Page 5

I look out the window once more and sigh. I'm not even outside and I can tell how miserable the walk home is going to be. It started raining just before lunch, which cut down on how busy we usually are on Friday, but it also means that I'm going to be soaked and freezing walking home. I finish wiping down the bar situated by the windows and turn back to make sure everything else is restocked.

Austin is still in the office. Since last week, when he asked me about the club and if I was in the lifestyle, he's kept his distance. I feel bad about how I reacted, but I have no idea how to explain what I meant to him. We work alongside each other, but it's strained and a bit awkward. The truth is, I've had more than enough time since that time at the club to think about it. Remembering the way everyone looked so carefree and happy in that room, I find myself remembering the warmth and even the witty banter back and forth with the barkeep when I'm sitting at home alone.

I've thought about going back to the club, after getting my first real paycheck. I don't have much in the way of extra savings, but the forty dollars isn't nearly as hindering to me as it was last time. Then I saw Garrett here, in the coffee shop. My brain supplied fresh memories of crashing at his place soon after we got there. Waking up the next morning, I was embarrassed. I wanted to apologize to him, to say I would make it up, but I didn't know how to bring it up and he never mentioned anything. Just asked how I slept and made me breakfast before driving me back to my place.

There's a knock on the front door of the restaurant, startling me. I turn around and see a man and a dog standing under the dim lighting of the awning. It takes me a second to recognize Garrett. I hurry around the counter and open the door for them to come in. Riley is wearing little booties and a raincoat, which is adorable, but still happily sits just inside the doors. Garrett shakes out his umbrella before leaning it against the wall.

"Hey, Orion." I look up to Garrett, already on my knees to give Riley my attention. He licks my face when I'm not looking. I wipe the slobber off with my arm.

"Hey, Garrett. What are you doing walking around here in this weather?"

"I promised Riley, here, we would go for a walk. I didn't take into account the rain and all that."

"Did Daddy drag you out in all this messy weather?" I rub both my hands over Riley's cheeks and smile at the way he lolls his tongue to the side. I'm fully in my doggy talking voice, but I don't care. Riley is adorable and brings it out in me. He's mostly black with a white chest that reaches around the back of his neck almost like a half collar.

"I like to keep my promises when I tell him we're going to do something," Garrett says, a lot more honest sounding than the moment calls for. I stand back up and shuffle my feet nervously.

"That's good," I say, the awkwardness swelling in my body. "What are you doing over this way?"

"Someone missed you." He says it so quickly, jerking his arm after a second to motion that he meant Riley and not himself. I don't believe it for a second, but I also can't imagine that Garrett— with his muscles and gorgeous face and overall niceness— would miss someone like me. Not after the absolute failure it was when I met him the first time.

"Garrett?" Austin's voice is behind me and I turn my head to look over my shoulder. I can see the confusion plain as day on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just telling Orion that I promised Riley a walk." Austin's eyes bounce between the two of us. I turn back to see Garrett looking between the two of us. "How was work today?"

"The weather kept some people from walking here, but this morning was pretty busy." Austin bends down to give Riley some attention as he speaks. "How was your Friday?"

"Meh," Garrett says. "I was in meetings this morning, took a half day after that." Garrett's eyes flick back to me and he offers a smile.

"Any particular reason you chose to walk in this weather, near this area?"

"Austin, I think you should probably call your Daddy and tell him you're on your way home." I cough to hide a laugh at Garrett's words. Austin's face goes beet red and his smile fades and he looks uncomfortable. I still don't know what to say to him. Garrett must sense something changing in the air between us because he opens his mouth to say something, but Austin cuts him off.

"I'll call Remi in a bit," he says. "I still have a few things to file away and then I'll be good. It was good seeing both of you, though."

"Did I say something wrong?" Garrett asks when Austin is out of ear shot. I sigh and shake my head.

"No, it's me. He asked me the other day about… Regression and I'm pretty sure I said the wrong thing. We've been kind of walking around each other the last couple of days."

"Oh." There's a lull and I don't know how to fill it.

"Would you like a drink, or something?"

"It's okay," Garrett says. "You're already closed up for the night. We were just stopping by." Another lull. "I actually was hoping to talk to you."

That catches me off guard. I flick my eyes to his and wait for more words to come. It takes another minute and if he didn't have Riley, I would offer for him to come in and sit. Pets aren't allowed in the building. When he finally talks, I don't know why I'm taken aback.

"I've been thinking about you."

"About me? Why?" I can't hide the surprise in that. Of course, I've been thinking about him too, but my embarrassment over what happened isn't going to let me tell him that.

