by Max Walker
Caleb was shaking his head, feeling shocked.
“So, that’s when I punched him.”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up. “You hit him?”
“I had to. I wasn’t going to let him talk shit about you like that. He was threatening you. Fuck that. There’s nothing he can do anyway, but now there’s definitely nothing he’s going to do.”
Caleb took a breath, trying to digest this information. He hated the idea of Red getting into a conflict because of him, but he was also...well, he was kind of happy Peter got what was coming to him. He was also a little turned on. Ignoring the chub, he asked Red a question. “Wait, did he say what he would do?”
“No, and that’s why I wasn’t going to tell you anything. I don’t want you freaking out about it. He’s got nothing. No influence over me and definitely nothing on you. We’re golden.”
Caleb crossed his arms. He wanted to feel ‘golden’, but something was holding him back.
“I promise you,” Red said, reading the worry in Caleb’s eyes. He stepped forward, grabbing Caleb’s elbows. The tips of their soft cocks rubbed, water sliding down their bodies. “He’s not going to hurt you. After that punch, he got the message. He told me to leave and that he’d be glad to never see me again. He’s not going to do anything.”
Red’s tone was reassuring. So were his sparkling golden green eyes. “What a dick,” Caleb said. He hated Peter but he wasn’t that scared of him. He was just talking out of anger. He saw his career getting flushed down the toilet with Red gone, so he lashed out. Understandable. Besides, it did sound like Red sent a message. Maybe not one Caleb himself would have sent, but only because he was deathly allergic to conflict. He actually found it kind of hot to think Red did that for him, though. “Good thing you found an agent that sucks dick, not an agent that is one.”
Red gave a hearty laugh at that.
“Plus,” Caleb continued, “I think Steven being gay lets him understand you on a different level. He’ll look for roles that Peter-the-almighty-douche-queen would have thrown out.”
Red laughed and nodded. “Exactly. I’m auditioning for that one part, the one with the supernatural police officer who happens to be gay. I think the audience finds out in the last act. But even then, I doubt Peter would have even told me about the role.”
Caleb feigned putting his hands behind his back. He bit his lower lips and looked down with a guilty expression. “Are you going to bring home handcuffs from the set, officer?”
“If you want me to get cuffs, tell me right now. I have an Amazon Prime account. That shit could get here in two hours flat.”
Caleb laughed at Red’s dead-panned enthusiasm. If he wasn’t slightly claustrophobic, he would have considered it. As long as he wasn’t tied up and riding a horse, things were good.
Golden, even.
Red chuckled, reaching up and switching the mist back to the regular setting. “Alright,” he said, “we’ve got to get going.”
With the shower off, Caleb and Red dried themselves and started getting ready. Red told Caleb he could dress comfortably, they weren’t going to any fancy restaurants or shows. Caleb chose a pair of navy blue shorts that seemed to give his ass a nice little lift. A button-down jean shirt came next. He went for the sock drawer he kept at Red’s house and realized his pairs were all waiting patiently in the laundry basket back at his place.
They can keep waiting.
Caleb went to Red’s sock drawer, pulling it open before he heard his name.
“I’m gonna have to borrow some socks if that’s alright,” Caleb called.
“Caleb!”
He jerked up, turning around to see a half-dressed Red standing by the door and looking a little worried.
“You ok?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah, I just—” He rolled his shirt over his head, muffling his words.
“Huh?” Caleb asked, a hand still on the nightstand.
“I was saying,” Red crossed the room, smiling. “I forgot I made you a cup of coffee.” He reached out and grabbed Caleb’s hands, pulling them up to his lips. “You should drink it before it gets cold.”
Caleb cocked his head. He loved it when Red kissed him like that. Those little butterfly kisses that left a tickle on his skin. And the best ones came on the random spots, like the top of his knuckles or when he would kiss the small of his back after an earth-shattering orgasm. Those kisses worked wonders in distracting Caleb and momentarily having him forget all about the sock drawer.
