He’d given up telling her she didn’t need to bring the stuff ages ago—it wasn’t worth getting his ass chewed by Dave when Lydia went home with hurt feelings.
As Lukas cooked, he chatted easily, mostly about what he was doing—like there was any chance in hell John would be able to replicate it—but also about stories from his job at the vet clinic. John remembered how excited Lukas had been when he’d gotten the job offer right after graduating. Lukas had told him once that the place was special, and he loved it there.
John sometimes wondered if Lukas meant the attractive veterinarian was special, but then he’d remind himself it wasn’t any of his business and ignore the churning in his gut.
As Lukas plated up the garlic-roasted asparagus—why would Lydia even buy him asparagus?—then layered the rosemary chicken breasts on top and scooped some mashed sweet potatoes on the side, he finished telling John about the ancient Lab, Tigger, with the giant mass on his ass.
“Seriously, it’s kinda sad, but the old guy seems just as happy as ever. He wags his tail every time he hears his owner’s voice because he can’t really see anymore.” Lukas carried the plates over to John’s side and placed one in front of him and the other at the stool next to him, before darting back over and grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge.
Something turned over in John’s chest at Lukas’s familiarity in his space, but he ruthlessly pushed it away, taking a swig of beer, then diving into the deliciousness in front of him. “Are they going to remove the tumor?”
“No. The biopsy came back as non-cancerous, and at his age? Not a great idea to put him under anesthesia if it isn’t absolutely necessary. It probably won’t be too much longer before his quality of life deteriorates and Janice will be back to have him euthanized, but she wasn’t ready.”
John nodded as he cut up spear of the asparagus to eat with some of the chicken and bit back a moan. Lukas ate quietly next to him for a while, then cleared his throat like he wanted to say something. After swallowing the last of his sweet potatoes—seriously, they were like fluffy clouds of goodness—he grabbed his beer and turned to Lukas, surprised at his pinched expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, setting his bottle back down and turning more fully toward him.
Grimacing, Lukas laid his fork down, his own meal looking practically untouched compared to how much John had already demolished of his. “Nothing. I just realized that was a terrible story to tell. I’m sorry.”
John propped his elbow on the counter, then rested his head on his fist, eyeing the wrinkle between Lukas’s eyebrows. “Why are you sorry? I didn’t mind. Janice and Tigger sound very sweet together.”
Lukas’s head jerked up and around, and he stared at John in surprise. “Really? I know people can get annoyed with how often I talk about the animals from my job, and that was kind of a downer story…”
John was suddenly achingly aware of how close their faces were. His knees were touching Lukas’s hip and thigh from when he’d turned toward him, but he hadn’t noticed when it happened. They were so comfortable with each other, it just made sense that they’d share the same space…
He licked his lower lip and ignored how Lukas’s eyes darted down to watch. “It wasn’t a downer, and I don’t find it annoying. Anyone who finds your passion for animals annoying is a shitty friend, and you should forget about them,” he said quietly, his voice barely more than a rumble.
Lukas slowly dragged his gaze up from John’s mouth and met his eyes, seemingly searching for something. Finally, he murmured, “It’s mostly my dad.”
John twisted his mouth into a frown. “Well, your dad can be a dipshit sometimes, so just ignore him when he is. Being passionate about your job—and animals in general—doesn’t make you annoying, Lukas. It makes you sweet as hell.”
The beaming smile Lukas gave him almost covered up the twisting feeling in John’s gut at calling Dave’s kid sweet.
Fuck.
Chapter Three
Monday morning, Lukas floated into work, still repeating John’s words to himself over and over.
Makes you sweet as hell.
John thought he was sweet! He’d laughed at Lukas’s teasing; he’d complimented his food—repeatedly—and then told him his passion for animals was sweet.
God, was it any wonder Lukas had fallen for the man years ago?
When he was about sixteen, he’d started noticing how attractive his dad’s friend was and maybe thought about him more often than was strictly necessary when he jerked off. It was right after he’d had his heart ripped out by a boy he’d dated in high school. Well, dated was putting it politely. The guy had loved telling Lukas in private how much he cared about him but had balked whenever Lukas had mentioned the possibility of coming out.
Then, after Lukas had sex with him, he’d told Lukas he wasn’t ever going to come out and they should just keep going how they were. Lukas dumped him and cried his eyes out for days. He’d promised himself he’d never again compromise his happiness for a guy.
But fantasizing about John had seemed safe, in a way. There wasn’t a chance of John returning his feelings, so it really was just a fantasy.
It wasn’t until he was twenty, and finishing his vet tech degree, that he really saw John as more than just a really hot guy. When he’d shown up at Lukas’s parents’ house with a scraggily kitten for Lukas that he’d found under a dumpster at a worksite, Lukas’s heart had honest-to-god exploded.
The worried look on John’s face as he’d cradled Leeloo against his massive chest, and asked Lukas for help, had taken John from just another friend of his dad to someone real, someone who saw Lukas. Someone who cared about an abandoned kitten enough to try and find them help.
After that, he’d started actually paying attention to John, listening when his parents talked about him and putting together all the information he gleaned, until he had a more complete picture of the man. He obviously didn’t know everything about him, but the parts he did see and notice? Hardworking, considerate, funny… on top of being gorgeous?
Yeah, Lukas had been hooked.
Never had he entertained the idea that John would grow to care about him the same way though. He’d learned his lesson in high school: having crushes on straight boys only led to heartache.
But he couldn’t help but feel… happy at John’s words on Friday night. Even knowing John still didn’t see him as anything more than a nice kid who could cook well didn’t change the fact that it felt good to have spent such a nice evening with John.
All weekend he’d drifted through the days, finding himself smiling at nothing. He wasn’t getting his hopes up or anything—no, sir, that’d be silly—but he was enjoying just reveling in the feelings of joy and warmth and a touch of giddiness.
Even the fact that Hank had called three times over the weekend, not understanding why Lukas maybe wouldn’t want to spend time with him anymore after he’d laughed at Lukas needing help, hadn’t been enough to bring him down from his high.
“Um, Lukas?” One of the receptionists, Jenna, was standing in the doorway to the exam room he was in with a patient.