Miguel made an offended face, then he laughed. “That’s pretty much spot on.”
“I’ll take the couch again.”
“Why? Never mind. I already know. Now that we’re kind of a thing, your machismo isn’t going to let me sleep on the couch.”
“Don’t say it like that. I just want to take care of you.” He pulled Miguel close for a quick hug. “And there’s no kind of. We are a thing.” He swatted Miguel on the ass then went in the kitchen for a drink.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Miguel got on the bus as he usually did. He even smiled politely at the driver as he swiped his bus pass. He made his way down the narrow aisle and plopped down in a seat just like every other workday morning. But today he didn’t pull out his phone to listen to any music, check his social media, or read. Instead, he sat there in a daze.
He was involved with Hector. Hector was bisexual and had confessed his feelings for Miguel last night. He’d sat in Hector’s lap, and they’d kissed to the point of desperate arousal. This morning they’d kissed each other goodbye like an actual real-life couple.
Miguel still couldn’t believe it. He’d daydreamed about being with Hector dozens of times over the years. Now that it was real life, he was confused and excited and overwhelmed. He had so many questions. Was he supposed to teach Hector how to be with a man? Was that his responsibility? What would their families say? What would Hector’s co-workers say? Was he even planning on telling them?
That last question was particularly important. Miguel hadn’t thought to ask him about it last night or this morning in the rush to get ready for work. Did Hector need to keep his newly admitted sexuality a secret? If so, for how long? Miguel had never been in the closet. Would he need to go there for the first time in his life until Hector was ready to come out?
He turned his head to the side, staring blankly out the window. This was crazy. Miguel loved his new job. But the day hadn’t even started and he was ready for it to end so he could get back home and talk to Hector. For so long, he’d had an ideal in his head of dating Hector, one that was perfect and golden. Now he was afraid the real thing wouldn’t live up to it. If it didn’t work out, would they be able to find their way back to being friends? Losing Hector as a friend would hurt more than anything. He couldn’t let that happen.
Hell. He needed some advice. Miguel finally pulled out his phone. He brought up the text screen and sent a message to Leon. “You might have been right about me falling for Hector. But I think he fell for me too.”
The shocked face emoji popped up first, then, “I have fifteen minutes before I have to start getting ready for work. Tell me everything.”
Some of the tension drained from Miguel’s shoulders, and he relaxed into his seat. Getting this off his chest and hopefully gaining some insight from his friend was bound to help. His thumbs flew over the phone. “You can’t tell anyone, but Hector kissed me last night…”
***
Exhaustion had Hector’s feet dragging as he made his way back to his desk. The team had spent the morning on training and reviewing procedures. The training he didn’t mind. But the procedure reviews were dry and always tough to sit through. Then they’d gone out on a warrant that had taken hours to serve. After such a long day, he’d ordinarily head out, kick back with whatever fast food he picked up on the way home, watch TV, and fall asleep. But now that things with Miguel had changed, Hector wanted to spend time with him. Which meant going home and crashing wasn’t an option. He sent Miguel a text. “Chinese food and a movie tonight?”
“I’m already on the bus on my way home. I can get off a stop early and go by that place we like. What do you want?”
Hector’s first impulse was to say no, he could pick up the food. But he reminded himself that Miguel likely wouldn’t appreciate him constantly trying to run everything. He texted his order. “Spicy beef and broccoli. Wonton soup and whatever rolls you want as appetizers.”
“K. See you soon.”
It took Hector forever to get out of the station and traffic was horrible. By the time he walked into the apartment, Miguel was already there, fixing plates.
Hector went into the kitchen and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let me get changed and we can eat,” he said as he headed to the bedroom.
“I’d like to put in a personal request for gray sweatpants, please.”
Hector leaned back against the bedroom door. “What is it with you and those pants?” he asked with a laugh.
Miguel looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding me? You can see your dick print perfectly in those things. And don’t even get me started on what your ass looks like.”
To Hector’s surprise, his face filled with heat. He liked to show off his body, but he’d never really thought about his dick and ass being on display. He’d only worried about how firm his muscles were. “Well, I asked.”
Miguel blew him a kiss from across the room. “Yes, you did.”
His face still hot, Hector went in the bedroom and changed. He came back out with his chest and feet bare, wearing only the requested sweatpants.
Miguel came over and wrapped his arms around Hector’s waist in a warm hug. “You look tired,” he said as he pressed the side of his face to Hector’s chest.
Hector returned the hug, letting out a deep, satisfied sigh when Miguel snuggled even closer. Hector didn’t question how easily they’d gone from temporary roommates to romantic partners. He just went with it. It felt right, and that was all that mattered to him.
“Yeah, we went to serve a warrant, ended up with a barricaded gunman. It took forever to get him out of there and that made for a long day. How was yours?”
“This lady came in as a first-time patient. She was impeccable, everything label, jewelry real yet simple, perfect highlights. Then she opened her mouth and almost every tooth had a cavity. It shocked me and Dr. Coker. Apparently, she has a crazy fear of the dentist and skipped any kind of cleaning or check-up for years. She only came in because she couldn’t chew on the right side of her mouth anymore.”