Love the One You're With (10/16)
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Scotty had half an hour left of his shift when he received the text.
Coffee?
He stared at his phone for several seconds before just ignoring it and returning to work. But moments later, he sighed and took the phone back out of his pocket. He opened the message again. Before he could think about it, he typed in Fine. 3:30. His finger hovered over the send button. Scotty took a deep breath. He knew if he did this, there was no turning back: he was letting Kevin back into his life. It could lead to all sorts of problems with Mark, and it could very well be the worst decision he’s ever made.
But he had already taken the first step toward this, merely by agreeing to help Sarah and Paige. He knew what he was doing even then, and he couldn’t very well stop now. He’d just have to set some very specific ground rules, starting with making sure Mark remained his main priority - and not letting himself develop any unreasonable fantasies this time around.
He hit send.
***
Kevin had assumed that Scotty would turn his invitation down. Although Scotty’s "maybe" had been rather promising, part of him felt it was still too soon to push the other man.
But he certainly wasn’t complaining that Scotty accepted.
Kevin arrived at the coffee shop at 3:25 exactly. He bought his drink and stared for a second at the table that he still thought of as theirs. He had many fond memories of the times he and Scotty had sat there, talking, laughing, and (he could now admit) flirting. The problem was, it was also the table where he had utterly destroyed their friendship.
But Kevin had another chance, and maybe it was time to start completely over. He turned his back on the table and looked around. There was a small two-seat table in the corner, slightly shaded from the sun. Kevin walked over to it and sat down.
Nearly 15 minutes later, right when Kevin was starting to worry that he was going to get stood up, Scotty walked onto the terrace, coffee cup in hand. He headed in the direction of their usual table and stopped abruptly when he saw no one was sitting there. Scotty glanced quickly around and smiled, albeit confusedly, when he saw Kevin at the new table.
Scotty walked over and Kevin stood slightly to greet him. They both sat down.
"Hi," Scotty broke the silence before it became too awkward. "Sorry I’m late; there was a slight mishap in the kitchen."
"Everything OK?"
"Oh, fine. I nearly sliced my palm open with a paring knife." He raised his hand and showed Kevin the Band-Aid on his palm. "I was able to pull back in time, luckily."
"Yikes!"
"Yeah."
They stared at each other for a moment. Scotty missed the days when they could talk without awkward, uncomfortable pauses. Kevin cleared his throat and reached for his coffee, sliding the cardboard circle up and down.
"Mom said you finished your internship?"
Scotty tried not to get any ideas as he watched Kevin’s hand - wrapped tightly around his cup and moving rhythmically. Nonetheless, when Kevin spoke, Scotty had no clue at first what he was talking about.
"When did - oh, the symphony. Yeah, yeah. I’m fully qualified."
Kevin smiled. "Congratulations. That’s fantastic."
"What about you? Any interesting cases?"
And things got easier. The conversation started to flow as they talked about their respective careers. Then Kevin filled him in on everything new with the Walkers, and Scotty shared anecdotes about the various friends of his that Kevin had heard about but never met. They talked about good books they had read and bad movies they had watched recently. Kevin was very happy with the way things were turning out. He was starting to think that this might actually work.
"So how’d things go with Sarah and Paige after I left?" Kevin asked as he finished the last of his drink.
"Great! I’m actually really excited about the project. I think it will be a lot of fun. We picked out some recipes, and Sarah’s going to pick up all the ingredients. Then we’re going to actually make the stuff the night before the fair."
"Well, thank you again. I’m sure Paige is going to have the best project."
Scotty laughed, shaking his head modestly. "It’s really no problem. You know me, any excuse to cook."
Kevin smiled. "Still."
Scotty paused, trying to work up the nerve. "You should help. We’re going to need to make a lot of stuff that night. It...could be fun."
Kevin stared at him for a moment. "I’ll be there," he finally said.
