A Restored Man

by Jaime Reese

  Cole crossed his arms, trying to busy himself. "I don't either."

  As if sent by the decorator gods, a blonde, young salesperson walked over to them with a big smile, extending her hand in greeting. "Hi there. Can I help you find something?"

  They each reached out and shook her hand, thankful to finally have some help. "We need something for a living room but don't know what we want," Ty finally said.

  "Describe the room to me," she said. She patiently heard Ty describe the loft's lack of decor, the industrial lighting, high ceilings, the polished concrete floors, and openness of the space. She asked questions, which Ty answered. And all the time Cole listened, all he cared about was holding Ty's hand. He had, at some point, become a certified romantic or the saleswoman's eyes on Ty were starting to really bother him. He'd never been the jealous type, but he couldn't deny the slight irritation creeping in and twisting his gut. She was captivated by what Ty was saying as if he were reciting some life-altering speech. Cole looked away from their exchange and noticed some of the other sales reps watching them from a distance. As soon as they spotted Cole watching, they quickly turned away. Fuckers. He hadn't realized he had taken a step closer to Ty until their shoulders bumped.

  "Sorry," Cole said, chewing his lip.

  Ty glanced over to him, his eyes questioning. Within seconds, he reached out and slid his hand in Cole's.

  Cole squeezed his hand as Ty continued to talk decor with the salesperson, thankful for the contact. His head was spinning and the words they spoke sounded foreign.

  "How about we take a look at sectionals? That way, they can help define the space a bit," she said, leading them to the other end of the store.

  They crossed over into a larger showroom space with even more random pieces of furniture and more staged rooms. Cole glanced from side to side and everything looked like the same cream tone or industrial black and silver. Everything blurred together, the colors, the shapes, the sounds. He screwed his eyes shut and tightened the hold on Ty's hand. How people enjoyed shopping was beyond him. He finally opened his eyes and off to the corner, something caught his attention. A saddle-colored long "L" sectional awkwardly placed between neighboring staged areas. "That one," he said, pointing to the piece of furniture that stuck out like a sore thumb.

  Ty followed his line of sight and steered the salesperson to that area of the store. It was perfect. The size could easily sit a group of people comfortably and it would fit the open living room area nicely. The color would add something different and give the room some warmth. Cole sat on the couch and bounced up and down in place. It hugged him, begging to be sat on. "Try it," he coaxed.

  The salesperson was called away for a moment but promised to return.

  Ty sat and smiled. "It does feel good."

  Cole repositioned himself, resting his head on the cushion, stretching out in his sleeping pose.

  "What are you doing?"

  Cole glanced at Ty. "We're not just going to sit on this couch."

  Ty's cheeks heated and he pulled on Cole's arm. "What if she comes back? C'mon, get up."

  Cole didn't move. "I'm tired of the evil eyes from the other reps. I want a break from this shopping shit."

  Ty scowled and looked around the store. He came over to where Cole lay on the couch and nudged him to move. He stretched his body alongside Cole's, pressing his back to Cole's chest.

  Cole chuckled and slung his arm over Ty's waist. "What are you doing?"

  "If these assholes are going to stare at us, then we might as well give them something to look at. Besides, if we're getting this couch, then it needs to fit the both of us lying down on it." Ty threaded his hand with Cole's. "You like this one?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

  Cole nodded and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of Ty's neck. "I like it. It's comfortable and it fits the both of us and still fits a bunch of people on the other side. That way, people can put their asses on that side and leave our side as the ass-less zone." He nuzzled Ty and whispered, "Except for ours, of course."

  "I like that," Ty said with a subtle push back into Cole.

  "You know what else?" Cole said, whispering into Ty's ear.

  "What's that?"

  "I want you to fuck me on this couch," Cole said, tugging on Ty's earlobe with a bite.

  "Sold," Ty said with a strangled chuckle. "Let's get up before we get in trouble." He stood and Cole followed. "Leather or no?"

  Cole shook his head. "It might get too hot and it'll probably stick to our skin. It's easy clean up but I'm not sure it's worth the discomfort."

