and he had to open his eyes to see whether that was no or not.
It was still no, but the genuine regret sort of helped.
“I’m never going to get everything done in time,” Sean said, shrugging. “I mean, I know you don’t teach, but, it’s like, we get two paid days to do a week’s worth for work, and I haven’t taught this class from beginning and there’s so much I need to—”
Ding!
Zach nodded, and gestured for him to leave first, but Sean didn’t move.
“I love that you asked me,” he said helplessly. “I just—”
“I get it,” Zach said quietly. “I defend teachers all the time. Your hours are insane. I forgot, that’s all.” He glanced up, and people he didn’t know and didn’t recognize were waiting to get on the elevator. “C’mon. We can talk in the lobby.”
They walked out of the elevator and stepped to the side.
“Our timing!” Sean muttered ruefully. “It… it sucks. It does. But I’m… I’m dying to give you kissing lessons, and….”
“And we’ve got to go.”
Sean looked down for a moment, and Zach followed his gaze.
And squeezed their twined fingers, surprised, because clasping Sean’s hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Sean pulled their hands up and kissed his knuckles. “I will see you next week,” he said quietly. “Wait for me on the fourteenth floor, and we can go down together.”
Zach grinned. “Yeah. It’s dating by elevator!”
Sean’s entire face went slack for a minute, and his eyes went heavy-lidded, and his hand shook in Zach’s. “That… that is my smile,” he said breathlessly. “Promise, you won’t smile like that for anyone but me.”
Zach didn’t have any words for that. He had no frame of reference for being possessed. No understanding of what it meant to be desired wholly for himself. His lips parted, and he looked helplessly at the blue-eyed boy who had done this to him.
Sean let out an impatient whine, said, “Those eyes… dammit, I’ve got to go!” and kissed Zach’s knuckles before turning around and running out the double lobby doors.
Zach watched him go, and then turned and followed, turning right instead of left because his office was still that way, and walking the extra four blocks in a daze.
M ONTEREY WAS gorgeous—even if he and the girls weren’t staying on Pebble Beach. He told Leah and Jenn it was his treat, so he rented a suite for two days at a hotel on the waterfront, and listening to the two of them ooh and ahh over the view was totally worth the expense.
“Holy fucking Jesus,” Jenn muttered as they stood at the window and looked out over the ocean. “I can’t even believe this funky bullshit. Leah, you have the best boss ever. ”
Zach smiled quietly at her, and was the sudden recipient of a squishy, chubby, bubbly hug.
“You look like we squashed your kittens, baby. This was supposed to be a fun trip!”
Zach didn’t know what to do with that much hugging. He stroked her blonde hair awkwardly and went to step away, and found Leah behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist.
“You didn’t talk the whole way down,” she mumbled against his back.
“I’m not exactly Mr. Personality in the best of times,” he said, ducking his head.
“Yeah, but Zach!” Leah moved around him but her arms stayed firmly planted at his ribs.
“God you’re short,” he said, wondering how he’d managed to work with her for three years and live without the hugs and the companionship and the crude sense of humor and the best friend who made him laugh.
“Why didn’t you ask the guy to come?” Jenn asked, squinting at him. Yeah, she looked like a plump little Persian kitten, but she was sort of damned smart. “I mean, yeah, we didn’t want to hear mansex, but if you’re treating to a suite and a trip to the aquarium—that’s almost, I don’t know, a college trip right there.”
Zach shrugged and tried to extricate himself. “He couldn’t make it,” he said,
It was still no, but the genuine regret sort of helped.
“I’m never going to get everything done in time,” Sean said, shrugging. “I mean, I know you don’t teach, but, it’s like, we get two paid days to do a week’s worth for work, and I haven’t taught this class from beginning and there’s so much I need to—”
Ding!
Zach nodded, and gestured for him to leave first, but Sean didn’t move.
“I love that you asked me,” he said helplessly. “I just—”
“I get it,” Zach said quietly. “I defend teachers all the time. Your hours are insane. I forgot, that’s all.” He glanced up, and people he didn’t know and didn’t recognize were waiting to get on the elevator. “C’mon. We can talk in the lobby.”
They walked out of the elevator and stepped to the side.
“Our timing!” Sean muttered ruefully. “It… it sucks. It does. But I’m… I’m dying to give you kissing lessons, and….”
“And we’ve got to go.”
Sean looked down for a moment, and Zach followed his gaze.
And squeezed their twined fingers, surprised, because clasping Sean’s hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Sean pulled their hands up and kissed his knuckles. “I will see you next week,” he said quietly. “Wait for me on the fourteenth floor, and we can go down together.”
Zach grinned. “Yeah. It’s dating by elevator!”
Sean’s entire face went slack for a minute, and his eyes went heavy-lidded, and his hand shook in Zach’s. “That… that is my smile,” he said breathlessly. “Promise, you won’t smile like that for anyone but me.”
Zach didn’t have any words for that. He had no frame of reference for being possessed. No understanding of what it meant to be desired wholly for himself. His lips parted, and he looked helplessly at the blue-eyed boy who had done this to him.
Sean let out an impatient whine, said, “Those eyes… dammit, I’ve got to go!” and kissed Zach’s knuckles before turning around and running out the double lobby doors.
Zach watched him go, and then turned and followed, turning right instead of left because his office was still that way, and walking the extra four blocks in a daze.
M ONTEREY WAS gorgeous—even if he and the girls weren’t staying on Pebble Beach. He told Leah and Jenn it was his treat, so he rented a suite for two days at a hotel on the waterfront, and listening to the two of them ooh and ahh over the view was totally worth the expense.
“Holy fucking Jesus,” Jenn muttered as they stood at the window and looked out over the ocean. “I can’t even believe this funky bullshit. Leah, you have the best boss ever. ”
Zach smiled quietly at her, and was the sudden recipient of a squishy, chubby, bubbly hug.
“You look like we squashed your kittens, baby. This was supposed to be a fun trip!”
Zach didn’t know what to do with that much hugging. He stroked her blonde hair awkwardly and went to step away, and found Leah behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist.
“You didn’t talk the whole way down,” she mumbled against his back.
“I’m not exactly Mr. Personality in the best of times,” he said, ducking his head.
“Yeah, but Zach!” Leah moved around him but her arms stayed firmly planted at his ribs.
“God you’re short,” he said, wondering how he’d managed to work with her for three years and live without the hugs and the companionship and the crude sense of humor and the best friend who made him laugh.
“Why didn’t you ask the guy to come?” Jenn asked, squinting at him. Yeah, she looked like a plump little Persian kitten, but she was sort of damned smart. “I mean, yeah, we didn’t want to hear mansex, but if you’re treating to a suite and a trip to the aquarium—that’s almost, I don’t know, a college trip right there.”
Zach shrugged and tried to extricate himself. “He couldn’t make it,” he said,
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