In the Distance (26 page)

* * *

After Trevor returned to New York, normal life resumed. Sort of. It had been miserable sleeping in my bed alone after having him in it, and had taken a full week before I could sleep the entire night through without moving from my bed to the futon just so I could close my eyes and not feel how cold it was without him next to me. We talked or texted every day, but all of it paled in comparison to being able to talk to him in person.

At work, Jamie and Ethan kept scheduling me for extra shifts, but the ache of missing Trevor never fully went away. I wanted to try to make this work between us, but even I could do the math. Two thousand miles and a few days together every other weekend wouldn’t be enough to sustain a relationship. I wanted more than what those few stolen moments could give us.

“Tyler. You’re off at five tonight, right?”

I jumped. Jamie had snuck up behind me at my station again.

“I think Chef Martin is right. You need a bell.”

Jamie leaned in a whispered, “I’ll give you a raise if you promise never to tell Ethan you endorse getting me a bell.”

This time it was my turn to laugh. “Nah, I don’t want a raise. I just like having something to hold over your head.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “You’ve been spending too much time with Trevor.”

My smile faltered, but I tried my hardest to hide it. I obviously hadn’t done that good of a job because Jamie reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “Being apart from someone you care about sucks. No two ways about it. Which reminds me. Ethan?”

“Yeah, boss?” Ethan called from the other side of the room.

Jamie snorted and called back, “And don’t ever forget it.”

Ethan smirked. “I won’t. At least not until I kick your ass in our next kitchen battle.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it. Now, do you want to come over here and help me give Tyler his early birthday present or should I do it by myself?”

Ethan sauntered over just as Jamie pulled a white envelope out of his back pocket and handed it to me, but then jerked it back.

“Ethan and I have decided to get away for the weekend. We’ve been going nonstop for over a year now and need a break. The restaurant’s in a good place right now, so being closed for the weekend won’t kill us.”

“That’s awesome. You guys deserve a vacation. Where are you going?”

As Jamie held out the envelope again, his words slammed into me. “New York.”

New York. The one place I had fantasized about going to over the past few months. There was no way I could afford even the taxi rides, let alone the airfare there. Trevor had brought up the possibility of me visiting him, but we both knew I didn’t have the spare money in my budget for a trip to New York, and I’d been adamant there was no way I’d let him pay for it. I should have been happy my bosses were finally taking a vacation. Looking at contents of the envelope, though, only made me miss Trevor even more.

“I’m confused. Why do I have a copy of Ethan’s and your travel itinerary? Do you guys need me to take you to the airport?” I felt stupid even asking that question since I didn’t have a car to drive to the grocery store, let alone the airport.

Jamie and Ethan wore matching smiles when Jamie answered, “Not Ethan’s and my itinerary.
Our
itinerary. Happy birthday!”

I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Jamie gripped my shoulder again, just before Ethan pulled me in for a man-hug.

Finally, the smile that had been building inside me broke free. “Really? I’m really going to New York?”

Jamie’s smile softened. “We finalized the details last week. All we have left to do is get the restaurant ready to be closed for a few days and call Trevor to let him know when we’re coming in. We would have scheduled the trip over the weekend of your birthday, but we’d already booked a private function for that Saturday night. We hope that’s okay.”

An idea slowly began to take shape in my mind as my smile widened. “About that. Can I ask you a favor?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Trevor
First Weekend of June

Just landed. See you in baggage claim in a few minutes.

I reread Jamie’s text a few times, still in total disbelief he and Ethan had closed up shop to come to New York for the weekend. Both of them were workaholics who rarely took a day off. Then again, that was the reason Jamie had given me for their spur-of-the-moment trip. That, and Jamie wanted to convince Ethan New York wasn’t such “a festering shithole.”

Five minutes passed. Then, ten. Right as I was checking my phone for the fifth time, a text from Tyler came through.

Hope you have a good weekend with Ethan and Jamie.

As excited as I was to see Jamie, it was difficult knowing Tyler was back in Seattle while I was playing tour director to my best friend and his husband.