  A rush of color flooded Ty's cheeks. "I think they have this fabric protector thing that can be sprayed on the material or something. If not, I've got fabric protector at the shop."

  "Good. We need to spray a few layers," Cole said with a teasing smirk.

  Ty's cheeks heated further. "We need a dining room set."

  "You want to buy that here, too?" Cole asked with a scowl.

  Ty pursed his lips and looked around. "Yeah. I like our sales rep. Beside, I'm not in the mood to go to another furniture store. I want to pick one of the most expensive ones just to piss off the assholes who are hiding in the corners staring at us as if we can't see them. We should get some end tables to go with the couch and maybe a center table too."

  Cole patted Ty's ass. "I do love it when you get pissed off."

  The saleswoman returned and they stuck with the same saddle color after viewing the color options. They then selected a large, rustic butcher block dining room table with oddly elegant chairs that worked with the new sectional and existing barstools at Ty's place. They added an end table and a center table that would be durable enough to sustain Cole's boots should he decide to be dressed while at the loft. The salesperson worked on coordinating the paperwork for delivery while Cole and Ty lingered throughout the store.

  Cole leaned against a table, giving each of the other sales reps the evil eye. He hated bigoted sons of bitches. If any of those assholes got close to Ty, he was ready to charge. There was no way he'd let Ty be subjected to anything other than a distant glance. He craned his neck, searching, and spotted Ty standing in front of a full-length mirror, occasionally looking at himself then looking away. Ty closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if steeling himself, then glanced back at the mirror. He watched himself as if seeing his reflection for the first time, then looked away again.

  It hadn't clicked in Cole's mind until that moment. Mirrors were scarce at Ty's loft. Aside from the unusually small mirror hidden in the drawer in the bathroom, there were no other mirrors at his place. It was a miracle Cole hadn't cut himself when he was shaving that morning. And now that Cole had actually thought about it, there were no mirrors at the shop either.

  Cole walked over to Ty and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. He placed a kiss on Ty's neck, watching the play of emotions pass over Ty's expression in their reflection. Ty reached up and anchored his hands on Cole's around his waist.

  "Tell me what you're thinking," Cole said, resting his chin on Ty's shoulder.

  Ty looked down at their clasped arms and shrugged.

  "You don't have many mirrors at your place or the shop."

  "I don't like mirrors."

  Cole tightened his hold around Ty's waist and pulled him closer. "Since the accident?"

  Ty nodded and rubbed his thumb along Cole's hand.

  "Look at yourself in the mirror," Cole coaxed.

  Ty hesitantly glanced up and looked at his reflection.

  "Why can't you see how amazing you are?"

  Ty's gaze shifted to Cole's reflection. "I see it in your eyes when you look at me," he whispered.

  Cole smiled. "Good. Then we're buying this mirror and you're going to stick a picture of me up on the corner of it as a reminder when I'm not there to tell you how incredibly amazing you are."

  Ty smiled weakly. "I swear I'm trying."

  Cole planted another kiss on Ty's neck. "I know you are."

&n
bsp; Ty looked at Cole in their reflection, his gaze more piercing and confident than it had been moments before. "We're taking this mirror with us today," he said in a firm tone.

  "Good."

  "And we're putting it in our bedroom."

  A wicked grin spread across Cole's expression. "Oh, My-Ty. I like the way your mind works." Cole grabbed Ty's hand and weaved his way through the staged rooms in search of the salesperson. No way was he missing a chance to get the hell out of there and give Ty a private show.

  The last few days at the shop were intense and non-stop, especially now that they were so close to wrapping up all the service tickets. It was as if seeing the finish line pushed everyone that tiny bit more to the brink of exhaustion. Cole kept an eye on Ty to ensure he didn't overextend himself while keeping tabs on his crew and the progress. It was only the middle of the week and Cole was too tired for this shit. He just wanted to chill, watch some TV, then crash in bed to get ready for another workday. The last thing he wanted to do was get to the halfway house and receive a last minute notice that it was his turn to cook and Aidan was arriving soon.

