The moment the clock above the bar hit eight-thirty, Charlie’s heart sank. He’d been telling himself that Scott was just late, or nervous, or had gotten a little lost on the way for over an hour now.
He didn’t think that was it anymore. Scott hadn’t come because he didn’t want to, and there’d be a polite excuse next time Charlie saw him, and they’d drift apart. Because Scott wasn’t interested. Not at all.
It had been stupid to think otherwise.
Beside him, Amber sighed, throwing an arm over his shoulders. “He might still come.”
Obviously, Charlie wasn’t hiding his disappointment all that well.
“I’m gonna die alone,” he said.
“No you’re not.” Amber tightened her grip on Charlie’s shoulders, squeezing him tight.
“You okay?” Owen asked from across the table. Of course this had to happen in front of his happily-married brother, who had everything Charlie wanted and then some.
He didn’t begrudge Owen any of what he had, but sometimes, he was jealous.
“Some asshole stood him up,” Amber explained.
Owen’s face softened. “Oh. That sucks, man. How drowned do your sorrows need to be?”
Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but then the door to the bar opened again and he looked up automatically, like he had every time the door opened for the last hour and a half.
This time, though, it was Scott.
Charlie swallowed. He had come. He really was just late.
Scott scanned the room, then waved at Charlie before striding over.
Normally, he wore loose-fitting carpenter’s jeans and plaid shirts over plain white cotton tees. Now, he was dressed in dark, fitted jeans, a black t-shirt, and a deep burgundy button-down that had been ironed to within an inch of its life.
He’d even slicked back his normally untidy hair to something resembling an actual style.
Charlie eventually remembered to close his mouth as Scott approached the table. Amber let go of him to give him space to scoot over in the booth they’d managed to snag when they came in, leaving a spot for Scott to sit beside him.
“I got offered some work I couldn’t afford to refuse,” Scott said. “And then I desperately needed a shower before I got within two feet of anyone else, so… sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not that late,” Charlie said, all of his disappointment dissolving without a trace.
Amber elbowed him in the ribs, but thankfully, Scott hadn’t been looking.
“So, uh, everyone, this is Scott. Scott, this is everyone. That’s Owen and Jude, my brother and brother-in-law, that’s Lanie, and this is Amber. Marcus is the big guy over at the bar trying to pick up the bartender. Sometimes there are more of us, sometimes less.”
“Nice to meet you,” Owen said, holding his hand out to Scott across the table.
Charlie knew by the look in his eyes that he was sizing Scott up, deciding whether or not he was good enough for his little brother.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Scott grinned at him. “Can I interest you in a dog?”
Jude’s face lit up as soon as Scott said it. Owen raised an eyebrow.
“Scott fosters dogs.”
“Oh.” Owen nodded, understanding visibly dawning over him.
“We should get a dog,” Jude said softly. “Kayla would love a dog.”
“You mean you’d love a dog.” Owen smiled wryly.
Charlie knew better than to interfere while Jude and Owen were discussing something like this. They’d come out the other side of it kissing, as disgustingly in love as they always were.
“How long have they been married?” Scott asked softly, since Owen and Jude’s attention had fallen away from him.
“A little over a year,” Charlie said. “But they’ve been friends all their lives. The wedding was kind of a formality. I grew up with Jude practically as much as I did with Owen.”
“That’s kinda sweet,” Scott said. “I owe you a drink, huh?”
“I wouldn’t refuse one if you’re offering,” Charlie responded, excitement tugging at his belly button.
He was smart enough to know this wasn’t a date, the same way as last night wasn’t a date, but…
Well, there was no reason he couldn’t treat it like a date. Or a pre-date, maybe.
“Beer?” Scott asked, standing up from the table and stretching his arms high above his head. The movement exposed a thin strip of his stomach, pale skin in stark contrast with his dark clothes.
Charlie licked his lips unconsciously. Scott was hot. There was no way of getting around it.
He liked him for his personality and everything, but he also wanted to climb him like a tree.
“Beer would be awesome.” Charlie grinned up at him.
Scott flashed him a pretty, shy smile and turned toward the bar.
Once Scott was out of earshot, Jude let out a low whistle.
“Dude, I’m right here,” Owen said. “No drooling over Charlie’s boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Charlie said quickly, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea.
“You should do something about that,” Jude said. “If I didn’t have the perfect man already, I’d fight you over that one.”
“Yeah, I mean… I have no interest in men,” Lanie said. “But even I can see he’s hot.”
Amber wiggled her eyebrows, not about to be left out of the commentary on how attractive Scott was.
Owen looked confused, since his attraction to men still seemed to be limited to Jude and a select few of his favorite actors, who he insisted were just really good actors.
