Adrien
It was the end of another shift and Adrien and Micah had swept and mopped and were putting the furniture back in place after having moved it to clean the floors.
“You did a great job making drinks during that rush while I was on my break in the back,” Adrien said as he pushed a chair up to the table. Micah’s actions mirrored Adrien’s as he pushed chairs and tables back into place.
“Thanks,” he said before reaching around to untie his apron. “It took me long enough. I’ve been here over a month and it feels like I just got comfortable. I can’t believe it’s October.”
Adrien followed Micah to the wall adjacent to the register and tossed his dirty apron into a basket under a row of hooks where the clean aprons hung.
“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. It’s taken some people even longer to memorize all the drink recipes.”
Micah turned off the lights behind the counter. “I kept expecting to screw up. Especially those first couple weeks before…” Micah trailed off, lips parted as he stared at Adrien.
Before Adrien started talking to him.
Micah rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning pink. “Well, anyway, I thought you were going to toss my ass out at any minute.”
Adrien shook his head and walked over to the alarm hidden behind a black panel on the wall leading to the restrooms. Discussing how he’d ignored Micah for so many weeks reminded him of why he’d done it. Because he had been so attracted to Micah.
He was still attracted to Micah. But like he always did, he pushed those thoughts from his mind. Adrien entered the code and beat it to the door where Micah was waiting. Micah flicked off the main café lights and walked out as Adrien pulled the door closed and locked up.
“Look at those fags!” A loud slurred voice made Adrien turn.
A group of young guys in their early twenties, one of whom was so drunk he was swaying, were walking toward him and Micah.
Adrien had dealt with his share of drunks when he closed on Friday and Saturday nights. The two-mile strip on Main Street that his shop was on was a walkable historic district and the informal gay district of their conservative city.
On the weekends, the neighborhood attracted a party crowd that, unfortunately, included drunk homophobic douchebags. The moron staggered toward Adrien and Micah, his face mottled, while his buddies laughed. Adrien crossed his arms and opened his stance, ready to defend himself if the guy struck.
The guy stepped closer and Adrien could smell his sour breath. “That’s what you are, right? A butt-fucking fag? You’re not a real man.”
Micah moved from behind Adrien to stand beside him, but Adrien held out his arm to block him. The last thing Micah needed was to get in a street fight and have the cops show up.
No, Adrien would take care of this himself. He took off his glasses and handed them to Micah.
“You want to find out how much of a man I am, little boy?” Adrien asked, his already low voice dropping about an octave lower. He bumped his chest into the kid’s, hands fisted, jaw clenched.
Adrien was no stranger to bullying. He hadn’t gotten his growth spurt until much later, and he’d been chubby and worn glasses as kid. He’d had to learn to throw a punch early.
And for the most part, he’d been able to defend himself. Until a couple of years ago…
The memories of his fiancé shook his confidence, but Adrien’s worry about dragging Micah into this mess outweighed his insecurities. Tonight, he wasn’t backing down. Reggie was wrong. He wasn’t weak.
Adrien narrowed his eyes at the inebriated punk, and the kid took a step back.
“You’re in the gayborhood. My hood. Don’t let my orientation fool you—I’ll drop your ass right here. Try me if you think I’m joking.”
The guy was about Adrien’s height and slightly more muscled, but the look on Adrien’s face must have made him think twice because he backed off.
“Fucking pussy,” he spat. “You’re so pathetic I wouldn’t even get any pleasure out of pummeling you. Come on, guys. Let’s go to the next spot.”
Adrien stood with his fists balled, watching them amble down the street for a few seconds.
So pathetic. Weak. Pussy.
The words, spoken in another voice, bounced in Adrien’s head, but Micah’s hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present. Adrien turned to Micah whose mouth hung open in surprise. Adrien rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.
“What? I’m not just the lovable coffee shop owner. He’s not the first bigot I’ve taken on in life.” Adrien held out his palm. “Glasses, please.”
Micah handed them over, finally closing his mouth and sticking his hands in his pockets as he chuckled.
Adrien gave him a mock frown. “Glad to know my show of male prowess amuses you,” he said, wiping his glasses before sliding them on his nose. He started toward home, Micah beside him.
“You live in the neighborhood too, right?” Micah asked.
“Yeah. About three blocks north of here on Davis Street.” He nodded in the general direction. He’d overheard Micah tell some of the other staff that he lived in the neighborhood; Adrien just wasn’t sure exactly where.
Micah’s brows shot up. “Oh. I live on Davis. The eight hundred block.”
“Seven hundred block,” said Adrien.
“Guess we’re walking home together,” Micah said.
A gust of cool wind rolled through, rustling the leaves as they walked in silence. The thick heat that had lingered in their valley town through September had finally given way to lighter air in October and Adrien was relieved.
Adrien’s skin pimpled but only partially from the chill. Shadows from the trees illuminated by the streetlamps danced on his companion’s fair skin, making Adrien want to run his fingertips along the smooth surface.
He wondered what the stubble on Micah’s jaw would feel like brushing against his own face. He trailed his gaze from Micah’s jaw down to his broad shoulders and thick arms. He shuddered as heat snaked its way up his spine. What would those arms feel like around him?
A visual of a shirtless Micah, pressing Adrien to him, flashed through Adrien’s mind, making his cock plump up.
Jesus, get a grip.
“So how did you not know that I lived on the same street as you?” Micah asked, drawing Adrien out of his own head. “Didn’t you process my employment paperwork?”
Adrien shrugged, still trying to rid himself of the visual of being skin to skin with Micah—nothing between them. He swallowed, scratching the back of his head.
“I don’t know, man,” he said, attempting to sound casual and not at all attracted to Micah. “I have a third party who helps with payroll. I’m usually so focused on the financial reports and orders I need to place that I don’t pay attention to other details.”
