“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.” Then Ryder was at his side, arm twining with his. “Cocoa, huh? How fancy.”
“Fun. Less fancy, more fun.” He tucked that arm close as they followed their luggage into the elevator. “Do you know how kind you are? Everyone tells me so, everywhere I go.”
“Am I? I just treat folks like I’d want to be treated, but that’s nice to hear.”
“That makes you special. Not everyone does that. I appreciate it.” He was surprised at the size of the place as they got off the elevator. It had looked much smaller from downstairs, but up here there were sitting areas, big windows, and the hallways were nice and wide. Their room was far enough down the hall to be free from elevator noise, and the bellhop let them in.
It was charming and lush, with Christmas lights delicately framing the windows. The fireplace was blazing, and the bed was huge and covered in a white duvet. There was a sitting area in front of the fire, and the whole thing screamed, “relax”.
He sank into the comfy couch in front of the fireplace and started it with a remote control. “I know you; you’ll want to unpack right away, so I’ll just sit here and keep an ear out for our cocoa, shall I?” He was only half teasing. Ryder did like to make everywhere they stayed together feel like home.
“Sounds perfect to me. I want to get our shirts hung up. I hate wrinkled shirts.” Ryder leaned down and kissed him, soft and slow.
“Mmm.” Charles didn’t care about wrinkles, or much of anything else at the moment. Just that Ryder was happy, and he seemed to be. He had luggage to deal with and an empty closet to fill and, as lazy as it made Charles look not to help, Ryder needed that. He needed to feel useful. He enjoyed doing while Charles sat and relaxed.
And Charles had dealt with the angry family, giving Ryder the headspace he needed.
Headspace was something he was learning about from River and Victor. They had a group text going, and he used it frequently. Charles was trying to give Ryder what he needed without using the customary lifestyle words that their friends—and even Roper—used. Ryder didn’t like them; they made him anxious. They added pressure somehow, or perhaps even frightened Ryder. He wasn’t sure.
Whatever it was, he was respectful. Labels didn’t matter. Health and happiness mattered. Love mattered.
Ryder mattered.
There was a knock at the door. That had to be the cocoa. He slid off the couch to answer it.
“Do you want to explore the place a little before dinner?”
“That sounds like fun. It’s bigger than it seems, isn’t it?” Ryder came in wearing a huge sweater. “Ooh, hot chocolate!”
“Be careful, itishot.” The kid from room service gave them a wink as he set the tray down on the coffee table. “We make it from scratch with milk, and we even make our own marshmallows. You’re going to love it.”
He reached for his wallet as the kid started to leave.
“No tips but thank you. You paid for them in your service fee.”
“All right.” He’d tip a lump sum the day they left. “Thank you for the drinks.”
“You’re welcome. Have a nice evening.”
Charles closed the door after the kid. “No tips. Quite a place. I hope I didn’t insult him.”
“I bet it’s fine. He’ll get his part from the resort fees or what-have-you.”
His lover was very hotel literate, wasn’t he?
“You’ve done your research? Or have you just stayed in that many hotels?” He dropped a couple of the homemade marshmallows into each mug and brought one to Ryder.
“I’ve lived all my adult life in hotels, Sir. Literally, I’ve never had a home of my own. We were either in hotels or at home at the folks’.”
“Right, of course. I wasn’t thinking. You spent all your time on the road. But it seems like having a home suits you.” He sniffed his cocoa and hummed, then took a tiny sip, testing how hot it was. “Oh. Yum.”
“Is it amazing?” Ryder took a sip and groaned. “It is, and I love having a place. It suits me, having a solid spot, a routine. I like it.”
He nodded because he knew. “I like that you’re such a good cook, and you spoil me.” He took another sip, letting the rich chocolate slide over his tongue. This was a good idea.
“I like that you are the best to chat with and read with and…” Ryder blushed and grinned. “Snuggle with.”
“Mm. I like how you can’t sit still when we snuggle.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ryder.