Wish you were here instead of Ethan.

A few seconds passed before the next text came through. But this one wasn’t from Tyler. It was from Ethan’s number.

Har, har, har Trustfund.

The longer I stared at my screen, the more confused I got. Why in the hell would Tyler text Ethan what I just texted him?

Why’d you send Psycho my text?

Thank God the answering text was from Tyler.

I didn’t send it to him.

WTF? So Ethan is a psychic now instead of a psycho?

Look up.

More confused than ever, I looked up and took a sharp breath in. Tyler. Tyler was here. The rude looks and “fuck-yous” from the people I dodged and weaved around were a price I’d happily pay ten times over for the crushing hug Tyler wrapped me in once I reached him, Ethan and Jamie.

I buried my face in his neck and breathed in his scent. Once I convinced myself he was really there and not a really bad reaction to the triple shot latte I’d had that morning, I pulled back and stared at him. His smile was more radiant than I’d ever seen it.

“When? How?”

Ethan groaned next to us. “I thought you said he graduated top of his class, Jamie.”

Jamie shushed Ethan, dragging him by the arm away from us. “We’ll just go find our bags now. Don’t rush on our accounts.”

Once we were alone, I cupped Tyler’s face and drew him close for a kiss.

All too soon, he pulled away, but the smile on his face still remained. “Surprised?”

“That’s an understatement. Care to enlighten me as to how you’re standing here in the middle of baggage claim?”

He released his hold from around my waist, but found my hand, twining our fingers together. “How about I let Ethan and Jamie tell you? It was their idea.”

We walked over to Ethan and Jamie just as the carousel came to life. “And the surprise part of it?”

Tyler gave me a smirk that went straight to my cock. “Oh, that? That was all my idea.”

Eight hours later, I was certain I never wanted Tyler to leave. We’d dropped Ethan and Jamie at their hotel, then I’d taken Tyler back to my condo and all but ambushed him once we set foot in my building’s elevator. We’d only just made it through my door when clothes began dropping to the floor. It had been over a month since I’d run my hands over his naked body. An excruciatingly long month.

We were meeting up with Ethan and Jamie later to explore the city, but I wasn’t going to waste a single second I had with Tyler. Three hours after entering my condo, we walked through the front doors and out onto the streets of New York, fully sated after christening my couch, bed and shower.

Tyler’s wet hair earned a smirk from Ethan, but Jamie just looked happy that we were happy. It had been two years since we’d lived in the same city, but it felt normal, right, to have Jamie next to me as we took Tyler and Ethan on the grand tour across town. Tyler laughed when I showed him the ceiling of Grand Central Station and the giant piano at FAO Schwarz, but was a little bit wide-eyed and speechless as we walked around Times Square.

“You okay?” I asked while we were watching Jamie try to convince Ethan to take a picture with him and a street performer who was dressed up like the Statue of Liberty.

Tyler’s eyes were still filled with wonder. “It’s amazing. The only time I’ve ever left Washington was to visit my grandparents in Oregon. It looks like an awesome place to live.”

Taking him in my arms, I bumped my forehead to his and closed my eyes. “It is, but it can also be an exhausting place to live.”

He nuzzled my neck and murmured, “I hear Seattle is pretty laid-back.”

I closed my eyes and pulled him closer. “I’ve heard it’s a wonderful place to live.”

“Fucking hell. Can’t you two keep your hands off each other for five minutes?”

Tyler burrowed deeper into my neck while I threw a smirk in Ethan’s direction, but it was Jamie who swatted him on the arm and glared. “If my memory serves me correctly, there was this guy I knew from Seattle who had a hard time keeping his hands to himself for the first year of his marriage.”

Ethan’s look of outrage had all of us laughing while he grumbled about paybacks.

“Speaking of not being able to keep our hands off each other, come on, lover boy. You and I have a date at the top of the Empire State Building.”

