Dak
Dak spent most of the morning after Brody left for work curled up on the couch watching TV. He watched old sitcom reruns and part of a superhero movie. When he got hungry for lunch, he decided to go out and make plans for Brody’s return.
Brody sent a text message just after noon that read:
“I’ve got a steak in the freezer if you’ll get that out, and maybe you can pick up some kind of fresh vegetable at the grocery store. I’ll cook dinner. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Brody had his plans, but Dak disrupted them when he sent back the message:
“I’ve got it all taken care of. Don’t worry.”
He decided to go all out in a way that he guessed Brody didn’t expect. Dak stopped at the grocery store and picked up some prepared pasta from the deli counter and a couple of cold salads that required very little time from refrigerator to table. A working microwave oven was all that he needed. He added a bottle of white wine to the cart, paid, and carried the groceries to his truck.
His next stop was the florist. After consulting with the woman behind the desk, Dak carried an armload of boxes and two vases to the truck. He looked at the items piled high in the passenger’s seat and said, “Yep, I think I’m ready.”
Dak was surprised how much fun it was decorating the house for Brody’s arrival home. He placed one bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table, and the other found a home on the coffee table in the living room. He bought another dozen roses just for the upstairs bathroom. He hoped that Brody would use the downstairs half bath until after dinner, so upstairs would be a surprise.
After placing a single rose in a tall, narrow vase and setting it in the sill of the bathroom’s frosted window, Dak stood in the center of the space and contemplated his next move. He began pulling the petals from the blossoms of a dozen roses and scattered them around the floor near the tub. The rose scent was potent, and, by the time he finished, Dak couldn’t wait for Brody to arrive. He situated the three candles from shelves in the bathroom on a small table that he placed by one end of the tub. Dak whispered, “Brody you’ve got nothing on me. I can put together a romantic evening just as well as you.”
Dak settled in for another hour on the couch after he prepared for Brody’s return home. He wanted everything to unfold gradually and have one little surprise after another as the evening continued. Dak smiled when he heard Brody’s key in the front door lock.
He jumped off the couch and greeted his boyfriend with a kiss. Brody smiled and wrapped his arms around Dak. He whispered, “A perfect ending to one hell of a day.” He dangled the truck keys from his hand in the center of Dak’s back and stuffed his cell phone in his pocket with the other to forget about it and focus on the evening.
“You had a bad day?” asked Dak as he held Brody in his arms.
“Not so much bad as I think all the eccentric people in town descended on Home Pro on the same day. Do you really worry that much about the specific horsepower of a washing machine or which part of the country your lumber comes from? It was like that all day long. Our screws weren’t exactly the right size, and the fibers on the scrub brush weren’t close enough together. We had these weird, detailed questions that nobody ever asks all day long. Lacey suggested they were all secret shoppers.”
Dak placed his hands on either side of Brody’s face, stared deep into his dark brown eyes and said, “You don’t need to worry about any of that tonight. Just relax, put the work away, and let Dak handle the details. It’s our night, Brody. We’ll do it the way it’s supposed to be done.”
“Damn, is that a romantic Dak I hear? I think I like it. Did you get the steak out?”
Dak held a finger to Brody’s mouth. “I’m in charge. Just cuddle up there on the couch, and I’ll have dinner ready in minutes.”
Brody raised an eyebrow and thought about asking a question, but then he decided to follow instructions and do as he was told. He gave Dak a quick kiss, set his shoulder bag on the floor near the fireplace, and settled on the couch with the TV remote control in hand.
“Music,” suggested Dak before he left the room. “It’s more relaxing.”
Brody stretched his long, lean body out on the couch and found the cable selection for pop music from the 1970s. The songs reminded him of the records his mom played when he was a kid. He started to close his eyes when Dak reappeared with a cracker spread with cheese. “Have a bite of this.”
Brody enjoyed the bite, and even more than the food, he enjoyed the chance to relax and be pampered for the evening. “Pasta!” exclaimed Brody when Dak brought him a plate of old-fashioned spaghetti with meatballs.
Dak asked, “Is it okay for us to eat in the living room? I promise that I’ll clean it all up.”
“It’s fine, but please be careful. The floor and the rugs are a little vulnerable.”
Dak smiled as he twirled the spaghetti onto a fork and held it out to Brody for a bite. “A forkful just for you,” said Dak.
Brody cleaned off the fork and savored the pasta in his mouth. “Mmmm, Dak, can we do this forever? Life is perfect with you here. I’m serious about that. I can’t think of anything better. Time stops when I look into your eyes. You make it so easy to forget about the world.”
“Nothing is better,” agreed Dak. He took a bite of the spaghetti and offered another to Brody. “You hang on to this. I have salads, too. Oh, and before that, I need to run upstairs for just a second. I promise I’ll be right back.”
When Dak returned, they continued to feed each other until they were both full. “Come here and lay against me,” said Brody. “This is amazing. I promise that I won’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do, but I want you to want us together.”
Dak kissed just beneath Brody’s jawbone and said, “Now, you’re going to worry too much. We need to get this all right, and I’m happy to take the time we need to get there.”