“Here, take this, too,” Jack said, holding out his wrist for Gabriel to take the bag. “Okay if I put this on the bookshelf where your stereo thingy is?”
“I—Okay,” Gabriel said, setting the stuff on the coffee table as he followed Jack into the living room. He hurried over to move the iPod and speakers out of the way. “This is not what I thought you meant when you said you’d bring something to do.”
“I know. Because you have a dirty mind,” Jack said, grinning back at him as he set the television on top of the bookshelf.
“Did this TV fall off the back of a truck?” Gabriel asked.
Laughing, Jack said, “It was in my bedroom. I literally haven’t turned it on in at least six months. Damn, this shelf doesn’t have an open back.”
“No,” Gabriel said, “it’s a bookshelf, not an entertainment center.”
“You don’t have very many books for a professor.”
“I haven’t unpacked very many books. And I’m not a professor.”
Jack grabbed the DVD player from the coffee table and set it in the top cubby of the bookshelf, wrapping the cord around the side of the shelf to plug it into the wall. “This is not very aesthetically pleasing,” he said.
“But you are,” Gabriel answered.
Jack laughed, straightening and turning toward him. “You think?” he asked.
Gabriel nodded. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Jack regarded him for a few seconds. “Are you?” he asked, growing serious.
“I don’t want you to feel like you need to…rescue me from myself. I can be alone.”
“I know you can. But I don’t want you to be,” Jack answered, and Gabriel’s lips curved upward.
“You push, you know?” Gabriel said softly, still smiling. He saw the frown dip into Jack’s brow, saw him opening his mouth to apologize, and Gabriel held up a hand, moving forward. “You push when I need to be pushed,” he said, touching his fingers to Jack’s shirt.
“The night we met, I pushed too far,” Jack said.
Gabriel shook his head. “I pushed myself too far,” he answered. “You never do. I’m glad you’re here,” he repeated.
Jack leaned forward and kissed him. He pulled back far enough to search Gabriel’s eyes, and said, “Let me know if I ever do,” he said. “If I get too pushy or needy.”
“If you get too needy?” Gabriel answered with a small laugh and an arching eyebrow.
Jack played with one of the buttons on Gabriel’s shirt for a few seconds. “I wanna spend an awful lot of time with you, Gabe,” he finally said, with a crooked smile and a peeking dimple.
“Do you?” Gabriel asked with a lopsided smile of his own.
“Mmhmm.” Jack ran his finger down the row of buttons. “It’s quite annoying of me, really.”
“I don’t think annoying is the right word.”
“Does that mean you want to spend a lot of time with me, too?” Jack asked.
Gabriel laughed at the impish grin on the other man’s face. “I guess you could say that,” he answered. “If all the time counts as a lot of time.”
Jack was still smiling, but he tipped his head. “You look tired,” he said.
“Gee, thanks,” Gabriel answered with another laugh. He paused. “I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Aw, I wish you’d called me.”
Gabriel debated. “Me, too,” he finally admitted.
“Next time,” Jack suggested softly.
“Next time,” Gabriel agreed.
“How about I hook this DVD player up, you pick out a movie—I brought a variety—we eat that whole pizza, drink lukewarm beer, and cuddle up on the couch until we fall asleep?”
Gabriel couldn’t remember the last time anything had sounded more appealing. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard,” he said. “I happen to have a very soft blanket.”
***
Gabriel opened his eyes; the credits were rolling on the screen. He’d been dozing—drifting between sleep and consciousness. He was leaned back into the corner of the sofa, and Jack was draped over him, cheek against Gabriel’s chest, snoring softly. The blanket covering them was warm, and Jack’s weight was comforting, and Gabriel didn’t want to move.
He knew he’d be stiff and sore if he spent the whole night in this position, though. He’d given Jack a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt to wear, and he was in sweatpants himself; after a quick trip to the bathroom, they could slip into bed without hassle.
“Jack,” he said quietly.
“Hm,” Jack answered, shifting. His hand settled onto Gabriel’s stomach, and he turned his face up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “Guess I missed the end of the movie,” he said.
