"Your father does know being gay or bisexual isn't contagious, right?"
"Theoretically? Yes. But I think he feels that exposing him to 'all these gay things'—his quote—can stir up feelings that would otherwise stay dormant. I don't know. It's BS of course, but I've stopped arguing with him a decade ago. He's not gonna change his mind, so why bother?"
"Well, being president has to have certain perks. Can't you, like, send some Secret Service agents his way? Have him shadowed by the FBI? Send in the SEALs?"
Del snorted. "Don't think the thought never crossed my mind."
Someone knocked, and then Max stuck his head around the corner. "I'm heading home, Mr. President. And Mr. Bradbury is here to see you."
"Send him in, Max. And thank you."
"Thank you, Mr. President."
"I couldn't do this job without him," Del said to Calix. "He's been a lifesaver."
"He guards your calendar and access to you like a mom watches her kids on a playground. Nothing and nobody is getting past him."
Milan walked in, looking underdressed in his faded jeans and black shirt compared to the two of them in their crisp suits. Well, not entirely fresh and crisp anymore after a long day, but still. "How we doin', fellas?"
Calix snorted. "If that was your best De Niro imitation, it needs work."
Milan grinned as he lowered himself onto the couch next to Calix. "No dissing my accent, New York. We can't all be as perfect as you."
"True," Calix agreed. He checked the time on the big clock that hung in the Oval. As much as he usually loved hanging out with Del and Milan, he had other priorities now. Maybe if he left now, he could still see Rhett? "Was there anything else?"
"You have someone waiting for you when you get home?" Del asked.
Oh, that question dripped with a deeper meaning. Calix couldn't blame his best friend. He had been tight-lipped to Del about his relationship with Rhett. "Waiting, no. But I may be able to persuade him to come over to give me a massage."
"One with a happy ending, I might hope?"
Calix's heart softened. "We're working on our happy ending."
Del studied him with tenderness. Gone was the teasing, and instead, warm interest glowed in his eyes. "Things are going well, then?"
"He's… He's special. It started as casual, at least on my end, but it's becoming real. I'm not entirely sure what he sees in an old guy like me, but…"
"You're special too, Cal, and I'm glad someone sees it. You deserve happiness. Matthew would've wanted that for you."
"I agree," Milan said softly, his features losing their hard edges.
Calix hated it when other people said that because nine out of ten times, they hadn't even known Matthew well enough. But Del and Milan had, and their sincere words hit home. "You think so? It's not like we ever discussed this…"
"No, because why would you? No one expects a tragedy like that to happen. But Matthew had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known. That man loved you with all he had, and he wouldn't want you to be lonely for the rest of your life. He couldn't stand seeing someone in pain, and he would've hated seeing you hurting and grieving for so long."
Del was right. Matthew had never been able to ignore pain. He'd always tried to help, whether it was a homeless person, someone in financial need, the kids he was responsible for, or a random stranger who needed a ride. He'd given people the coat off his back. Literally.
"I wasn't sure if I was ready for something new. I'm still not, but Rhett is… He makes me feel alive again. Like a friend. A lover. A man."
"He was the first since Matthew?" Milan asked.
Calix nodded. "It wasn't even that I couldn't, that it felt like a betrayal to Matthew. I just didn't want to, didn't need it. But now… It's changed. I've changed."
Del beamed at him. "You have. You're smiling again. Your steps are lighter. I can see the difference…and Sarah saw it when we had you both over for dinner."
"Was that why you placed him directly under you? Because that felt like jumping to conclusions to me."
"Dude, the sparks between you two were enough to power the whole White House for a month." Milan grinned. "We would've had to be fucking blind not to pick up on that."
"I didn't even see it back then…"
"That's okay. I did, and I wanted to make sure that when something happened, it would be okay," Del said.
"It's still not entirely smart, what with both of us working here."
Del shrugged. "Maybe, but I'd like to think I can pull rank here."
"True."
"Sarah and I have been talking, and we're gonna stay here for Christmas as well. Why don't you guys join us? Unless you're traveling to see your parents? Or Rhett's parents?"
Calix shook his head. "No, they're going to my sister this year. And Rhett's parents are… He's not close with them. Levar's parents have fulfilled the parental role for him, but they're on a Christmas cruise, so Levar and Henley are staying in town for Christmas. I think they also may have felt guilty about leaving Rhett here for Thanksgiving."
Del frowned. "They know he was with you, right? You guys are not keeping this a secret?"
"Oh, they know. But Levar and Rhett are super close. It's like I'm getting two brothers-in-law in Levar and Henley, which is kinda sweet."
"The age difference doesn't bother you?"
Calix stared at Del, and it took a moment for the question to sink in. "I would think you'd be more concerned about the fact that Levar actually does work for me, so if things go wrong, I'd—"
"Things won't go wrong. Don't be ridiculous."
"What do you mean? How can you be so sure? We've only just started seeing each other."
Del leaned forward, his eyes intense. "Because you're the most loyal person I know, and Rhett didn't spend all this time single and waiting for the right guy, only to let him go once he'd found him. You two are perfect for each other."
A warm flutter burned in Calix's heart. "I hope so. He's so sweet. His heart is so tender. And he actually likes older men. He told me…"
Milan groaned. "Older men… God, that one hurts. When did we become old?"
Calix snickered. "Well, he's thirty-two, so compared to him, we're ancient."
"I feel old…and like I've grown much, much older in the last few months," Del complained.
"Have you ever seen those before and after pics from former presidents? They all look young and energetic when they went in…and a hell of a lot older when they're done."
"Thank you. Very reassuring."
He found such comfort in a friendship as old as theirs, where they could rib and tease but also share their pain and struggles. They'd known each other for over twenty-five years. A lifetime. Having friends who knew him and understood him without having to explain everything was a gift he'd always treasure.
"I missed you guys," Calix blurted out.