"I don't know, honestly. I wanted to make sure you were okay, but I also just enjoyed talking to you on the way to my place."

"Oh." I know this whole conversation is awkward and it's mostly my fault. I can't think of what to say though. I've never been the object of someone's thoughts before. "Um, I mean, thanks. I think."

Garrett smiles, obviously keeping a laugh from escaping. "Are you doing anything after work? I thought maybe we could go get some dinner?"

I look out behind him and see that the rain is still coming down. It seems to be letting up a bit. My eyes go back to Riley and then Garrett. I don't have a car yet, so I was planning on walking home. And what waited for me at home was a box of Mac and Cheese and hot dogs. I don't have the money for a fancy meal, but I could swing a couple bucks for a burger, maybe.

"Orion, it's my treat. I'm not inviting you out and then expecting you to pay." I must not have been hiding the calculations I was making in my head as well as I thought.

"Oh, um, sure then. I just have to finish a little bit of cleaning and I'll be ready."

"Take your time," Garrett says back. "I'm parked around back. It's the same car I was in last time."

"Okay. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Orion." He gives me another smile and I go back to making sure the utensils and napkins are stocked before I head to the back and let Austin know I'm leaving. He's usually gone by now, but end of the month filing has him staying here a bit later than usual. His back is turned to me when I knock on the open door. He spins and gives a quick smile.

"I'm about to head out," I say. "Garrett is actually going to take me out for dinner."

"Oh, yeah?"

I take a deep breath before talking again. I want to get this weird vibe between us over. "I'm sorry, for what I said the other day. Yes, I went to the club and I was curious about the whole dynamic, but I don't think regression is something for me. I'm not knocking it and I want you to know that that will stay between us. I'm sorry if the way I reacted hurt you or anything."

"I appreciate it," Austin says. "I'm sorry for just springing that on you in the middle of a work week. I definitely could have done that better."

"Are we cool?" I hold out my hand for Austin to shake, if we are. He stands and takes my hand. He's six years older than me— well, he'll be thirty-one next month, where I'm twenty-two until June— but I have a few inches on him. He's more of a clean shaved face while my beard grows in decently. I've been told it makes me look older than I actually am. He takes my hand in his and shakes it twice.

"We're good. Have fun tonight. Garrett is honestly really fun to hang out with." I start to walk away, but Austin calls after me. "He's also insanely loaded so don't feel bad getting a good meal out of him!"

I laugh at that and double check that I've locked the door behind me before running around the building and finding Garrett's car. I feel a bit guilty getting his seat wet when I hop into the passenger seat.

"Do you not have an umbrella?"

"It wasn't raining this morning," I said. I don’t have an umbrella, but that’s beside the point. "I didn't think to check the weather."

"What would you like to eat?" Garrett asks. I hear Austin's words in my head and hide a smile. I'm not in the business of taking advantage of people, but the thought of a full meal that couldn't be made in a microwave has my stomach rumbling.

"I'm not picky. I'm allergic to avocados, though. So, just need to be careful with that."

"I remember you telling me that." Oh. I forgot that I told him that, but I'm more surprised that he remembers that one comment after almost seven weeks. Garrett doesn't say anything else as he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the road. I'm not familiar with this part of town all that much, so I don't know where he's planning on taking us. Riley pokes his head up between the front seats and I instinctively reach my hand up to scratch his chin. "Do you like barbecue?"

"Sure," I say.

The drive is only ten minutes, but it's spent in silence. Riley barks once at someone that walks in front of the car while we're at a red light, which makes me giggle to myself because he is the least bit intimidating in his raincoat and booties. We pull into the parking lot of a strip mall of sorts. The barbecue place is on the end, made obvious by the pig and grill on the logo.

"You're taking me to a place called Smoking Butts? What, do you have to have a nice butt to come in here? In that case, I don't think I qualify."

"One, you would qualify." That comment has me blushing so hard, I can feel the heat radiating off my skin. I never even thought that he'd checked me out in the two times we've met, but apparently I'm just not paying attention. "Two, do you know what a butt is? It's actually the shoulder and the way they smoke them here, it's heaven in your mouth."

"High praise," I say. "I've never been to a place like this before, so I hope you can order for me."

"I'd be happy to." Garrett smiles and opens his door. I realize what that sounds like, like me wanting to give Garrett the control. And yeah, it's nice to have someone that will order when I don't know what's good or if anything has avocados. Some menus don't specify enough.

