The Substitute

by Sean Ashcroft

Flynn cleaned his fingers on a napkin before accepting the phone, which was pointless, since Zach had picked it up with his fingers covered in grease. His phone was always covered in fingerprints, and sometimes splotches of clay where he’d handled it before he’d scrubbed his hands clean.

  Still, it was nice that he cared about not getting his greasy fingerprints all over it. That said something about the kind of man he was.

  “Oh, these are cool,” Flynn said, scrolling through the photos. “I mean, I don’t know shit about art, but I like this. I like this one,” he said, pointing to a dip-glazed bowl that left the stoneware exposed at the bottom.

  Zach was fond of them, too. He could make them by the dozen, and people always bought them. The particular blue-white swirl of the glaze had been an experiment at first, and now he was really glad that he’d taken notes.

  “Thank you,” he said softly as Flynn got to some old sculptural pieces. Zach was shocked as he tapped on the photos and zoomed in to see the details, exploring them carefully like he would have with his hands.

  Zach always made his work to be touchable, to invite touch, and Flynn seemed to be getting that even with photos of it. He would have loved to show him his shelves in the studio he shared with a few other artists, watch him run his hands over his work.

  The thought made the tiniest blossom of heat open up in the pit of his stomach, which was… unexpected.

  He just liked it when people appreciated his art. It definitely wasn’t because his mind had run straight from Flynn touching his art to touching him, and he was already into that idea.

  That would have been a little too fast, even for Zach’s affection-starved soul.

  “Can I show these to Callie?” he asked.

  Callie, who had been absorbed in her own phone, looked up. “What am I being shown?”

  “Oh, uh… sure,” Zach said, having almost forgotten that Flynn was both taken and straight. Despite the fact that Callie was sitting close enough to him that he could smell her pretty, feminine perfume, and that he even liked her.

  The fact that he was clinging to Flynn was just because he’d had his heart broken and he suddenly felt hopelessly undesirable and needy. Flynn was just the nearest attractive man.

  That was it.

  Callie made similar appreciative noises as she scrolled through the photos of Zach’s work, and Zach blushed all over again. Maybe they were just trying to make him feel better, but if that was it, it was working.

  “So, uh. There’s no easy way to segue into this, but if it’s just a matter of getting married, umm… I can do that. You know. So you get your tuition money,” Flynn said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

  The entire room seemed to spin around Zach’s head for a moment, his brain struggling to catch up with what he was hearing.

  “I… but… what about Callie?” he asked, looking over at her in shock.

  “Callie’s a lesbian. She’s just here as my date to the wedding because my girlfriend broke up with me a few weeks back.”

  Zach blinked. No wonder he’d been so instantly comfortable around Callie.

  Although that didn’t explain why he was so instantly comfortable around Flynn. That was probably just because he was a good person. Callie seemed like a good person, too.

  “Oh,” Zach said, turning his head to look between the two of them. “I just assumed… I guess… you make such a gorgeous couple, I just thought…”

  “Yeah, well, I guess if Callie ever needs a husband for some reason I’d volunteer for that, too.” Flynn shrugged.

  “I can’t ask you to do that for me. We just met,” Zach said, his heart sinking all over again. It was a kind offer, and it would at least solve the immediate problem that he’d started planning his future around going back to school, but it was too much to ask.

  “You’re not asking. I’m offering,” Flynn said, gentle and patient as ever, his voice low and soothing. Zach knew he was about five years older than Aiden, which wasn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but obviously made a huge difference to his maturity.

  He definitely wasn’t old enough to be a hot older man, but he had that vibe to him anyway. Probably because of all the crap he’d been through with Aiden.

  “Listen,” Flynn continued. “I’m in the habit of picking up after Aiden anyway. And I get that maybe you don’t want to marry a total stranger, and that’s okay, but I want you to know that I’m serious about this, and I won’t flake out or disappear or anything. You had this wedding planned tomorrow for a reason. We’re in Vegas. We can just… get married to keep your grandma happy and then get divorced later.”