Ethan slipped his hand in Jamie’s back pocket and leered at him. “Does this mean I get to grope you on the observation deck?”

“Remind me why I put up with you?”

Ethan smirked. “Because you love me.”

Jamie sighed, “I do. Very much,” then lifted his face to the sky, probably reciting the same serenity mantra he used to recite when I’d done something to embarrass him. Once his moment of prayer was over, he looked at Tyler and me. “You guys coming with us?”

The Empire State Building was a tourist magnet. It would have been a travesty for Tyler not to see it, but part of me wanted to be selfish with Tyler’s time in New York. Before I could act like a possessive dick, Tyler beat me to the punch.

“Actually, I’m kind of tired. You guys go on without us.”

“My parents invited us to join them for dinner tomorrow night. I figured we could roam around the farmers’ market in Union Square in the morning, then explore Central Park in the afternoon and still able to get cleaned up and make it to Cielo by seven.”

Jamie’s face brightened. “Cielo?”

I felt an old familiar tug of affection in my heart at Jamie’s question, but it was the kind you felt for friends. Nothing more. “Yeah. My parents loved it when you were there and thought you’d want to revisit your old stomping ground.”

Jamie’s smile widened. “Thanks, Trev.”

I tightened my grip on Tyler’s hand. “Anytime, Jamie. They’ve missed you and can’t wait to catch up.”

Jamie and Ethan both man-hugged Tyler, then Ethan shot me an “I’m watching you” look before they took off down the street on their way to their grope session from the second tallest phallic-shaped building in the city.

Once they were out of sight, I turned to Tyler. “Are you really tired? Or did you just want to ditch your dads for a little while?”

“God. You know I love them, but can you imagine them with a baby?”

I had a mental image of Ethan wearing the baby in one of those fancy baby slings, bouncing around and freaking out. It took me a full minute before I could stop laughing. “No.”

“Yeah.” Tyler shivered, which started a whole new round of laughter for both of us. “Can we not talk about my gay dads for the rest of the night?”

“Definitely. So, are you sure there’s nowhere you want to go tonight? Rockefeller Center? A ferry ride at night?”

Tyler slipped his hand in mine, squeezing gently. “Actually, I just want to spend the night with you. No more crowds or attractions or noise. Just us.”

I nodded as we left Times Square behind us. “That, we can definitely do.”

We picked up dinner from a Thai place around the corner from my condo and spent the next few hours eating, talking and watching movies. It was the most natural thing, Tyler’s head resting on my lap as I ran my fingers through his hair while we watched one comedy after another. I’d never felt natural with anyone I dated. The thought of going back to one-night stands and random hookups seemed like the most unnatural thing in the world when I had Tyler next to me. After years of shunning monogamy, Tyler was the only one I wanted in my bed, which, judging by the soft snore coming from my lap, was something that might or not be happening tonight.

“Tyler. Babe. It’s time for bed.”

Without moving, Tyler mumbled. “M’kay. Be right there.”

I chuckled and tapped him on the shoulder. “C’mon. We have an early day tomorrow and as much as I love my couch, it sucks ass to sleep on.”

“Hmm?”

I sighed and helped a half-asleep Tyler make it to my bed. Once I got him in, he immediately curled up on his side and fell back asleep. It took me a few minutes to turn off all the lights and shut everything down, but once I got into bed, he rolled toward me, draping his arm across my chest. It was the furthest thing from the hot and sex-filled night I’d imagined after being apart for three weeks, but when I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer to me, I couldn’t have cared less.

* * *

“So, after a heated thirty-minute debate over the right tomatoes to use in a puttanesca sauce, Tyler and I finally had to drag Jamie and Ethan away from the guy’s stall before it got ugly.”

My parents gaped at Jamie. I doubt they’d ever heard him raise his voice about anything, let alone get into an argument with his husband in the middle of a crowded farmers’ market he’d frequented so much when he lived here that at least half the vendors had to still recognize who he was.