“Come on,” Red said, pulling him away from the bed. Caleb glanced down. Red wasn’t wearing any pants, just his black Calvins. If the kisses worked wonders, Red’s Calvins were straight up miracle-workers in clearing Caleb’s mental slate. He followed Red out of the room, excited for his coffee and the day ahead with his sexy man.
Twenty-Eight
Red Miller
After a five-star breakfast at a close friend’s restaurant, Red treated Caleb to a couple of hours at one of the most requested spas in Beverly Hills; The Mirage. The place felt like a magical oasis tucked away in a bustling city. Bamboo walls, golden trimmed lounge chairs, masseuses that felt like they had PhDs in massage therapy, bubbling fountains and lush bonsai trees. It was the full-on celebrity treatment and cost an ungodly amount of money, but it was all made worth it when they walked out and Caleb was glowing, a lazy smile on his face.
And that wasn’t even the main surprise. When they had finished getting hot stones rubbed over their sore muscles while fingers worked voodoo on their knots, Red had his driver take them to the Descanso Gardens. He sat in the backseat of the car with Caleb the entire way, sipping on Dom Perignon as they drove through the mostly empty freeway, mountains bordering their every side like they were traveling through one of those 3D cut-out books. Every layer popping up against the other. They were further out from the city now so there wasn’t any traffic getting there.
“I’m still not sure how I can move my limbs.” Caleb drank the champagne with a smile on his lips. He looked so damn sexy, with that relaxed grin and slightly scruffed up hair.
“Wasn’t that crazy? Did two of them start working on you at once?”
“Yes!” Caleb shook his head. “Holy shit, I never felt more relaxed.”
Red chuckled, so happy to be making Caleb happy. He was finding a pure joy in being the reason Caleb smiled. Over the past month, Red surprised Caleb with a number of things: big flower shaped chocolate bouquets, random singing telegrams while he was at work (Caleb said all of his patients loved that), and a spontaneous trip on his helicopter to the Big Bear mountain range. He loved it. Seeing Caleb smile because of him was like a drug.
They continued to chat about the massage, Red’s arm thrown over Caleb’s shoulders. Caleb particularly liked the hot stones while Red really enjoyed when his masseuse climbed onto his back.
“Oh, we’re here,” Red noted, glancing out the window and seeing the large welcome sign, a plaque on a brick wall with golden letters scrawled across it.
Descanso Gardens.
The driver pulled all the way up to the front, where the ticket booth was. The parking lot was empty, only a few cars parked nearby that must have belonged to employees.
“Wow, no one decided to come out today,” Caleb said, almost to himself, as they walked to the booth.
“That may be because I bought out the gardens for the next few hours.”
Caleb stopped walking suddenly, leaving Red to continue until he was pulled back by Caleb’s hand.
“You didn’t have to,” Caleb said. “That must have been insanely expensive.”
Red smiled, leaning in to kiss Caleb. He loved kissing him in public. They were never like the kisses they shared when their pants were down to their ankles, but they reminded him of those and that was enough. He also loved being able to kiss him in public. He used to be too frightened to show any affection in front of other people, and that was such a fucking shame. He was glad he broke that self-repression and could now hopefully inspi
re other gay people to do the same. There were paparazzi photos galore of the two of them kissing, and he actually liked that. He figured the more exposure they could get, the more chances of showing kids growing up that it’s perfectly ok to respectfully kiss your same-sex partner in public.
“Money isn’t an issue when it comes to you,” Red said, being a hundred percent truthful.
A woman with khaki shorts and a pink Descanso Gardens t-shirt came to greet them.
“Hello, Mr. Miller, Mr. Forester. I’m Jenny, one of the managers here. If you need anything during your time here, just give me a call. You chose the perfect time to come visit us.” She turned with an open arm, emphasizing the blast of color behind her. “We’re just about to start our rose festival in the next few days, so all of the roses are pretty much in full bloom. There’s all kinds of types and colors, so you guys are going to have a great time walking around. Here’s a map.” She handed Red a folded-up map, which he slid into the back pocket of his jeans.
