by KC Burn
“Hi.” Will’s voice sounded a little raspy, but Dallas didn’t care. He’d missed hearing Will the past week.
“Hi.”
The waiter glided in, depositing a couple of glasses of what looked like champagne in front of them before departing again.
“I don’t drink.”
Will smiled gently. “I remember. This is one of those sparkling fruit juices. After your… uh… date with Jaime, you’d said how much you liked it.”
They’d never managed to purchase some to drink around Will’s place, and Dallas had only mentioned it the once.
Fuck. He was caving already, and he couldn’t. Sparkling fruit juice wasn’t exactly in the same class, and definitely showed more thoughtfulness than Hugh had ever shown, but there was still a whiff of trying to buy him off that he hoped was unintentional.
Nevertheless, he took a small sip as he gazed at Will. In the month they’d been together, he’d managed to erase most of the shadows under Will’s eyes, and in a week, they’d started to come back. He was also a little paler than normal, but his eyes were clear.
“Feeling better?”
Will nodded. “I haven’t done much this week besides sleep and think about you.”
Dallas’s stomach swooped. Oh God, they were going to get right into it, were they? He’d done little but think about Will also, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“And I have a lot of things to say, some of which are… fairly unromantic.”
That didn’t sound promising.
Will wasn’t done, though. “I hope you’ll listen to everything, though, knowing that I have to say them because I love you and I want you back. More than anything.”
That was much more promising. The declaration he’d been waiting for for so long warmed the spot inside his heart that had been frozen for a week. Damn it. There went the sinuses again. Dallas took another sip of juice to try and calm down. He clamped his lips down over the words that wanted to spill out. He loved Will too, but love wasn’t always enough, and Will had fucked up large. Instead, he merely nodded.
“I fucked up, large.”
Will echoing his thoughts was nothing new; they’d been in sync almost from the beginning, but he somehow managed to keep the smile from his face. He didn’t want to give false hope until he’d heard what Will had to say.
“Even setting aside the fact that you were a new hire at the bottom of the hierarchy and didn’t have the authority to lay everyone off, I know you’re a good person, and you’re so fucking smart, and those are two reasons why you’d never have done what Savron Dynamics did with our department. I blamed you for so many things, the only person in the whole mess who didn’t deserve any blame at all. And I’m sorry for that.”
God. It sucked that work shit, clinging to them both all the way from Connecticut, had to sully their relationship.
“Thank you for that.”
“In my darker moments, I blamed you for busting up my relationship with Jesse, when in reality you just illuminated the cracks that were there and growing every moment. Because if I felt for him what I feel for you, no one else would be able to catch and keep my eye, and I was infatuated with you from day one. Which should have told me right there the fates were trying to give me a kick in the pants, telling me to give you a closer look.”
Dallas blinked. He hadn’t realized he’d played any part in Will’s breakup with Jesse, but Will had managed to phrase it in such a way that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to throw up or cry. Or throw a drink in Will’s face and walk away from such ridiculous irrationality. The third option wasn’t too likely, and he sucked in a few deep, calming breaths.
“I know I was being a paranoid, insecure asshole, and that’s why I was being territorial at work. Foolishly so, because I was failing at the job your brother hired me to do, and I wasn’t willing to pull my head out of my ass long enough to do it right. But I knew a long time ago that you weren’t to blame. I think it was just the shock of finding out Stefan was your brother, at the same time you had taken my place—successfully—both during a work emergency and a Tartan Candy event. It felt almost like you were able to take my place in everything, better than I could. Which is stupid. You’re everything I could ever want, and the fact that we’ve got common interests, that our lives can so easily mesh together, is more than I even knew to hope for.”
Will glanced away, furtively wiping at his cheek with one hand, and Dallas couldn’t stand it any longer. He reached across table and placed his hand over Will’s. Will’s head whipped up, hope in his eyes.
“You hurt me, Will. A lot. It never occurred to me that you’d see me as the villain in all this, so your animosity was… unexpected. But surmountable, I thought. I’d thought things were going so well, and then it felt like I’d been blindsided.”
Or more like, stabbed through the heart with a scimitar, one of Will’s favorite finishing moves in Dragon’s Ruin. Which he’d also not been able to play the past week, yet another painful reminder.
“I know. I will apologize until the end of time, because that was incredibly stupid of me. I never wanted to hurt you. Not ever.”
Dallas shook his head. “I don’t want you to do that. If… if things go well, I don’t want this to hang over us.”
“And if it doesn’t go well?”
Dallas shrugged with a sangfroid he did not feel. “Then we’ll learn from this for our next relationships.”
Will flinched back as though Dallas had struck him. “I don’t want a next one.”
“Me neither. And I need to apologize too.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I kind of blindsided you too, and… I probably should have taken that into account. If I had, maybe we could have talked—or argued—everything out then, instead of it blowing up like it did.”
Will shook his head. “No. No, this wouldn’t have exploded if I hadn’t been an ass when Stefan hired you on. If I’d confronted my illogical conclusions earlier, it wouldn’t have had the same effect.”
