Page 12 of Mama's Boy
“Drinking coffee and talking to you.”Rowan took a sip of his second cup of coffee.
“I was going to call you.”Chase sounded a bit tentative.
“That makes me happy.Have you had your second cup of coffee yet?”
“Yeah, drinking it now, I wanted to know if you’d like to catch a movie today.My mother bailed on Sunday dinner.”
“Mr.Schwartz?”Rowan asked.
“Yeah.It seems he’s quite smitten.He wants to meet me.I don’t know how I feel about that yet.”
“Instead of a movie, why don’t you come over?Wear something comfortable and we can just hang out.We can get a movie from DirecTV.I want to cuddle and at the theater the armrest gets in the way.”Rowan crossed his fingers.Chase laughed.He wanted to get to know Chase better but at the same time wanted things to get a little more physical.
“Sounds good to me.I think I can find your house again.”
“I’ll give you the address so you can put it in your GPS, have you got a piece of paper?”
“Yeah, go ahead…”
“Thirty-nine Grassmere, Interlaken.”Rowan let out the breath he had been holding.“How’s your sunburn?”
“Better, but I have to use more aloe after I take my shower.What time do you want me to come?”
“Whenever you’re ready, I can fix us breakfast here.”Rowan suggested.
“Hell no…you paid for yesterday, I’ll bring breakfast.”
Rowan laughed.“If you insist, I won’t fight you.”
“I can be there in just under an hour.Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, I’ll make more coffee.”Rowan could barely stop himself from jumping up and down.He was in deep.His only hope was that Chase fell for him as hard and fast as he did for Chase.
* * * *
Chase raced out the door to the bagel shop and the bakery.At the bagel shop on Monmouth Road he picked up six assorted bagels along with a good amount of lox and cream cheese.He went to the bakery and bought croissants, Danish pastries, and then stopped at the grocery for Chambord raspberry and peach jam, Irish butter and orange juice.At the liquor store Chase bought a bottle of Freixenet, a Cava wine, for mimosas.Chase was excited.He hadn’t been this excited about a man, ever.
Even with the all of the stops, Chase was at Rowan’s home in under an hour.He exited the Prius, trying to carry everything at once.Rowan must have seen him from the window because the door opened and he ran barefoot down the sidewalk to help Chase take the bags from the car.
“What did you do?Buy out the grocery?”Rowan picked up the bag with the things from the grocery store and the Freixenet.“This is a sparkling wine from Spain, isn’t it?”Rowan asked as they made their way up the sidewalk.
“Yeah, I like it for mimosas.”
“We’re having mimosas?”Rowan opened the door.
“Yep.”Chase carried his bags into the kitchen.Rowan pulled out some plates and Chase took out the bagels, Danish pastries, and croissants along with the Irish butter and the two jars of jam.The lox and cream cheese went on another plate.
“I love cream cheese and lox.I have capers, dill and red onion that will go perfectly with the lox.”Rowan turned and opened the door to the refrigerator.“You bought enough to feed ten people.”
Chase shrugged, “I didn’t know what you liked and I didn’t want you to feel you had to make eggs or something.”
“I won’t have to make eggs all week.You’ll be taking some of this home or all I’ll be doing this week are crunches.”Chase laughed as Rowan pointed to his six-pack.Chase slipped off his sandals and left them by the door, enjoying the feel of the hardwood floor under his feet.
Rowan went into his cabinets and brought out two fluted champagne glasses and Chase made the mimosas.He handed one to Rowan.
“To us,” Rowan said, “and the start of something beautiful.”
They laid the food out on the kitchen counter buffet style.Rowan made himself a loaded bagel and snagged a Danish pastry.Chase went for the bagel and a croissant with the jam and butter.
