Reservations

Levi pushed send and took the plate from the microwave to the table. He got down two solid bites of panko chicken and broccoli florets before Nathaniel responded.

“Born and raised. My father worked at the school so I got a free education. It wasn’t quite the fun time others had with my every move being monitored by my pop. I worked hard and graduated early. I’ve stuck around the area because I’m much like you. I love it here. I love the seasons, and I like the political culture. It has its share of pretense, but for the most part, I think we’re good people. My business started here and has thrived.”

With his mouth full of food, Levi typed as he concentrated on not choking to death on the huge bite he tried to swallow.

“What do you do? I assumed something medical.”

He took a long drink of water before sitting back in his seat, the food completely forgotten as he waited.

“No, not medical. I actually think the medical field ardently resists my product, but I’d rather keep that private for now. I hope you understand. It’s more protective than personal.”

Levi pushed away from the table, adding the foil to his half-eaten plate before taking it to the refrigerator. One of the boys would finish it off tomorrow. He flipped off the lights in the kitchen and walked through the darkness to his bedroom. He knew he should sleep, and he would, but he kicked his shoes off in the closet and dropped his pants, pushing them close to his shoes. He threw his dirty socks to the laundry basket in the corner of his room.

He flopped down on the bed, reaching for the blanket at the end. He kept the phone in his hand, his head reeling with the possibility of what Nathaniel’s text might mean. Protective… Chuckling a little, he let his tired brain go as it thought of all the secret service, military type jobs in that part of the country. Thinking James Bond, Levi typed back.

“I’ve conjured every possible 007 secret spy scenario my head could come up with in the last two minutes. Don’t spoil the image if it’s not true.”

~~~

Thane squinted at the bright light from the small screen then pressed his fingers against his eyes, rubbing them before a loud yawn ripped free. It hadn’t taken Levi more than a couple of minutes to reply, but Thane must have fallen back asleep with how disoriented he was. Man, he was tired. He’d only been asleep a few hours before Levi’s message came through. He should have left it for morning, but damn, talking to Levi like this was better than his dreams, and he’d had some damn good dreams about the guy.

When the small words came into better focus, Thane busted out with a laugh and started typing.

“No, I like the idea of you thinking of me as James Bond or maybe Max Steel. I used to watch Max as a child. I was going to be him when I grew up. Either Max Steele or Will from Will & Grace. Funny that my parents didn’t catch on to my sexuality until I told them a few years ago. Clearly not very observant.”

Thane looked at the alarm clock seconds before it went off. That was Jenna’s handiwork, along with the packed bag by his front door, ready for his flight to Texas this morning. Knowing Jenna had his time artfully planned to the very last minute, Thane still lay there waiting for Levi’s response. It didn’t take long.

“Do you know I’m gay?”

Thane rolled his eyes. Dodging direct questions was hard. He so much liked the easy, getting to know one another dialogue better. Deciding to be honest about everything except who he was, Thane responded, “I do. And if I tell you how, I’ll have to off you.”

He sent an immediate second message hoping to be vague and lead Levi a different direction. “I also believe we’re close in age. I’m 29, and 30 is fast approaching. I love food, all food. Every type of food. I haven’t met a food I don’t like. My favorite day out is a trip to Williams-Sonoma then Whole Foods then a night spent in the kitchen hopefully creating delicious goodness. For me, life doesn’t get much better than that.”

Unless, of course, that time was spent with Levi. Funny, he desperately hoped Levi enjoyed cooking or, at the very least, eating. He’d love to cook and have Levi eating what he’d made. Naked sushi night came to mind… His phone vibrated in his hand, destroying the mental image he had just began to conjure.

“I’ve never been much of a chef, but I’m a great eater. There’s been plenty of times in my life, especially in college, that I lived off ramen noodles. I bet that makes you cringe.”