Page 54 of The Barn: Frost and Q
Q grinned a little, because that was delicately phrased. He was in his chair, even though the restaurant was on a float plane dock. It had been easy enough to arrange. “Wherever there’s room for me.”
“Oh, we have plenty of options.” She grabbed some menus and led them way back. “Do you want something by the windows. It’s still shoulder season for the whales.”
“Absolutely.” Frost said it before he could mention they lived on an island off Juneau… But there weren’t a lot of tourists in the place right now, so why the hell not?
They got seated, and they ordered a couple of beers. The hotel had a free, accessible shuttle, so they didn’t have to worry about getting back, which was kind of awesome. And Frost had gotten him an accessible room, so he could just roll right to bed…
“So what did you think of Yukon?” Quentin knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it again. After all, they were picking him up tomorrow and taking him home. The big goofy bundle of joy was like a giant marshmallow with an expression of purehappiness on its face. Q was in love. Like deep, eternal doggy love.
“I think he’s gigantic. I think people are going to think he’s a polar bear. I think we better find some tall people to walk him, and I think he’s perfect, so…”
“Right? Me too. I don’t know, though. I think we should get some teeny tiny people to walk him, like the eighty-pound, bullies kick sand in your face kind of guys, and we can watch them fly around the yard with Yukon dragging them behind him.” It was mean but amusing, and since it wasn’t actually going to happen, it was even funnier.
Quentin opened up his menu to give the food a look-see. “Oh, God, I do love it here. What are you going to have?”
He was thinking chowder, black cod curry, and cheesecake. Maybe a nice stout.
“I want a steak—a big steak the size of my head.” Frost actually licked his lips. “I think I’m going to do the pork belly bites too.”
That sounded good. “Want to share? I’ll share bites of my soup…”
“Sure, that sounds great.” Frost beamed at him, reached under the table to take his hand. “Thank you for this.”
He didn’t pretend to not know what Frost was talking about. “You deserve it, to know that I’m trying, that I’m willing.”
He wasn’t scared to go out. It had just been easier to stay in and to not think about things.
Actually, what had been easier was not to think about Frost.
“I can see that you’re trying. I know that this has got to be scary.”
He shrugged and shook his head immediately. “No. Letting you in was scary. Mainly because I didn’t think you could get beyond everything—the guilt. So, letting you in and believing in you, trusting that you loved me enough to figure it out?That was scary. This today is just learning something new, and really, I haven’t learned a whole lot new. I mean, this place is very accessible, and it’s not like I can’t get up and walk in an emergency. You know, I might fall a lot, but if I have to scramble across the room, I can. This is just…less stressful. It wigs people out when I fall.”
“Yes, it fucks me up when you fall. I hate it. Every time you go over, I think, ‘Oh my God, is he hurt?’ But you never are.”
Q shook his head. “No, I’m strong.” And lucky and special and here. “And I want a beer. I want to have a beer with you at a restaurant like a grownup.”
“We could even have two since we’re not driving,” Frost suggested, and he nodded.
“Yeah, but I think we should stop at two, because I want to, you know?” He waggled his eyebrows at his husband. “Not be drunk.”
Frost leaned back, an utterly satisfied grin crossing his face. “Okay. Right. Two it is. Or maybe a beer now, and then a glass of something decadent after.”
“Oh, like a nightcap? All right.” He did love a fancy nightcap.
“Yeah. We could even get that at the bar at the hotel and take it upstairs.”
The waiter came over, a cute little twink with a mass of bright red curls and skin the color of milk. “Good evening. I’m Josh. I’m going to be your waiter?”
Was that a question? “Cool, I would like to start with a glass of water and a stout, please.”
Frost chuckled softly. “I’ll take the Denali Single Engine Red, please.”
“Yes, Sir. I mean, you got it. I mean, I’ll be right back.” The little thing scampered off, and Q was just amused as hell.
“If Carson saw him, he would explode in sparkly joy.”
“Right?” Frost licked his lips. “That might be the one that Carson falls in love with forever. Like forever.”