“Thank you,” Caleb said as Jenny lead them under the ivy-covered trellis and past the front gates, dropping them off at the start of the gardens.
“This is stunning,” Caleb said, Red nodding in agreement. They didn’t even know where to begin. The gardens opened up with a beautiful and serene lake covered with lily pads, ducks swimming lazily between them. Around the lake were bright pink rose bushes, all in bloom and complementing the pink and white flowers that crowned the lily pads. Two paths split off and around the lake. They decided to walk straight, following the signs that read Japanese Stone Garden.
“Have you been here before?” Red asked, his hand not letting go of Caleb’s.
“Nope,” Caleb said, stopping them so that he could get a closer look at a bush of loud blue roses. “Thank you for planning this.”
“Of course,” Red said, feeling his anxiety start bubbling up inside him. “I thought this would be the perfect way to cap the perfect day.”
“Well,” Caleb said, smirking as he stopped admiring the roses. “I think I have the perfect way to cap today.”
“Oh, do you?”
“Mhmm.”
Red pulled Caleb in, his arms wrapped around Caleb’s lower back, holding him tight in his grip.
“You’re so fucking incredible,” Red said, looking deep into Caleb’s eyes.
“I’m so fucking lucky, is what I am.”
They kissed. A woodpecker hammered into a nearby tree, the sound mixed with the bubbling water of a nearby fountain. Even with that, Red could swear he heard Caleb’s heartbeat. Or maybe that was his own?
Relax. Just relax.
They continued their walk, hands gently swinging between them as they pointed out different roses. It truly was a stunning sight. Something about all the colors and the feeling of being surround by such life, all in bloom, it made the afternoon feel like a dream. Red led them to the koi pond, where the cherry blossom tree towered over them. Unfortunately, the tree wasn’t in bloom so the airy pink petals weren’t scattered across the pond, but the roses more than made up for that.
The two men crossed over a set of short bridges, leading them over the swirling stone garden that sprawled underneath. Four dark rocks jutted out from the pale stones, perfectly placed inside six concentric circles. There was something so peaceful about the symmetry in the stones. The way some of the circles opened and swirled toward the others, connecting them all while keeping a maintained fluidity. It was beautiful. So zen.
Still did nothing to calm Red’s nerves, though.
Caleb had no idea, but something huge was about to happen, and both their lives were on the brink of changing.
“This way,” Red said, leading Caleb up a small hill, where the dirt path turned into stone steps. They climbed the steps and walked onto a front yard of sorts. There was a large mansion to their left, with a grand entryway held up by thick white columns, and a smaller building straight ahead.
“So this is the Boddy House,” Red explained, remembering the few facts he had read online when he was planning this out. He wanted to impress Caleb, who was usually the one spilling random facts. “It’s where the family that owned these gardens lived. And that smaller building with the glass walls, that’s the art gallery.”
They walked to the house first, exploring the inside that was set up like a museum. The upstairs and a few of the rooms were roped off, but the house was grand from what they could see. Huge dining rooms and entertainment rooms with walls that were lined with windows and chandeliers that dripped from the ceiling like crystal waterfalls. Educative art installations hung on the walls, giving more of the history to the gardens and the Boddy family. There was still light out even though it was getting later into the evening.
After the house, they went to the gallery, where they walked through three rooms displaying some really great flower photography. Red enjoyed the extreme close-ups while Caleb liked the ones that captured a huge bunch of flowers, making the shot explode with color.
It was when they were done walking through the art gallery that Caleb’s phone rang. Red looked to his side, seeing Caleb pull the phone out of his pocket. He didn’t mean to read the name on the screen but he couldn’t help it.
“Jackson’s calling you?” Red hated the guy. Even saying his name made Red want to ball his fists up.
“Ugh, yeah,” Caleb looked at Red, an apologetic frown on his face. “Sorry, I’ve got to take it.”
“Of course,” Red said.
