Page 68 of Stand By Me

"I wish." Clay rubbed his forehead. "We'll talk when you have wrinkles. But," he added, "going back to the issue at hand, I'm good with being a boyfriend. I like partners best, but I think that's for later, you know?"

Mario nodded, trying to keep his grin at bay.

Later. He liked the sound of that.

And, judging from Clay's smile, he wasn't all that successful at containing his joy.

"Partners sound good for later on," Mario agreed. "I like that."

"Perfect," Clay murmured.

Then, in a fluid motion that made Mario's throat dry, he slid out of his seat and circled the table to hover over him.

"Perfect," he repeated quietly as he looked into Mario's eyes.

Jesus.This man would be the death of him.

Mario wound his arms around Clay's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Perfect," he agreed right before their lips met.

Sure, the world outside of them was less than that. And they definitely had stuff to work through, and talk about, and settle on, because no matter how long they'd technically known each other, this, right here, was brand new and exciting.

Uncharted territory they'd barely started to map out.

But for now, for tonight, and hopefully for tomorrow—it was perfect. They were perfect.

They would work on the rest in their own time.

EPILOGUE

Four months later

Clay lifted his head up from the pillow to watch Mario stumble towards the door.

"What?" he asked, frowning at the clock on his nightstand.

"Nothing." Mario waved him off as he walked away. "Too much energy, can't sleep, gonna bug Ben."

Okay, then. Clay closed his eyes and pushed Mario's pillow closer to himself, inhaling deeply and drifting off again.

Next time he opened his eyes, Mario was back, trying—and failing—to sneak up on him.

"I know you're there," Clay told him, glancing over his shoulder to see Mario smiling at him.

Damn, that smile was never going to get old, was it?

"It's almost ten," Mario announced.

So, not early, but not the latest they'd ever slept in.

"And?" Clay rolled onto his back and spread his legs in a clear invitation for Mario to settle in on top of him.

Which he did, with a different kind of smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

Clay settled his hands on Mario's hips as their bodies pressed together, igniting the heat in his stomach.

"And I've been awake for three hours." Mario rubbed his thumb over Clay's beard. "I ate, I had coffee, I talked to Ben on his way out of work. Now it's your turn to entertain me."

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