Page 24 of Just A Little Fling

“That is not why I moved. I love you. I just want a little bit of space.”

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t have space here.”

“Space means more than not asking me where I’m going. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I love my new place. It’s convenient to work and super cute. You should come see it, Ma.”

“Have I been invited?”

“No, you haven’t. How about next Sunday you come over for dinner and bring Nonna.”

“Do you know how to cook anything? Do I need to bring dinner when I come to dinner at your house?”

“Ma, I’ve been practicing my cooking, and I’ll have a fantastic dinner for you. It’s gonna be great. You, Dad, and Nonna are gonna love it.”

“Are the rest of us not invited?” Copy hadn’t followed instructions to leave the kitchen after all but stood in the doorway looking nonchalant instead.

“I’m sure you’re gonna be working.”

“Next Sunday? Nah, I’ll be off, and so is Leo. We can all join you for dinner. I, for one, can’t wait to try your cooking. It’ll be amazing, right?” His smirk told me he knew I was full of shit. How hard would it be to go to Costco and get a family meal and pretend I cooked? An excellent plan, except Ma knew every meal at Costco, so she would recognize it. Goddammit, I was gonna have to fucking cook. Luca went to grab Leo, and we all sat down at the table.

“Boys, do you want to tell us your news?” my dad asked with a mouth full of meatloaf.

“John, don’t talk with food in your mouth. How are we supposed to set an example?”

My dad looked at Ma as if she had grown two heads, and then, around a mouthful of meatloaf, he said, “Are you kidding me? How old do you think they are?”

Copy and Paste were hooting like loons, and even I had to crack a smile. Ma insisted on treating us like we were still in junior high, and my father was ready to push us out of the nest. None of us would live at home if it were up to him. He was the only person who wasn’t surprised when I said I was moving out. He shook my hand, gave me twenty bucks, and said, “Buy a pizza tonight because you’re probably gonna be tired.”

My dad was fucking awesome. My mom was awesome too—nosy, pushy, and intrusive because she didn’t want her children to grow up but still awesome. They had the kind of marriage I knew I’d never be lucky enough to get. They bickered because it entertained them, but they loved each other fiercely. I knew myself, and there was no way in hell I was destined for what they had. It was too perfect to be believed. It was love at first sight during their sophomore year in high school, and it had never been anyone else for them.

“We applied for a work program that will allow us to finish our remaining intern hours under hospital supervision while being paid as practitioners. We were both accepted. I’ll be working in the emergency room,” Luca proudly announced.

“Same,” Leo added.

Ma jumped up from the table and rushed to them, hugging them at the same time. She had tears streaming down her face, and I knew they were happy tears, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty that she would never have that experience with me. All they wanted was for their children to be more secure. Neither of my parents had gone past high school. Just like everyone else in their family, they’d gone to work. Copy and Paste were the first on either side of the family to attend college. Our folks were rightfully proud.

“Congratulations, guys.” I wasn’t going to be a dick, but I’d let myself be a teeny bit jealous. I peeked at my phone. If I could tough it out for another thirty minutes, I could safely bail on family time and head down to the club.

* * *

Before I turned my phone over at Wilde Dandies, I checked it again.Nothing. I was the one who said no hooking up and slammed the door shut on friendship, but I still obsessively checked my phone to see if he’d texted me. He hadn’t. After weeks of hooking up, being around him felt weird and awkward, and I didn’t like it. I wanted our fun, easy, and hot hookups to return.

What I got instead were awkward conversations in the driveway when we ran into each other. Since the hot hookups weren’t options anymore, I was going to find myself a man tonight, Daddy preferred, and have a good time. A scene was exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump.

“All right, here’s your wristbands—green for open to play and purple for middle. Remember, if you’re feeling uncomfortable, the playroom supervisors are available to assist you.” The host gave me the same spiel every time, so I stopped listening but kept the smile, hoping he’d think I was paying attention. Once released into the wilds of the club, I headed straight back to the littles and middles area.

Tonight was supposed to be a gaming tournament for the middles, but usually, they set up an activity geared toward littles on the same nights. And…I was right. In the Rumpus Room was a cupcake-decorating station and a crown-making station with pom-poms, glue sticks, and more glitter than should be legal. I kinda sorta loved it.

Since I was a self-proclaimed middle, I avoided the little table. There was an unacknowledged line that neither side crossed. Little boys stayed in their area and middles in theirs. It was a shame because some days I’d really like to do some little crafts. When I started exploring age play, the Daddies I’d encountered pointed out that middles and littles might be a spectrum, but the Daddies typically weren’t. I kinda sorta hated it because I’d been drawn to the other side and wanted to know what it felt like to be little.

But there was no time for that because I needed to change. I’d worn my work clothes to the club, and as always, my suits were always on point. What some people called loud, I called eye-catching. You knew who I was because there was no chance of missing me. Today’s aubergine option showed my butt to perfection. The sales lady said it was eggplant—gross. I didn’t want to wear the color of slimy food—aubergine was a vastly superior word. The shirt I’d picked out was floral, and I loved it. My obsession was floral prints. Even though I didn’t know much about actual flowers, I loved wearing them.

When I’d casually asked Gabe about his plans for the evening, he’d said he and Rory were meeting Rory’s parents for dinner. When he said it usually turned into a longish evening, I figured I was safe to come to the club without running into them. I was wrong because there they were, in the flesh, standing across the room from me. Dammit. Ugh, I needed this night out. If I couldn’t let everything go and relax, the odds were high that I’d spontaneously combust soon. It’d been weeks since I’d played with anyone. And by anyone, I meant Babbo.

Rory might know I was a middle, but I didn’t want to blur the lines between us more than they already were. It wasn’t like I could say, “Hey, Ma, how about you help me figure out how to become friends with my boss’s boyfriend because we both like to mess around with age play.” Ack.

They were in the area that was set up like a sitting room. Gabe was talking to a dark-haired guy I didn’t recognize.And damn. He was fine, dressed in jeans, a Rainer hockey T-shirt, and sweet gay gods, a backward ball cap. Even from this distance, I could see a mega-watt smile flash across his face. And I felt nothing. Well, objectively, he was pretty…like super-duper pretty…but nothing besides that. I was confuzzled by my lack of reaction, but I refused to give it one more brain cell, considering the reasons behind my lack of attraction.

Rory sat at Gabe’s feet, dressed in a sweet pink onesie costume, seemingly oblivious to the gorgeous guy talking to his Daddy while he focused on his picture. His titian curls glinted in the low lamplight of the club, and his crayons covered the entire table in a messy jumble. He was quietly concentrating until he looked up and spotted me skulking in the shadows like a movie villain,

---