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“Is there a reason you’re avoiding Patrick?” Stevie asked as David slid into the booth opposite her at the cafe.
“What?” he asked. “I’m not avoiding anyone.”
Stevie blinked at him and he sighed.
“Okay, I might be...kind of...not answering his calls or texts.”
“And again I ask, is there a reason you’re avoiding Patrick?”
David tugged at the edges of his sweater. “He invited me to go furniture shopping today. You know, for his new place? And I just don’t think it’s a good idea that I go with him. For obvious reasons.”
Stevie tilted her head and bit back a smile. “Whatever do you mean?”
David rolled his eyes. “You know the reasons, Stevie.”
“You know,” Stevie replied, sipping at her coffee. “I’m not sure that I do.”
“Fuck off.” David sneered at her and put his head in his hands.
“I tend to get a bit obsessive over things like that. And he made it clear that this is his space, not mine, and I knew that if I went shopping with him, I wouldn’t be able to not be a control freak about everything.”
Stevie nodded. “Wow, David. That’s really mature of you.”
David sat back in his seat. “I know! So he’s been texting me all morning and I’ve decided to just...delicately avoid the situation.”
“Mhmm. So, I shouldn’t have told Patrick that you were meeting me here?”
“You what?”
The door behind David chimed open and closed and Stevie quickly grabbed her bag and stood.
Sorry, she mouthed as she ducked out of the booth.
“Hey Stevie,” someone said as she walked out.
That someone being Patrick. Fuck fuck fuck.
David squeezes his eyes closed and opened them with a smile when he felt Patrick sit in Stevie’s abandoned spot.
“Hi,” David breathed.
“So,” Patrick said and oh, okay they were just going to get it over with. David could handle that. “I take it you don’t want to go look for furniture with me?”
“Um, it’s not that I don’t want to go...That’s not really the issue.”
“So what is the issue?”
David reached across the table to hold Patrick’s hands in his.
“So you know how we had that thing a while ago about the plungers and compromising…”
“And you called me your boyfriend for the first time? Yeah, I remember that, David.”
David smiled and then shook his head. “Right. Right. So um. Obviously you know that I can be...like that, a lot. But. But that’s kind of just the tip of the crazy iceberg? And I know that the apartment is your place, but if I came shopping with you, I’m afraid I would just want to take over.”
Patrick squeezed David’s hand and shook his head.
“That’s crazy, David.”
David nodded, “No, yeah that’s exactly my point! So I will be mature and just keep myself out of the situation. You can call me when everything’s moved in and I promise to be as supportive as I can and not move anything around. Or at least, not a lot of things.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Patrick replied. “I asked you to come because I want your opinion. I know it’s not your apartment, but what you think means a lot to me and, honestly, you have much better taste than I do.”
David hummed and held back a smile. “Well, that’s not false.”
Patrick chuckled, “Exactly. So can we go? The nearest Walmart is forty minutes away and I thought we’d get lunch after.”
David’s expression froze and he slowly pulled his hands away from Patrick.
“Oh my god, David, I’m kidding. I already told you that I’m going to Pottery Barn, my cousin sent me a catalog.”
David nodded, sliding out of the booth as Patrick stood. “Mmmkay. I hate you. Let’s go.”
XXX
Five days later and the apartment was finished.
Patrick had given David what he’d called “creative control” while ultimately keeping the final say. He hadn’t had to use that say even once. For all David worried about being a control freak, he was really excellent at finding pieces that went together. What he wasn’t so good at was remembering the budget, but hey, that’s what Patrick was there for.
They’d had the furniture ordered for next day delivery and packed the knick-knacks and accessories into Patrick’s car.
The next few days were busy with managing the store, moving his very few things out of Ray’s house, and helping David move furniture around the apartment to test various configurations.
Stevie had come by to help a few times, but each time she just managed to annoy David enough for him to demand that she leave. And she did. Always laughing as she closed the door behind her. David would roll his eyes but then reach for his phone to text her and Patrick would grin, amused by their weird friendship.
After finally getting everything just right, Patrick said goodnight to David and promised to invite him over the next night after work for the big reveal.
