“Now that I’ve eaten those delicious cupcakes, I can introduce myself. I’m Clay. Nice to finally meet you, Miguel.”
Miguel twisted in his chair so he could say hello to the man who sat in the desk across the aisle from Hector’s. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“If you don’t have any plans tonight, you should join us. We’re going out to celebrate Hector’s birthday.”
Miguel looked at Hector. He didn’t want to intrude on his plans with his friends. For all he knew, Hector didn’t want him to come along. But Hector was smiling.
“I’d love it if you came to hang out with us.”
Miguel returned his smile. “Okay then. I’ll come.”
Hector arched an eyebrow, and Miguel choked on his last bite of cupcake.
***
Miguel couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this good. And it wasn’t due to the alcohol. He’d had two drinks then cut himself off because he had to drive home. He was feeling good because he was perched on Hector’s lap, listening to the group of cops telling all their favorite Hector stories.
There were plenty of chairs in the place as well as room at the table. But Hector had pulled Miguel down onto his lap and hadn’t let him up since. He talked and laughed with his friends, but the entire time he kept one hand on Miguel, rubbing his back, caressing his waist, and lightly tapping his hip when he wanted Miguel’s attention. And damn, Miguel loved it. The attention made him feel like he was important to Hector, but at the same time so familiar and comfortable that he could casually show his affection while carrying on his conversations like it was no big deal.
It was different from the attention Santos used to give him when they were out in public. Whenever they walked into a club or a room full of people, Santos would yank him close, give him a quick hard kiss so everyone saw who he belonged to, then basically forget about him while he talked with his friends and associates. That wasn’t Hector’s style at all. Hector included him in everything, reminding him of people’s names and explaining the cop stuff he didn’t get. And Hector hadn’t flinched once at being with him like this in public.
Miguel’s heart thumped. He’d wanted to know if Hector was still interested. This was about as clear an answer as he was going to get. Now the only thing to do was speak up about what he wanted. Hector squeezed his waist and Miguel looked down at him.
“What are you thinking about so hard up there?”
Miguel shook his head. He wasn’t ready to say. Besides, this wasn’t the time or place to have a relationship talk.
“Nothing.”
“Hmmm…doesn’t seem like nothing.”
Miguel smiled. “Okay, maybe it’s something. Can we talk about it later?”
“Of course.” Hector smiled. It was slightly boozy and it made Miguel laugh.
“What’s funny?”
“Your drunk face.”
“Hey now! We’re officers of the law. We don’t get drunk.”
Miguel glanced around the table littered with pint glasses then looked back at Hector. “If you say so.” His tone made it clear he wasn’t buying it.
Hector laughed. He tugged Miguel down to give him a quick kiss. Then he jumped back into the conversation. Miguel listened, practically glowing with happiness.
After a while, the party started to break up. Miguel got up to go with the second wave of people leaving. His hand warm against the back of Miguel’s neck, Hector walked him out to his car.
“You’re not driving, are you?” Miguel asked with concern. Hector had had quite a few drinks, all bought by his coworkers. He was walking steady, but it was a close thing.
“No, Clay is taking me home. He doesn’t drink.” He grasped Miguel’s hand, gently lacing their fingers together. “Can I come by tomorrow so we can have that talk?”
“You make it sound so serious.”
“Are you telling me it’s not?”
“No. And yes, you can come by.”
“Okay then.” He raised Miguel’s hand and brushed his lips over the back of his hand before letting him go. “Get going. Text me as soon as you’re home. I’ll come by tomorrow in the afternoon.”