Waiting on Life

by Parker Williams

  Chapter Seventeen

  Toby

  My life couldn’t be better. I had an amazing boyfriend who really loved me. It wasn’t sex, though that was more than I’d ever hoped it could be. It was a mutual respect, working together and building something wonderful. And besides, Waldo loved the hell out of Kyle, and my cat could never be wrong.

  Tonight we would be celebrating our six month anniversary. That’s six full months of dating, not since we met, and I had plans. I’d left the bar, much to the owner’s chagrin, in Scott’s hands. He’d stepped up in a big way, and I had to show him how proud I was and how much I trusted him.

  Life was smooth as silk, and it was weird that I didn’t overthink things. Every day with Kyle was a gift, and I treasured it. Sure, the plans that I had before I met him were still lodged in the back of my mind, but the spot they’d occupied before, the one where they were the most important things in my life, had been replaced with something much more realistic.

  Kyle.

  The knock at the door told me my date had arrived.

  I swept across the floor and pulled the door open. There before me stood a vision of loveliness. Kyle’s hair had grown out, and he shaved it on the sides like he’d had it when we first met. I loved to touch and pet it, because the soft, silky texture reminded me of what had attracted me to Kyle in the first place.

  Tonight he looked radiant. He had on dark jeans with tennis shoes, a long-sleeved gray shirt with buttons at the top, and rainbow-striped suspenders. He was nerdy in the most adorable way.

  “Hey,” I, master of conversation, said as I pulled him into a kiss.

  “Hey yourself.” We kissed for a few moments, with me cupping his ass in my oversized hands. I kneaded the mounds, wishing we were in bed so I could take my time and explore him properly. Six months on, and I still couldn’t get enough of Kyle, whether in bed or not.

  “Come on in,” I said, breaking the kiss more than a little reluctantly.

  He stepped into the apartment and immediately was set upon by Waldo, who came over to demand his cuddles with my guy. And I wasn’t jealous when he held Waldo for hours. Really.

  “Sorry,” I told the cat, picking him up and putting him on the couch. “No cat hair on the clothes tonight, and no hairballs in my shoes while we’re gone either.”

  The last time we’d gone out, Waldo had gone on a tear, ripping up the shower curtain, yacking in my shoes, and chewing a hole in my pillow. Yet, for some reason, I still loved that cat. He’d accepted Kyle in our lives like he belonged there. On the nights Kyle slept over, Waldo climbed up like normal and settled between us. Of course, his head was on Kyle’s shoulder, and his butthole was aimed in my direction. I chose to read nothing into that.

  “We should get going,” I said.

  “Are you going to tell me where? I mean, you said to dress casual, but is this too casual? Too dressy? I need some guidance here.” He waved a hand at me. “You’re wearing a suit coat and tie, and I’m… I’ll go change.”

  “Stop. It’s fine.”

  I wouldn’t care if we were going to a five-star restaurant and he was wearing a Kiss Me tube sock on his cock with nothing else. He would be, at least as far as I was concerned, seriously overdressed for such a place.

  “You’ll find out when we get there. And you look amazing. Totally fabulous.”

  His cheeks flushed. “Thank you.”

  I believe his mind was blown when he found out that even after six months, I never passed up an opportunity to tell him how amazing he was, how beautiful he looked, or how happy I was that he allowed me to be in his life.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  He huffed an exasperated breath. “I suppose. I don’t like surprises, you know.”

  “Liar. You love them.”

  Be they flowers, chocolates, a pair of earrings because the way the tigereye glinted in the light reminded me of Kyle’s eyes, or a simple beaded bracelet just because, the gifts I gave Kyle were always received with wide-eyed wonder and appreciation.

  “Fine,” he grumbled. “I love them. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Now, let’s get going before I take you to bed and have my way with your filthy mouth.”

  “And fuck you too,” he said with a chuckle. “My filthy mouth, as you call it, has taken you places you love.”