  Zach turned his head to look Flynn directly his gorgeous deep blue eyes, and saw nothing but sincerity there.

  Was he going to do this?

  He was going to do this. The offer was too good to pass up, and if he couldn’t have his happily-ever-after with Aiden, he could at least still have his dream of going back to school.

  And Flynn was sweet, and kind, and his grandma would be really impressed.

  “Are you sure?” Zach asked.

  “I’m sure.” Flynn nodded. “It’s the least I can do.”

  Zach wanted to argue that he’d already done a lot more than the least he could do, but he wanted this. He wanted to walk away from this weekend with a little sliver of hope, and Flynn was offering to help him salvage that.

  He was the good brother. Zach had definitely picked the wrong one to marry the first time around, and he knew that Flynn wasn’t really on offer, and he knew that Flynn was straight, but still.

  Flynn would have been a dangerously easy man to fall in love with. It was just as well they weren’t about to be brothers-in-law, or every Thanksgiving and Christmas would have been torture.

  “Then I guess I can accept your proposal,” Zach said, the faintest ghost of a smile playing around his lips.

  “Good,” Flynn said, grabbing another slice of pizza. “It’s nice to see you smile,” he added in a softer, warmer tone.

  Yeah. Zach was definitely in danger of falling in love with him if he kept this up.

  Chapter Five

  Flynn would have liked to describe the ceremony as beautiful afterward, but this was Vegas, and they were in a hurry. The nicest way to describe it was legal.

  Which was a weird thought. Flynn hadn’t expected to be getting married anytime soon, definitely not this weekend, and definitely not to a man.

  Zach seemed okay, though, and he’d looked so relieved the entire time that Flynn hadn’t doubted for a second that he was doing the right thing.

  The ring that had been intended for Aiden fit Flynn more or less perfectly. It was strange to wear one at all, and Flynn found himself rubbing the back of it with his thumb more often than he would have liked, but he could always take it off later.

  He just needed to be introduced to Zach’s grandma, and convince her that he was stable and sensible enough for her grandson.

  It was probably just as well that Aiden had run away. Flynn doubted that anyone other than Zach, who seemed to actually like him, would have been fooled that he was a good choice.

  Flynn wasn’t an idiot. He knew Aiden had charisma by the truckload, that he could convince people to like him easily enough. He could see why Zach had fallen for it, and his heart hurt for the guy.

  He’d watched Aiden leave a whole bunch of sad exes behind him his entire life, but it had never seemed like such a big deal until now. And then there was Zach, with his mop of dirty-blond hair and his shy, rare smile, and yeah, it was really easy to see how Aiden had charmed him.

  Flynn got the feeling that maybe Aiden had been a little charmed by Zach, too. But not enough to convince him to stick around. He never stuck around. It was probably a good thing he was gay so he couldn’t leave a trail of pregnant girlfriends in his wake.

  Flynn really hoped he wouldn’t have done that, he believed there was a lot of good in Aiden’s heart, but some small part of him was glad he’d never have to find o
ut.

  “Grandma, this is Flynn,” Zach said, snapping Flynn out of the mental pit he’d been falling down.

  He looked up and smiled at Zach’s grandma, who had the same warm, kind brown eyes as her grandson, and offered his hand. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. Zach’s told me so much.”

  That was a lie, but one Flynn was fairly sure he could get away with. He had no doubt Zach really did love his grandma, judging by the way he had her clinging to his arm.

  He’d been honestly planning to introduce her to someone he loved today, and he was doing a really good job of not falling apart. Flynn was impressed by how calm he seemed.

  Especially since he’d been crying in Flynn’s arms again this morning, wondering how Aiden could have done this to him.

  Flynn knew, of course. It was just what Aiden did, because no one had ever stopped him, and that was at least partially his fault. He should have stepped in when Aiden was younger, after both their parents were gone, but he hadn’t. Couldn’t bring himself to.

