“You don’t have to work at all tomorrow, right?” Josh asked Lance on Thursday night. Lance smiled. “Nope, the restaurant’s closed.”
“Why is it closed on a Friday night?”
Lance shrugged and reached over Josh to set the alarm clock on the older man’s nightstand. “What time should I set it at?” he asked.
“Why are you setting it at all?” Josh asked softly, moving his lips to Lance’s neck and gently sucking the flesh there. Lance grinned and leaned into Josh’s touch. “I mean, since neither of us are working tomorrow, we could stay in bed until noon, doing nothing but being together.”
“Mmm, sounds wonderful,” Lance told him, and Josh wrapped his arms around Lance. Lance laid his head on Josh’s shoulder, and their hands locked together.
“You never told me how your lunch with Dan the other day went.”
“There was really nothing to tell. Oh, did I mention that they invited us to dinner Saturday night?”
“What?” Lance asked, not sure he had heard right.
“I didn’t tell you, did I? We’re going to dinner with Danny and Chris tomorrow.”
“Well, this should be fun,” Lance remarked sarcastically.
“Lance, come on, Danny’s not so bad.”
Lance let out a little noise of disbelief. “Not that bad? Try putting yourself in my place. Your boyfriend’s ex comes into town, then boyfriend spends a lot of time with him, and I’m not supposed to feel anything towards that? Not to mention the fact that he not only was your first serious boyfriend, but he took your virginity. Honestly, I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t jealous.”
Josh sighed, tightening his hold on Lance’s hand. “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been nice to see Danny again. I had a lot of great times in my life with him, and it’s hard to forget that. You have to remember, though, that I’m also not lying when I say that my heart belongs to you. I love you, and only you, okay?”
“I think he came here to get back together with you, Josh,” Lance said.
“What? Why would you think that?”
“Oh, come on. It’s only obvious. He was practically holding your hand at the restaurant, he asked you and you alone to lunch, and now he’s invited you to dinner. I’ll bet you money he asked questions about me when you two ate lunch. Sizing up the competition.”
Josh made a little incredulous snort. “God, do you really not trust me that much?”
“It’s him I don’t trust,” Lance muttered. “And I remember what you were like when he left you. I saw how you two were together at the restaurant. You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?” Lance asked softly.
Josh pulled away from Lance, their hands coming apart, and looked at his boyfriend with wide eyes. “How can you say that? After everything that’s happened between us?”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have feelings for him,” Lance whispered.
Josh moved over to where Lance was on the bed, pulled his face into his hands, and said. “What do I have to do to get you to see how much I love you, how much you mean to me? You and you alone, baby, that’s all I need.”
Lance looked at Josh, trying to find any hint of untruth in his eyes, but he couldn’t see it. All he could see was Josh’s soul mirroring his own.
“Can I still not like him?” Lance asked, and Josh laughed, pulling his boyfriend into a kiss.
*
