"Hi." Rhett barely managed to get the word out before Calix yanked him close for a deep, thorough kiss that melted away all his fears and worries.
"It'll be fine, sweetheart," Calix promised against Rhett's lips. He'd learned to read him well.
But the opposite was true as well. Calix looked bone-tired. Rhett placed his hand on Calix's cheek. "Are you sure you have the energy for this right now? Looks like you had a rough day."
Things had been a shitstorm since the news about the former first lady's death had broken. So far, the media had reported it as an accident, and until now—three days after she'd been pronounced dead in the hospital after the doctors had tried everything to save her—no rumors about possible foul play had come out. Rhett knew the truth, though only the basics of it, and the White House had been in full crisis mode…and in full lockdown.
Calix leaned his forehead against Rhett's. "I don't think we'll have easy days for quite some time to come. And I want to be with you…and be the boyfriend you deserve."
"I love you," Rhett said, feeling like his heart would burst if he didn't get those words out.
"I love you too, sweetheart. I wish I could spend more time with you."
"I understand that for the next few years, your job will take priority. Just…promise me that after that, you'll find some quiet, boring nine-to-five job."
Calix's kiss was endlessly tender. "I promise I'll spend the rest of my life taking care of you."
Rhett tugged his hand. "Let's go inside."
The awkwardness he had feared never materialized. Calix started by mentioning the elephant in the room. "Clearly, this is unusual and complicated, what with me being your boss," he said to Levar. "And with you being a reporter." He nodded to Henley. "But I know we all love Rhett, so how do we make this work?"
Rhett smiled as he cuddled closer to him on the loveseat. So typical Calix. He saw a problem and wanted to fix it.
"I've already agreed with Levar not to take on any political stories for now, unless it's state or local politics," Henley said. "Too much is happening that I pick up tidbits of, and I want Levar to be free to talk on the phone or even talk to me—providing it's not classified information, obviously. So anything that's said here is completely off the record and won't be used in any way."
"Thank you," Calix said. "That's a big relief, I'll be honest."
"As for me… I know we share the same goal, which is to make Rhett happy." The warmth and concern in Levar's tone almost brought tears to Rhett's eyes. "So how about we agree to distinguish between work and private? Whenever we're outside of work, we're not boss and employee, but…friends, I guess?"
Calix nodded. "I'd love that. I want Rhett to feel comfortable having me over without having to worry about mixing work and…pleasure." He shot Rhett a poignant look, and he blushed instantly.
"Lots of pleasure," he quipped, and Calix's grin was wide.
"Oh god…" Levar groaned. "You're totally gonna take revenge for all the PDAs you've had to watch from us, aren't you?"
Rhett laughed. "Damn right, and I'm gonna enjoy every second."
"Hmm, sounds like you intend to use me, sweetheart." Calix winked at Rhett. "I approve completely, just so you know."
Rhett grabbed his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Because he could. And because he damn well wanted to exact some revenge on Levar and Henley. When he let go, Levar and Henley were protesting dramatically, but love shone from Calix's eyes.
"Well played, babe," Levar said.
Rhett laughed.
Levar made them all drinks, and then they hung out, conversation flowing much more easily than Rhett had expected. But he didn't miss the twitches of pain on Calix's face, and it wasn't hard to guess what the problem was. Could he offer? Would that be too much, too soon? It shouldn't be. Not if he did what Levar had proposed and ignored the fact that Calix was his boss.
"Go sit on the floor between my legs," he said softly to Calix. "I'll massage your neck."
"I can't ask—"
"I'm offering. I can see you're in pain. Please."
Calix capitulated. "Thank you."
He kissed Rhett quickly, then sank to the floor. Rhett didn't even have to ask him to take his shirt off. Calix quickly unbuttoned it and shrugged it off, his T-shirt following, then sat with his back against the love seat.
"Can you hand me the oil?" Rhett asked Levar, who blinked a few times, then picked up the little bottle on the side table next to him. "And a towel for later?"
"I'll get it," Henley said.
"I apologize in advance for any embarrassing noises," Calix joked, and they all laughed.
"I won't blame you. We've both been the recipients of his massages, and his hands are magic." Henley handed Rhett the towel.
Calix let out the first moan as Rhett dug his thumbs in, immediately honing in on a big knot. "That, they are."
"I'm sorry things are so crazy at the White House right now," Henley said. "I can't even imagine."
"Yeah," Calix said softly. "It's been hard for the whole staff but especially for those who were close to her. Seth, for example, is heartbroken, and Sarah…Mrs. Shafer…took it hard as well. She and Mrs. Markinson had built a friendship over the last two years."
"She was a remarkable woman," Henley said. "I interviewed her twice, and she was wonderful. Warm, caring, genuinely interested in people. It's a heavy loss for her family first and foremost, even more because it’s so soon after losing President Markinson."
"How's Mrs. Shafer doing?" Levar asked.
Calix inhaled deeply. "Not so good. The White House physician is keeping a close eye on her. For obvious reasons, no one wants to admit her to a hospital right now, but if her arrhythmia doesn't get better, he may not have a choice."
Rhett loved that Calix trusted Henley's promise of confidentiality enough to share this. It might not be confidential or secret information, but it was certainly sensitive and not meant to share with the public. Then again, Henley had always been a reporter who kept his promises.
"Grief and stress manifest in all kinds of ways," Henley said. "As I think all of us in this room know. Facing personal losses changes a person, and we're never the same again."
"No, we're not." Calix's tone was solemn. "And everyone processes this in their own way and at their own speed. I… I wasn't ready to move on, not until recently. Not until I met Rhett."
"My experience is that when people say moving on, they really mean 'pretend it never happened,'" Levar said. "Or 'acknowledge it happened but don't show us your pain anymore.' Pain, grief, suffering, they make people very uncomfortable."
Calix's muscles slowly relaxed under Rhett's hands, and Calix let out a grunt when his neck popped. Rhett waited for a moment to give him the time to recover.
"That's one thing I love about talking to Calix," Rhett said softly. "He allows me space for my pain, for not being okay."