Riley is between us as we jog to the door. I hold the door open since Garrett has the leash and I reach it first. He gives me a quiet thank you and doesn't seem put off about it, but I suddenly question exactly what the dynamic he's expecting is. Should there be a dynamic? Do I want there to be one? We can just be friends going out, right?

The inside of the restaurant is casual and smells amazing. It's a large room with tables randomly throughout and counters that hold utensils and different dipping sauces. The walls are a mix of wood and exposed brick and you can see the giant grills behind the registers. The smells are mouthwatering too.

"Your face says everything," Garrett says as we reach the counter to order. "Do you want pork or chicken? And do you like spicy?"

"Pork is fine, but I don't think I'm feeling spicy today."

"I know just the thing, then."

A young woman steps up to the register and smiles, asking what we would like to eat.

"Can I get the number four, medium, with the side of cole slaw and fries." I look up at the menu boards and see that he's ordered an Oak Smoked Brisket, which sounds and looks amazing. I've never had Brisket before, but the picture looks tempting. I'm wondering if that's for me or him. "And can I get the sampler tray? I'll take Brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, and— What other side would you like?"

I look from the menu to Garrett. He lifts his free hand to where the sides are listed and I do a quick scan. "Cheesy potatoes are fine."

"Okay, we'll get that. And then an extra side of the Blueberry cobbler. He has an allergy to avocado, as well, if you can add that note in."

"Got it," the lady says. I look over the boards again and don't see any avocados listed, but I'm happy that he's making sure. I cringe a little at the total, thinking about how that much money was my phone bill alone for the month. "Here are the drinks and we'll call your number when it's ready. Do you need a water bowl for the dog?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." Garrett ushers me over to the drink fountain. I don't drink a lot of soda, mostly because it's a luxury to buy on any given occasion. When I go for the water, though, Garrett stops me. "The Lemonade and Sweet tea are both really good here, if you want it."

He goes for the Sweet tea and I decide on Lemonade. I take a sip while I follow Garrett to a table by a set of windows. It's only two chairs and Riley sits next to my seat dutifully. I smile and rest my hand on his back, scratching lightly at his neck.

"This is really good," I say, holding up my cup of lemonade that I've already downed a fourth of.

"It's free refills, so drink all you want." Garrett sits back in his chair and smiles at me. I return a closed lip smile, feeling a bit awkward again. "Are you enjoying working at the coffee shop?"

"Yeah, I like it. It's nice to have a job where the weekends are free. Most of my jobs have been six or seven days a week."

"That's not good," Garrett says. "You need some time to rest."

"Rest isn't really a thing I know of."

"I assume you're living alone, right?" I nod my head.

"I left home when I was seventeen and I've been on my own since."

"Seventeen, really?" Garrett seems shocked by this, but I just nod my head. I'm not about to trauma dump on him and tell him about my childhood. "And you've been living in the same place since?"

"No." The waitress calls out our number and Garrett stands to get the food, motioning for me to stay seated. When he sets it on the table, my mouth starts to water. It looks amazing and I have no idea what I'm going to start with. A stack of napkins are placed between our trays. The waitress brings a bowl of water for Riley, along with two treats that she hands to Garrett.

"Enjoy your food," she says with a smile. We both thank her and I turn back to my food.

"I don't even know what to start with," I say honestly. I look at Garrett, who is eyeing my plate.

"Take a small bite of each thing and make your decision from there," he says. "Just be careful with the mac and cheese because it's always hotter in the middle. And the cobbler will be last."

I try to hide a laugh, but fail and Garrett looks at me with a slight head tilt. "You just went full Daddy on me, there."

"Sorry. Habit, I guess."

"It's fine," I say. I take a bite of the pulled pork and chew slowly. Garrett's laughter has me looking up from my plate.

"I would ask your thoughts, but the noise you just made tells me."

I finish chewing quickly and swallow. "That's embarrassing."

"I'm not judging." He says with a smile. "It's a compliment to the food."

We eat in silence for a few more minutes. I do as Garrett suggested and take a bite of each food. The brisket is insanely delicious, and the cheesy potatoes create a string when I pull a piece away. I laugh to myself as I twirl my fork over and over to wrap the cheese around the tines. But the food is phenomenal. It isn't until I'm done with the third bite that I look back up at Garrett. He's chewing his own food, but smiling.

"Sorry. I haven't eaten something this good in a while."

"It's not a problem," Garrett says. "We can always get something else if you want more."

"Oh no, this is perfect. Thank you. I really appreciate it."

The silence settles between us again, but this time it isn't as awkward as it's been. We both eat and I smirk when I see Garrett sneak a piece of meat to Riley. He gives me a wink and there's a flutter in my stomach in reaction.