  Again, true. Kyle had—and continued to—open my eyes to new forms of sexual pleasure. The man was a walking Kama Sutra, I swear.

  We went to the car, and I opened his door for him. Once he slid into the seat with a grace and elegance only he could pull off, I closed it and went around to my side. My hands were damp with what was coming, and I hope Kyle took it in the spirit it was intended.

  “You okay?”

  His soft words startled me. “Fine. Why?”

  “Your face is pale.” Kyle reached up and stroked the beard he’d insisted I grow back. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “I am. It’s our six-month anniversary. I have to impress my boyfriend.”

  He snorted. “You do if you want to make it another six months.” He put a hand on my leg. “You know you don’t need to give me things or take me places, right? Where you are is where my home is.”

  He was forever saying sweet shit like that, and it made my insides melt into a puddle of goo.

  “How are classes going?” I asked, doing my best to change the subject.

  “Yeah, any thoughts you had that you were smooth? Forget them. You are so not. And to answer your question, classes are fine.”

  He’d been taking some mystery courses for the past three months, insisting he was finding ways to branch out and learn new things. I admit, I was curious as hell, especially when I came home from work at night, my ass dragging as always, and when I got off the elevator, our hallway was redolent with herbs and scents I couldn’t identify. Admittedly, they made me feel better, because I knew Kyle was in there, doing whatever it was Kyle was keeping from me.

  Not that I was curious, of course. Not me. No.

  “Are you ever going to tell me?”

  The answer was a slight smile. “Maybe sooner than you think,” he teased.

  We pulled up outside Bacchus, the restaurant I’d booked for us tonight. This was going to be a memorable evening for both of us, one way or another.

  “Why are we here?” Kyle asked. “Isn’t this place, like, crazy expensive?”

  It had set me back a pretty penny, but if it could make Kyle smile, it would be worth it to me.

  “You only get one six-month anniversary,” I told him. “I wanted it to be special. Now shut up and let’s get inside.”

  We entered the restaurant, and the host whisked us away to our private room. And now the show was about to start. I put my hand on the door, then turned to Kyle.

  “Before we go in, there’s something I want you to know.”

  His lip quirked. “Well, I know I’m not pregnant, and I’m almost certain you aren’t.”

  Normally I would have laughed, but my stomach was rolling. The thought that this could blow up in my face still swirled in my head.

  “I did something, and I don’t want you to be angry. Promise me you’ll take it for how it was intended, okay?”

  He nodded, and I pushed the door open.

  “Surprise!” everyone in the room shouted.

  Kyle walked in. “Hey, Mom. How are you?”

  I couldn’t understand it. I mean, I expected him to be at least a little surprised.

  “You look amazing,” she gushed, wrapping her thin arms around Kyle’s shoulder and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you. So do you.” He turned to his roommate. “Hey, Pete.”

  I admit, I’m not the brightest bulb in the pack, so it wasn’t a surprise that it took a few minutes for me to catch on.

  “You knew.”

  He turned and graced me with a smile that I hoped would always make my insides quiver. “Yes, I knew.”

  I’d wanted this to be a speci
al event, so I invited Kyle’s mom, Angie, my parents, Tammy and Melanie, and Pete. It would be the first time we’d all gotten together, instead of us at Kyle’s mom’s for dinner, or him coming along to my folk’s place.

  “How did you know?”

  “A little bird told me,” he said.

  I glared at Tammy. “Little bird? You told him.” The two of them had been spending so much time together, it was the only logical answer.

  “Yup.”

  Not even a hint of regret. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I asked her to do it,” Kyle informed me. “See, you thought this party was for me, but really? It’s for you.”

  My head was reeling. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Sit down before you pop a vessel,” my dad said.

  “I don’t want to fucking sit down!” I growled. “I want to know what’s going on.”

  Tammy turned to Kyle. “Are you sure you wanna go through with this? He’s a surly son of a bitch.” She winked at Mom. “No offense.”

  Mom waved her off. “None taken. Trust me, I know he is.”

