Page 41 of Unrequited Sloth

“And no going out for anything. We can order goodies to be delivered. Fuck healthy eating today – well, apart from your delicious breakfast.”

“We’ll do whatever you want, Bobby.”

“I want you to enjoy it as well.”

“Watching classic Christmas films and eating crap is probably what I would have done for Valentine’s Day anyway, and now I have you for company.”

Bobby felt himself flush. He wasn’t sure if Gabriel was flirting back with him or just being his usual lovely self. Either way, he liked how it made him feel.

It was ten o’clock at night, and Gabriel was asleep on Bobby’s lap. Well, his head was lying there. They’d barely moved all day. Gabriel had made them ham and cheese toasties for lunch, but they’d ordered pizza for dinner, with tubs of ice cream, of course. Bobby was definitely carrying a food baby, but he’d be able to get rid of it in the gym next week. It was worth burning the extra calories to have this time with Gabriel. Bobby had never had someone he could be this relaxed with before, and who had the same love of Christmas films. Even his gay brothers took the piss out of him for it.

Gabriel was snoring gently, and Bobby couldn’t help running his hand through his hair. He had a buzz cut, so there wasn’t much to run his fingers through, but he liked the way it felt. Gabriel gave a contented sigh in his sleep, which came out more like a moan. The sound made Bobby’s dick harden. He had to stay perfectly still. If he moved, it might wake Gabriel up, or worse, he’d poke the man in the face with his cock. That would be difficult to explain. Why was he getting hard with a man asleep on his lap? It had to be because someone was right by his dick and not specific to Gabriel. But looking at Gabriel, he wasn’t sure it was that simple anymore.

CHAPTER 14

GABRIEL

It was March; the weather was still shit, his family still weren’t speaking to him, but he didn’t feel his usual pre-Easter blues, and he knew why. After the whole “you’re really married to Bobby” shock had settled, he was relaxed about it. They were getting it annulled . . . well, Bobby was dealing with that, and it would be like it never happened. In his fantasy, Gabriel imagined Bobby not wanting the annulment and for them to stay married, but he was also a realist. He was more than happy to have Bobby as a friend, and that’s what they’d become over the last month. He no longer saw Bobby as his sister’s ex-fiancé. Bobby had insisted on paying rent, and wanting to give him some stability, Gabriel had offered to arrange a tenancy contract or whatever the equivalent was for a lodger. Gabriel didn’t like referring to him that way, and Bobby said it wasn’t necessary, as he trusted his husband!

When Gabriel had bought the place, he hadn’t imagined having a flatmate, although getting a two-bed meant it was always a possibility if he needed the money. Now, he couldn’t imagine Bobby not living here. That he spent most of his time in the flat in just his boxers was a bonus, and offset the man being messy as fuck. Gabriel didn’t mind . . . most of the time. He enjoyed cleaning up after Bobby, which was something he would not be sharing with his friends. They would judge him; Gabriel judged himself for it.

Bobby was also still being flirty, which Gabriel had no objections to either. In his heart, he knew he and Bobby could never be like that, so he didn’t get his hopes up or anything. Jason was in a committed relationship and still flirted with everyone, although Gabriel suspected it was to push Patrick into “punishing” him when they got home. Not something Gabriel wanted to imagine about his boss. The flirting was all harmless fun, so Gabriel did it right back. It was fun to see the confident Bobby Kavanagh blush occasionally. They’d been spending all their spare time together, which had not gone unnoticed by his friends. It was also the reason he was at Knights Corner on a Wednesday evening. Jason and Dexter had summoned him.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” he said, sitting opposite them. “Should I be worried that Dexter looks like the Irish mafia, and Jason is giving twink sidekick vibes?”

They both laughed, but their frowns were back quickly. Gabriel stood up.

“Where are you going?” asked Dexter.

“I need a drink for this.”

“You can order from here.”

“I know,” he replied before walking away and not giving them a chance to say anything.

He headed to the bar and was greeted by Langdon. He ordered a double shot of whiskey and a large glass of wine. If his friends were going to give him a hard time about living with Bobby, he needed to be buzzed. He was working at home tomorrow, so he could sleep in. Gabriel kept offering to schedule with Bobby so he could work from home sometimes, but he seemed to enjoy being in the office every day.

Langdon put the drinks in front of him. Gabriel picked up the whiskey and downed it before tapping his card to pay.

“Is everything okay?” asked Langdon.

He gestured over to the booth Dexter and Jason were sitting at. They were watching him, so he shared his description of them, which had Langdon in stitches. Not able to put it off any longer, he picked up his wine and went back over to the booth.

“What was he laughing at?” asked Jason.

“The twink sidekick description.”

Jason looked over at Langdon and scowled, which made the man laugh even more. They really were like siblings.

“Let’s get this over with, then,” Gabriel sighed.

“Get what over with?” asked Dexter.

“No. Not doing that. Say what you want to say, and then we can order food. I’m starving.”

“We have someone we’d like you to meet,” said Jason.

“Who?”