  And now Zach was paying the price for that. Which was why, Flynn realized, he was here. Because this felt like his fault, and he couldn’t let Zach suffer for something he’d done.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be called Aiden?” Zach’s grandma asked, her kind eyes suddenly sharp.

  “Uh,” Flynn said, blood rushing in his ears as he scrambled for an answer. “Aiden is…”

  “An ex,” Zach responded smoothly, like he’d been waiting for this. He probably had. His grandma wasn’t all that old, and in the power suit she was wearing she looked like she could run circles around the both of them.

  Even in her four-inch heels.

  “Yeah, uh. Zach upgraded for the better model,” he said, winking and offering her his most charming smile.

  He didn’t have a tenth of Aiden’s charm, but he did have a steady job and a sense of responsibility, which was probably what Zach’s grandma was looking for.

  She hummed thoughtfully, and then took Flynn’s still-extended hand. “Call me Violet,” she said. “Walk with me a minute?”

  Flynn’s stomach knotted up, but he nodded and took Zach’s place, offering his arm for her like Zach had been doing.

  “Zach tells me you live around here,” he said as Violet led him away. It was one of the few things Zach had told him, which explained why they hadn’t picked somewhere else to get married.

  “Have done all my life. Zach’s a native, too, but he moved to Boston a couple of years ago. Having met one of the locals, I can see the appeal,” she said.

  Flynn laughed, even as his cheeks heated up with a blush. He got the feeling he could come to like this woman if he was actually in a relationship with Zach.

  “I’ll take care of him,” Flynn said.

  It was supposed to be a comforting lie, but some part of him knew it was true. He didn’t expect Zach to be nearly as much trouble as Aiden, and he really was starting to like the guy. He’d taken him on as a project, now.

  Hell, they were married, and apparently the fact that it wasn’t entirely sincere didn’t stop some part of Flynn from suddenly feeling both attached to and responsible for him.

  “That’s what I want to hear,” Violet said. “I’d like to hear how, too.”

  “Uh, well…” Flynn scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. “I own my own apartment, for a start. Got a steady IT job…”

  “Doing what?” she asked.

  “Uh. User experience design. It’s where-”

  “I know what UX is,” Violet said. “I may be retired now, but I used to manage one of the local strip joints. We had a website as early as nineteen ninety-nine.”

  Flynn blinked. He had no idea what to say to that.

  “I worked my way up from waiting tables,” she added.

  Flynn got the distinct feeling that his eyes were actually going to fall out of his head.

  “I’m not surprised Zach didn’t tell you. He probably thought it’d scare you off. But let me tell you the rest of the story: I did that job because I fell in love with a painter. And it paid well enough, but we both hated it. Trust me, serving drinks didn’t stop the customers from touching what wasn’t theirs to touch.”

  Now that his head was done spinning, a sense of respect for Violet was settling over Flynn. She was obviously the kind of woman who solved problems.

  “I don’t want that for Zach. I don’t want him in a position where he’s struggling, or where he feels inadequate, or like a burden to the person he loves. I watched it make his grandfather miserable. I watched that man put down his brush for the last time and go and work a soul-crushing office job for me, and I’d rather if Zach’s soul is going to be crushed, it was on his own terms,” she said, her voice starting to waver with emotion. “I love that little boy.”

  “I love him, too,” Flynn said, and it didn’t matter that it wasn’t strictly true, because Flynn did care about Zach.

  He also knew that Zach had been just fine on his own and had managed to support Aiden’s casual relationship with paid work as well as himself. His soul didn’t seem crushed just yet.

  “Good,” Violet said. “You seem like a sensible young man.”

  They’d been walking aimlessly for a while now, though Flynn realized they were heading back in the direction of the hotel, and he could vaguely sense Zach and Callie trailing after them.

  “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t go that far, but no one would pay me to wait tables in a strip joint,” Flynn joked.

  Violet chuckled. “I think you could have a career on stage instead,” she said. “But I’m not sure Zach would appreciate me sending his new husband for pole lessons. Or, well…” she trailed off, smirking just a little. “Maybe he would.”

