Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (17 page)

“Probably. At the very least you could eat whatever people don’t finish. I bet that’s how they wash dishes here. Some guy in the back just licks them clean.”

“Gross,” Kelly said. “And tempting. I would totally do that.”

William laughed, feeling more relaxed. That is until Stefan returned.

“Anything else I can get you?” he repeated.

“We’re still fine,” Kelly said.

“Very good. I’ll leave the bill with you.” Stefan placed a leather folder on the table. “If you could pay now that would be excellent.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “We’re still eating.”

“Looks like you’re nearly finished,” Stefan replied. “I can box the rest. We have a lot of people waiting for a table so…”

“We’ve been waiting for this table since January,” Kelly said. “That’s when I made the reservation. I don’t appreciate being rushed halfway through my meal, and frankly, I’m suddenly feeling hungry for dessert. So once we
slowly
finish this course, you can bring the menus back so we can order again. Understood?”

“As you wish,” Stefan said, his mouth tight as he turned and stiffly walked away.

“Kelly,” William said softly. “That wasn’t nice.”

“Are you kidding me? He’s trying to kick us out before we’ve even had a chance to eat!”

“He’s probably under pressure from the manager to get people in and out.”

“I don’t care.” Kelly put down his fork and crossed his arms over his chest. “They should set up tables outside if they want to serve more customers. I plan on enjoying my meal.”

“Then eat,” William said, nodding at Kelly’s plate. He concentrated on finishing his own food. He soon had the plate cleared, not that it mattered because Kelly was still taking his sweet time.

“Let’s just go,” William pleaded. “I don’t want dessert. It’s too expensive and I’m already full.”

“You are not,” Kelly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you utter those words before.”

“It’s true,” William said. “The steak was filling. So were those grain things.”

“Quinoa,” Kelly murmured, looking miserable. He took a couple more bites, then shoved away his plate and reached for the check. “Fine, we’ll go, but I’m not leaving him a tip.”

“It’s probably not his fault,” William said. “Like I said—”

“I know, I know.” Kelly dug through his wallet. “The poor guy’s manager is forcing him to be so rude. There. Let’s go.”

“Did you leave a tip?” William asked, not moving.

Kelly looked him dead in the eye. And lied. “Yes.”

William didn’t argue further. He just wanted to leave and go somewhere more comfortable for them both. Being out in the night air made him feel better. He took Kelly’s hand and squeezed, relieved when it was squeezed back.

“What now?” William asked.

“I don’t know,” Kelly said. “I didn’t expect that to go so quickly.”

“Which means we still have plenty of time for other things,” William said, trying to get him into a better mood. “More exciting things.”

“Horndog,” Kelly accused, but he smiled. “My place or yours?”

“Mine,” William said. “But first, can we make a quick stop?” He nodded across the street to a supermarket.

“Okay.”

Once they had parked there, William made Kelly wait in the car. He ran inside to the bakery section and picked up an entire cake. The store’s management must have known customers would have a need for emergency Valentine pastries, because a large selection decorated with roses and hearts was still available. William paid for his purchase and carried it out to the car, presenting it to Kelly at the driver-side window.

“What is this?” Kelly asked, already laughing.

“Dessert,” William said. “Twice as much at half the cost.”

“More like ten times as much. Get in the car, you big lug.”

The atmosphere was much nicer on the drive home. It got a little tense when his mother met them in the kitchen, but soon they were alone in his room.

“Do you want to watch something on TV?” William asked.

Kelly seemed confused. “I thought we were going to get freaky.”

“We gotta have some cake first.” They had brought two slices upstairs with them. “How about we watch an episode of
Beast Wars
while we eat? Then afterwards, you can show me what sort of animal you turn into.”

Kelly grimaced. “Can we not?”

William was confused. “Not what?”

“It’s a nice show,” Kelly said, “but I’ve already gotten a feel for it.”

“Yeah, but we’re an episode away from one of the absolute best.”

“I just thought it would be nice if we could watch something made for adults.”

William shrugged like it didn’t matter. But it did, because stupid or not, he loved the show, and realizing that Kelly didn’t somehow felt personal. “I guess we could watch music videos or something.”

“Good luck finding any,” Kelly said, taking the remote. He switched on the television and clicked through a few channels. “Here we go.
Bones
. That’s usually pretty good, although honestly, I mostly just watch it for David Boreanaz. He’s crazy fine!”

“Who?” When he saw with his own eyes, it only made him feel more insecure, because the guy looked nothing like him. William sat next to Kelly and quietly ate his cake, intending to be open-minded, but the show just wasn’t what he usually liked. In other words, it was a little too serious. Kelly seemed enamored, so he tried his best to follow along.

Once the show was over and the slices of cake consumed, William turned off the television, eager to find common ground again. He made sure the door was locked, smiling sheepishly when he turned around.

“What are you up to?” Kelly asked, batting his eyelashes playfully. He rose and came close to William, reaching for his tie. Then he chuckled.

“What?” William asked.

“Nothing,” Kelly said, working loose the knot his mother had so carefully tied. “It’s cute.”

“What is?”

“You dress like a Mormon.”

The smile slid off his face the same time the tie slipped free from his collar.

Kelly held it up, grinning as he tossed it behind his back. Then he must have noticed how unhappy William looked because his expression became concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” William said, moving around him. With his back to Kelly, it was easier to express himself. “You don’t like me very much, do you?”

“What? Why would you say that?”

