Page 32 of Out of the Storm

With only a few minutes left before the show, Gary had to scarf down the rest of his burger, and then he scribbled some talking points while Jeff finished eating. While Gary was busy looking through his wall of records to pick a couple of albums in the studio room, he heard the sound of running water from the kitchen, and it took a moment for him to realize that Jeff was washing the dishes. Which was really very sweet.

When Jeff eventually came into the studio room, Gary swiveled to face him and said, “Wow, Jeff the Janitor, cleaning my humble home in your spare time, huh?”

Jeff blew out a breath. “Put a sock in it, radio man. Where should I sit?”

“Just on the love seat. I’ll barely even notice you over there.”

Not true in the slightest. Gary’d be fixating on Jeff the entire time, no matter where in the room he was. Heck, even if Jeff left for home at this point, Gary’d be thinking about him for the entirety of the show regardless.

Jeff proceeded to lie back and throw his feet up on one of the cushions.

“Well, you look cozy,” Gary remarked.

“Yup. Dazzle me,” Jeff replied with a small smirk.

Gary’s heart spasmed and fluttered, and the sudden swell of nervousness forced him to look away, but his blush lingered as he fiddled with the knobs on the control board. Seeing Jeff on the couch like that—gosh, he couldn’t have possibly looked cuter if he tried.

Just before the start of the program, Gary caught Jeff’s eye, and Jeff threw him a wink. Gary’s stomach tumbled like he’d stepped onto one of those whirly carnival slides.

Thankfully, the show went well enough, though. Over the course of the few hours the show had run, there had been a couple of times when Gary had looked over at Jeff only to see himsmirking in a sexy sort of way (which was terrible for focusing). But otherwise, everything had been okay. So okay that, by the end, Gary was no longer feeling seasick in Jeff’s presence.

As soon as Gary finished shutting off the equipment, he made his way over to the love seat, and Jeff made room by curling up his legs.

“Are you successfully dazzled?” Gary asked with a grin, sitting next to him.

“Yeah, I am,” Jeff said. “Seems tiring.”

“Boy, is it ever,” Gary answered. “I’m bushed.”

Sitting up, Jeff said, “I should probably head home then.”

Gary frowned. Dang. He wanted them to spend some more time together, no matter how exhausted he was. Maybe Jeff could stay for... Hm... There had to be something.

“Hey, uh, I think I’m starting to have a second wind. Do you want some...” Gary racked his brain to think of something he could offer. The answer popped into his head after just a second, and he snapped his fingers. “Ice cream! How about some ice cream?”

Jeff pursed his lips, thinking, and for a moment, Gary’s stomach sank as he worried Jeff might say no. But Jeff just tilted his head and said, “Maybe. What kind?”

“Neapolitan minus chocolate.”

“Of course you finished the best flavor.”

“Vanillais the best flavor,” Gary corrected, his tension melting faster than a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s on a hot summer day.

“Why’d you finish the chocolate first then?”

“It wasn’tme! It was Mel!” When Gary saw Jeff’s eyes flit over to the door, he realized that he needed to nudge him some more. “Come on, Jeffrey, have some vanilla ice cream with me. It’s exotic.”

Jeff smirked. “No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. Or,was. People thought vanilla was exotic for centuries.”

“So?”

Gary sighed. “Just, look, when you eat it, close your eyes and relish the simplicity of it. Ipromiseyou’ll have a higher appreciation for the stuff when you really take time to savor it.”

Feigning confidence in Jeff staying, Gary started toward the kitchen, and to his relief, Jeff followed. Thank God! More time together!

“Everything is food with you,” Jeff said in a slightly teasing tone as they rounded the corner into the kitchen.

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