10. Ever

10

Ever

Thanksgiving Day started early, especially for Tracy. By the time I got up at six-thirty, the apartment already smelled like fresh baked goods. I'd been planning to go for a run since the gym was closed, but instead I quickly showered and got dressed, then went to see if I could give him a hand.

Every surface in the kitchen was covered with cooling racks full of cinnamon rolls, muffins, and miniature pies. "This is impressive," I said, as I poured myself a cup of coffee. "Is it all for the kids at the shelter?"

"Mostly, but I'm planning to take some of the pies to Vee's house tonight, too."

"Have you been up all night?"

"No, I got up at five. I'd pre-made some of the individual components over the last couple of days, so all I needed to do was let one of the doughs rise, then assemble and bake everything."

The timer on his phone started to play a tune, and he tapped the screen to shut it off. Then he stuck his hands in a pair of oven mitts, pulled two more muffin tins full of mini pies out of the oven, and looked around. There was no place to put them, so I tried to help. "I'll put some of these in another room, so you have more space."

I brought two cooling racks of tiny pies into the living room and put them on the coffee table. Phil eyed them from the sofa, so I warned him, "Don't even think about it." We stared each other down for a few moments. He ended up winning the staring contest, so I picked up the racks and moved them to the dresser in my bedroom, where they'd be safe behind closed doors.

I returned to the kitchen and asked Tracy, "How much more do you have to do?"

"The last batch is in the oven. After it's done, I can pack everything up and head to the shelter."

"Have you eaten anything this morning?" He shook his head, so I reached for my blender. "Healthy smoothies for two, coming right up."

"Will they contain algae, or anything else I might find horrifying?"

"Since I'm making them for both of us, I'll stick to normal stuff like bananas, blueberries, and Greek yogurt. Full disclosure—I'm going to put in a handful of spinach and kale too, but I promise you won't even taste it." He frowned, but he didn't argue.

I shifted some things around to make room for my blender on the counter. Then I started pulling things from the fridge one by one and adding them to my concoction before putting them right back.

When I finished blending up breakfast and handed him a glass, I noticed a smudge on his face. "There's some flour on you," I murmured, as I reached up to brush it away. Somehow, that touch turned into a caress.

What was it about Tracy that made me want to take care of him? Sometimes the feeling was overwhelming. So was the urge to kiss him. My gaze dropped to his full lips. What would he do if I gave in to temptation? Would he respond, or pull away? Right now, he was frozen in place and watching me closely, waiting to see what I'd do.

Then his timer went off and jarred us out of the moment. I dropped my hand from his cheek and stepped back, and he glanced at me one more time before turning his attention to the oven.

It was the second time this week that I'd come close to kissing Tracy. Next time, I'd have to make sure there were no distractions.

The next several hours were hectic. Tracy had offered to work a twelve-hour shift so a couple of his coworkers could have the day off, and he was determined to make the day special for the shelter's young residents. He served a delicious brunch, which included the fresh baked goods he'd brought, and he organized several games and activities throughout the day, before getting the residents involved in cooking. It was all capped off with a huge holiday feast in the late afternoon.

I looked around the table as we sat down to dinner. Even though they'd been through way too much in their young lives, I saw a lot of smiles and optimism on the faces of the fourteen beautiful souls who called this place home.

They looked like the living embodiment of the Pride flag. Half the residents wore their hair in bright, cheerful colors, including a few multicolored works of art they called mermaid hair. Most of them also wore vivid, tie-dyed T-shirts. They'd made them earlier that day, thanks to Tracy, who'd donated all the supplies.

He sat between me and the shelter's newest resident, a shy eighteen-year-old named Joaquin. The boy always sought Tracy out, and I could see why. He probably identified with him, not just because they were both gay and Latino, but because they were two quiet introverts in a sea of loud, outgoing extroverts.

The food was being passed around family-style, but instead of moving in one direction, it was pure pandemonium. Everyone was talking at once, while platters and bowls came from not only the left and right, but zigzagged across the table.

Joaquin was too hesitant to take part, so Tracy made it his mission to intercept each and every item, which he then offered to the kid. Once Joaquin either turned it down or took a small helping, Tracy would pass the dish to the right and set his sights on the next item. He didn't even think about taking any for himself, but fortunately, he kept passing everything to me.

I filled Tracy's plate right along with mine, and he was so focused on helping the boy that he didn't even notice—not until all the food had been distributed and everyone began to eat. When he saw his full plate, he grinned at me and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"The mashed potato volcano with gravy lava is a nice touch."