Caleb answered the phone, his tone even, “Right, Alex is scared of the white coat. It should be in his notes. Go in there without it and he’ll be fine.” Caleb didn’t walk away from Red. Whatever they were talking about needed no privacy, not that Red was scared of that. He completely trusted Caleb if he felt like he needed to step away to say something. He knew Caleb would never get back with that fucking monster.
“Ok. Ok. No, I don’t think so. Right. Got it.” Caleb hung up, shaking his head.
“Everything ok?”
“Yeah, I guess.” That answer didn’t convince either of them, so Caleb tried again. “Jackson’s working on my floor this week. There’s a kid, Alex, with some pretty bad burns, and Jackson is doing the reconstructive surgery. Alex really bonded with me and kept asking the other nurses for me when I wasn’t around. Anyway, Jackson’s supposed to meet with him and one of the nurses told Jackson about me being the main nurse, so I turned into his point of contact.”
Red sighed. They started walking again, down the stone path and back onto the dirt one.
“I’m sorry you still have to deal with him.”
“It’s fine, hopefully this is a one-time thing. Normally, I never see him. Plastics is on the other side of the hospital, so it’s not like I bump into him in the hall all the time. It’s weird too… Alex was supposed to be seeing Dr. Ruiz, another great plastic surgeon in the hospital, but I woke up a couple of days ago and read an email saying that the doctors had to be swapped for undisclosed reasons.”
Red cocked his head. “Has that ever happened before?”
“Nope,” Caleb said. “I guess something happened in Ruiz’s personal life?”
“What a shithead. Jackson, not Ruiz.”
“I’m just happy everything we do in Sierra View leaves a digital footprint. He can’t threaten me with anything, not that I see why he even would. I guess I’m still shaken up, looking over my shoulder for no good reason other than out of habit.”
Red tsked. He squeezed Caleb’s hand a little tighter. They followed the path and were almost to the lake by the entrance. He had to switch gears. He didn’t want this moment ruined by the mention of Jackson.
“Well, I hope you had a good time today,” Red said.
“Are you kidding me? Today was a blast. Thank you.” Caleb’s signature smile was on full display. Red’s heart beat a little quicker. He glanced down at his watch, the digital face turning on and showing the time.
They had three minutes. Red had timed it out perfectly. He had ac
tually been there three days before, in full disguise with cap and sunglasses, timing out exactly when the sun cast the most impressive display.
Red’s pulse was racing. His mouth had gone cotton ball dry. He hoped he could get the words out without coughing up a tumbleweed. He wanted every moment of this to be perfect. He had led Caleb back to the lake so that they could be there at the exact moment the sun started to set behind the far-off mountain range. The oranges and purples and reds of the sun bounced off the water, playing with the green and pink lily pads and breaking through the nearby redwoods. The lake looked like it was on fire with colors, koi fish swimming lazily in the flames.
“Wow,” Caleb said, looking out to the lake, completely unaware of what Red was doing at his side.
“Caleb,” Red said, catching his attention. He looked from the water down to Red, who was balancing on one knee. Caleb’s eyes popped open, his hand jumping to cover his open mouth. “You’ve shown me that hiding isn’t worth it. I thought I was going to be hiding my entire life, but you gave me a reason not to, and I’ve never been happier. Through that, I fell in love with you. Deeply and irreversibly.”
Caleb’s hand fell to his side, revealing the smile that Red had fallen so hard for.
“Caleb, will you marry me?” Red got the words out. He opened the black, velvet case and revealed the Vera Wang engagement ring. He had asked her to make it specifically for Caleb. A sleek silver band with two classic square diamonds, each nine carats, encrusted at the top, catching the light of the disappearing sun in a spectacular way.
“Yes,” Caleb said, enthusiastically. “Absolutely, yes.” He let Red slide the ring on. Perfect fit. Red got up from the floor, feeling an overwhelming sense of love. He pulled his man into his arms and kissed him, just as the last light disappeared. The lampposts nearby clicked on, bathing them in a white glow.
“I want you by my side, forever,” Red said, looking deep into Caleb’s hazel green eyes.