The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupids) (31 page)

I'm sure you want to spend as much time with them

as possible."

"I don’t mind. My parents will be around for a

week. I'm sure I'll see them plenty."

"But it'll be boring. You don't need to subject

yourself to sitting around my parents' house

watching football."

Ash snorted. "What do you think we'll be doing

at Jack's?" he asked. Fee was silent for a moment

and the quality of his silence made Ash pause.

"Wait … is it that you really think I'd be bored? Or

is it that you just don't want me to come?"

Fee didn't respond right away, but that in itself

was answer enough. Ash frowned, hurt pooling in

his chest and making it a little harder to breathe.

"You don't want me to be around your family?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what's it like?"

Fee sighed. "I don't want to do this over the

phone. Can we talk about it when you get here?"

Ash gritted his teeth. "You know what, I think I

might just go straight to my place tonight."

"Ash, don't make this out to be more than it is.

Not everything is about you."

"Not about me?" Ash repeated, incredulous.

"You pretty much admitted you don't want me at

your parents' place for Thanksgiving. How is that

not about me?"

Fee made a frustrated sound. "See, I knew you'd

think of it like that, but if you'd just let me ex—"

"Forget it, okay? No need for explanations. I'm a

self-obsessed asshole. I get it."

"Ash, please—"

"Fee, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I have to finish

up here." Ash cut the call off and shoved his phone

into his pocket with unnecessary force.

"What’s wrong, Grasshopper?" Tank said from

behind him. "Trouble in paradise?"

Ash went back to scrubbing the counter without

looking at him. "Sorry, Tank. I know I shouldn't be

on my phone while on the floor."

"That's only during business hours, kid. I don't

care what you do when the doors are locked for

the night." Tank laid a big hand on Ash's shoulder

and squeezed. "Why don't you take off after you

finish this station? Ty and I can handle the rest."

Ash shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't want to

bail on you guys."

Tank gave his shoulder another squeeze and then

let go. Ash peeked up at the mirror above the

station he was working on and watched Tank

wander over to the front desk, where he'd been

dealing with the register when Ash started his

phone call. Out of the corner of his eye Ash

spotted Ty looking his way, but when he turned his

head, Ty dropped his gaze back to the equipment

he was wiping down.

Ash's cheeks warmed. Great, so he'd made a

spectacle of himself by arguing with his boyfriend

in front of his boss and his best friend. And when

he was done at the shop, he'd be going home to his

cold, empty bed because he'd lost his temper and

snapped at Fee. Ash stopped himself from

groaning aloud. He was going to have to learn how

not to fly off the handle so easily, but, dammit, Fee

was the first boyfriend he'd ever wanted to

introduce to his parents, and it hurt that Fee didn't

feel the same. It hurt a lot.

Sure, Ash had met Fee's mom once, but they

hadn't been dating at the time. He'd still been a

stranger to Fee. What if Fee didn't want his parents

to know exactly
who
he was dating? Maybe Ash

was good enough to show off to Fee's friends, but

when it came to the people who mattered most to

Fee, he didn't want to admit to dating an inked-up,

little tattoo apprentice with big dreams but not a

whole hell of a lot to show for them. A guy who

didn't have a degree and had never gone to college

and, aside from the classes he was taking for the

shop, probably never would.

Ash frowned at the turn his thoughts had taken.

Can that really be it?

Fee had never said anything to make Ash think

that way, but he felt his inadequacy as a partner for

Fee with sudden, brutal certainty. What did he

have to offer Fee beyond his looks and being good

in bed? Yeah, he'd be starting a business soon and

he had high hopes, but there was no guarantee of

success, no promise that he and Ty wouldn't be in

the poor house after a year because they'd invested

their every dime into a tattoo shop that never took

off. What then?

Ash pushed that thought from his head and went

back to his tasks with renewed vigor. It didn't bear

thinking about, not right then. He'd have plenty of

time to angst at home. Hours he should have been

spending with Fee.

You are such a dumbass.

13.2

Ash was still telling himself that same thing

three days later. Since their argument, his

conversations with Fee had been forced and

awkward. Ash didn't know what to say to Fee. Fee

either felt the same way, or he had no intention of

budging from his position and considered further

discussion pointless. Whichever it was, it didn't

change the fact that they hadn't been talking much

and they'd seen each other even less.

The entire situation made Ash completely

miserable. He'd been excited for Thanksgiving.

His parents would be visiting, Jack planned to

propose to Mari, and Ash even had a surprise or

two in store for Fee. He'd been working on a

couple of different designs for the tattoo Fee

wanted to represent his mom. Both drawings

included stargazers, flowers that reminded Fee of

his mother, and the angel Michael, who Fee had

said was his mother's favorite. Ash had also

worked her name into the images, subtly enough

that people would have to really be looking to

notice.

He wanted Fee to like them, of course, but even

more than that, he wanted to be the artist allowed

to tattoo Fee when the time came. That might never

happen now. Why would Fee let the man he

wouldn't introduce to his parents ink a permanent

design on his skin?