  "Why did you invite him?" Cole asked, grumbling as he grabbed the steaks from the refrigerator to begin preparing them for dinner. "Just because I like Ty coming over during the week doesn't mean that extends to all Calloways."

  Julian leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "You like Ty."

  Cole turned. "Duh. Yeah, Ty. I'm still having a hard time warming up to Aidan."

  "Dinner will help with that."

  "It might not. We're kinda getting along now and I don't want to screw that up."

  Julian pushed off the doorframe and walked over to Cole. "Matt's already invited him so he's coming over. I think Matt misses having Luke in the house so just do this and don't let him hear you bitch about it please."

  Cole looked over his shoulder. "I'm doing steaks on the grill. Matt can work on a salad and we can get something else simple going. We've had long days at the shop so I need to stay focused on what's going on there, and not Aidan and his moods." He turned to face Julian. "Why hasn't Matt had new guys come over yet?"

  "I think Sam was testing the waters, to see how Matt could handle the changes before overloading him. Now that Luke's term is over, Sam's reviewing the list of candidates so we should have a few guys here soon, I guess. I'm not complaining, I could use some Matt time."

  Cole half smiled. "Uh huh. Don't think I haven't realized my weekend passes are the quickest forms you guys sign off on. It's like you get a weekend pass, too," he finished with a laugh.

  "Damn right." Julian flashed one of his rare smiles. He turned when he heard a knock at the back door. "That's probably Aidan. I'll keep him busy so you have a breather," he said, leaving the kitchen.

  Cole sighed as he rubbed the spices into the steak, hoping the nicer side of Aidan would join them for dinner tonight.

  Matt walked into the kitchen and placed his hands on Cole's shoulders and squeezed. "Thank you for helping with dinner tonight. I know I was pushing it inviting Aidan over," he whispered before stepping away.

  Cole turned. "I'm making steaks on the grill. That's all he's getting. So you can work up the salad and another side if you want."

  Matt nodded and smiled. "You say that as if it's a bad thing. I don't know what you put in that rub, but it's delicious."

  "And you won't know," Cole said with a laugh. "If I told you, my brother would kill me for revealing his secrets."

  They worked quietly in the kitchen, preparing the other items while Julian and Aidan could be heard chatting in the living room. Cole set up the barbeque in the backyard area and grilled the steaks and a few skewers Matt prepared. All the while, Aidan chatted with Matt and Julian and only occasionally came around to snoop on Cole and the food. Aidan didn't push his presence as he usually did. The change was refreshing.

  Cole sat on the couch some time later, his eyes closed and his head resting against the back cushions, trying to quiet the list of to-dos, the day's conversations, and tomorrow's work schedule that circled in his mind. He gripped the armrest when the sofa dipped at his side, hoping it wasn't Aidan.

  "Why did you steal that car two years ago?"

  Cole opened his eyes and turned to face Aidan. He heard Julian and Matt in the kitchen doing the dishes and cringed at the thought of having alone time with Aidan. Things were good between them—as good as they could get with him—and he didn't want to screw it up. "It was a mistake."

  Aidan turned his body to face him. "I'm glad you realize stealing the car was a mistake."

  "No. Getting caught."

  "You do know grand theft is a crime," Aidan said with his signature glare.

  "My mom did teach me the difference between right and wrong," Cole said with a sneer.

  Aidan's brow lowered. "Yet, you thought stealing a car was okay?"

  Cole rolled his eyes. This conversation just punctuated why he didn't want to have a conversation with Aidan, something always got lost in the translation from Renzo-speak. "I'm kind of useless now that I have a record." He tugged at the seam of his jeans and chewed his lip not sure how to voice his thoughts—especially not to someone who was so impatient.

  "You have a lot more to offer than stealing a fucking car. And if you can't realize that, then I'm not sure you're good enough to be with my brother." Aidan stood and headed to the kitchen, leaving Cole alone in the living room.

