Teddy Bear Christmas (2 page)

Tyler watched the red-eye take off and realized the only people left in the gate were the stragglers from his delayed flight. It might be time to give up and accept that he wasn’t going to make it home in time for Christmas. No arguing over who got to pass the platter around first, no warm bread fresh from the oven, no discreetly hiding the Panettone that he absolutely hated.

There’d been one bright spot to this day that had his belly warming when he could have been wallowing in despair. Tyler had sat close enough to the concierge desk to watch Aaron. Aaron had a sweet smile, which he used on every upset customer, and they seemed to leave his desk a lot happier. Tyler wanted that smile directed at him again.

But for the life of him, he couldn’t think of a good excuse to go up there and talk to him.

That’s when he noticed that silly teddy bear was still sitting on the desk, up against the phone. Tyler let out a laugh and got a glare from the woman sitting across from him. He winked at her, and she went back to her knitting with a sigh.

Tyler stood and stretched, trying to work the kinks out of his body. These chairs were not made to be sat in for any length of time, which was ironic, considering how long most people had to wait here. Aaron didn’t have a line at his station, so this was the best time to make his move.

“Do they ever let you out of here?” Tyler approached the desk, still dragging his carry-on behind him. The piece of luggage had started to feel like an albatross, and he’d cheated and gotten everyone gift cards instead of real presents. No way could he have managed anything heavier.

Aaron finally turned that smile toward Tyler, and the warmth in his belly spread. “I’m chained by my ankle and need to wait for my jailer to free me.”

Tyler picked up the teddy bear and made it dance on the desk. “Too bad we don’t have some Christmas magic—oops, sorry, Hanukkah magic—to bring this little guy to life and save you.”

“Hanukkah was two weeks ago.” Aaron took the bear from Tyler, their fingers brushing slightly. Tyler felt more warmth travel up his arms. “Poor Oliver never made it to Lost and Found. I’ll have to walk him over after my shift.”

“Going to show him all the sights of the airport first?” Tyler said it as a joke, but then something clicked in his head. “Hey, you have access to a color printer?”

“There’s one in the main office. Why?” Aaron seemed confused by the sudden change of conversation. Of course, he didn’t understand the way the wheels worked in Tyler’s head.

“I just thought if we took some pictures of Oliver having a good time, we could leave them for the little girl when she gets back. It might be fun for her to see that her bear had a good vacation without her.”

Aaron looked at his watch. “Let me see if Sheila can cover me a little early. Don’t move.”

Tyler would not dream of it. Somehow his plan had worked. At least he’d get to spend a little more time with Aaron, and maybe, just maybe, he’d get something out of it. He hoped for maybe a phone number and promise of a date.

He stood off to the side to wait, trying not to feel self-conscious when someone else appeared to take over Aaron’s shift. Would she think it weird that Aaron was going off with a traveler? Did this kind of thing happen every day? Tyler had a sudden flash of “the secret lives of airport workers” and had to twist his lips to keep from giggling.

Finally Aaron came around the desk with Oliver in his hands. “Are we ready to do this?” He sounded a bit nervous. Tyler didn’t know if it was because of the bear or something else.

“Hell, yeah.” Tyler pulled out his phone. “This way.”

Tyler had Aaron pose the bear in the still-open bookstore, looking through a magazine. They then put Oliver in front of a vending machine, a dollar attached to his paw. The best trick was on the people-moving conveyer belt. Tyler always had a thing for those, and he couldn’t stop giggling long enough to get a good picture.

“My photography teacher would hate these.” He swiped through the blurry shots. “Set him up again. I didn’t get anything good.”

“Let me take the pictures this time. At least I can avoid laughing for ten seconds!” Aaron held out his hand, and Tyler gave over his phone.

He moved to set the bear up, watching Aaron fiddle with his phone. “Push the big circle at the bottom!”

“Hah.”

Aaron’s shots weren’t blurry, though he didn’t really have a photographer’s eye. Tyler didn’t think the child in question would mind. It was still darn cute. “Where to next?”

He fell into step beside Aaron, walking in tune as if he’d known him for years instead of for a few hours.

“I just had the most inappropriate thought….” Aaron steered them down the hall that led to the restrooms.