Ash spent the rest of the week debating whether

or not to bring the subject of Thanksgiving up

again. Finally, the night before the holiday, after

not having spoken to Fee for more than twenty-four

hours, Ash typed up an email and sent it off before

he could think about it too hard.

Fee,

I know you have your reasons for not wanting

me to meet your family. I'll admit I don't get it,

but I wanted to apologize for the way I acted,

okay? I should have let you explain. I'm really

sorry. I still want you to come tomorrow, and I'm

sure Jack and Mari would love to have you there.

Dinner is at six. Jack is gonna propose right

after. Please come.

~Ash

When he woke the next morning and there wasn't

a response, Ash didn't hold up a lot of hope for the

rest of the day. He texted to wish Fee a Happy

Thanksgiving as a last ditch effort, but didn't get so

much as a "same to you" in reply.

Ash sighed and tucked his phone into his pocket,

determined to enjoy the day regardless. Jae had

been invited to Jackson's place, but he had to

work. He'd provided dessert for the meal, though,

in the form of two pumpkin pies and a pumpkin

swirl cheesecake that looked so good Ash had to

physically restrain himself from slicing it up and

eating the whole thing for breakfast.

Jae noticed him drooling, though, and took pity

on him and Carley by making them mozzarella,

spinach, and mushroom omelets before he left.

"This is sooo good," Carley mumbled around a

mouthful. "But I can't wait for that cheesecake."

Ash nodded. Not having any family in the area,

Carley would be coming with Ash to his brother's

place. Until then, Carley's only plans included

lounging on the couch and napping. Ash didn't

blame him. Carley worked a lot, but Thanksgiving

weekend was usually like a mini vacation for him.

"So, what's the word on Fee?" Carley asked.

Ash had filled him in on what happened.

Ash shrugged one shoulder. "There is no word.

But I apologized and the invitation is out there."

Carley reached across the table and covered

Ash's hand with his own. "He must have reasons

for whatever is going on, you know? I'm sure he'll

explain."

"Yeah." Ash pushed his half-finished omelet

away. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. Leave the

plates. I'll take care of them, okay?" Carley's

aversion to washing dishes was well known.

"Oh, well, if you insist," Carley said with a

wink. "I would never want to deprive you of the

pleasure. Maybe I'll even add a few more."

Ash laughed. "Add any more and I'll change my

mind."

13.3

Ash lingered in the shower for a while. He got

hard thinking of Fee and jerked off just to relieve

some stress, but it wasn't his own hands he craved

on his skin. Memories from the shower he and Fee

had shared the previous week had him trembling—

the feel of Fee's body pressed close behind his, the

coolness of the tile under his cheek, water pouring

over them, slippery and hot, and Fee's cock buried

deep inside, driving him mad.

He left the bathroom when he was finished and

checked his phone first thing. Still no messages

from Fee, but there was a text from Ty, who'd also

been invited to Jack and Mari's dinner, saying he

wasn't going to make it. That would have made

Ash worry if he hadn't been expecting it. Every

year they'd extended the invitation, even back

before Jack had met Mari, when the dinners had

taken place in their tiny, clustered apartment. But

Ty's mom still lived in the area, out in the western

suburbs, and Ash knew Ty always spent the

holiday with her and his grandmother.

Ash took care of the dishes in the sink, messed

around online for a while, and then changed into

something a bit dressier than the sweats and T-

shirt he'd been wearing since his shower.

Carley looked up at him when Ash walked into

the living room. "Heading over there already?"

"Yeah. Might as well go hang out with the 'rents,

see if they need any help." Ash's parents had just

gotten in the evening before, but he hadn't seen

them yet. "Want me to wait for you?"

"No, it’s cool. I’ll see you there. And leave the

pies. I'll bring them."

"All right, thanks. Later." Ash grabbed his jacket

from the rack beside the door and headed out.

He texted Ty back to wish him a Happy

Thanksgiving as he rode the L to his brother's stop.

It wasn't far from there to Jackson's apartment

building, but it felt longer thanks to the frigid

November wind that sliced through his clothes and

chilled him to the bones as he walked.

Ash's father answered the door when he

knocked. "Hey, Dad."

"Hi, kiddo." Ash found himself pulled into a

quick, gruff hug. "Good to see you."

"You, too," Ash said, and he meant it. There

were moments it annoyed him that his father wasn't

very encouraging of his life choices, but Ash knew

he was loved, and lately his dad had been making

more of an effort to be supportive. Ash knew it

was more than a lot of people had, especially

young gay men. The fact that his parents had taken

the news of his sexuality in stride was something

he knew to be grateful for.

"Is that Ashley?" he heard. His mom came into

the living room, and Ash soon found himself

wrapped up in another embrace, this one a good

deal longer than the first.

"Hi, Mom," he said, voice muffled by her

sweater. "It smells great in here."

His mom patted his head, which she had pulled

down to her shoulder. "Mari's responsible for that.

I've just been helping."

"You're here early." Ash looked up to see Jack

standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He

disentangled himself from his mom's arms and

went over to hug his brother.

"Yeah, I figured I would come hang out.

Anything I can do to help?"

Jackson stepped back. "Not really. Mom and

Mari pretty much have it taken care of. Dad and I