The Sweetest Thing

by E. M. Denning

  “Can I shower with you?” Nathan asked, his body taking interest in Scotty’s, Scotty felt his erection press into his stomach.

  “Mmm. Not this time. I’m going to be late.” Scotty kissed him again then let him go. “How about you come over tonight when you’re done at your grandpa’s house and I’ll cook us dinner?”

  “You cook?”

  Scotty scoffed. “Are you kidding? No one escapes the house without knowing a few basic family recipes.”

  Nathan’s eyes practically lit up. “Do you know how to make that stroganoff your mom makes?”

  “You’ll have to find out yourself. Tonight. Say… eight?”

  “It’s a date.” Nathan stole one more kiss. He looked in the mirror and finger combed his hair into something presentable. “I’ll clean up at home, let you get about your day.” Nathan looked at him as though he expected Scotty to finally tell him what he was doing today, but Scotty refrained. Nathan left before and life went on without him. He didn’t need to know every move Scotty made.

  An hour later, Scotty knocked on Linda’s door, then let himself in. Her cat, Patches greeted him with a meow, and proceeded to wind himself around Scotty’s ankles.

  “Honey, I’m home.”

  “We’re in the kitchen.”

  Scotty went into the kitchen and found Linda at the counter making up a bottle for Mason, who sat on the floor in his bouncy seat.

  “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

  Scotty waved her off and took the bottle from her. “Stop. You’ll be gone for as long as you need to be.”

  “There’s lasagna rolls in the fridge if you get hungry.” Linda grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t mind. You don’t have to sacrifice a day every week for me, Scotty. I could call mom, or one of the aunts.”

  Mason started to fuss, and Scotty picked him up and smiled at him. “Look at this face. How could anyone mind being around such a cute face?”

  Mason gurgled and Scotty assumed it was a happy sound. He looked happy.

  “Okay.” Linda sighed and stared at Scotty and Mason for a minute.

  Scotty looked at her. “Go, you. Shoo. Get out. Me and Mason need guy time. You’re cramping our style.”

  Linda laughed and rolled her eyes, but she left, promising not to be too long.

  Scotty got the bottle for Mason, who’d decided he was hungry. He sat on the sofa in the living room with him. “So, your buddy Scotty is pretty stupid,” he started. “Let me tell you all about it over breakfast.”

  Chapter Nine

  Nathan

  Nathan’s grandpa was awake when he came home but had no comment for him as he went upstairs, showered and got ready for the day. He planned to tackle the flooring upstairs that day.

  He should’ve been thinking about getting the work done as fast as possible so he could get home and back to his life. Nathan snorted. His life, that was funny. From the moment he came back to town it felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

  The city they’d moved to had never felt like home to Nathan. It wasn’t that anything was missing exactly, but Nathan loved the streets of his hometown. The memories he could bring up by driving down the street were like a warm blanket wrapping around him. This was his home, and he missed it. He missed driving out to the lake to go for a swim. He missed knowing who people were. He missed brunches at Tod’s house. Other than his parents, his brother, and his grandpa, Nathan had no other family. There were no distant relatives to come visit.

  Then he met Tod and that first time he’d brought Nathan over during a brunch, Nathan felt like he’d stepped into an alternate universe. There were kids everywhere. He remembered the summer barbeques with the bonfires. With a grin he recalled Tod’s parents never made them go to bed.

  And then he remembered Scotty. And the more he thought about it, the more memories of Scotty he was able to bring up. Scotty when they were kids. Always tagging along. Nathan didn’t mind, but they always managed to ditch him.

  Then, Scotty was older, and he was playing sports. Everything. He went from football season into baseball. Swimming. If there was a team, he wanted on it. And he was good. Everyone thought so. And Tod wouldn’t play with him because Scotty was better than him. It sort of frosted Tod’s ass that his little brother could beat him at everything. And then Nathan moved and there wasn’t a single memory of Scotty afterward. Then nothing. He remembered seeing him at the big goodbye party Tod threw. He stood in the shadows, his arms crossed over his chest and Nathan remembered wondering what was wrong, then Tod appeared, and Scotty had been forgotten.

