Devlin and Garrick by Cameron Dane (short story to read txt) 📕

then the right, one wrapped sandwich in each. “I noticed there was ground beef in the pasta sauce you ordered last night, so I didn’t worry about picking something vegetarian.”

“Ham is good.” Devlin accepted the sandwich and a bottle of cold water. “Thank you.”

Gradyn stretched out his legs and trapped Devlin’s between them, stilling a jittery tapping Devlin hadn’t even realized he’d been doing.

“Stop saying thank you, beautiful,” Gradyn said. “It’s just a sandwich. It’s not like I went out and bought you a car.”

“Right.” Devlin busied himself with unwrapping his sandwich and pressing the folds of the paper flat. “I’m sorry.” As soon as those words left his mouth, he lifted his hand before Gradyn could say a word. “I don’t mean ‘I’m sorry’ I’m sorry, like an apology. Those were the wrong words. It’s just that you excite me and confuse me and make me nervous, but I also feel safe at the same time, and all of that going on inside me makes me fall back on manners and apologies out of habit because I don’t always know what to say.”

Devlin could see Gradyn hiding a smile behind taking a sip of water, and Devlin wanted to run back into the bathroom to hide. Shit. Every time I open my mouth he sees how un-cool and inexperienced I am. “Never mind,” Devlin blurted. “I was just babbling and ... whatever. Don’t listen to me.”

“It’s all right,” Gradyn said. “I think I followed what you were saying.” He swirled the remaining water in his bottle and studied Devlin with an intensity that made Devlin’s breath catch. “You’re refreshingly open, Devlin.” For just a second, something within Gradyn seemed to pull all the stark lines in his face to jutting prominence, and his jaw clenched visibly under the design of his tattoo. “You have no idea how attractive a quality that is to me.”

Devlin swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat. “And now you’ve forced me into having to say thank you again.” Sensing a subtle dark shift in Gradyn’s demeanor, Devlin forced lightness into his voice and a smile to his lips. “After all, it would be rude of me not to.”

Over the course of just a few seconds, every bit of tension eased from Gradyn’s body, and the glint that had temporarily taken over his eyes dissipated. “Then I’ll be equally polite and say you’re welcome. Oh, before I forget,” animation suddenly filled his voice, “let me show you something.” He put his sandwich down and got to his feet. “While I was out looking for a pair of jeans, some underwear, and a shirt, I passed by this big secondhand store that donates its proceeds to a local children’s shelter. I decided to run in really fast to see if they would have anything decent that would fit me.”

As he walked backward toward the closet, his step was almost a childlike skip. “Listen to this. It just so happens I stumbled into a favorite charity of the wives of the Forty-Niners. They donate all their husbands’ clothes to this store. So,” he reached into the closet and came out with what looked like a dry cleaning bag, “ta-da!” He tore white plastic covering off the hanger and revealed a charcoal-gray suit jacket. Hanging beneath the jacket was a matching pair of trousers. “Not only was I able to find a pair of jeans and a couple shirts that fit me, but now I can also wear a suit when I take you out later.” He rushed over and held the suit in front of Devlin. “What do you think?”

I think I’m somehow half in love with you already. Devlin’s chest hurt with that impossible truth. He stuffed the swell of improbable emotion deep down into his gut and soaked himself in Gradyn’s sweet excitement instead. “You’re going to look incredible in that color, Denny.” The rich fabric lured Devlin to reach out and run the back of his hand down the front of the jacket. It was so finely woven Devlin barely resisted pulling it to his face to rub against his cheek. “It feels amazingly luxurious too. I can’t wait to see you in it.”

“The pants are a few inches too long but the waist is doable and the jacket is a perfect fit.” Gradyn returned the suit to the closet and hung it up. “I figured a hundred bucks for a suit that probably cost close to a thousand was a good deal.” After sitting down again, he took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed it down with a swig of water. “You know, I can’t remember the last time I wore a suit. I guess if you do it every day as part of a job then it’s not a big deal, but for someone like me, it’s nice to feel like there’s something worth getting cleaned up for every once in a while.”

“I guess working with gang kids wouldn’t be conducive to getting decked out in a suit and tie every day, huh?” Devlin suddenly sat up straight. “Or am I making an ignorant assumption by saying that?”

“Um,” Gradyn scrubbed his hands over his scalp and down the back of his neck, “what I do doesn’t often require that I wear a suit, no.” He licked the edge of his lower lip and then pulled it between his teeth. “How about you? Any mandatory dress codes?”

“At the bookstore and coffee shop?” Devlin had told Gradyn about his two part-time jobs over dinner last night. “Nope, both places are pretty casual.” He chewed down a bite of honey ham and swiss cheese with mayo while thinking about it some more. “I suppose I could suit up every day if I wanted to. I doubt the owners would care, but I’d stand out like a sore thumb.”

“You don’t talk about either of your jobs with a lot of passion.” Gradyn’s comment immediately shot a line of adrenaline into Devlin’s bloodstream. “I know