  Flynn blushed all over again, the tips of his ears burning with it.

  “I think I’d just embarrass you, but I’ll keep the offer in mind,” Flynn said. He had seen Magic Mike, with a girlfriend.

  His later attempt to do his best impression of a stripper had left him tripping over his own pants. It probably wasn’t anything he was cut out for.

  “I mean it when I say I’ll take care of him,” Flynn added, and he did mean it. Zach was one of his people now, whether he wanted to be or not.

  Callie said he had a problem where he was always looking for new family members. Flynn didn’t necessarily disagree, and as far as he was concerned, he’d just found one. And they were married now, so that even made it official.

  “I believe you,” Violet said. “Which is why I’m happy to pay his tuition, as promised.”

  Flynn breathed a sigh of relief. “He’ll be thrilled to hear that. Thank you.”

  “Go tell him.” Violet let go of Flynn’s arm gently. “He’d probably rather hear it from you.”

  Flynn nodded, turning back and grinning at Zach as he approached, leaving Callie to catch up with Violet.

  Zach practically tackled him into a hug, wrapping his arms around him tightly and laughing. “You did it,” he said against Flynn’s shoulder. “I knew you would.”

  Flynn’s heart swelled in his chest at Zach’s confidence in him. They might not have known each other all that well yet, but he was glad he’d come through for Zach, and it meant a lot that Zach appreciated it.

  “You never told me where you were planning on studying,” Flynn said, falling into step beside Zach as they kept heading toward the hotel, where Zach had promised him there’d be lunch.

  Flynn had been too nervous for breakfast this morning, so he was looking forward to it.

  “Oh, uh, I was accepted at SMFA. The, uh. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts,” Zach said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “Do you know it?”

  Flynn chuckled. “I live just down the street,” he said. “So yeah, kinda familiar.”

  “Wow,” Zach said. “Well, I owe you about five thousand coffees, so… we should definitely catch up when we’re back home? I mean, we are married.”

  Flynn laughed again, Zach’s enthusiasm
infecting him as well. “Yeah, I’d love to catch up sometime. I’m as invested in your MFA as your grandma is, now.”

  Zach looked down at his feet, blushing. “With all this support, how can I possibly fail?”

  “You’d better not,” Flynn said. “If I have to stand over you and make you do your coursework, you’re gonna pass with flying colors. I mean it. I’m expecting great things from you, and one day I wanna walk into a museum and point out one of your pieces and say ‘hey, I married that guy once’ for everyone to hear.”

  Zach smiled another small, shy smile, his eyes sparkling when he looked up at Flynn. “You know, you’re okay.”

  “Okay?” Flynn asked, pretending to be offended. “I’m awesome.”

  “You are,” Zach agreed. “I’ll make you proud.”

  Flynn smiled back at him, warmth sparking in his chest. He wanted to be proud of Zach, for reasons he hadn’t had time to dissect just yet.

  Probably just because he wanted to be proud of all his friends, and Zach was definitely one of his friends now.

  “I know you will,” Flynn said. “You’re okay, too.”

  Chapter Six

  Zach grinned over at Flynn as he saw him enter the coffee shop, waving cheerfully. It’d been a couple of weeks since the wedding, and now he was two days out from starting back at school, and he was glad to see a friendly face.

  Mostly, he’d been scrambling to prepare himself, so having a moment to sit down and catch up with the man who’d made it all possible seemed like the best kind of break.

  Flynn turned out to be a man who believed in long-sleeved shirts even in summer, although summer in Boston was difficult to describe that way. Zach was wearing a thin sweater himself. He’d been a desert dweller up until a few years ago, and he wasn’t used to the weather here yet. He wasn’t sure he ever would be.

  Flynn’s eyes sparkled as he saw Zach, a broad grin lighting up his entire face, and yeah, he really hadn’t gotten less attractive since the last time Zach saw him. That was… a little awkward.

  Or at least, it was awkward for Zach. As long as he didn’t say anything, it’d be fine for Flynn, and he meant to keep it that way.