  Cole threw his head back and blew out a frustrated breath. Somehow, he had a weird feeling there was a compliment buried in there, but hell if he knew how to figure it out. He groaned, sensing he had somehow screwed up. He closed his eyes and thought about the exchange, trying to focus on the words rather than the million things circling in his head. He rose from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, dragging his feet with each step he took. He stood in the doorway and watched Matt and Aidan, each with a towel in hand, arguing about who would dry the plates as Julian washed each of them. "Aidan, can I talk to you for a minute?"

  Aidan turned, mid-sentence in his dispute with Matt. He threw the towel over Julian's shoulder and walked out of the kitchen, following Cole back into the living room. He returned to his seat on the couch and patiently waited for Cole to continue.

  Cole remained standing and shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet. "What I said before, I don't think I was clear."

  Aidan leaned back and rested his arms, spread-eagle, along the back of the couch. "So clarify."

  Cole looked away and bit his lower lip. "You asked me why I stole the car and I don't think…I think…" He sighed. Talking to Ty was so easy. Aidan, on the other hand, was like handling a grenade. If Ty was around, he could think clearer, things just made sense. "I had a lot of things going on when I got busted. I wasn't as focused as I usually am when I…uh…as focused as I should have been when someone steals a car. I guess."

  Aidan raised an eyebrow.

  "So I messed up. I made a few stupid mistakes but I wasn't my usual self. Hard to explain. I screwed up. I know that. You've met my family. You know where I come from and I'm sure you figured out already I don't compare to my brothers and sister. I don't—"

  Aidan stopped him with a raised hand. "If you're going to tell me you have nothing to offer, I'm walking away again."

  "I suck at this."

  "Yeah, you do."

  Cole sighed and took a step forward, plopping himself onto the couch next to Aidan.

  Aidan turned in his seat. "You don't seem to have a problem communicating with my brother."

  "It's easier to talk to him. My mind works better when he's around." Cole tugged on his beanie and fidgeted with a loose string on his jeans.

  Aidan half smiled. "He's your Kryptonite?"

  Cole looked up. "Huh?"

  "Your Kryptonite. Superman?"

  "Nah, man," Cole said with a laugh. "I'm like Popeye and he's my spinach. He makes me stronger and I just want to gobble him all up."

  Aidan rubbe
d his temples with the thumb and middle finger of an open hand. "Do you hear yourself?"

  "You brought up Kryptonite."

  "Focus."

  Cole sighed. "I'm trying to. But it's hard. It's not easy talking to you."

  "It's my warm personality."

  Cole scrunched his face. "Uh, yeah. Right. The point I was trying to make was that I got busted, so I can't go back to stealing cars. Uh, I mean I can't go and steal another car."

  That damn eyebrow of Aidan's rose again. "I know you've stolen more cars."

  "Allegedly."

  Aidan rolled his eyes. "Fine. So you think that if you can't steal cars anymore, you have nothing else to offer?"

  Cole worried his lip. "Can I talk to you off the record? That might be easier. And I swear, if you raise your eyebrow again, I'm giving up on trying here for tonight."

  Aidan sat still and clasped his hands in his lap. "Go ahead." He looked up, biting back a smile. "Off the record."

  "I won't steal another car. I won't do that to Ty." Cole looked away, trying to channel the words in his mind. "I also know it would disappoint the hell out of my mom and Julian and Matt. I won't do that to them." He sighed, trying to sort his thoughts. "I've never compared well to my brothers or sister. I've tried like hell to be like them but they set a really high bar. I sucked in school but they all did well. All of them…fricken valedictorians. Me?" he said, huffing a sardonic chuckle. "I was bored out of my mind and always in trouble. But boosting cars, that held my interest and I was really good at it. I was the best. I finally felt like an equal, as if I could do something and be the best at it. I finally felt, for the first time, as if I fit in. As if I was really a part of my family. It was the one thing I did just as well as my brothers and sister did their jobs, but I failed. So now…now that I can't do it anymore…I feel a little lost. As if I don't fit anywhere." He shrugged. He didn't know how else to explain it.

  "What about your job at the shop? You don't think you play a role there that's important?" Aidan asked in a tone far more understanding than what Cole had come to expect from him.