And if Gunner was the same lost boy with a bad handle on decision making, only packaged in a bulky body, maybe he was waiting for Caspian to make a move? Caspian could swear Gunner had rubbed his elbows against him on purpose when they had a piano lesson yesterday.
Fortune favored the bold, and while nerves were eating up Caspian’s stomach like ants swarming a piece of cake, he was determined to make his intentions clear. Dressed in a dark blue suit with a slim tie, hair slicked back, and in a pair of fancy new brown oxfords with navy laces, he could barely remember the boy from two months ago, who wore oversized clothes, and ruffled his hair over his forehead.
Because he was hot now. Maybe not buff or tall, but the tailored clothes accentuated his narrow hips and shoulders that were quite broad for his size. Today was the day. Work finished early on Friday, and he hopped into his new car—a second hand blue Subaru Legacy he’d gotten with the money remaining from what Alexander had paid him for the Southfield.
Gunner was working on a rustic wedding his mom organized for a busy lawyer couple, and he’d surely appreciate a bit of leisure at the end of his day. So Caspian decided to bite the bullet, and drove all the way to the farm where the event was to be hosted.
He could see garlands of artificial flowers hung on wooden poles all the way from the parking lot, and he checked his hair a final time before stepping outside and marching toward the newly-built wooden barn.
He couldn’t spot Gunner anywhere, but Lionel, Mom’s assistant, was there with his assistant, Katie, both of them chatting over a clipboard in the bright sunshine. Stylish as always, in a white T-shirt peppered with pastel polka dots, Lionel smiled at Caspian as soon as he saw him.
“Looks like this caterpillar's growing wings.”
Caspian’s mouth stretched into a smile, and he approached them down an aisle between rows of seats meant for the outdoor part of the ceremony. “I can’t hold a candle to you two. Might have to try harder.”
Katie laughed, and her lush brown curls bounced on her shoulders. With the large rainbow-colored glasses and a flared skirt, she was a dead ringer for Zooey Deschanel. “What’s the occasion? You have to live up to your celebrity status now?”
Caspian struggled to keep on the smile, and discreetly looked around, but none of the two workers setting up fairy lights resembled Gunner. “It was a bad day.”
“The jerk had it coming,” Lionel said, straightening his back with an angry set to his lips. “You shouldn’t out people under any circumstances.”
“Unless they’re a hypocritical public servant,” Katie said, pretending she was browsing through her folder.
Lionel nodded. “Or a televangelist. Or a homophobic Fox News anchor.”
“We can all agree on that,” Caspian said, but his eyes were instantly drawn to a tall silhouette stepping out of the barn, and his heart drummed in anticipation.
Gunner looked great in black, even though his clothes were a bit dusty after a whole day’s work. Lionel’s gaze must have drifted the same way, because he stood closer to Caspian and lowered his voice.
“His name’s Gunner. Don’t know which ex-con reformation program your mom found him at, but at least he’s eye candy, right?”
“He could have gone with more stylish tattoos on his face though,” Katie said, twirling her hair. “Some celebrities make it look good, but that skull is so-so. Like he didn’t want to commit to the bad boy aesthetic.”
Caspian’s stomach filled with ice, but Gunner noticed him before he could have responded, and when the ruggedly handsome face brightened, so did Caspian’s. Lionel and Katie were excellent at their jobs, but they were so snotty he wondered what they said about him behind his back.
“Not everything needs to be an aesthetic.”
“Well, I don’t think he’ll stay with us long, considering he didn’t know what boho was,” Katie continued.
“What is boho?” Caspian asked, just to fuck with her.
Katie frowned, but then Lionel winked at her and invited Gunner over with a gesture. “Gunner, tell our friend Cas what you thought boho style was.”
Gunner glanced at Caspian with a slight pinch to his brows, and put his hands in his pockets with a deep sigh. “I thought it was hobo, and that people wanted to use trash cans for decoration…”
Katie burst out laughing, and when she patted Gunner’s bicep patronizingly, Caspian wished to peel her arm off him out of pure jealousy. Instead, he’d make her squirm with embarrassment—the thing she probably feared most.
“Are you saying it’s not? I thought hobo was for men and boho—for women?”
The little smile on Gunner’s face was barely there, but Caspian noticed it. He hated the way Gunner slouched though, as if he were trying to make himself smaller.