Everyone else knew better, but Owen could believe whatever he wanted.
“He doesn’t seem like a creep?” Owen said eventually. “You can date him.”
Charlie chuckled at that, tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying fading away. He wanted his friends and family to approve of his choices. Boys came and went, but they were always there for him.
That was a philosophy taken from a Spice Girls song, but they’d been right about friends and lovers.
Less so about love not lasting forever. He could see that it could in the way Jude and Owen were with each other.
What Charlie wanted was a best friend he could also have sex with. That didn’t seem like too much to ask.
“Apparently, this is local,” Scott said, sliding a bottle of beer across the table to Charlie before sitting down next to him again. “When in Rome, right?”
“Right,” Charlie agreed. “But we won’t be offended if you don’t drink our beer. It’s not that kind of small town.”
“No, it’s not.” Scott sipped his own bottle, rolling the beer around on his tongue before swallowing it. “I like it here,” he added.
“Good.” Charlie shifted a little, inching closer to Scott. He was so warm, so solid that Charlie couldn’t help wanting to be close to him. So far, Scott didn’t seem to mind. “There’s a reason people always come back.”
“I’m starting to see it.” Scott nodded. “Thanks for inviting me out tonight. Your friends seem cool.”
“They like you, too,” Charlie said. “And they’ll like you even more as they get to know you. Promise.”
“You’ve got a lot of faith in me.” Scott sipped his beer again, looking around the bar. Charlie couldn’t keep his eyes off him when he wasn’t looking.
He’d forgotten how intense a crush could be. It made him feel awkward and silly, like he should just snap out of it and be cool, but he couldn’t make himself. He wanted as much of Scott’s company and attention as he could get.
“I like you,” Charlie admitted, his stomach swooping as he did so. Was it too much to say?
“I like you, too.” Scott smiled at him, finally sitting back comfortably. “One of my dogs got adopted this morning.”
“Yeah?” Charlie was eager to hear any story Scott wanted to tell him, especially if it was about dogs.
He couldn’t think of anything more attractive than Scott holding a puppy.
“Yeah. She was a total sweetheart and she couldn’t have gone to a better home. A Doberman, so a lot of people wouldn’t even come to see her, but she was good with other dogs, with kids, even cats. She deserved a good human, and I think she’s got one now.”
“It must be kinda bittersweet to see them go,” Charlie said.
“It is. I mean, I’d adopt every dog I met if that was an option, but this way I get to love the maximum number of dogs possible in my lifetime. And when they find new people to love and take care of them, that’s cool. Even if I miss them.”
“I’m glad you’re keeping Chewie. He’s such a sweetheart.”
“He’s at the stage where he keeps trying to eat my work boots, but yeah. He is. I needed one permanent dog so that they couldn’t all leave me at once. I want them to have forever homes, but between you and me, I cry a little when they leave.”
“That’s actually incredibly cute. I don’t think it’s good for men to refuse to cry. It just turns them into angry, frustrated people.”
“Believe me, I know,” Scott said, shifting his weight. “My dad used to call me sensitive. Like it was the worst possible thing I could be.”
Scott’s tone was like a kick in the gut to Charlie. His own father had been nothing but supportive of him. Even though he’d never gotten the chance to come out to him, he knew for sure that it wouldn’t have been a problem between them. His mom had barely batted an eyelid when he came out, but switched from asking about girls to asking about boys immediately.
He hated the thought that Scott had been treated badly.
“It’s not. It’s not even a bad thing. I’d rather sensitive than insensitive.”
“Me too,” Scott said, a tiny smile turning up the corner of his lips. “And I never really felt like my parents cared much until I did something they didn’t like, y’know?”
Charlie had no idea, but he understood that Scott was telling him something important.
“They both had demanding, important jobs, and they just never seemed to have time for me. I was kind of an underachiever compared to them, I guess. Not much to be proud of. Maybe I’m being hard on them. I dunno. But I guess… I always wanted brothers and sisters and cousins so I wouldn’t feel as alone. I wanted someone to be proud of me, or at least care if I did something. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I’m two mouthfuls into my first beer.”
“I’m honored that you’re comfortable around me.” Charlie shrugged, sipping his own beer. Scott was opening up to him, and he really did care what he had to say. “I want to be your friend.”
That was a scary thing to admit, but he’d done it now.
“I wanna be your friend, too,” Scott responded. “You seem really cool.”
Charlie laughed softly, his heart soaring. Scott thought he was cool. That was a good start.
“For the record, you seem cool, too.”
Maybe Charlie could afford to hope that Scott was interested in him after all.