Brody shook himself awake feeling disoriented. He looked at his alarm clock and realized he’d slept past the alarm. He only had forty-five minutes instead of the usual hour and fifteen that he tried to allot for getting ready for work in the morning. As he started to crawl out of bed, he remembered seeing Dak in the middle of the night and crawling in bed together, but Dak was nowhere in sight.

Shaking his head, Brody wondered if he’d dreamed it all. He wondered if it was just wishful thinking and crazy dreams brought on by how upset he was about Dak’s abrupt departure and silence over the phone.

Then he heard the deep, gravelly voice calling from below. “Hey, sleepyhead, breakfast is almost ready. Jump in that shower for five minutes and then join me in the kitchen!”

Brody smiled and jogged naked to the bathroom. He stood under the hot water for a few short minutes and threw on a cozy bathrobe before descending the stairs to the first floor of the house. As he approached the bottom, he inhaled the aroma of frying bacon wafting up from the kitchen.

As he rounded the corner to enter the kitchen, Brody said, “You didn’t have to cook breakfast, but it’s a sweet thing to do. My stomach is rumbling.”

Dak was barefoot in jeans and his gray T-Shirt. He said, “I’m the one who doesn’t have to go to work. I guessed it was the least that I could do. I’m earning my keep.”

Brody poured himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge and sat down at the table. “When I didn’t see you in bed, I was worried that I dreamed everything from last night.”

Dak shook his head. “No, it was real. I had nightmares before I left the apartment, and I decided that I wanted to be with you. When I cuddled up against your shoulder, I slept like a baby.”

“I think I slept like a rock. I don’t remember anything between climbing into bed and waking up a few minutes ago. I slept right through the alarm clock.”

“No, that wasn’t the case. When I woke up early, I turned off. I was getting ready to come up and wake you when I heard the creaks of the floorboards.” Dak set two plates on the table. He said, “Excuse the fried egg. I can never get them right, so it’s something like a fried scrambled egg.”

Brody smiled. “It’s breakfast, and it’s better than I usually do. It’s a lot more protein than a bagel with a smear of butter.”

“You could use cream cheese instead.”

“I don’t usually have time for that.”

Dak shook his head. “It sounds like you need me.”

“I think I do.” Brody took a bite of a bacon strip and said, “Wow, crispy, exactly how I like it.” He looked up at Dak and asked, “What’s your plan for the day?”

“I thought maybe I’d hang around here for the day if that’s okay with you? Your couch is a lot comfier than the one in the apartment. I could get some groceries for dinner.”

Brody downed a bite of the egg and chased it with some orange juice. “I was going to ask if you wanted to do that. I would love to see you here when I come home from work.”

Dak sipped at a mug of coffee. “Is there anything you want me to do while you’re gone? I feel like I should accomplish something and not just sit on the couch all day.”

“Unless you wanna go out in the yard and pull weeds, I don’t think there’s a lot that needs doing. I try to run a tight ship. I only get behind with outdoor tasks.”

Dak laughed. “I can’t promise anything, but if I get bored, I might think about the words. I’m not always good at figuring out what’s a weed and what’s a plant you want to keep. Maybe it’s best just to rest the body. I got beat up a bit in the last day on the boat.”

Brody bit into a wedge of whole-wheat toast. “No fights I hope. Sometimes I imagine the boat is like one of the taverns in an old western and every once in awhile, tensions boil over into a fight.”

Dak laughed harder. “That’s what you think? It’s more like guys that are too exhausted from working to get excited about anything. We try to leave the attitudes onshore.” He stabbed at a piece of egg and said, “Oh, but wait, I got in a little bit of a dustup.”

“You did? What happened? Did you get in trouble with the captain.”

“Oh, I don’t think anyone ever found out, but remember when I told you Lewis was all bent out of shape about me getting sucked off on the boat?”

Brody made a face like he was sucking on a sour lemon. “Do I really wanna hear this?”

“Actually, I think you do. The same guy, Leo, was after me for my cock again. I did give it some serious thought, and I said no.”

“You said no?”

Dak nodded. “Yep, no cumming with any other guys around on this trip. I had to rub ‘em out in the shower.” He held up a hand. “Scouts honor.”

“Was there a reason why? And did you beat up Leo? I’m not following the connections between the stories.”

“I had to show him that I meant no, and fuck yeah, there was a reason. You haven’t figured that out?”

Brody took another sip of his orange juice. “No, I don’t think so. Am I missing something obvious?”

“As obvious as the nose on your face. I think there was this guy back home named Brody. When I considered Leo, I thought about Brody and his toe-curling kisses, and I just couldn’t. I decided to wait until I got home.”

Brody blushed. “You did that? Aw, that’s so sweet in a sort of dirty, greasy, working-on-the-boat kind of way.”

Dak reached across the table and playfully cuffed the side of Brody’s head. “I need to take you on a boat sometime. You have this sort of Harrison Ford meets the mud people idea about life on the river. It’s a lot more ordinary than that. It’s more professional, too.”

Brody grinned. “I’d love to see the boat!” He looked up at the clock above the kitchen sink and said, “Damn, though. I’ve gotta get my ass in gear. I need to make my lunch…”

Dak interrupted, “Bag on the counter.”

“And brush my teeth.”

“Can’t help you with that one.”

“And last but totally not least, I need to give my boyfriend a kiss before I go.”