Page 21 of Rocking Cedarwood

“Very.” Michael kissed him once more. “Let’s get this meeting over with so we can close up shop and head home. What time I’ve got free tonight is devoted to being with you.”

“It is?” He shouldn’t have sounded so shocked, but he was. He still hadn’t wrapped his mind around them dating. He liked that they were together, but he never would’ve guessed he’d attract such a handsome man.

“Yeah,” Michael said. He disengaged from Niall. “Ready? Or do you need a minute?”

He needed lots of minutes, but he didn’t have them. He blew out a long breath and followed Michael out of the room. He locked his classroom, then, with Michael beside him, wandered back down to the cafeteria. Unlike during the meetings the day before, the teachers weren’t broken up into grades. He sat beside Michael at one of the back tables. Ashley Willis strolled into the cafeteria and waved.

“Mind if I sit here?” Ashley asked.

“Have a seat.” He’d always liked Ashley. The guy was normally pretty quiet, but once Niall had gotten him to open up, he’d turned out to be a cool guy. “What are you and Colt doing for the break?”

“Not sure.” Ashley folded his arms on the tabletop. “After the incident last September, Colt’s changed his thoughts about the diner. It’s his baby and he loves it, but he’s more willing to divide his time between there and home. But because it’s always busy in the summer, I’ll probably help there while Wyatt’s at Mom’s. On top of that, I promised Wyatt we’d go to the amusement park and to that new water park over in Sandusky. I’m thinking July, but who knows? You?” His gaze switched between Niall and Michael. “You know, you two should date.”

Michael chuckled. “You’re perceptive. We are.”

Niall suppressed his shock. He hadn’t expected Michael to be so honest.

Ashley stared at Niall and tipped his head to the side. “Were you clued in on this announcement?”

“I was.” Niall nodded. The more they talked about dating, the more he felt comfortable about admitting he liked Michael. “It’s pretty new between us, so I wasn’t sure if we were going public with it.”

“I’m glad you did,” Ashley said. “We need more people to admit they’re happy together. This town needs to realize the LGBTQ community isn’t a bunch of freaks. We’re like everyone else. If that means two studly teachers dating, then I’m all for it.”

Studly.He wouldn’t have considered himself so, but whatever. Thank goodness the meeting started and saved him from having to answer Ashley.

Half an hour later, the meeting adjourned and Niall breathed a sigh of relief. He needed to get out of the cafeteria. Despite the air-conditioning, the body heat in the room made the temperature unbearable.

“Is it just me, or did the temperature spike in here?” Michael stood and fanned himself with the handout. “It’s a sauna.”

“It’s you.” Ashley slapped Niall on the shoulder. “Come to the diner this summer—both of you.” He winked then wandered away from the table.

“Coming out to him as a couple was scary as hell.” Niall left his seat and made his way toward the main hallway.

“It was fine.” Michael bumped shoulders with him. Not an obvious romantic gesture and Niall appreciated the discretion. Michael walked alongside Niall until they reached their classrooms. “So, I need to grab a shower and change my clothes, but I meant what I said about spending tonight with you. What did you want to do?”

“Think you’ll be done around six?” Niall retrieved his bag from his classroom then strode back into the hallway. The weight of the school year finally lifted from his shoulders. It was summer and he had no worries for the next two months.

“I’m sure I can be. Want me to bring anything? Wine? Beer?” Michael strolled out of the building with Niall. “Condoms?”

Niall shivered. “You’re bad, but I like it.” He stopped at his car. “I also love how you think—but I wish you’d wait until we were out of the building.” He unlocked his vehicle and placed his bag on the front seat. “We’ve never gotten together for anything outside of school. I suppose you’ll want my address. I’m at 314 Canton Road. I’m past the main drag. It’s a huge Victorian with a balcony and wraparound porch. It’s really too big for just me, but I couldn’t pass her up. She was too beautiful and at the right price.”

Michael nodded. “I’ve driven past that house plenty of times but didn’t know it was yours. You restored it, didn’t you?”

“I did. Cost me a bundle, especially to replace the gingerbread, but it’s been worth it.” He loved talking about his house. “I’m trying to get it back on the registry of historical homes. I guess it was taken off when it was abandoned and Cedarwood thought it was to be torn down.”

“You stepped in and saved the day.” Michael grinned. “Smart and sexy man.”

“I try.” He couldn’t wait for Michael to visit. “I’ll see you around six?”

“You bet.” Michael climbed behind the wheel of his car then backed out of the spot. He zipped away, leaving Niall in silence.

Niall collapsed onto his driver’s seat and sighed. He wasn’t about to obsess on what could happen that night. No, he’d take things as they came. He drove home, ran through his mail and switched on his laptop before he decided what he’d serve for supper. He should’ve asked Michael if he liked steak, but he’d shared plenty of lunches with Michael. He wasn’t a vegetarian, so hopefully grilled steaks would be fine. He pulled two bottles of wine from the wine fridge.

While he prepared for his supper with his boyfriend, Niall kept thinking about Michael. The memory of Michael fucking him came to mind. He stopped at the cutting board, halfway through chopping veggies for the salad, and bowed his head. He’d never expected Michael to look his way from the first time they met. Now they were a pair. He’d been so lucky.

Behind him, his phone buzzed. He opened his eyes and wiped his hands on a towel. He scooped the phone into his hand and swiped his thumb across the screen.

“Hello?” He frowned when the caller didn’t answer. “Hello?” He checked the screen to ensure the call was still connected. “What’s going on?”

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