Miguel’s eyes widened in surprise, his lips parting slightly.
Hector cursed. They hadn’t dated long, but intimately touching Miguel had so quickly become a habit that he’d done so without even thinking about it. “Fuck, I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.” He stepped back out of Miguel’s space. “Let’s hear the Santos story.”
“Yeah, um. Come in the kitchen, and I’ll get us something to drink.”
Hector followed Miguel across the small apartment to the kitchen area, his eyes dropping to Miguel’s ass as they walked. He wore Hector’s favorite jeans, the soft, pale blue ones. Hector yanked his eyes back up when Miguel turned around from the fridge with two cans of La Croix, but from the hint of red that suddenly bloomed on Miguel’s cheeks, Hector figured he’d been caught. Thankfully, Miguel didn’t call him out on it. He simply brought the drinks over to his little two-top table and sat down. Hector sat too, accepting the drink Miguel passed to him.
“Okay. So, I’m pushing my cart, minding my own business when I literally run smack into Santos.”
“He was there shopping? Does he live in this neighborhood?”
Miguel rolled his eyes. “No. He was clearly there looking for me. He even knew I had a job at a dentist’s office.”
“That means he’s been keeping tabs on you.”
Miguel kicked him under the table. “Let me tell the story!”
Hector forced himself to relax. He didn’t like the idea of Santos showing up to talk to Miguel and knowing where he worked, but he wasn’t going to stress Miguel about it right now. And he needed to remember what Alvin had said. He was only there to listen.
“He had some nasty stuff to say about me. Then he tried to convince me to come back. He got nasty again when I said no. Same old Santos. I swear I don’t know how I didn’t have severe whiplash while I was with him. Anyway, I told him I one hundred percent was not interested and to stay away from me unless he wanted me to file a police report. He left after childishly knocking a box of oatmeal into my cart. I held it together long enough to check out, came home to cry, and ended by realizing what a badass I am.” He leaned back in his chair, arms smugly folded over his chest. “And that’s my Santos story.”
“That’s great. I’m glad to hear you stood up to him,” Hector said with sincerity. He was also worried about Santos’s behavior and concerned that the grocery store visit might not be the last they heard from him, but he didn’t say any of that out loud. He didn’t want to stress Miguel or take away from his feeling of triumph over his former abuser.
They talked for a few minutes more, Hector getting caught up on Miguel’s new independent life and sharing some of his SWAT adventures when Miguel asked. But eventually their conversation fizzled. Not because they didn’t have anything to say, but because they were both avoiding talking about their relationship.
Not wanting to overstay his welcome or make Miguel uncomfortable, Hector stood up. “I should get going. I know we both have to be at work in the morning.”
Miguel stood too. “Okay.”
Hector walked to the door, Miguel quietly trailing behind him.
“Thanks for coming by. It was nice to see you.”
“You’re welcome.” Hector turned and looked down into Miguel’s dark eyes. He wanted to kiss him goodnight. From the way Miguel looked—face soft, lips parted—he probably would have welcomed it. But the choice had to be Miguel’s. Hector wouldn’t initiate anything until Miguel let him know that was what he wanted. He settled for softly chucking him under the chin. “I’m proud of you, Miguel. You’re doing a great job getting your life on track.” He paused, then decided to push ahead and say what he felt. “And whenever you feel like you’re ready to give us a chance again, I’ll be here waiting for you.”
Chapter 17
Two weeks later, Miguel sat in the back of the dental office on his break. He only got a fifteen since it was their half day. He hadn’t heard from Santos since the grocery store incident. He was glad. On the flip side, he wasn’t happy about the fact that he hadn’t heard from Hector since then either.
Hector had said he was waiting for him. Maybe that was why he hadn’t reached out. He was letting Miguel make the choice if and when to rekindle their relationship. Miguel appreciated that. And lately, he thought he was ready. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it. Did he call Hector and say, okay I’ve got my life together now, date me? That was lame. And what if he threw it all out there and Hector turned him down? For all he knew, the reason Hector hadn’t called him or come by again was because he’d gotten tired of waiting and moved on.
Miguel dropped his head back with a groan. This was ridiculous. He picked up his phone and opened Facebook for something to do, hitting the little globe to check his notifications. The first one listed was a birthday notification for Hector.
Miguel straightened. He’d known in the back of his mind that it was Hector’s birthday, but seeing the notification brought it to the forefront. Talk about serendipity. He’d been looking for a reason to see Hector and here it was. Miguel could whip up a batch of cupcakes and take them to Hector at the station. And the gift would be more than a reason to see him. Hector had helped him out so much. Miguel wanted to do something for his birthday regardless of whether it led to anything romantic for them.
Excited, he hopped up from his chair and returned to the front of the office. “Can I have a blank piece of paper, please?” he asked Amy. “I need to make a list.”
Amy tore off a sheet from the office stationary pad, and Miguel grabbed a pen out of the cup.
These were going to be fancy, so he needed more than mix and icing.
Amy leaned over the counter, eyeing his list. “What’s all that for?”
“I’m making cupcakes for Hector’s birthday.”
“Oooh! Are you getting back together with your hot cop boyfriend?”
Miguel ducked his head. “I hope so.”