  Nathan shook his head and tried to focus on what he had to get done that day. After his shower he went downstairs to get breakfast and found his Grandpa sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Fun night out?” His grandpa asked, not looking up from his paper.

  “I’ve had worse.” Nathan preferred to keep his answers as vague as possible.

  His grandpa snorted. “I bet you have.”

  Nathan merely grinned and opened the fridge. “Did you eat yet?”

  “Made one of them sausage patties and a couple eggs. They’re in the freezer if you want one.” His grandpa flipped the page of his paper. “You looking forward to going back home? The work is coming along fast.”

  “Yes and no,” Nathan answered honestly. He grabbed a couple of eggs from the carton and started heating a frying pan on the stove. “It’s been nice seeing Tod and everyone, but it’s different now. There’s so much that hasn’t changed at first glance but then it’s like everything is different. It’s weird.”

  “You gonna keep seeing Scotty when you leave?”

  Nathan continued to get his breakfast ready. Scrambling a couple eggs and making toast gave him a distraction while he mulled over his grandpa’s question. In the end, Nathan shook his head and the admission felt like a gut punch. “Probably not. He doesn’t seem the long-distance type.” Nathan couldn’t remember Scotty’s exact words, but he’d definitely made it clear that things would end when Nathan left.

  “When are you going to demo the downstairs bathroom?”

  “Probably over the weekend. I’ll rip everything out and get it ready for the contractor.”

  “Let me know so I can pack a bag. Bruce and Cathy have asked me to stay over and I can’t say I enjoy tripping over contractors and breathing in dust. Plus, Cathy bakes a mean apple pie and she promised me one.”

  “I can give you a ride over Friday morning if you want.”

  “No need. Bruce is picking me up bright and early. We’re gonna go out for breakfast, then I have a doctor's appointment.”

  Nathan’s toast popped. “Everything okay?”

  “Just a checkup. The older you get the more they want to poke at you. Goddamned quack is probably sending me for more blood tests. You heard from your mother?”

  Nathan finished plating his breakfast and sat at the table. “She’s called a couple times, but my phone was off. I was going to return her call this morning before I got to work.”

  “She rang last night. Christian got accepted into that university he’d hoped he would get into.”

  Nathan smiled, but he had mixed emotions about the whole ordeal. Christian was special and amazing, and different. His medical issues had been a problem for him from a young age. Their move had everything to do with accessing better resources for Christian. Nathan hadn’t wanted to leave with them, but at the time, it was the right thing to do. Christian was constantly in and out of the hospital, their dad was always working, and their mom needed Nathan’s help.

  Christian was eighteen now, meaning Nathan was no longer chained to a city he hated. But he felt now like he didn’t belong in either place. This city still felt like home, but so many things were different now. And there was still the chance Christian might need him. Besides, he didn’t have a job here, or a place to live. His life wasn’t here anymore.

  “That’s great. I’ll have to remember to call him soo
n.” Nathan forced himself to devour his food despite his sudden lack of appetite. He’d never felt settled since he left. He’d lived at home with his parents until the past couple of years. Then he’d moved into a little one-bedroom apartment and worked full time at his construction job. But it had been like living in a life that never fit him.

  Nathan put his empty plate in the dishwasher and tidied up before nodding at his grandpa. “I better get started.”

  “No rest for the wicked.” Reggie grinned and opened his paper.

  Nathan worked late into the day. He stopped for lunch and ate with his grandpa, then went back to work. He put his tools away and cleaned up, showered, and knocked on Scotty’s door a few minutes before eight, as planned. He could smell the stroganoff from out in the hallway and his stomach growled.

  Scotty opened the door and he looked amazing. He wore a light-colored sheer blouse and a pair of obscenely tight leather pants. His hair was styled all curly on top but brushed to the side and he wore only the barest trace of makeup, just enough gloss to make Nathan want to kiss it off him.

