Page 22 of Milo
“Right, but just eating and talking? Does that sound like fun to you?”
I scratch my chin and think. “Not exactly.” I tolerate it with friends, but I get bored so fast.
“And don’t worry, I’m feeding you, but we’re going to play first.”
I wiggle in my seat. “What kind of playing?”
Clay leans over, keeping his eyes on the road. “Have you ever been ice skating?”
I suck in a breath. “Not in a while, but I loved it when Jacob took me to the skate rink as a kid.”
“They have open skate tonight and thought it’d be fun.”
“We might be overdressed.” I giggle.
“I think we look snazzy.”
“Oh, we do. And sparkly.”
“Confession. Before I became a floral god.”
I laugh again.
“I was an amateur figure skater.”
“No!” I look him over, trying to imagine him as a skater.
“Yes.”
“I never would have guessed.”
“No one does. I started as a kid and kept it up. I’m a multi-passionate kind of guy.”
“Me too. I love art. It doesn’t matter what kind, or medium. Tattooing, pen and paper, digital, scraps of fabric, paper, I really don’t care. I took a couple of college art history classes just because I wanted to. I saved up for them and everything. I signed up as a non-degree seeking student and just took whateverI wanted. I could have just watched a bunch of educational YouTubes or whatever, but I needed that extra bit of discipline that came in a class format. Art history is fascinating and I get to be a part of it even in my small way.”
“I love that.” Clay has a smile on his face. I want him to look at me, but it’s best he keeps his eyes on the road. Especially for this time of year. People don’t pay attention on the best of days, but during the holiday season, driving out to what I call the fancy side of town is scary.
“Aside from art, though, I love books. At one point, I could recite The Hobbit word for word because I’d read it so much. Fantasy has my whole heart.”
Clay taps the steering wheel. “I’m partial to romance myself.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Iloveme some romance, especially if it’s paired with fantasy or it’s paranormal romance. But fantasy is where it’s at for me.” I grip the oh shit bar as someone gets a little too close and I squeeze my eyes shut. “Alright,” I force out. “So you’re a passionate guy that loves brightening people’s day with flowers and you’re an amateur figure skater. What else do you got?”
“Obviously, being a Daddy. I love spoiling my Little.”
I wiggle again. “And that’s me.”
“You are.” He pulls into the parking lot of the skating rink and parks.
“How did you discover you were a Daddy?” He doesn’t answer for a good long time and I start to squirm. “You don’t gotta tell me.”
He gives me a half-smile as he turns to me. “I went to a kink club during an education night and observed all they had to offer. Every month I kept going back, learning everything I could in between. There was always something about the nursery that intrigued me. I became friends with a few of the Daddies. They taught me everything I know.”
“Do you still talk to the other Daddies?”
“Yeah, a few of them are close friends.”
My shoulders slump. He must be lonely. “Won’t you miss them?”