“What big reveal? We literally did all of this together, I’m seeing it in front of me right now.”
Patrick put his hands on David’s shoulders and walked him backwards towards the door.
“I have some finishing touches to add, okay? Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry? You’ve obviously forgotten who you’re talking to here.”
Patrick grinned and gave David a quick kiss, reaching out to open the door.
“Goodnight, David. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
David sighed but backed into the hallway, smiling. “Goodnight.”
Closing the door after him, Patrick turned to pull a box that he’d hidden out of the closet. That was the one place that Patrick hadn’t let David touch. His clothes didn’t need reorganizing, thank you very much. And he hadn’t wanted David to find this box.
The apartment was technically finished, but as Patrick’s mom had taught him, a place wasn’t really a home until it had some personal touches. He put the box on the sofa and pulled the lid open. Inside was the set of photos he’d had printed and a few frames that he’d ordered online. With David’s help, this apartment had become Patrick’s, but with these pictures it’d really be his.
XXX
After closing the store that evening, David came up behind Patrick at the counter. Patrick leaned back into his arms with a grin.
“So,” David said, resting his chin on Patrick’s shoulder. “I’m remembering something about a grand reveal?”
“You’re remembering correctly. You wanna come over?”
David nodded, releasing Patrick but staying close. “Absolutely. Let me grab my bag.”
As Patrick unlocked the door, he had a small moment of panic. What if it was too much? He was usually pretty confident of their relationship but he could never really predict David’s reactions to anything. It’s something that kept Patrick on his toes and he loved it. But maybe this hadn’t been a good idea.
He pushed the door open and David followed him inside.
“Okay, am I supposed to be seeing something here? Because it looks the same to...Oh!”
Patrick closed the door behind him and leaned against it as David stepped forward, approaching the fireplace. He reached out with a gentle hand and traced the edge of one of the pictures that Patrick had framed of them.
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” Patrick said, voice catching with nerves. God, why was he so emotional? David had literally thought they were moving in together not two weeks ago. He wasn’t going to get upset about a few framed pictures. He had to get it together.
“Patrick…” David whispered. He was looking at the rest of the apartment, taking in the pictures of them that were scattered around. He glanced back at Patrick with wide, wet eyes. “This is perfect.”
Patrick swallowed. “You think so?”
David nodded, walking towards the kitchen. It seemed like he was trying to avoid eye contact, which was fine because honestly, Patrick could use a minute.
“Oh my god.”
David was standing in front of the Open Mic Night flyer that Patrick had framed and hung on the wall.
“Yeah,” Patrick said. “Yeah I guess you could say that I’m a bit sentimental. About things. Sometimes.”
David turned and walked towards him, definitely not avoiding eye contact any longer.
He wrapped his arms around Patrick’s shoulders and pulled him close. Patrick turned his face into David’s neck and let out a breath, grateful for David’s positive response.
“I know that I said this apartment was just for me,” he said quietly. “But I want you to know that I still want you to be a part of it. That’s why I asked for your help with the furniture. And why I wanted these pictures here.” He pulled back to look David in the eye. “You’re a big reason why I’m still here, David. This town was great before I met you, but you’re the reason that it’s become a home to me. And I wanted to bring that feeling into this room.”
David bit his lip and squeezed the back of Patrick’s neck.
“I can say the same thing about you. Just not as beautifully.” He scratched his nails at the nape of Patrick’s neck. “I love you.”
Patrick smiled. “I love you too.”
David leaned down to kiss him and Patrick felt his body relax, knowing that involving David in this apartment had been the best choice he’d made in a while.
He pulled back and rested his forehead on David’s shoulder.
“So, now I’ve got to start planning a housewarming party,” he said.
He felt David’s hands still where they were tugging at his hair and grinned.
“That is great, because I have so many ideas,” David replied.
Patrick hummed and pulled David’s face back towards his. “Yeah, that’s not happening,” he whispered as he brought their mouths together. He smiled into David’s mouth at the thought of the arguments they were going to get into over this party. He couldn’t wait.