Ethan shook his head with a patronizing smile on his face. “I’ve tried to tell him hundreds of times, Trust—um, Trevor. You have to use heirloom tomatoes for that kind of sauce. Everything else just makes another version of a marinara.”

“Alright, E. We can settle this when we get back to Seattle. I’ll add it to our Kitchen Challenge menu this year. In addition to our own dishes, we’ll each prepare a puttanesca and let the staff decide.”

“You’re on, golden boy. I’m pretty sure Tyler will be on my side when all the plates are thrown down.”

Instead of shrinking away from the challenge, Tyler casually replied, “Oh, I don’t know. I guess it really depends on which one of you gives me a bonus for judging the contest.”

Then he winked. Tyler winked. While everyone else burst into laughter, I just sat and watched him soak up all the attention. Six months ago, Tyler would have shrunk into himself with barely more than a nod in Ethan’s direction. To see him so comfortable, not only with Ethan and Jamie, but with himself, was so fucking attractive it took every ounce of willpower I had not to pull him over to me and kiss him senseless.

A gentle touch on my forearm brought me out of X-rated dreams of what I planned to do to Tyler once we got back to my condo.

“He’s funny.”

I looked over at Tyler, then smiled what I knew was a goofy-ass smile at my mom. “He is.”

My mom’s face softened and she patted my arm. “He’s also handsome.”

I could feel my smile widen. “He is.”

“And young.”

I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on Tyler. A year ago, I’d referred to him as a kid. Ethan’s and Jamie’s adopted younger brother. Now I could only see him as the man I couldn’t imagine my life without. Would my parents understand? Understand that the age difference might seem like a lot now, but in the long run—and more than anything, I wanted there to be a long run for us—the ten years separating us wouldn’t mean a thing? Ultimately, it didn’t matter if they understood. I would do whatever it took for Tyler to be a part of my life. My parents could either accept it, or not. Whether or not Tyler was a part of my life was my decision, not theirs.

“Mom—”

“And exactly what you need.”

Relief flooded my body, and I placed my hand over my mom’s.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“It’s good to see you happy, Trevor. And Tyler obviously makes you happy. That’s all any parent wants.”

While all my other friends’ parents were either divorced or in rehab, my parents had been in love for over thirty years. It was a good track record for any couple, but if you added in our wealth and the expectations that came with it, the stress of constantly being in the public eye and a gay son who’d often excelled at being in the public eye for all the wrong reasons, it was a Herculean feat to make staying happy and in love look this easy. That’s what I wanted. And I didn’t just want it with anyone. I wanted it with Tyler.

My dad’s laughter joined Tyler’s as they watched Ethan and Jamie continue to banter about who was a better chef. Both my mom and I turned to look in their direction, both of us smiling at the men who’d captured our hearts.

After coffee and dessert, we made our way outside. My parents’ driver was already waiting at the curb for them, but before my mother stepped into the car, she wrapped her arms around Tyler and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, and my mom hugged him tighter. When she finally released him, she turned to me, patted me on the cheek, then ducked into the car.

“Your parents are pretty cool, Trustfund. You know, for parents.”

“I’d like to think so. Being a parent is hard work, I’d imagine.”

I winked at Tyler, which caused both of us to laugh at the same time. Ethan and Jamie both looked at us like we’d lost our minds, which only made us laugh harder. The sight of them walking off in confusion had totally been worth the eye-bleach-worthy mental image of Ethan and Jamie as parents.

Tyler and I walked back to my condo, hand in hand, as if we’d done this a million times rather than just this once.

“I like your parents. They’re different than what I expected.”

“Well, I had to get all this awesomeness from somewhere.”

Tyler tried to glare at me, but his snort ruined the effect.

“Well, you obviously have good genes. Your mom’s awesome. That story she told about you stripping down to your Spider-Man underwear and trying to save the kids at the park is one I’m going to treasure for a long, long time.”

“You mean bring up repeatedly to torture me, don’t you?”

“That, too. It sucks this is my last night in New York. I really wanted to hear more stories about you when you were a kid.”