  “Sit down, Toby,” Melanie said softly, putting a hand on my arm. “They’ll explain it.”

  I liked Mel. She kept Tammy’s edge dulled, like Kyle did mine. The two of us couldn’t have asked for better partners. Though, right now mine was treading on thin ice.

  Since I didn’t see any way out of it, I took a seat. The waiter came in and passed drinks around, which apparently they’d already ordered. I sank down, steamed over the fact that my surprise was ruined like this.

  Kyle’s hand on my shoulder sucked away a lot of the irritation. Try as I might, I couldn’t be mad at him. I was head over heels for the guy, and even if people thought he answered to me, the truth was, Kyle had me wrapped around his little finger.

  “I’m sorry if you’re upset. We had to do it this way, though, because you’re a stubborn fucker. If we told you why you were here, you’d either refuse to come or argue until we gave up trying. This is, for lack of a better word, an intervention.”

  An…. “What?”

  Tammy came around the table and stopped behind me. She put down a folder full of paperwork.

  “What’s this?” I demanded, my anger rising once more.

  “Open it and find out, asshole.”

  With a shaky hand, I flipped the cover open. Emblazoned on the top sheet were the words “Congratulations on Your New House.”

  Not one thing here made sense. I turned to Tammy. “You guys got a new house? I thought you loved yours.”

  She laughed and turned her attention to Kyle. “You’re lucky. In this relationship you get to be not only the pretty one, but the smart one too.”

  “He has a lot of other good qualities,” Kyle informed her.

  “Oh? Like what?” my mom asked, which set everyone to laughing.

  Pete took a seat across from me, his eyes misty. “I want someone who loves me like that,” he said to me.

  “Like what? I don’t understand.”

  “Look at the pictures in the folder, okay?” Kyle asked.

  So I thumbed through the paperwork until I found printouts of the house. It was a lovely two-story home, with natural wood in the kitchen, a slate floor that had been restored recently, and high ceilings. What caught my attention was the fireplace. It was like my dream had become a reality, because it was big and the fire that roared within it would keep Tammy and Mel warm and toasty.

  “He’s not getting it,” Tammy grumbled, her frustration obvious. “This is your house, asshole.”

  “My….” None of this made any sense. “This isn’t mine. I can’t afford it.”

  “I can,” she said. “I did. It’s a gift, so take it and shut up.”

  “No.” I pushed the paperwork to the center of the table. “I’m going to get the house, but it’ll be something I do on my own.”

  “And what about me?” Kyle demanded, his cheeks flushed. “Do you know how goddamn sick I am of seeing you once or twice a week? When our lives are you working twelve-to-sixteen hours a day, then coming home, feeding Waldo, and crashing so you can start again the next morning—or, worse still, us seeing each other at the bar or passing in the hallway. I have to ask, what kind of life are we building? You’ve told me how you dreamed of this farm, how you wanted to get away to somewhere small, so you could be yourself. Well, this is that place. It’s almost two hundred acres in Herbster, Wisconsin. Population? About a hundred people, give or take. The nearest neighbor is almost a mile away. It’s what you wanted.”

  “No. I’m not taking a house from my sister.”

  My mom cleared her throat. “Your father and I chipped in too.”

  Then Kyle’s mom. “So did I.”

  And finally, Pete. “Me too, though it probably wasn’t enough to pay for much.”

  “You see?” Kyle sniped, glaring down at me. “Everyone in your family—and that’s what these people are, whether you’re going to admit it or not—loves you. They want you happy. You’re killing yourself for a dream that is, quite simply, unattainable.” He bit his lip. “Unless you’re telling me you don’t want this.”

  But I did. I wanted it so bad. A hundred people? That was my idea of paradise. “But what will we do for money?”

  The annoyance on Kyle’s face melted away, and it was replaced by a smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tube that he placed in front of me.

  I picked it up. The label was fairly plain, but it was what was written on it that gave me pause. “Roga’s Remedies: Calendula Lip Balm with Vitamin E?” I asked.