And the silence returned, but it was more comfortable, less awkward than before. Scotty and Kevin looked at each other, small smiles on both their faces. Scotty eventually broke the moment, looking away when he felt a blush forming. Kevin opened his mouth to say something - anything - when Scotty’s phone rang.
He quickly pulled it out of his pocket. The screen read "Mark" and Scotty hesitated. He had promised to keep Mark first, and this is what that meant: he had to answer the phone.
"Excuse me, I should..." He pressed the receive button and partially turned away as he talked quietly.
Kevin watched him carefully. While he spoke, he seemed simultaneously very attached to the person on the other end and inclined to hide that attachment from Kevin. Scotty hung up, and Kevin sat back, immediately pretending he hadn’t been listening.
"I’m sorry; I have to go. I have to meet...my boyfriend."
Kevin forced an understanding smile to his face, even as he felt as if he had been struck. This must have been how Scotty had felt in the restaurant all those months ago, when he first told him about Jason. It wasn’t like he had expected Scotty to just be waiting for him. He even knew that his mother had seen him with another man. But he had hoped... Kevin clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm to halt that line of thought. He missed Scotty and he wanted him back in his life, those were the facts. He’d take whatever he could get, and he’d respect Scotty’s relationship just as Scotty had respected Kevin’s commitment to Jason.
***
"Hi. I’m so sorry I’m late. I completely lost track of time," Scotty said as he walked into Mark’s apartment. He took a few steps over to where the other man was sitting at the counter and bent down to kiss him thoroughly.
"Mmm," Mark replied after he pulled away. "No problem. We can still catch the evening show if you want." He slid his hand up Scotty’s back and added suggestively, "I’m sure we can find a way to fill the time until then."
Scotty smiled. "Sounds good. I have to tell you something first, though."
"Actually, me too. You first."
Scotty pulled back. He promised himself that he would tell Mark everything. There would be no secrets because there was no reason to keep anything secret.
"OK," he said. "I’m late because I was having coffee with Kevin."
Mark looked cautiously at him, waiting for him to continue.
"His sister Sarah contacted me and asked me to help out with her daughter’s school project. She always was nice to me, so I agreed, but I thought I should clear the air with him a bit then. There’s nothing to worry about; I just thought you should know."
He watched Mark, searching his eyes for his reaction. Finally, Mark said, "OK."
"OK?"
"Yeah. I trust you. I don’t know if I trust him."
Scotty laughed, relieved. He reached forward, holding Mark’s face between his palms and leaning in to kiss him again. "I’m telling you, there’s nothing to worry about. Now, what were you going to tell me?"
"Oh, a couple of us have been offered a chance to go on tour as a little string quartet. Several U.S. cities, a few in Canada, maybe even Europe."
"Holy crap!"
"I know!" Mark stood, putting his arms further around Scotty and lightly pushing him back into the counter. "It’d start next month actually, and I’d be gone for maybe eight weeks."
"Oh."
"Yeah. But...I thought maybe you’d want to...tag along."
Scotty grinned, rotating his hips up to meet Mark’s as the other man pressed harder against him. "You want me to be a roadie? Carry your cello around?"
Mark bent forward, kissing just below his ear. "I was thinking groupie," he murmured. "You could sit in the front row, staring up at me adoringly. I could take you back to my hotel room every night..."
Scotty laughed. "Be serious. I can’t take off work that long."
Mark pulled back. "You have some vacation time, right?"
"Yeah, some. Not eight weeks."
"Well, then come for part of it. You could meet up with us in some exotic city. Like...Cleveland. It’ll be an adventure."
"Ermmmm," Scotty wavered.
"Please?" Mark whispered. "I can’t go that long without you. I’ll die."
He leaned in to kiss Scotty again, and Scotty snickered against his mouth. "You will not."
"Yes, I will. They’ll have to charge you with murder."
"Dork," Scotty informed him before pulling Mark in for a deeper kiss. They never made it to the movie.
