After breakfast, Hunter raced to his condo to grab a change of clothes and his laptop, then returned to River’s house for the day. Melodie was happy to see him when he got back, but the reaction was subdued. How happy could she be when he basically hadn’t left in the first place?
The three of them went to the park and a kid-friendly restaurant, giving Melodie enough food and excitement to head off to bed half an hour early. When her door clicked shut behind her, River left for the kitchen and returned with a pack of beers.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Hunter asked, mouth quirked up teasingly.
“I would’ve taken you to the bar to do that.”
River’s eyes held a dark promise and Hunter believed him. It shouldn’t be this attractive to imagine River having control over him. River set the beers down on the coffee table, sitting beside it instead of on the couch. Hunter breathed in deeply, trying to get his body under control.
“Beers are tacky and kind of gross but I didn’t want you to be too hungover for work tomorrow,” River explained while ripping the cardboard. “I hope you like them more than I do.”
The “tacky beer” he purchased was a local craft beer with a serious reputation, but River still winced after swallowing the first sip. Hunter had watched the older man drink a million times, mostly when sampling the work of other bartenders, and he’d never winced. The harshest liquors and spirits couldn’t faze him.
But with every swig of his beer can, River shuddered. Hunter couldn’t stop laughing.
“It really is gross,” River groaned, his voice hoarse after being subjected to the foul liquid.
Hunter rolled onto his back, laughter bouncing off cream-colored walls. River followed him to the ground with laughs of his own.
“Shhhh!”
He pressed a finger against Hunter’s mouth, hands rough from years of labor.
“You’re going to wake up Melodie!” he yelled through a whisper. Hunter clasped both hands over his mouth, trapping River’s finger under the makeshift cage. His muffled laughs vibrated against River’s hand. The sensation was so strange, River began laughing again.
They were already buzzed and the realization made them laugh harder.
Hunter loved the conversation they had that night. It was sporadic and a bit confusing since some of their faculties were missing. But Hunter spent most of it with his head on River’s bicep, cradled in the older man’s heat. Tangling their toes together made Hunter giggle every once in a while but it felt nice. Every spot where his skin met River’s felt nice.
River craned his neck down, warm breath fanning against the side of Hunter’s face. His body clenched tightly, growing more taut when the older man snagged the shell of his ear between his teeth.
He tugged once, then released. Hunter was left breathing deeply against his growing . . . urges while River smirked triumphantly. He was way too good at that. Toying with Hunter’s body. Inciting reactions Hunter didn’t know he could make. Hunter looked up at River through darker lashes, glaring curiously.
“Have you been with a man before?” he asked. “Before me?”
“Yes,” was his quick response. “I was with a lot of guys in my twenties.”
River’s expression got funny and Hunter had a feeling there was more to that answer.
“Me and my girlfriend weren’t exclusive,” he continued in a low tone. Embarrassed or regretful, Hunter couldn’t tell. “She wasn’t really my girlfriend so yeah, I got around.”
The answer was just vague enough to make Hunter curious. Who was the girlfriend? Was she the woman who eventually became the wife? Or did Melodie’s mom enter the picture later? There was so much to River’s story that remained unsaid, missing pages that left a gaping hole in the middle of the book. But River was probably drunk. Hunter couldn’t pry now.
“What about you?” River said, drawing Hunter’s attention again. “Were you with another man before me?”
“Enough,” Hunter chuckled. He didn’t like to remember his dating history. But before meeting River, he would go through the timeline on repeat every day. Thinking of it now was easy. Like riding a bike.
“I tried getting into relationships in college. But when those kept turning into situationships, I kind of gave up.”
Hunter had accepted that story for so long, but admitting it outloud was sad. Sad to remember the countless disappointments that tainted those years.
“So, I met guys at bars or on apps for a few years. Then I took over my dad’s company and meeting up with a guy for an hour of meaningless sex felt pointless,” he sighed. “Better to use my time to make Stick Figure successful.”
“I don’t know,” Hunter muttered, struggling to organize his thoughts. “I guess because none of the guys I met wanted commitment, I stopped looking for it. I didn’t want to let myself hope.”
Hunter moved to push back his hair but something stopped him. He hadn’t noticed that River had thread their fingers together. His hold was comforting and strong, a stable presence. Having him there made Hunter sentimental in the dumbest way.
He shouldn’t. Every logical piece of his brain told him no. But River was grazing his thumb over Hunter’s knuckles and the love in his body could hardly be contained.
” . . . and then I met you.”
River looked down at him in surprise, eyes scanning Hunter’s. The younger man held their gaze by will alone. His heart thumped noisily in his chest. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Hunter swallowed a lump.
“When I met you, I knew I wanted more,” he admitted with a shaky voice. “But, I’m terrified.”
River’s grip went slack so Hunter held on harder. He pressed their palms together and held on with everything he had. He couldn’t give this up. Not yet. Not until River knew.
“I’m scared shitless everytime I look at you because I know this is different.”
Hunter stared at the ceiling again, unmoving. Like he told River, he was terrified. Terrified of what the other man’s reaction would be. But more importantly, he was relieved. No matter how River reacted, he’d finally told him the truth. Hunter would never regret not giving it a shot.
Hunter’s eyes followed the ceiling fan, watching each blade make its hasty loop around the bulb. Then darkness covered his vision and Hunter found himself staring into River’s eyes. Eyes that traced his face with careful consideration. He’d straddled Hunter, bracing himself against hands on either side of the younger man’s head. Hunter’s palms slipped up River’s thighs instinctively, squeezing gently as he went.
River didn’t say a word. He didn’t address what Hunter said. But his eyes spoke volumes, open and present in a way that made Hunter shiver. He dropped his head and Hunter accepted the kiss happily. Earnestly. He wished to say more. Tell River that he loved him. But this would be enough for now, letting their lips slot together perfectly. Like they were made for one another.
Hunter’s body was heating up. He was relieved when River lifted off. Only because it gave River the chance to drag Hunter off to his room.
———————————
I think we all know what happened in that room.
Again.
How in the world is Hunter going to get up early enough to drop off Melodie???
Anyway,
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