Bishop: A True Lover's Story

“Hey Bishop.” Edison came outside and stood barefoot on the porch with a shy, but pleasant smile. He’d changed out of the fancy suit and into some linen lounge pants and a bright white T-shirt that hugged his middle. “I thought I heard your truck. So you’re already checking out my yard, huh?”

Bishop had to tear his eyes away from that soft-looking body when Edison walked down the couple of steps and across the yard to where he stood. For some reason it put him in the mind of Chris Pratt when he was on his first job with Parks & Rec. No one remembered that old show or that he was even a star in it. Everyone knew and loved the ripped and buff Jurassic Park Chris, but Bishop thought that goofy, fun-to-love, plump man was fucking amazing too, if not more so.

“Gosh, it’s not that bad is it?” Edison laughed nervously when Bishop stood there like a confused fool.

Shit, his dad had been right. It was gonna be damn near impossible to not mix the two. Already he’d forgotten the business he’d been there to tend to in the first place because of the sheer pleasure of seeing Edison like this—relaxed at his home. Bishop finally turned away, shaking his head. “Sorry. No. I was just… it’s not bad… um…” Now he couldn’t even talk. This was a way to prove his worth and now he couldn’t remember a single thing about landscaping.

Edison smiled while he rubbed his hand over his smooth jaw, again, snatching Bishop’s attention. He remembered what that cheek felt like, no matter how quick the contact had been, and he wanted more of it, so he had to get his shit together. He was typically smoother than this when talking with a guy, but, Edison was different.

“Sorry.” Bishop put a little distance between them and gestured towards the grass. “Do you cut your yard? It’s being cut really low, and it’s too hot for that. That’s why your grass is burning and dying.”

“No. I’m at work all day and when I get home the last thing I wanna do is push a lawnmower.” Edison’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d just said. “Not… not that anything is wrong with that job. I just don’t wanna do it.” Edison slapped his forehead and sputtered again, “No, no. Not like that. Like its… I mean, it’s a workout and—”

“Hey. I know what you mean. Relax.” Bishop couldn’t help the quirk of his lips, Edison actually thought he was insulting him. Bishop widened his stance and took his own advice and chilled-the-hell-out. Edison was funny. He had a way of making Bishop feel okay and less foolish, and he found himself wanting to do that for Edison too. “People hire lawn services because, yeah, they don’t want to do it themselves. That’s not a bad thing. It’s why I have a job.”

Edison just nodded, glancing up every so often to meet his eyes. Bishop wished he wouldn’t turn away because Edison’s eyes were beautiful. Light and dark browns, and even golds were all there, but nothing shone brighter than Edison’s genuine politeness. God, he’s so…

“To answer your question. A kid up the street comes by and does a few of the houses for people who don’t have the time to. He’s like in middle school, so I suppose he does it for roller rink or ice-cream money.

Bishop’s laugh escaped him so fast that it not only surprised Edison, but it shocked the hell out of him too. Did he just say roller rink? Damn, how old is he? After being locked away all those years Bishop thought he’d been the one out of touch with what was important to kids today, but he believed Edison had him beat. Bishop was certain that most teens were in their houses on their video games, playing online with people in other countries. The guy probably needed the money for his PlayStation store app.

“Don’t laugh. If he’s butchering my yard then obviously, I need some help. I just had the house power-washed last month and parts of the exterior repainted. But, this yard...” Edison continued to caress his jaw, and Bishop was jealous. “I don’t wanna be the worst lawn on the street anymore, ya know.”

Bishop was feeling a lot more confident. “I get it.” He pointed at the flower bed. “So, what’d you have in mind for this?”

“Um. My pop had started it when he was… when he was here. But never got around to doing it, with him busy running his shop and all…” Edison trailed off, his voice going softer. He blinked a couple of times before continuing, “I really have no clue what would work in this yard. I just want something nice and simple in the front. Easy to maintain.”