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Scotty had half an hour left of his shift when he received the text.
Coffee?
He stared at his phone for several seconds before just ignoring it and returning to work. But moments later, he sighed and took the phone back out of his pocket. He opened the message again. Before he could think about it, he typed in Fine. 3:30. His finger hovered over the send button. Scotty took a deep breath. He knew if he did this, there was no turning back: he was letting Kevin back into his life. It could lead to all sorts of problems with Mark, and it could very well be the worst decision he’s ever made.
But he had already taken the first step toward this, merely by agreeing to help Sarah and Paige. He knew what he was doing even then, and he couldn’t very well stop now. He’d just have to set some very specific ground rules, starting with making sure Mark remained his main priority - and not letting himself develop any unreasonable fantasies this time around.
He hit send.
***
Kevin had assumed that Scotty would turn his invitation down. Although Scotty’s "maybe" had been rather promising, part of him felt it was still too soon to push the other man.
But he certainly wasn’t complaining that Scotty accepted.
Kevin arrived at the coffee shop at 3:25 exactly. He bought his drink and stared for a second at the table that he still thought of as theirs. He had many fond memories of the times he and Scotty had sat there, talking, laughing, and (he could now admit) flirting. The problem was, it was also the table where he had utterly destroyed their friendship.
But Kevin had another chance, and maybe it was time to start completely over. He turned his back on the table and looked around. There was a small two-seat table in the corner, slightly shaded from the sun. Kevin walked over to it and sat down.
Nearly 15 minutes later, right when Kevin was starting to worry that he was going to get stood up, Scotty walked onto the terrace, coffee cup in hand. He headed in the direction of their usual table and stopped abruptly when he saw no one was sitting there. Scotty glanced quickly around and smiled, albeit confusedly, when he saw Kevin at the new table.
Scotty walked over and Kevin stood slightly to greet him. They both sat down.
"Hi," Scotty broke the silence before it became too awkward. "Sorry I’m late; there was a slight mishap in the kitchen."
"Everything OK?"
"Oh, fine. I nearly sliced my palm open with a paring knife." He raised his hand and showed Kevin the Band-Aid on his palm. "I was able to pull back in time, luckily."
"Yikes!"
"Yeah."
They stared at each other for a moment. Scotty missed the days when they could talk without awkward, uncomfortable pauses. Kevin cleared his throat and reached for his coffee, sliding the cardboard circle up and down.
"Mom said you finished your internship?"
Scotty tried not to get any ideas as he watched Kevin’s hand - wrapped tightly around his cup and moving rhythmically. Nonetheless, when Kevin spoke, Scotty had no clue at first what he was talking about.
"When did - oh, the symphony. Yeah, yeah. I’m fully qualified."
Kevin smiled. "Congratulations. That’s fantastic."
"What about you? Any interesting cases?"
And things got easier. The conversation started to flow as they talked about their respective careers. Then Kevin filled him in on everything new with the Walkers, and Scotty shared anecdotes about the various friends of his that Kevin had heard about but never met. They talked about good books they had read and bad movies they had watched recently. Kevin was very happy with the way things were turning out. He was starting to think that this might actually work.
"So how’d things go with Sarah and Paige after I left?" Kevin asked as he finished the last of his drink.
"Great! I’m actually really excited about the project. I think it will be a lot of fun. We picked out some recipes, and Sarah’s going to pick up all the ingredients. Then we’re going to actually make the stuff the night before the fair."
"Well, thank you again. I’m sure Paige is going to have the best project."
Scotty laughed, shaking his head modestly. "It’s really no problem. You know me, any excuse to cook."
Kevin smiled. "Still."
Scotty paused, trying to work up the nerve. "You should help. We’re going to need to make a lot of stuff that night. It...could be fun."
Kevin stared at him for a moment. "I’ll be there," he finally said.