“Can we move this to the bedroom?” Gabriel asked with a smile.
“Hm,” Jack repeated. “You wanna have sex?” he asked with a yawn.
Gabriel laughed. “I want to sleep with you,” he answered softly.
Jack grinned at him. “Then let’s go to bed,” he said.
Chapter Twelve
“He used to vomit all over the place as soon as the car started moving. We went to London on vacation when he was ten. I think he used all the airsick bags on the plane. Thirty-seven hour flight.”
“It wasn’t thirty-seven hours,” Alex grumbled as he settled himself into the backseat.
“Felt like it,” Jack said, looking back at him from the driver’s seat. “Poor kid,” he added, to Gabriel. “All kidding aside, he was miserable. We considered staying in England just so we didn’t have to make him fly back home.”
“I don’t get sick anymore,” Alex said, scowling at his father.
“You don’t throw up anymore,” Jack countered. “But let me know if you need to stop.” He looked at Gabriel. “If you hear him making any funny noises, you’d better duck.”
“Ha, ha,” Alex said. “I’ll aim for you.”
“Alright,” Jack said, rubbing his hands together in front of the steering wheel. “Settle in, boys, we’ve got a couple hours.”
They played the highway alphabet game—started a few minutes into the trip by Jack with the main purpose of eliciting scorn from Alex, who didn’t disappoint: “You guys have fun with that,” he’d said as he fitted his earbuds into place.
They did have fun, laughing their way through the alphabet as Alex ignored them from the backseat, until they eventually faltered to a stop. Neither of them minded as they fell silent, listening to the music and, beneath it, the hum of the highway.
Gabriel was sitting with his arm on the console, and after a little while, Jack reached over and laced their fingers together, shooting him a smile.
“You’ve been following this car for half an hour,” Alex suddenly proclaimed from the backseat.
“He speaks!” Jack joked.
Gabriel looked over his shoulder. “You in a hurry?” he asked.
Alex sighed. “It has a Utah license plate,” he said, raising his eyebrows. When Gabriel continued to regard him, Alex shook his head in disgust. “Utah. U. It’s a Volkswagen, behind us is a Winnebago, right there is a railroad sign which looks like an X to me, we literally got passed by a Yamaha dirt bike thirty seconds ago because Dad drives like an old person, and that license plate starts with Z. You guys suck at this game and I just won.”
Gabriel looked at Jack and started laughing.
“We’ll have your trophy engraved tomorrow,” Jack said mildly, which made Gabriel laugh even harder.
“If I had it now, it’d say ‘Alex’ and I could start the game over and get all the way through before you two had a chance.”
“Ooh, good one,” Jack said, flashing him a grin in the rearview mirror. “Put your money where your mouth is and start a game, hotshot.”
“Fine,” Alex answered. “Oh, look,” he said, pointing out the window at the signs for the upcoming exit. “Arby’s, Burger King, Chevron, Denny’s, Exxon. Five down, twenty to go.”
“There are twenty-six letters in the al
phabet, genius,” Jack said.
“I’m gonna let you have one,” Alex shot back, and Gabriel leaned his head back against the seat, laughing.
***
They met Ben at the restaurant; he’d already reserved them a table in the back, and he stood as they approached. He stepped out and hugged Natalie first, kissing her cheek. He shook Arnie’s hand as Natalie introduced them.
“What are your intentions toward my mother?” Ben asked before releasing the man’s hand, and Arnie seemed startled.
“I—uh—”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Natalie said, shooting Ben an admonishing look.
Ben turned and hugged Gabriel. “How you doing, Dad?” he asked.
Gabriel squeezed him a little too hard, for a little too long, but Ben didn’t object. “I’m good,” Gabriel answered, releasing his son reluctantly. He patted Ben’s cheek. “I miss you. How are you?”
“You know me. Always hustling,” Ben answered. “Nice beard.” He turned toward Jack. Before Gabriel had a chance to make an introduction, Ben said, “I’m Ben. Can I call you Jack?”
“Of course,” Jack answered with a smile, shaking the offered hand.
“So, Jack, what are your intentions toward my father?”
