After dinner they played Go Fish and Uno, him and Jessie on the same team. When the kids were tired, they decided to watch TV. “I’m going to clean up some of the mess in the kitchen, Lyd.”
She shushed him. “You don’t need to do that.”
Yes I do. She must have seen it in his eyes because she didn’t say anything else as Wes disappeared into the kitchen, needing to be alone. It didn’t take much time for him to load the dishwasher, but the antsy, heavy feeling taking him over hadn’t subsided at all. He shook his hands out, leaned on the counter with his head in his hands, and took a few deep breaths.
You’d think after all this time he would be used to losing people.
And then he did the strangest thing. It was as if his hand acted on its own, with no command from his brain. He pulled out his cell and texted Braden.
She asked me why her mom can’t come back. How the fuck do I make her understand when I’m so pissed off about it myself?
The second he hit send, he typed out another reply.
Don’t call.
It was a whole hell of a lot easier to type than talk.
I would have called.
I know
It made his stomach uneasy that he knew that.
Death is hard for any of us to understand. All you can do is love her.
It didn’t feel like enough.
Sorry. I’m sure you’re busy with your family.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Why did he text Braden to ruin his Thanksgiving, too?
Don’t be sorry.
Wes didn’t reply, and then another text came from Braden.
I have a black eye.
Wes flipped the phone around in his hand a few times, almost going back into the living room, but he had to ask.
How the hell did you do that?
Got beat up by a two year old ;)
Wes chuckled. The man was fucking crazy.
I put up a good fight, though.
Not good enough, obviously.
For a few more minutes they texted back and forth. Wes wasn’t stupid. He knew Braden just wanted to distract him, and damn it, he wanted that, too. Deciding he’d hid in the kitchen enough, Wes told Braden he had to go. Braden replied to have a good night and that he was staying out with his parents that night.
Happy Thanksgiving, Wes told him, before putting his phone away.
Three hours later he sat on the front porch of his house, looking out at the night, when his cell buzzed again. Without looking, he knew it was Braden. Sure enough, the message on the screen said,
How you doing?
Lonely. Scared. Angry. Okay. Jess stayed at Lydia’s tonight. Thought it would be good for her to be around the kids.
What are you doing?
Sitting on the porch
It was about five minutes before Braden replied.
Watch the headlights of the next vehicle that passes and try to guess where they’re going.
Wes looked out to the street, saw the two white globes slow down in front of his house, and he knew. He fucking knew it was Braden.
He didn’t let himself think about the why of him being here, or that he’d gladly let him in. Wes just replied,
Here.
And then waited for Braden to turn down his driveway.
Chapter Ten
Braden opened the screen door on Wes’s porch. Once they’d started texting, he couldn’t get the man out of his mind. He’d taken a shower to try and relax, and the second he got out, he knew he’d come—because he wanted Wes, wanted to help him forget like he had the night Wes had gone with him from the bar. He had this need to do something important for Wes. Not that he was selfless or anything, because just as much as those other things, he just plain wanted Wes.
There was more to it even than that, though. He didn’t want Wes to be alone. The man would never ask for help, wouldn’t ask for someone to be there, but Braden wanted to make sure Wes knew he would be. He hated to think about anyone feeling completely alone in the world, but...fuck, it gutted him to think of Wes feeling that way.
They faced off, nothing but hard stares, cold air and tension between them.
“Why are you here?” There was a roughness to Wes’s voice, tiredness wrapped around confusion. He held the same look in his eyes, but that wasn’t the only thing there. Desired flared in his almond-shaped eyes that Braden had no doubt Wes saw reflected in his own.
Still he said, “I’m here for whatever you need.” Because that was true, too. Even if he knew there wouldn’t ever be a chance to fuck Wes again, he’d be here.
As always, words seemed out of Wes’s reach. Instead of trying to find them, he grabbed Braden by the collar of his jacket and pulled, the same way Braden had done with his tie. Finally he muttered, “I want to fuck you. I want to forget about everything else in my life and just focus on what I can control. Getting you hard.” He cupped Braden’s already hardening cock through his jeans. “Driving you wild... Tasting you everywhere.”