And the silence returned, but it was more comfortable, less awkward than before. Scotty and Kevin looked at each other, small smiles on both their faces. Scotty eventually broke the moment, looking away when he felt a blush forming. Kevin opened his mouth to say something - anything - when Scotty’s phone rang.
He quickly pulled it out of his pocket. The screen read "Mark" and Scotty hesitated. He had promised to keep Mark first, and this is what that meant: he had to answer the phone.
"Excuse me, I should..." He pressed the receive button and partially turned away as he talked quietly.
Kevin watched him carefully. While he spoke, he seemed simultaneously very attached to the person on the other end and inclined to hide that attachment from Kevin. Scotty hung up, and Kevin sat back, immediately pretending he hadn’t been listening.
"I’m sorry; I have to go. I have to meet...my boyfriend."
Kevin forced an understanding smile to his face, even as he felt as if he had been struck. This must have been how Scotty had felt in the restaurant all those months ago, when he first told him about Jason. It wasn’t like he had expected Scotty to just be waiting for him. He even knew that his mother had seen him with another man. But he had hoped... Kevin clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm to halt that line of thought. He missed Scotty and he wanted him back in his life, those were the facts. He’d take whatever he could get, and he’d respect Scotty’s relationship just as Scotty had respected Kevin’s commitment to Jason.
***
"Hi. I’m so sorry I’m late. I completely lost track of time," Scotty said as he walked into Mark’s apartment. He took a few steps over to where the other man was sitting at the counter and bent down to kiss him thoroughly.
"Mmm," Mark replied after he pulled away. "No problem. We can still catch the evening show if you want." He slid his hand up Scotty’s back and added suggestively, "I’m sure we can find a way to fill the time until then."
Scotty smiled. "Sounds good. I have to tell you something first, though."
"Actually, me too. You first."
Scotty pulled back. He promised himself that he would tell Mark everything. There would be no secrets because there was no reason to keep anything secret.
"OK," he said. "I’m late because I was having coffee with Kevin."
Mark looked cautiously at him, waiting for him to continue.
"His sister Sarah contacted me and asked me to help out with her daughter’s school project. She always was nice to me, so I agreed, but I thought I should clear the air with him a bit then. There’s nothing to worry about; I just thought you should know."
He watched Mark, searching his eyes for his reaction. Finally, Mark said, "OK."
"OK?"
"Yeah. I trust you. I don’t know if I trust him."
Scotty laughed, relieved. He reached forward, holding Mark’s face between his palms and leaning in to kiss him again. "I’m telling you, there’s nothing to worry about. Now, what were you going to tell me?"
"Oh, a couple of us have been offered a chance to go on tour as a little string quartet. Several U.S. cities, a few in Canada, maybe even Europe."
"Holy crap!"
"I know!" Mark stood, putting his arms further around Scotty and lightly pushing him back into the counter. "It’d start next month actually, and I’d be gone for maybe eight weeks."
"Oh."
"Yeah. But...I thought maybe you’d want to...tag along."
Scotty grinned, rotating his hips up to meet Mark’s as the other man pressed harder against him. "You want me to be a roadie? Carry your cello around?"
Mark bent forward, kissing just below his ear. "I was thinking groupie," he murmured. "You could sit in the front row, staring up at me adoringly. I could take you back to my hotel room every night..."
Scotty laughed. "Be serious. I can’t take off work that long."
Mark pulled back. "You have some vacation time, right?"
"Yeah, some. Not eight weeks."
"Well, then come for part of it. You could meet up with us in some exotic city. Like...Cleveland. It’ll be an adventure."
"Ermmmm," Scotty wavered.
"Please?" Mark whispered. "I can’t go that long without you. I’ll die."
He leaned in to kiss Scotty again, and Scotty snickered against his mouth. "You will not."
"Yes, I will. They’ll have to charge you with murder."
"Dork," Scotty informed him before pulling Mark in for a deeper kiss. They never made it to the movie.
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