Micah nodded. “Makes sense. And all the other nights I closed with you, you stayed behind.”
Adrien quirked the side of his mouth at Micah’s observation.
“What?” Micah asked.
Adrien stuck his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders, biting the inside of his cheek and avoiding Micah’s gaze.
“Come on. Tell me? Did you know I lived on your street and you just didn’t want to walk home with me?”
“No, nothing like that,” Adrien said. “It’s just that we didn’t get all of the prep work done because I was spending more time training you so I had to stay behind to finish the stuff we didn’t get to,” Adrien explained in a rush.
“Yeah…I did notice that we did way more tonight than we usually do,” Micah said. “Well fuck, man. I’m sorry—why didn’t you say something? I would have stayed longer—”
Adrien held up a hand, shaking his head. “No, I wasn’t going to ask you to stay past your shift. Besides, I don’t think we’ll have that problem during closing anymore. You’re a pro now, and we both got out on time tonight.”
Micah grimaced, but nodded as they walked on in silence.
A few minutes later they turned off Main onto York, leaving the other pedestrians and noise behind.
The residential street wasn’t as well-lit as Main and the air was still. Not even a breeze blew through the drying leaves of the trees. Hidden by darkness, they gravitated toward each other, walking closer and closer together until their exposed forearms touched.
Adrien sucked in a breath, a jittery sensation plaguing his stomach when Micah didn’t move away.
The brush of their fine arm hairs felt featherlight and made Adrien’s cock ache, his arousal bubbling up.
“Hey,” Micah rasped, popping the bubble of lust Adrien had been floating in. “I’ve been meaning to mention this but keep forgetting. I just wanted to say thanks for letting me vent about Caleb a few weeks back.”
Micah bumped his shoulder into Adrien’s, and Adrien’s heart bumped in his chest.
“I was feeling sorry for myself and you helped me snap out of it. So, yeah, thanks.”
Adrien couldn’t really see Micah’s expression in the dim lighting, but he could hear the smile in his voice.
Warmth bloomed in Adrien’s chest at the soft-spoken praise. “Anytime, Micah.”
Micah sighed as they ambled down the street. “It’s just that, he still won’t talk to me, you know? And I’m afraid of pushing him because I’ve already hurt him so much. I don’t want to push too much, so I don’t say anything either.” Micah groaned in frustration.
Adrien twisted his lips, debating whether he should say anything and quickly deciding to take a chance.
“So, you found my insights helpful before, right?”
Micah nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
Adrien slowed, facing Micah, just as they arrived at Adrien’s parents’ house.
“I’m going to give you some tough love.”
Micah’s brows shot up and he huffed. “Okay.”
Adrien nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“It’s not Caleb’s job to open up and repair the relationship.” Adrien took a step closer to Micah, tapping the man’s chest with his index finger. “That’s on you, Micah.” Adrien searched Micah’s face in the dim orange light of the streetlamp, trying to read the man’s reactions.
Micah nodded slowly.
“It’ll be hard. But you have to get over yourself if you really want that closeness. You feel bad because of Caleb’s rejection, but just think about how he felt all those years when you were gone.” Adrien gripped Micah’s arm and squeezed it. “He’ll come around, but it might get worse before it gets better.”
Micah sighed and dropped his head back before meeting Adrien’s gaze.
“Damn. You’re right. This whole time I’ve been wallowing in pity for myself, and I’ve been expecting my kid to take a risk I wasn’t even willing to.” Micah shook his head. “Fuck. I’m an asshole,” he murmured.
Adrien grabbed Micah’s other arm and shook him gently.
“Stop, man. You’re not an asshole. You’re just trying to figure it out like everyone other parent out there.” He finally forced himself to let go of Micah and take a step back. “I, uh, hope I didn’t overstep.”
Micah held up a hand. “Not at all. It’s nice to have someone to talk to about this.”
“Happy to listen,” Adrien said quietly.
The two stared at each other, the silence of the street blanketing them. Adrien didn’t want to look away and, strangely, he thought he would be fine standing out on that street with Micah for the rest of the night.
Okay, maybe not the rest of the night, but for a few more hours, no problem. Micah’s quiet presence was a balm to Adrien, warm and comfortable, like a well-worn jacket he didn’t want to take off.
But then Micah’s eyes shifted to look at something behind Adrien.
“What is it?” Adrien asked as he turned around to see that his parents’ porch light had come on. Two brown faces peeked from behind the living room curtain.
“Really, guys?” he mumbled under his breath before rounding on Micah at the sound of the man’s snorts.
“So, uh, you have roommates?” Micah asked, straining to see behind Adrien. Then the grin fell from his face. “Why would a small business owner to need roommates? The coffee shop isn’t struggling, is it?”
Adrien held up his palms. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. The shop is fine. I don’t have roommates. I, actually, live with my parents. Well, I live in the basement apartment.”
Micah’s eyebrows shot up and Adrien groaned.
“Yes. I live in my parents’ basement like a true millennial.”
Micah put up his hands in mock surrender, laughing. “Hey, man, no judgments here. I’m living in my baby-mama’s guesthouse.”
Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, that is a little stranger than my situation. I’ll have to hear more about that another night. I better get inside.” He nodded back toward the house.
“Yeah, before they come out here to question the strange man walking their beloved son home late at night,” Micah teased.
“Yeah, well, they never came out when boys brought me home late from dates in high school and college, so I hope they don’t start with a friend walking with me home from work,” Adrien said without thinking about it.
The low lights on the street partially masked Micah’s brief look of surprise, but as quickly as it crossed the man’s handsome face, it was gone.
Adrien wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t try to find out. So before he could do anything stupid, like reach up and rub the stubble on Micah’s face, Adrien wished the man goodnight.