Jack’s smile didn’t falter, and he didn’t hesitate: “I intend to make him as happy as I can for as long as he’ll let me,” he said.
Ben raised his eyebrows. “Good answer. Did you rehearse that?”
“For the last thirty seconds since you asked Arnie,” Jack answered. “I had an advantage.”
“Yeah, I want another chance,” Arnie said.
Ben glanced at him. “Sorry, you blew it. Maybe you can win me over by the end of dinner.”
“Benjamin,” Natalie said.
“Oh, I’m kidding. You must be a good guy or my dad wouldn’t let you date my mom. Look at me, joking through the awkwardness! Hey. You must be Alex.”
While their sons shook hands, Gabriel turned to Jack. “That was a good answer,” he said.
Jack grinned. “You like that?” He bent his head forward so his lips were close to Gabriel’s ear. “I have other intentions, but I won’t mention those now,” he murmured, and Gabriel smiled at him.
“I ordered wine,” Ben announced, dropping into a seat at the end of the table. Alex sat at the other end, and Natalie and Arnie were already seated on the far side. “I don’t know about you all, but I could use a drink. Fair warning, though, I don’t know anything about wine, so if it tastes like shit, sorry. I went with the idea that cheaper is better.”
Jack stood with his hand on the back of Gabriel’s chair until Gabriel was seated, then folded himself into the other chair, across from Arnie, so that Natalie and Gabriel were on either side of Ben. “Maybe you’ll be driving, after all,” Jack told Alex.
“We decided to stay the night here in town,” Natalie said. “Drive back in the morning.”
“Oh, I have a present for you, Dad,” Ben said, bending to grab a bag from beneath the table. “And one for you, Jack,” he added, tossing a floppy, wrapped present toward the cop. Jack caught it, looking startled, as Ben handed the other package to Gabriel. “Sorry I don’t have any for the rest of you,” Ben added, glancing around the table. “But you might be glad when you see what they are.”
Jack and Gabriel looked at each other. Jack said, “How worried should I be?”
Gabriel had no idea what to expect. “I’ll go first,” he said, pulling open the paper. He drew out a light blue t-shirt. He tipped Jack a quick smile, knowing he’d approve of the color if nothing else. Gabriel unfolded the shirt with a touch of apprehension and uttered a surprised laugh. He looked at Ben.
Ben smiled and shrugged.
“What’s it say?” Alex asked. Gabriel held the shirt up so he could see it, and Alex read aloud: “‘I kissed a cop and I liked it,’” he said. He wrinkled his nose but started laughing a moment later. “Dad?” he asked, looking at Jack.
“I don’t think he’s wrong,” Jack said as he pulled the paper from his own gift. He grinned at Gabriel and nudged his arm. “You did come back for more.”
Gabriel said, “You came back for more.”
They looked at each other, smiling. “Yeah, I did,” Jack answered quietly. He bent his head and planted a quick kiss on Gabriel’s lips. “Dare I look?” he asked, holding the shirt toward Alex to read.
Gabriel glanced across the table and caught Natalie’s eye, and she offered a genuine—if somewhat wistful—smile.
“‘Teacher’s pet,’” Alex read before bursting into a fit of laughter that made all of the adults laugh along with him.
When Gabriel looked at Ben, however, he could see that his son—even though he was laughing—was unsure, waiting for Jack’s reaction. Gabriel reached out and put his hand on the back of Ben’s neck, pulling him over to kiss his head. Ben made a sound of objection, but he smiled.
Jack’s shirt was also blue, and matched his eyes. Gabriel watched, feeling a rush of affection for the other man, as Jack stood and pulled the shirt over his head, over the white button-up he was wearing.
“You don’t have to do that,” Ben said, sounding bemused.
“Truth in advertising,” Jack said, tugging the shirt into place, shooting Gabriel another grin.
Gabriel smiled, but he had to clear the lump of emotion from his throat as he watched Jack reach past him to shake Ben’s hand.
“Thanks, man,” Jack told Ben. “I know this isn’t the easiest thing, and I appreciate you going out of your way to make me feel welcome.”