“No teddy bears on the toilet.” Tyler couldn’t help finding the idea funny, even if it was inappropriate. He was so tempted to take the picture anyway, for his own amusement.

They paused outside, near the water fountain, so Tyler set the bear up next to the faucet. This was probably a better idea. He turned to say so to Aaron and caught Aaron staring at him, those gray-green eyes trailing Tyler’s body appreciatively.

Oh. So that answered that question.

Tyler hadn’t planned this. Meeting Aaron had brought a bit of light into his dour and gray airport existence. To perhaps have found something more? That opportunity he could not pass up.

He moved by instinct, leaving the bear where it sat, and grasped Aaron by the shoulders. “Let me know if this is okay,” Tyler said before bending down to press their lips together. Aaron’s were soft, and he tasted like mint as he opened sweetly for Tyler’s invasion. He sucked gently at the lower lip before pulling away.

Aaron swallowed and shook his head. “Yes, yes, that was definitely okay.”

They heard flushing from one of the restrooms, and Tyler realized they wouldn’t be alone for long. He snatched up the bear and tilted his head back toward the main gate area. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I know the best booth for coffee. Come on.”

Tyler let him lead, his head a bit fuzzy from the kiss. He touched his lips. It had happened so fast; had it even been real? This entire night had seemed a little surreal from the beginning, when he’d picked up Oliver from that seat.

They ended up sharing a plate of french fries, sitting at a free table in the food court area. A few hours had made all the difference, and now this place seemed almost deserted. They each had cups of coffee in front of them—black for Tyler, a latte for Aaron.

“I draw the line at feeding a fake bear french fries.”

“Come on, it’s cute.” Tyler staged the photo anyway, feeling suddenly shy. “Should I e-mail all of these to you?” He hadn’t stopped to think about what would happen after. They’d kissed after a night of being silly. Should he ask Aaron out? Tyler couldn’t decide on the next logical step. He might as well make sure they finished what they set out to do and get this bear’s photo shoot printed.

“Oh, sure.” Aaron pulled a pen out of his pocket and scribbled an address down on a plain white napkin.

For a moment neither of them said anything as Tyler messed with his phone, trying to figure out how to mail multiple pictures at once—spoiler alert: he couldn’t. He frowned at it. “You’re going to have, like, twenty e-mails from me.”

“That’s absolutely fine.” Aaron covered his grin with his cup, bringing it up for a sip. “So what do you do? You already know my dramatic career aspirations.” He gestured to his uniform.

“Oh, I’m a graphic designer. I landed a job with a firm out this way….” He hadn’t really wanted to move so far from family. But the opportunity was good in a shrinking job market.

“So, an artist, then?” The way Aaron said it made him feel… special. There was a note of flirting in his voice and in the very sultry way he kept looking Tyler up and down.

Tyler shrugged, trying to play it off. They were only flirting, right? “Been a bit too busy to work on my own stuff, but yeah. That’s me.”

“I don’t know. I think these teddy bear pictures are pretty artistic.”

For some reason the compliment made him feel warm inside. Aaron had never seen any of his art, and Tyler suddenly wanted to share it with him. Luckily, he’d snapped some pictures of his work and still had them on his phone.

They had their heads together as Tyler scrolled through the album. He could smell Aaron, pressed close together like this, a bit of mint and warmth of the coffee on his breath. Under that, he caught sweat and the hint of musk, as if Aaron were turned on.

Tyler knew his art had nothing to do with that, but maybe it was the way they were touching all down the one side of their bodies, arm to arm, shoulder to shoulder.

He abruptly came to a photo of one of his sisters and stopped, wondering if he should put the phone away. Aaron had asked about his artwork, not about his family. But something in him ached to share, especially since he might not be seeing any of them this Christmas. And Aaron made Tyler want to share things with him.

“That’s my sister Bella with our dog, Cleaver. Don’t ask about the name.”

“You realize that’s gonna make me ask.”

Tyler laughed. He was about to launch into the story when his phone buzzed. The airline app he’d downloaded had a message for him. His flight was officially, 100 percent canceled. “Well, fuck. So much for me going home.”