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that." I'd had a little time between dishes, so I'd used my fork to sculpt a tiny mountain.

"You're always looking out for me."

"I try."

There was emotion in his eyes as he whispered, "It means a lot to me."

I ran my knuckles along his jaw, and he reached up and caressed the back of my hand. Then we quickly turned our attention to dinner, and I glanced around the table. Fortunately, none of the residents had noticed our little moment. They wouldn't have hesitated to tease us mercilessly, which wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest, but it was easy to embarrass Tracy.

Later on, after way too much food and dessert, the residents helped with clean-up before moving to the rec room to watch movies. "You did a great job today," I told Tracy, as I took a sponge from his hand. He was still trying to clean things that didn't need cleaning. "Everyone loved all those baked goods, and the tie-dye craft project was a big hit. I'm also impressed by the way you orchestrated dinner and managed to get everyone involved, even the shy kids who usually hang back."

He leaned against the edge of the kitchen counter and pushed his dark hair off of his forehead. "I wanted it to be special for them. Holidays can be painful, but hopefully they made some new, happy memories today."

"I'm sure they did."

Darwin and his fiancé Josh arrived a few minutes later. After we exchanged greetings, I asked, "How did you two end up with the overnight shift?"

"We volunteered," Darwin said. "We celebrated Thanksgiving here in town with Josh's family, so it was no problem coming in afterwards."

I'd always been impressed by this young couple. Both boys were in college, and Josh volunteered at the shelter twice a week. Meanwhile, Darwin had gone from volunteering to taking a staff position, then getting promoted to volunteer coordinator. On top of that, they were deeply committed to each other and had been together for years. I admired them for having so much figured out at such a young age.

Josh adjusted his glasses and said, "It was pure pandemonium at my great-grandmother's house. How'd everything go here?"

Tracy muttered, "Fine," as he zipped up his dark blue hoodie.

When he didn't elaborate, I chimed in with, "It was wonderful. Tracy brought in a ton of delicious, homemade baked goods for brunch and dessert, which were a huge hit. He also brought fabric dyes and T-shirts for all the residents, and they had a blast tie-dying them. Then he got everyone involved in cooking dinner and cleaning up afterwards. It could have been chaos, but he kept it incredibly well-organized."

"Wow, that's amazing." Darwin looked impressed.

I nodded. "It was, and we all had a great time, thanks to Tracy. He was a total rock star."

Predictably, Tracy was embarrassed by my praise. It was compounded when Darwin turned to him and said, "Thanks for going above and beyond. It sounds like you made the holiday very special for our residents." He turned to me and added, "Thank you too, Ever. It means a lot to all of us that you chose to spend your holiday here."

I glanced at Tracy and said, "There's no place I would have rather been."

The holiday wasn't over, either. After we said good night to everyone, I drove us across town to the second half of our celebration.

The Victorian Vee and his friends shared was the brightest, most colorful house on the block, not only because it was hot pink, but because it was totally decked out in pink twinkle lights. I'd assumed Thanksgiving would be similar in scale to Sunday dinner, but instead a massive house party was in full swing. When we stepped inside, Tracy was immediately accosted by Clementine, the little blue parakeet, who screeched, "What the fuck," as he flew at him and landed on his shoulder.

"I don't know why Clementine likes me so much," Tracy murmured, as I lightly ran a finger down the bird's back. "He always insists on going for a ride whenever he sees me."

I smiled at him and said, "The bird has good taste."

We said hello to Vee and his housemates, and I was introduced to a few more people. This included the mysterious seventh roommate, Hal Nakamura, who finally had a day off from work. As we shook hands, he gushed, "I've been looking forward to meeting you! I wanted to tell you I've gotten a lot of inspiration from your YouTube channel and your Instagram posts over the years."

"Thanks, that means a lot."

"I'm looking forward to checking out your gym when it's open," Hal said, as he swept his long, dark hair behind his shoulder and smiled at me. I couldn't tell if he was being flirtatious or just friendly.

A couple of guys joined us and asked to take a photo with me. It reminded me that I hadn't posted all day, so I pulled out my phone and went into autopilot, smiling, posing, and chatting as I reverted to my public persona.

At some point, Tracy disappeared. It was probably fifteen minutes before I managed to slip away and go in search of him. In the kitchen, I found he'd added the little pies he'd brought to the dessert buffet, but there was no sign of him. Then I checked the hallway leading to a back bedroom, and there he was.