As Jack sank back into his seat, Ben said, “If they’re happy, I’m happy.” He smiled at his mother, and then father. “I’m…adjusting.” He watched as Gabriel took hold of Jack’s hand on the table, and then turned his attention to Alex. “So, Alex, Dad says you’re sixteen? You thought about college?”
“Sure,” Alex said.
“You want to come up here to look around campus, just say the word. I’ll give you a tour. There’re a lot of great programs, not just the law program. And it’s not bad to look at.”
“Since when do you work for the recruitment office?” Gabriel laughed.
“Shh, don’t interrupt my spiel,” Ben said. “How are your grades? You looking to get a scholarship?”
“Benny got a full scholarship,” Natalie told Arnie proudly.
“I get pretty good grades,” Alex said, shrugging.
“If he keeps on the way he’s been going, he shouldn’t have a problem getting any number of scholarship offers,” Gabriel said.
“I probably won’t…apply for any,” Alex said, glancing at Jack. “I mean, I can…uh…I have a college fund, and…there are a lot of people who need a scholarship and I can…pay my own way…” He shifted, clearly uncomfortable, and looked at Jack again. Jack reached out and ruffled his hair.
“Damn, you’re rich?” Ben joked. “Come to school here, we can be besties,” he laughed. “But seriously, that’s noble, I respect that. You want to come up and look around, let me know.” He paused. “Even if my dad ends up dumping yours,” he added.
Alex frowned. “If anything, my dad would dump yours,” he said, his lips quirking.
Ben laughed. “That’s probably true, my father never quits anything, ever.”
“Mine either, actually,” Alex said.
“Huh. Guess we’d better get used to each other, then,” Ben answered.
“As long as we don’t have to wear matching sweaters on a Christmas card or something,” Alex said.
While everyone laughed, Ben told him, “I can’t promise. Dad loves sentimental crap. You know he used to sing that Michael Jackson song ‘Ben’ to me. Like, all the time.”
“You loved it,” Natalie said.
“You know it’s about a rat, though, right?” Jack asked, glancing from Gabriel to Ben.
“Yeah,” Ben laughed. “Now I do. Back then I thought it was about me.”
“It was,” Gabriel said. “Until y
ou got too cool for your old man.”
“Aw, Papi, I’ll never be too cool for you,” Ben said with a grin, patting his arm. “I’d tell you to go ahead and sing it now if I didn’t think you’d actually get up and do it.”
Gabriel put his palms on the table like he was going to stand, and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, do you want—”
“No, no,” Ben laughed. “Not now. Maybe after dinner.”
“Is there a karaoke place in town?” Jack asked.
“No way,” Alex said, shaking his head. “Unh uh, count me out.”
“I think we’ll need a lot more wine,” Natalie said. She looked at Arnie. “What do you think?”
“If you’re in, I’m in,” he answered with a shrug and a smile.
“Arnie! You’re making a comeback, man,” Ben said. “So, you stole my dad’s wife and his job, tell me why I should like you.” He put his elbows on the table, regarding the gym teacher.
“Benjamin!” Natalie and Gabriel said in unison, and Gabriel heard Jack suppress a snort of laughter.
“I have the highest respect for your father,” Arnie said. “I’d be lucky to call him a friend and I wouldn’t want his job even if I thought I could do it half as good as he does. As for your mom, well, I couldn’t help myself. She was the most beautiful person I ever saw.”
“Damn, now I’ve been put to shame,” Jack said.
“Hmm, he’s right, you deserve bonus points,” Ben told Arnie. “Good answer. There might be a t-shirt in your future.”
“What’ll it say?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know,” Ben said, narrowing an eye at Arnie in thought. “I’ll have to figure it out.”
After a beat of silence, Natalie said, “Mine should say something about being ready for physical education.”
Gabriel nearly choked on his drink of water and grabbed a napkin, slapping it over his mouth and nose to keep from spraying the table. His eyes were watering as he straddled the line between laughing and choking, and Jack clapped him on the back.
“I’m going to the car,” Alex proclaimed.
“Then mine can be…something about making the history teacher sweat?” Arnie suggested.
Rising From the Dust Page 27