  “You coming in, or are you going to stand there and stare at me?”

  Nathan entered Scotty’s apartment and pulled the gorgeous man into an embrace. Scotty laughed as their mouths collided.

  “I have to finish cooking.” Scotty tried to push Nathan away, but Nathan held him tighter and buried his face in the crook of Scotty’s neck.

  “Why do you always smell good?” Nathan asked as he finally relented and let Scotty pull away and get back to the stove.

  “It’s called showering.” Scotty winked at him and stirred the pasta. “It’s almost done if you want to pour the wine.”

  “Oooh, there’s wine? What kind?”

  “I have no idea. I thought it sounded like something real adults do, you know. Cook their date dinner, buy a bottle of wine. I hope it’s good.”

  Nathan popped the cork. “I’ve never had wine. Do we let it breathe? Is that a thing?”

  Scotty laughed. “I thought you’d know.”

  Nathan grinned and gave the bottle a sniff. “Where are your wine glasses?”

  Scotty turned and looked at him, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. “Shit.”

  “You don’t have wine glasses?”

  Scotty burst out into a fit of giggles. “No,” he said between bouts of laughter. “I have these.” Scotty rummaged in the cupboard and brought out two short tumblers that were more suited to scotch on the rocks than wine. “It’s this or straight out of the bottle.”

  Nathan grinned and poured until each tumbler was half full. He swirled the dark liquid around in the glass and took a sniff. Scotty plucked the other glass off the counter and took a swallow. Nathan watched his face scrunch up.

  “Oh wow,” Scotty grimaced. “That is bad. You have to try it.”

  Nathan shook with laughter. “You’re terrible.”

  “No, the wine is terrible.” Scotty poured the rest down the drain. “Is all wine this gross?”

  Nathan took a sip and shuddered but forced himself to swallow. “This tastes like paint thinner.”

  “Right!” Scotty laughed and plucked the glass from Nathan’s grasp and dumped it in the sink. “There’s a couple of beers in the fridge.”

  Nathan grabbed the beers and popped the tops off. Scotty took his with a wink. “Thanks, sugar.” He took a sip and passed the drink back to Nathan. “Go on and get comfy, find a show and I’ll be out in two with our dinner.”

  Dinner with Scotty proved to be as entertaining as it was relaxing. They watched trash television, which Scotty confessed to absolutely loving. They were in the middle of some obviously poorly scripted reality show when Scotty came back from the kitchen with two more cold beers. He sat himself next to Nathan and practically burrowed into his side.

  “Grandpa heard from my mom. Christian got into the school he wanted to go to in the fall.”

  Scotty looked up at him, his smile bright and wide. “That’s great, Nathan.”

  “He’s excited about it, but I don’t think mom is.”

  “That’s good. I’m happy for you guys. I know things haven’t been easy. Tod has filled me in a bit here and there.”

  Nathan thought now might be a good opportunity to ask Scotty about his own difficulties, but they were having a nice evening and so far, Scotty hadn’t hinted that he wanted to talk about anything to do with his past. He seemed content to exist in the moment and if they only had a couple more weeks, Nathan didn’t want to rock the boat.

  Chapter Ten

  Scotty

  Nathan smelled of beer and soap and Scotty wanted to beg him to stay. Their time together was limited and winding down fast and Scotty wanted to make every moment count. “Tell me about your life now. Tod told me you’ve been working in construction.”

  “For a few years now. It’s not bad. I’m good at it.”

  “What do you do?”

  Nathan’s fingers trailed up and down Scotty’s arm and it made it almost impossible for Scotty to pay attention to what Nathan was saying.

  “Framing mostly. I started out doing a bit of everything, mostly the shit jobs.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s not the worst thing in the world,” Nathan said.

  “What’s the worst job you ever had?”

  Nathan was quiet for a minute and Scott watched him take a sip of his beer. “I think,” he began, “It had to be the summer I spent as a dishwasher at a seafood place downtown. I always smelled like fish. What’s the worst job you had?”