Tracy was sitting on the floor, with the little parakeet settled in on his shoulder. There was also a black cat and a scruffy tan and white terrier mix on his lap. "You're like a Disney princess," I teased, as I took a seat beside him and scratched the cat's ears. "All the animals are drawn to you." He shot me a look and tried to hide his grin, and I asked, "Who do we have here?" I didn't recall seeing them when I'd been here before.

"The Cat is Steve. She showed up one day and never left. And the dog is His Royal Highness Bartholomew Dust Mop, of the San Francisco Dust Mops. Dusty for short. He's Embry's new rescue."

"Steve's a girl?"

"Best not to question it."

"This is quite the ecosystem for one household. I'm glad all three critters get along."

"The bird is in charge. Apparently the cat tried to swipe at him once, but after Clementine yelled at her, she never tried it again."

"It's always seemed odd to me that he's just flying around. Doesn't he try to escape?"

"No. Never."

"Why not?"

Tracy shrugged. "Because he doesn't want to."

"Okay, but how does the rest of it work? Does he have a cage somewhere?"

"The bird has food, water, and nesting stations set up all around the house—everything a birdcage would have, minus the bars."

"Which is good to know, but what I'm really asking is if he craps everywhere."

"Apparently he prefers doing his business in trees or bushes. Potted plants do the job when he's indoors, and they're easy enough to take outside and hose off periodically." Tracy looked amused. "Any other questions?"

"Loads, but you've satisfied my curiosity for now."

"Glad to hear it."

After a moment, I changed the subject by saying, "I couldn't help but notice you're hiding from everyone. Why is that?"

"I thought this was going to be a small get-together, not a huge party. It's a little more than I can face, after being ‘on' at work all day." He sighed and added, "That probably doesn't make sense to someone as outgoing as you."

"No, I get it." The terrier shifted a bit and went to sleep, and Tracy began to pet him idly as I asked, "Do you want to go home?"

"Not yet. We just got here, and I don't want to be rude. Plus, you're meeting a lot of new people, which is good."

"Everyone's been really nice."

"Hal was very excited to meet you."

"Yeah, he follows me on social media. He gave me his number, because he wants us to work out together."

Tracy frowned and muttered, "I'll bet."

"What does that mean?"

"That's obviously not why he gave you his number."

"You think he was hitting on me?"

He shot me a look. "Obviously. A guy like that is probably exactly your type, too."

"A guy like what?"

"Hal's a former model, and one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen."

A grin spread across my face. "Are you jealous?"

"Bite me."

"You are! But you're also wrong. He's not my type."

"Gorgeous ex-models are everyone's type. He's nice too, not to mention smart, talented, and ambitious. He's studying fashion design and?—"

"Are you trying to talk me into him?"

"No, but saying you're not into him makes no sense. Why wouldn't you be?"

"Because I'm interested in someone else."

"Who?"

I brushed his hair back and asked, "Isn't it obvious?"

Tracy seemed flustered. "I thought… I thought maybe, but you've never done anything about it."

"So, let's change that."

The parakeet on Tracy's shoulder didn't like it when I started to lean in. He shrieked, "What the fuck," and flew straight up before flying toward the kitchen. This stirred up the cat and dog in turn. They tumbled off Tracy's lap, and the dog shook himself before the two of them trotted off in the same direction.

This time though, I wasn't going to let anything distract me. I gently took hold of Tracy's chin, and he tilted his head as our lips met.

I'd planned to keep it light, but instead, the kiss instantly ignited. He grabbed the front of my jacket with both hands and pulled me closer, and I ended up straddling his lap as he parted his lips for me.

The way Tracy kissed me was electrifying. There was an urgency to it, as if he needed me desperately, which was a huge turn-on. I completely gave myself over to the moment, reveling in the taste of his mouth, his familiar scent, the softness of his hair as I slid my fingers into it.

My entire body responded to him. He was right there with me, grinding his hard cock against mine through our jeans. By the time I finally sat up, both of us were flushed and breathing heavily. "I don't want to stop, but considering where we are…" My voice sounded rough to me.

"Yeah."

I sat down beside him again, and once we caught our breath and calmed down a little, Tracy said, "We should go back to the party. Our friends are probably wondering what happened to us."

We both got up, and as I followed him to the living room, I found myself grinning. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I couldn't wait to find out.