He felt Kelly’s hand on his shoulder, turning him around, but William couldn’t make eye contact. “You think everything I like is stupid.
Beast Wars
—”

“It’s a cartoon!”

“I know, but I like it. Or you act like I’m dumb for wanting to join the Coast Guard.”

“I just want you to think about your options!”

“You want me to lose weight—”

“Stop it!” Kelly stooped to look him in the eye. “I
love
your body. Are you kidding? You’re exactly my type. The bigger, the better. I was only trying to talk you into joining the Olympics so we could be together.”

William swallowed. “Really?”

“Yes,” Kelly said. “We both graduate next year, and I don’t like the idea of us going separate ways. Have you thought about that?”

“Not really,” William admitted.

“I like you,” Kelly said. “But sometimes I don’t understand you.”

“Meaning?”

“The waiter.”

“Not this again,” William pleaded. “Can’t we just drop it?”

“Can’t you just admit that he was an asshole? I don’t get why you’re nice to people when they’re mean to you.”

“Because it only makes things worse,” William said. “You’re letting him ruin our night.”

Kelly exhaled and looked away. “Maybe you’re right. All I know is that other couples would bitch about him together. That can be fun. It helps blow off steam! I can’t decide if you’re genuinely nice or if you’re just holding it all in. Maybe it doesn’t matter. It’s been a weird night. Should I go?”

“No,” William said. “Let’s give it one more chance.”

“In that case,” Kelly said, moving close and placing his hands on William’s chest, “I suggest we don’t let ourselves get tangled up in useless words.”

William opened his mouth, but Kelly placed a finger over it. Then he understood, taking that hand and kissing it. The rest of the night would be expressions of the heart, not misunderstandings of the mind.

* * * * *

Patterns are defined by repetition. William found himself reliving the same scenario over and over again. He and Kelly would clash, then they would resolve any hurt feelings by having sex. Like when Kelly refused to join him on the trip to Galveston. Royal, his own brother, had gone with William, and they had a great time. Kelly stayed behind. Words between them were terse when William returned, but they hopped in the sack and worked out their frustrations that way. This pattern repeated when William was paired with Jared for a school assignment. He turned out to be not such a bad guy and actually shared more of his interests than Kelly did. They even hung out once, but when Kelly found out he was angry. And hurt. This time it took more than the usual to smooth things over. They had finally taken sex to the next level, William performing the way Kelly expected him to, and admittedly, it felt great. Not just physically but emotionally. This wasn’t a permanent fix. They continued squabbling, hurt replaced by anger, anger diffused with sex, and over and over again it went.

He was reminded of those final months of his parents’ marriage, the next argument never far away. For William and Kelly, they didn’t have an affair testing their resolve, or a marriage and children to consider. Breaking up would be a lot less messy. At times William thought that might be for the best. Then he would picture it happening and his heart would ache. Still, he wondered if they should at least talk about it. Maybe today.

He went to the closet and chose an outfit he knew Kelly would approve of, since he had picked it out for him during a shopping trip. He slid the navy blue shirt over each arm and turned back to the bedroom without buttoning up the front. That’s when the door opened. Kelly was standing there, looking him over. William pulled the shirt shut to cover himself. “You’re early.”

Kelly walked in and shut the door behind him. “I’m not early. I said I’d pick you up before dinner.”

“It’s only five.”

“Which is before dinner.” Kelly unslung his backpack, setting it on the bed. “If I’m early, it’s because I wanted to give you this.”

He unzipped the pack and pulled out a wrapped present, tugging to get it free.

William quickly tried to remember if today was a birthday or any sort of important holiday, but couldn’t think of much to celebrate in May except the school year coming to an end. “What’s the occasion?”

“There doesn’t need to be one,” Kelly said, sitting on the mattress edge. “I like showering my men with gifts. I also like showering with my men. Ha ha. Um.”

William sat beside him on the mattress, accepting the present and peeling back the tape and then the paper. This revealed a colorful box and a familiar logo—a Transformer, although different from the others he owned. This one was a helicopter with a very special livery.

“It’s not an animal,” Kelly said. “But I thought… Well, it’s a Transformer and—”

“It’s a Coast Guard helicopter!” William exclaimed. “This is a Eurocopter Dauphin! An AS365!”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Holy shit!” William said. “I didn’t even know they made something like this!”

Kelly fought down a smile. “I figured it’s two of your hobbies rolled up into one. I know it doesn’t match the rest of your collection.”

“I love it,” William said. More than that, he appreciated what it symbolized, because on more than one occasion he worried Kelly didn’t like him as a person and looked down on his interests. This gift was an affirmation to the contrary. William leaned over, giving his boyfriend a kiss. “I love you!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Kelly said. “Now open it up. The helicopter mode has a little hook on a string that you can use to rescue drowning people.”

William happily complied. He made a fool of himself, playing with the toy in front of Kelly and grinning like a little kid. He felt silly for questioning their relationship. Sure they had their ups and downs, but clearly they both cared deeply for each other. That was enough.

They headed out on a date, another restaurant, but this time everything was perfect. No pushy waiters or overpriced food. No Kelly making a scene. Just big portions and fun conversation. William felt as though the universe wanted to reassure him that everything was okay. This relationship was a good thing. After stuffing themselves, they agreed to go for a walk before returning to the car so they wouldn’t feel so sluggish. Kelly seemed to have a destination in mind, and another surprise, because he fetched his backpack from the car. They rounded a corner, and William spotted a familiar landmark.

“The Pfluger Bridge!” he declared.