Page 118 of Wingmen

“So yeah,” said Dustin, as he pulled away and looked down at him. “Probably not a good idea for me to be your agent.”

Elliot laughed and turned onto his side again with his head in Dustin’s lap. He feltgiddy.“Fine,” he said. “But you’re gonna move to Tampa.”

“I’m gonna move to Tampa.”

“And you’re gonna move in with me.”

A surprised pause. “If you want.”

“And cook for me.”

Dustin chuckled. “Risky. But okay.”

He tipped Elliot’s face back up to his and kissed him again, and then wrapped his arms around him and pulled him onto his chest as he lay down flat on the bed. Elliot braced on his forearms. “Jesus, we’re not gonna do itagain, are we?”

Dustin laughed. “No. You need to sleep. I don’t wanna get blamed if your game goes out the window on Sunday because we were up all weekend doing it.”

“Oh God.” Elliot’s stomach dropped. “That’s what people are gonna say, aren’t they? That we’re just fucking all the time.”

“Probably. To be fair, they wouldn’t be wrong.”

“Ugh, I don’t know if I can do this.” Elliot dropped hisforehead to Dustin’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be so weird and creepy. There’s gonna be pictureseverywhere.”

He felt Dustin rubbing gentle circles on his back. “You might be surprised. I don’t think most people are as bad as the media tells us.”

“You know they were already asking me at the press event, like, what we are?” He lifted his head.“‘Is he your boyfriend?’ ‘How long have you been together?’ ‘Was that the first time you kissed?’ ‘Isn’t he a little old for you?’ ‘Is that why he retired?’ Like…what?I didn’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. It won’t always be like that – PR will manage it better when it isn’t an unprecedented free-for-all.”

Elliot sighed. He stacked his hands on Dustin’s chest with his chin on top of them and studied his lumberjack beard. Maybe he was right. Tonight had been pretty crazy – he only had himself to blame for that. He didn’t regret it though. Maybe it wouldn’t always be that bad.

And if it was, he’d have Dustin. Researching. Helping him figure it out. Anyway, Elliot had more important things to worry about than the media. Like helping Dustin stay healthy, and setting a good example for the kids.

He turned his head to the side and put his ear on Dustin’s chest. “Fine,” he said. “I won’t worry about it yet. But I have a question.”

“Mm.” Dustin’s default response. It rumbled into Elliot’s ear like a sleepy purr.

“WhatshouldI call us?”

“Mmmm…” A deeper, more thoughtful rumble. “For the media?”

“Yeah. Like if they ask me again, what should I say?Lovers?Because ew, no. Partners? Bennriguez? Roddy and Dusty?”

Dustin snorted.

“I’m serious, though.”

Dustin was quiet for a while, thinking about it. Then he tipped Elliot’s chin up and studied his face again. His eyes were squinty, with tiny lines at the corners, and he looked so much like the legend in the cowboy movie, and also the legend Elliot had been in love with his whole life, that Elliot thought he might completely go on fire.

Dustin smiled. He got a kind of wily look. He leaned in and kissed him.

“You and me, kid?” he said. “Pretty sure we’re wingmen.”

THE END