Dallas squeezed Will’s hand. He wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but he had felt bad about losing his cool with Will while he’d been so sick. Some of the things Will had said could even be chalked up to the flu. Things always seemed worse when you were ill.
“But speaking of that… argument, there’s something that bothered me a bit. Why did you sugarcoat everything you told me? At least, until you unleashed it all in one go.”
He had done that, hadn’t he? “I just didn’t want you to think I was pathetic loser. The truth paints me in a bad light.”
“It does not. It illustrates how strong you are. But I’d have been happier if you’d been able to trust me enough to tell me.”
“You’re right, I should have. We’ll have to make sure we talk more.”
Will smiled tremulously. “Does this mean you’ll give me a second chance? Can you?”
Dallas shivered. He almost had to pinch himself, because he hadn’t been able to hope that Will would be able to convince him that things would be different. If he didn’t love Will so much, he wouldn’t even be willing to meet him halfway. “Yes. Oh, please, yes.”
Heedless of anyone who might be watching, Will leaned over the table and kissed him, far more briefly than he’d like, but what he’d like wasn’t appropriate for public viewing.
“You won’t regret this, I promise. I love you.” Again, this was a million times better than the first time Will had said it.
“I love you too. I don’t want you to regret this either.” Dallas bit his lip. Because there were two of them in this relationship, something Hugh had often forgotten, and Dallas was determined to do this right. “I don’t want you to resign. I’ll find a new job if you think we can’t work together with you being my manager. Stefan won’t mind if I crash there until I find something else.”
Dallas would miss their furtive fucking in the server room, but he’d do it if he had to. If it wouldn’t have left Stefan in the lurch, he’d alr
eady have been sending out resumes, because there were too many memories of him and Will at Idyll Fling, lurking like living breathing entities just waiting to jump out at Dallas whenever he felt most vulnerable.
“Oh my God, no. I know it doesn’t seem like it at times, but I love working with you. And, uh….” Will’s cheeks colored, and this time Dallas smiled widely. He knew exactly what “uh” meant. “But I have an idea about that too.”
Dallas’s stomach, released from his grief and worry, let out a loud rumble, and Will grinned.
“Maybe we should order first.” Will waved over the waiter. Now that Dallas thought about it, the guy had been incredibly nonwaiterly. Most waitstaff came over and asked inane questions at the absolutely most inappropriate times, like they’d been gifted with Murphy’s law of awkward. Will must have spoken to him beforehand, yet another example of the thought and care Will had put into this that made Dallas even surer he was making the right decision.
They ordered quickly, and the waiter vanished like a ghost. He deserved one hell of a tip.
Will dug around below the table. He pulled out a sheaf of paper. “I was looking at the plans you drew up. With the job descriptions.”
Dallas blinked. Will hadn’t been kidding when he’d said some of this was going to be unromantic. Job descriptions at their makeup dinner.
“Thing is, the whole plan works way better if there are two teams, each with its own manager.”
Right in front of him was a page that looked similar to but different from the plan he’d left with Will that day just over a week ago, when the Idyll Fling site had gone down. He and Will were clearly in place at the head of each team.
“What, I mean… how….”
Will smiled at him. “I already talked to Stefan. He’s on board with making us equals, and hiring the people we need. Which will solve the weirdness I felt all along being your manager, if that works for you.”
“Are you sure?” It looked like heaven on a laser-printed page. And with plans already in place to create a proper office space for the tech folks, they could still use the server room for the occasional quickie. Funny, a moment ago, job descriptions seemed unromantic, and now they almost made him weep with joy. He sniffled.
“I’m absolutely sure. I know you’re good at the job, and you’re so fucking smart. This will work out best for everyone.”
Dallas blushed at the compliment. Will had always been very stinting with his praise, but he sensed that was going to change for the better.
“Then yes, let’s do this.”
Now that the hard part was done, Dallas’s curiosity was eating him alive. “What’s in the box?”
Will’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. I wasn’t going to give it to you unless we got back together, but I’m so fucking happy I forgot.”
Dallas lifted an eyebrow. If he couldn’t already tell that it wasn’t jewelry, that would sound suspiciously bribe-like. Nevertheless he ripped open the wrapping. Inside lay a new pair of boxer briefs with a subtle paisley pattern. He grinned. “Did you get me these so you could rip them off? I know how you hate my paisley.”
“That’s a great idea, but your paisleys have grown on me. No, this is for tomorrow.” A shy little smile turned up the corners of Will’s lips, and Dallas would do anything Will asked. “I was hoping we could go to the Ren faire tomorrow. Wearing kilts.”
Dallas sucked in a breath. “And you won’t think I’m… encroaching?” He’d loved the Tartan Candy gig; this could only be more fun. Like Dragon’s Ruin come to life. Without the dragons and magic, unfortunately.
“I can’t imagine going with anyone but you.”
“Wait a minute. Aren’t we were supposed to be commando under the kilts?” Dallas was starting to suspect the naked thing was a colossal trick for easy access.