  “I liked being a bag boy, but that’s not exactly a career. I saved a bit of money and went to school. I learned hair and makeup, nails, the whole thing. Got a job at a little salon and I love it there.”

  Nathan shifted a little and faced Scotty. He reached for him and brushed his thumb across Scotty’s bottom lip. “And this? When did this happen?”

  Scotty closed his eyes and forced himself to take a breath. “It’s always been there.” And it had, but he’d never known how to reconcile who he was supposed to be with who he wanted to be. Growing up, he’d been Scott. Scott the jock. The swimmer. The runner. But inside he was Scotty. The boy who got to shine and sparkle, and only kick ass in sports when he wanted to.

  Nathan’s gaze narrowed and Scotty watched the way he licked his lips. He could tell Nathan was thinking, carefully weighing his words for some reason. “Tell me. I want to know you, Scotty.”

  Scotty tried to push Nathan onto a different subject with a subtle sweep of his hand up Nathan’s thigh. “You do know me.”

  Nathan caught his hand and entwined their fingers. “I want to know you, Scotty. I want to know everything about you.”

  Scotty stared at their hands and watched the way Nathan’s thumb caressed Scotty’s skin. If he told Nathan about himself, he felt as though he’d be giving a piece of himself away. And when Nathan left, he’d take the piece with him and Scotty risked feeling less himself. Less whole. But Nathan wanted to know him, and he’d dreamed of a day where this would happen, and he’d finally be important to someone.

  “Tell me, please.” Nathan prompted, his voice practically a whisper.

  “It happened all at once.” Scotty’s eyes fluttered shut. “My senior year was winding down and so was the baseball season. I didn’t know there’d be a scout there, but he watched me play. It wasn’t even me he came to see.” Scotty remembered the scent of the dirt at the bases and the whoosh of the bat slicing the air. The adrenaline spiked when the ball smashed into the bat and Scotty took off running.

  “You were scouted?”

  “They offered me a scholarship. I told them I needed to think about it.” Scotty snuggled closer to Nathan. “You should have seen everyone. They were thrilled. Especially Tod. His brother, the baseball superstar. Going to go pro and sit pretty for the rest of his life.”

  Scotty took a breath and wondered how much to tell Nathan. “I didn’t sleep at all that night. I sat in my room and looked at my
stuff and… I’d never felt so fucking miserable in my entire life. Somehow, I’d trapped myself in this role of the jock. None of it was me. I like sports, don’t get me wrong, I do. But I felt so empty, Nathan. All those ribbons and trophies and none of them meant anything to me.”

  “What did you do?”

  Nathan’s voice lacked disbelief and disdain, two things the voices of his family members had been rich with. “I boxed up all my sports stuff and threw it out. I turned down the scholarship.” Scotty winced, remembering the reaction of his father. “I quit all the teams I was on. Mom tried to get me into a counselor. Dad flipped his shit. Tod wouldn’t talk to me. Things got ugly when I used my savings on a brand-new wardrobe. I sat in my room using youtube as my guide and I learned how to do my makeup. Maybe I should’ve warned people, but I didn’t. I thought if I warned them it might give them time to talk me out of it.”

  Nathan brushed a kiss against the side of Scotty’s head. He leaned into the comfort of Nathan’s solid form underneath him, and his ability to shut up and listen to Scotty gave him the courage to continue his story. Everyone he knew had known what went on, so it wasn’t often he had to tell people.

  “I went down for breakfast in a pair of three-inch heels, skinny leather pants, and a pale pink crop top. Hoop earrings, lipstick, perfume, everything. I even had a little clutch for my car keys and my wallet because fitting anything else in those pants was impossible.” Scotty took a breath. “Everyone looked at me and I said, so… I’m gay, and this is who I am. I made a little gesture to indicate my outfit, in case it somehow hadn’t registered. The silence in the room was unlike anything I’d ever heard.”

  When Scotty didn’t continue right away, Nathan rubbed his hand up and down Scotty’s arm. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  “I want to, it’s surreal at this point. Sometimes it seems like it didn’t even happen to me.”