  “You said you wanted to work the land. This is your chance. What I made here? That’s with store-bought ingredients. What if we planted our own calendula, lavender, and other herbs to make balms with? We can practice with new blends of oils and things, looking for stuff that will sell online. I already have an Etsy store and a clientele.”

  “All four of us,” Mom said, chuckling. “But his stuff is good. I don’t see why it wouldn’t sell. He’s got it reasonably priced—though I know that’ll change when you start getting better ingredients—and it smells great and works like a charm.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tube similar to the one I had. “See?”

  I placed the one in my hand on the table. “Kyle, I can’t—”

  His face turned to stone. “I’ll tell you one thing, Toby. I’m living there, and if you want to stay here? Well, that’s your choice, I guess. I wanted to share that dream with you, but apparently you’re too fucking stubborn to make it into something.” He slammed his hand on the folder. “You’ve been given something few others get, and you’re going to let your goddamn fucking pride get in the way? Whatever.”

  He turned and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. I wondered what the restaurant staff would say.

  “Well, you know how to fuck things up, don’t you?” Tammy groused.

  “I can’t let him—let any of you—do this.”

  “Goddamn it, Toby,” Pete shouted, smashing his hand on the tabletop. “Stop being so fucking stubborn. Kyle wants a home. With you. You’ve got it served to you on a silver platter, if only you’ll stop trying to see the problems and focus on what’s important. That guy who just walked out? He’s got a stubborn streak just as wide as yours, and knowing him, he’ll probably get on the bus or walk home. Do you know those classes he was taking? He was learning how to make stuff for his shop, because he wants so badly to be with you on the farm. Do you really want to throw all that away?”

  I stared at the papers in front of me. My dream was there, and all I had to do was put my pride aside and take it.

  “Listen to me,” Dad said. “You know where you got your… independent streak from, right?”

  “You,” I answered softly.

  “Me?” He snorted. “It’s from your mother. She’s got the same blood that flows through her veins. While I love you with all my heart, she understands you in ways I can’t. The two of
you are cut from the same cloth.”

  “Is there a point?” I asked, staring at the door Kyle rushed out of.

  “When you love someone, and I mean really, truly, deeply love them, you need to put your own ego aside for their sake and for the sake of your relationship. Your mother did when she married me. She could have had anyone, but she chose me. If you see a future with Kyle, does it matter how you got the house? You can give the two of you a long, happy life together. Why would you throw that away on a snit fit?”

  The tingle in my skin made me think of ants marching over it. I’d upset Kyle, who’d done what I had always dreamed of. We could live on a farm. He had a plan to help us with money, and it was something the two of us could do together. Dad was right. Why was I being such an asshole about this?

  I stood. “I have to go catch Kyle.”

  “He didn’t go far,” Pete said. “He’s probably sitting on a bench outside the restaurant.”

  “I thought you said he’d take the bus or walk?”

  He grinned. “If he was really hurt, he would have. Kyle’s upset, but he’s not hurt. He loves you, and that’s what makes the difference. I can almost guarantee you he’s right outside waiting on you to come and get him.”

  My racing heart slowed as I moved toward the doors we’d come in. I opened them, stepped out into the cool night air, and found Kyle pacing near the bench.

  “Kyle….”

  He spun and glared at me. “You are without a doubt the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. You’re stubborn, obstinate, and pigheaded. If I wanted that, I would have fallen in love with a jackass.” He crossed his arms over his heaving chest. Goose bumps rose on his skin.

  I took my jacket off and wrapped it around his shoulders. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” I asked, drawing him into an embrace.

  “Doubtful. What would help is if you stopped being so damned annoying. I love you, and I want to be with you. On a farm in a town with only a hundred people and not a drag show in sight. Does that tell you my level of commitment?”

  “When do we leave?”

  He stopped and stared up at me, his eyes alight with hope. “Really? You mean it?”