Will rolled his eyes. “It’s a family venue, but that doesn’t stop the occasional idiot from doing a kilt check. I’d rather neither of us ended up with a charge of indecent exposure on our records. I’m okay with the underwear anachronism.”
“Sounds like fun. But we should go next week instead? Because you just got over the flu.” And hopefully they were going to wear themselves out in Will’s bed tonight.
“Huh. That actually works out better.” Will tilted his head. “Wait, how did you know it was on next weekend too?”
“Oh. Well, I might have done some Internet searches this past week.” He’d been desperate for anything to connect him to Will, even though it had upset him.
Will squeezed his hand, letting go only when their dinner arrived.
AFTER A delicious dinner, they walked out to the parking lot, walking as close together as they could. Will’s clean soap smell was making him hard, and he couldn’t wait to get to the makeup sex.
“We going back to your place?” He deliberately made his tone suggestive.
Will swallowed heavily, his pupils dilating. Dallas licked his lips. It had been too damned long.
“I wish we could, but I have a surprise for you.”
“But makeup sex!” Not getting any was a surprise, but not a good one. “Can’t it wait?”
“I can’t tell you how much I wish it could.” Will couldn’t take his eyes off Dallas’s lips. “But I promise we’ll have makeup sex after.”
Will stared at him for a few more seconds before he shook himself out of his stupor and unlocked the car.
“Oh, one more thing. I’d like it if you moved in with me. We were practically living together before… uh… before I was an idiot, and I loved having you there. I know it’s fast, but I dreamed about so much with you before we were together, that most of this almost seems overdue.”
Dallas nearly choked. Forget wherever they were going, this was the fucking surprise. But he knew what Will meant. Dallas had done his fair share of dreaming over the years, and now that he had Will, he wanted to dash into everything together.
“If I move in with you, everyone will know we’re together, you know that right?”
Will smiled like he was privy to an inside joke. “Yes, I know.”
Dallas had been ready to move in with Will weeks ago, but until he was convinced Will was truly ready too, he couldn’t let them rush into this. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course.”
BEFORE LONG, they pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot at Club Gallo. It was way early to hit a club.
“Are you sure you want to go to a club instead of going home?”
Will didn’t answer, just parked the car and got out. Then again, they could always recreate the night of the bachelor auction. Hell, Dallas was almost tempted to suggest sneaking into the server room at Idyll Fling. So many yummy things had happened in that room.
A doorman nodded at them and let them in.
Inside, a giant banner hung over the dance floor, proclaiming, “Will loves Dallas.”
Dallas gasped and grasped Will’s hand. He must have convinced—or paid—the owner to open the club early just for this. The group of people milling around the bar turned, and a couple of them cheered. Quickly, Dallas was able to identify almost everyone in the room, and it included every single employee and model of Idyll Fling, as well as Stefan, Raven, and Jaime.
After everyone came forward, congratulating them or bitching good-naturedly that they should have guessed but hadn’t, Will beckoned the two older strangers forward.
“Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Dallas. Dallas, this is Sarah and Patrick Dawson.”
Dallas wobbled a bit but kept his composure. Just. “Nice to meet you.” He went to hold out his hand, but Sarah waved it away and hugged him.
“It’s lovely to meet you, dear.”
Patrick hugged him too. “We look forward to getting to know you better, son.”
Dallas wasn’t going to be able to hold it in check much longer, and he pulled Will aside. “Your parents?” He’d never met anyone’s parents before.
Will shrugged. “I know you hated being a secret. I hated that too. I m
ight have moved away from them, but my parents are very important to me. I wanted them to meet you, and I didn’t want to wait until they came down at Thanksgiving. I begged them to fly down early, and they did. They wanted to meet you too.”
Back when he’d been speaking to his parents, and though they had plenty of disposable income, he couldn’t imagine them doing that for him, not even if he’d gotten himself a girlfriend. There would also have been plenty of talk about background checks, security, and prenuptial agreements.
“Thank you.” Dallas had managed to keep the tears at bay for the entire meal, but Will declaring himself in front of all their friends and family made that impossible. No more secrets. He was finally with someone who not only loved him but wasn’t ashamed that everyone knew it.
Will wrapped his arms around Dallas’s waist and kissed away his tears.
“I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me.”
Music started, the DJ warming up for the coming night, and a few people took their drinks on the dance floor.
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
Will whooped and kissed him thoroughly and messily. “I hear there’s an office in the back, just right for celebrating. I think we can slip away for a bit. No one will notice.”
At this point Dallas didn’t care if they noticed. And when they got back to Will’s place—home—they could celebrate again, in bed.
Epilogue
ON CHRISTMAS morning Dallas walked into the living room, a rainbow glitter of lights coloring the Christmas tree, the only illumination in the room, but giving off plenty of light. It would be a while until sunrise, but Dallas hadn’t been able to sleep. He was so looking forward to a family Christmas with Will’s family. They’d welcomed him with open arms, already more warm and loving than his own parents had been.