped at the sound of the door swinging. The douche’s hands dropped from Luke’s waist as a result.
“Reid! You scared the heck out of me.” He smiled, walked over to Reid and gave him a kiss.
“So, uh, am I interrupting a touching scene of banal Oakdale angst?” Reid asked, shooting the barista a bored look. What was his name? Homer? George? Meh, who cared?
Luke blushed and shook his head in a way that meant he thought Reid should stop before getting himself into trouble that Reid was unknowingly stepping into. “Uh, no. We were just working on something for English class.”
“Sounded like drama to me,” Reid stated. Bad melodrama, he amended silently.
“How much did you hear?” Luke asked.
“I heard that you couldn’t do it, and that it had been months. Something about not letting down some poor guy easy.”
Luke wrinkled his brow in confusion. “Wait…did you know I was rehearsing for English class?”
“Nope,” Reid said with a popping sound accenting the “p.”
Quietly, Luke asked, “And you heard me say that I’d been hiding something for months and that I was planning to get out of the relationship?”
“Yep.” He used the popping sound again-it seemed to annoy the douche barista.
Luke paused for a moment, heat infusing his expression. Without looking at his classmate, he announced, “Noah…it’s time for you to go.”
“Hey, what about my script?” Noah demanded. “You need to work a lot on getting the right emotions conveyed. I’m sorry, but you’re just not there yet.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you go work on the script some more? We’ve got plenty of time to rehearse before the next class.”
“Look, your grade might not matter to you with your cushy racing job, but I have a film career to think of. Everything I do is important to my future. What about me, Luke?”
If he’d been any more pompous, Reid thought there was a chance he could pop the douche with a pin. What a windbag. Reid stepped in, “And you chose Oakdale U? What, UCLA was too tried and true for you?”
“I didn’t get in,” Noah mumbled.
Luke let out a small sigh that probably only Reid could hear. “Noah, while I do care about our grade, I rarely get to see my boyfriend these days. And the script still needs a little work, so rehearsing is a bit premature. Why don’t you go call that girlfriend you’re always telling me about?”
Reid rolled his eyes at the idea that the script needed “a little” work. However, he kept silent as he enjoyed watching Luke try to maintain his polite coolness in front of this jerk. Luke really was a master at this sort of thing as far as Reid could tell.
Noah folded his arms across his chest and looked at Luke with resentment. “Fine! But if we get a B, it’s going to be your fault.”
“The horror,” Reid mocked, not able to restrain himself this time.
Luke more-or-less pushed Noah out the door after that. He spun and said, “I can’t believe he’d blame me for a B after that stupid script of his. He insisted on using his and not mine, and then wouldn’t let me make a single change to that generic drivel.” He shook his head and shoulders and took in a breath.
Marching over to Reid, he said, “Anyway, where were we? Oh, that’s right-you overheard me tell some guy that I was planning on dumping you, and you didn’t come in here and tear us apart.” He took Reid’s hands in both of his and stroked them with his thumb.
“I thought we might have a threesome,” Reid countered with a lopsided leer.
“You did not, and don’t dismiss it. This is a big deal.”
Reid couldn’t figure out why Luke had such a gleam in his eyes. “What do you expect me to think? I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. You’re not like that.”
Luke sucker punched Reid with an adoring smile and declared, “Reid Oliver, just when I think I couldn’t possibly love you any more than I already do…”
“What’d I do?” He spotted some chips and salsa on the table and was torn between getting some praise and munching. There had to be a way to pull off both.
Wrapping his arms around Reid’s waist, Luke said, “I handed you a perfect reason to jump to some pretty bad conclusions, and you didn’t! I’m…I’m so proud of you.”
Now that he thought of it, Reid had to admit he was proud of himself. He hadn’t even considered for a second that Luke was cheating. The idea was just too ridiculous.
Smugly, Reid said, “I am awesome. It’s a fact.”
Luke chuckled into his ear and said, “Well, I can’t argue that today. I’m still pretty darn proud.”
Reid could hardly ignore the feel of Luke’s warm body snuggled up against his or the blond’s warm breath in his ear. He was hard in an instant. “Proud enough to want to polish the piano?”
“In love enough to want to fuck you upstairs on that big bed.”
Reid’s mouth went dry. Anytime Luke swore, it was a major turn-on.
“Kids at school?” Reid asked, praying that they were.
“Yeah, we have the whole house to ourselves for at least a few hours.” His fingers ran up Reid’s arm to the opening of his shirt and toyed with the small amount of exposed skin there.
For a brief moment, Reid considered putting the chili in the refrigerator first, but then he looked at the smoldering expression in Luke’s eyes. He gulped.
“Let’s check out that bed.”
“Good choice,” Luke said, taking Reid by the hand and leading him upstairs. Reid loved it when Luke took charge.
As they walked up the stair to the bedroom, Reid didn’t need to look out the window to know it was still sunny. He didn’t need to walk outside to know that the birds were chirping or that the cows were dancing in the meadow, or whatever sentimental and cheesy crap happened when people were happy. All he had to do was gaze into Luke’s eyes and feel all those warm things in his heart to know they would always be together, blissful and in love.