It finally seemed real. He wasn’t going to see his family for Christmas. Any of the warmth and light that he’d gained from Aaron’s company faded. Tyler shifted away slightly, not sure what to do with the disappointment welling in his belly.

Aaron tapped his fingers against the table, pulling Tyler out of his sudden pity party. “Listen, I don’t live too far from here. You can crash at my place, get some rest, and then you’ll be close enough to the airport if another flight becomes available in the morning.”

Tyler could only blink stupidly at him. “Wow, that’s a generous offer, but, don’t you have to get back to work?”

“My shift’s been over for about an hour and a half.” Aaron’s cheeks had gone slightly pink. “I was enjoying the conversation too much to say anything.”

Words had flowed easily between them. Tyler had shared so much of himself—his family, his art. He didn’t want the conversation to end either. And yet, he felt himself flush. They’d kissed and flirted, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to take this into one-night stand territory. Not after spilling so much.

“Why would you offer that?”

Their hands were still touching, Tyler’s fingers wrapped around his phone, and Aaron’s against his to hold it steady. Aaron pulled away slowly and cupped his hands around his coffee cup. “It sounds like your family means a lot to you. You deserve the chance to try to make it to them. If I can offer my couch….”

“Oh, I thought you meant….” Tyler trailed off, realizing how that sounded.

Aaron let out a sultry laugh. His voice had gone deeper as he spoke. “Not that I wouldn’t be adverse to more, but honestly this offer comes with no strings. Take the couch and its ridiculously comfy cushions.”

Tyler grinned back. “I think I might.”

“And then when you get back from New Jersey… we’ll talk.”

A
ARON
STOPPED
by his locker to grab his stuff before meeting Tyler in the parking garage. As he got closer to his beat-up Honda, his heart started to race. What the hell was he doing? He’d only known Tyler a few hours, and yet he felt like he really knew him. Aaron could sit for days and let Tyler talk. It wasn’t only his voice—though that was sexy as hell—it was the way he made Aaron feel connected to things. Aaron had never met Tyler’s family and he didn’t really know much about art, but after hearing Tyler’s stories, he’d felt a part of them. Tyler had made him feel something, and that counted for a lot during a dour winter where he’d found himself stuck in a rut.

If he let Tyler leave, Aaron knew they’d never have this chance again.

That was silly, of course. Tyler had his e-mail—had sent him a ridiculous number of teddy bear pictures. They could get in touch when Tyler got back into town. But there was something magical about this night. He couldn’t explain it, but the moment Tyler had shown up at his desk with that bear and his ridiculously attractive face, Aaron knew everything had changed.

“You’ve turned me into a cheeseball,” he accused as he came upon Tyler standing next to his car, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “I sent those pictures to the office printer before I left.”

Tyler laughed. “I can’t wait to find out what your coworkers will think of you.”

“At least Oliver finally made it to Lost and Found.” Aaron unlocked his Civic and once again felt the flutter of nerves. “I didn’t really have time to pick up.”

“I promise I won’t judge you for the socks on the floor.”

“Not the socks I’m worried about,” Aaron muttered under his breath as he slid into the driver’s seat.

Tyler slung his carry-on into the back seat and then got in. “Good thing I didn’t have any baggage to check.”

The ride was short. Aaron liked living close to work; driving to the airport was a bitch on the best of days, never mind during the holiday rush. At least by 1:00 a.m., the traffic had died down. The entire city seemed to be asleep, with nothing but blinking lights to guide their way. At this point in the night, most people had turned off their holiday decorations, so Aaron’s neighborhood was darker than usual. He’d never minded the lights—hope during the darkness of winter was a universal constant. He could do without the manger scenes, however, as they were another reminder that he was excluded from this particular holiday.

They didn’t speak as they crept up the stairs and down the hall to Aaron’s door. He unlocked it and flipped on the light as he crossed the threshold, Tyler a weighted presence at his back. When was the last time Aaron had a visitor? Too damn long, since he could barely remember when he’d even had a friend over.

Tyler walked in and set down his carry-on. Aaron watched him take in the apartment, a bit nervous. It wasn’t like he was an interior decorator. Tyler, of course, immediately found the tall shelving unit where Aaron kept his collectibles.