Page 29 of Gift of You
“Only because I prefer to keep my life private. Not because it was you.” As if to reassure me, he bent forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. Butterflies took flight as he pulled away, a smile spreading across my face.
“You’re a sweet man, Matty.”
“Don’t let it get out. I have a reputation to uphold.”
A laugh burst out of me, startling Ernie right out of my arms. Which was just fine because it freed them up to wrap around Matthew. He drew me in close, smelling of his bar soap, laundry detergent, and his own uniquely comforting scent. If those butterflies in my chest suddenly turned into a flock of pelicans... well, we were practicing the fine art of denial, weren’t we?
“How’d you sleep?” he asked as we pulled apart.
I pasted on a bright smile. “Great! Got a full eight hours.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I call bullshit.”
I tilted my head up, affecting my a haughtiest look. “Are you saying I look tired?”
“No. I’m saying you’re a shitty liar.”
“Rude.” I snatched one of the cookies from the bag and moved a couple of steps away, putting space between us. I didn’twant him to know how much this thing between us was affecting me. It was supposed to be about him and his sexual awakening, not my own awakening of feelings. He didn’t need to know that I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to stop analyzing the situation from every possible angle, or that I’d finally fallen asleep just before dawn only to dream about celebrating Christmas with him a year from now. Those things were none of his business.
I turned to face him, nibbling on a chunk of the cookie. It really was quite good. “Okay, maybe I had a hard time falling asleep. But it was probably because we took that nap. I was wide awake at bedtime. What about you? How did you sleep?”
He flashed me a grin then took a cookie for himself. “I was out like a light. I think it might have had something to do with the multiple orgas?—”
“Brr. It’s cold as fuck out there.” A woman looking to be somewhere in her early twenties burst through the front door. She pulled off her beanie and began unwrapping her scarf, revealing hair dyed black on her right and magenta on her left, with a center part acting as the dividing line. She had a septum piercing and a row of small hoops running down the outside of her left ear, and her eyes were a startling shade of deep blue. “Sorry I’m late, but my car wouldn’t start—again—and my brother wouldn’t get off his lazy ass to give me a ride.” Her eyes landed on the bakery bag still sitting on the counter. “Cool. Cookies.” She pulled one out and took a huge bite, eyes darting back and forth between me and Matty as if she’d just realized she’d interrupted something.
“Louis, this is Stevie, my assistant manager.” Manager? She looked like she was barely old enough to drink. My skepticism must have registered on my face because she answered the question I hadn’t given voice to.
“I’m twenty-three. Yes, I’m young, but I’m also smart as hell, and I work my ass off.”
“That’s . . . um, great. Seriously,” I said awkwardly.
She laughed, big and hearty. “Don’t worry about it. I like taking people by surprise. It’s literally my favorite thing to do.” She took another bite of cookie, her eyes flicking back and forth between us. They narrowed, then blew wide as she focused her attention solely on Matthew. “Shit, Olivia was right. Youarebanging the city boy.”
“That’s not—we’re not—we’re not banging exactly.” I watched in fascination as color flooded Matthew’s cheeks, and he struggled to respond. Was he flustered because of his sexuality or was it the talk of banging? I suspected it was the latter. Matthew struck me as a gentleman in the streets and a freak in the sheets.
“But you guys are doingsomething, right? Sex is definitely happening between you two. You both have it written all over your faces.”
“Okay, Stevie. That’s... something we’re absolutelynotdiscussing.” Matthew picked up his coffee and the remaining cookies. “The store’s been slow again today. I’m taking the rest of the day off.”
“Oh, now Iknowthere’s definitely something going on here.” She gestured between the two of us. “I heard you closed up early yesterday and now you’re taking another afternoon off? That’s two days in a row.”
“Yes, thank you for pointing that out, Stevie. Come on, Louis. Let’s go upstairs.”
“Upstairs, huh? Gonna have a little afternoon delight?” She wiggled her eyebrows at us in a gesture that was so outrageous a laugh burst out of me.
“Ignore her,” Matthew grumbled, taking my hand and dragging me toward the stairs.
We were about halfway up when she called out, “Welcome to the Queer Club! We meet every fourth Tuesday!”
Matthew released my hand, taking several steps back down. “Seriously?” he asked, his tone incredulous.
“No,” she said, her voice full of laughter. “But maybe we should start one. I’ll bring my girlfriend. It’ll be rad.”
Matthew clomped back up the stairs to where I was standing, my body shaking with laughter. “I don’t want to hear it,” he said, nudging me forward up the rest of the stairs.
“Why not? It’ll berad!”
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