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Alexis shoots a pointed look at Patrick, gives David an exaggerated hug and two smacking air kisses, and flounces out of the store.
Patrick trails after her and flips the sign on the door to closed. “I think Alexis is mad at me,” he says, turning to David.
David focuses on the lip balms arranged by the cash register. Sometimes they topple over while he’s ringing customers up, resulting in lip balms rolling off the counter. This is obviously a problem that he needs to address right now, and it requires his full attention.
“David?” Patrick leans a hand on the counter, and David is graced with the view of his perfect nails, with their smooth nail beds. He’s never seen Patrick so much as chew on a cuticle.
“What?” he asks, when it becomes clear that Patrick is waiting for a response.
“Is Alexis mad at me?”
“No, why would you think that?”
“She’s not talking to me, for one. Also she sent me a string of emojis that either means she wants to kill me or go vampire hunting.”
Alexis is, in fact, mad at Patrick, although David really, really doesn’t want to talk about it. He’s humiliated enough over the apartment incident, he doesn’t need to explain to Patrick how excited his sister was for him over the idea that his boyfriend asked him to move in together, and how painfully embarrassing it was to tell her that Patrick hadn’t meant that at all.
“I should go. I’m meeting my mother for dinner.” David slips out from behind the counter, but Patrick stops him with a hand on his arm. It’s been a long day working in the store with Patrick always just a few feet away, but David made it through, doing his best to push aside all thoughts of his pathetic misunderstanding and just act natural. He’s not sure how much more he can take.
“David, please. Don’t go yet.” Patrick looks worried now, and that makes David’s heart ache in a way that isn’t fair. As raw as he’s feeling, he still doesn’t want Patrick to hurt. It’s making it hard to remember what to do.
David pauses, and lets Patrick turn him, his hands on David’s waist. Patrick opens his mouth to speak, but David cuts him off. “I’d invite you to dinner, but I think my mom is mad at you too.” Patrick’s face falls, and David wants to bang his head against something, but that would involve moving away from Patrick and he can’t bring himself to do that right now. He doesn’t want to be cruel to Patrick, he just needs to get out of this situation with his dignity and, hopefully, their relationship, intact. “Actually, that’s entirely untrue, I’m sure she’s on your side. She can’t imagine why anyone would want to live with me in the first place.”
“David, it’s not that-”
“No, I know, it’s okay-”
“David….” Patrick’s still got his hands on David’s body, and David loves it, loves that Patrick’s hands feel so natural on him. His own arms have come up to loop around the back of Patrick’s neck, which makes no sense at all, given that a large part of David’s brain is telling him to leave the store tout de suite before he gets himself into more trouble.
It’s as if his body doesn’t know anything’s wrong. It still wants to feel Patrick bump up against him, press a hand up against the small of his back over his sweater, guide him through their day. David slides his fingers up into Patrick’s hair and then leans his forehead on Patrick’s shoulder, unable to resist the comfort his boyfriend is offering.
“Come on,” Patrick says, after a minute or two of stalemated silence. “Let’s go for a walk.”
David can feel the way his face twists at the idea. “A walk?”
“Yeah. We need some fresh air.”
“I’m not sure I’m properly outfitted for a walk.”
“We’re not climbing a mountain, David, I think you’ll survive.”
David’s not thrilled, but he’s curious. He obediently follows Patrick out of the store, taking a moment to make sure the door is locked. “So where will this walk take place?”
“Right here,” Patrick says, and turns towards Bob’s Garage. “Come on.” He holds out his hand and wiggles his fingers, and David frowns. He takes Patrick’s hand and they start off down the sidewalk.
“I don’t see how this is going to help,” David says. “And I’m having dinner with-”
“Your mom, you said. But I can’t imagine your mom is going to be ready to eat until at least seven o’clock, and it’s only just after five.”
“Hmph.” Patrick has a point that’s hard to rebut. Moira Rose doesn’t dine with the early birds, and even David doesn’t need two hours to get ready for dinner at the café. It’s just that David doesn’t know what’s expected of him right now, and it’s making him anxious. His mother has been a thorn in his side often enough, it figures she’s also failing at being an appropriate getaway excuse.
They walk past a few drab houses and an empty lot. It’s not particularly scenic. David can’t help wondering where Patrick is taking him. “We’re not doing another ropes course, are we? Because I have to draw the line there.”
“No.” Patrick gives his hand a squeeze and smiles a little, although the smile doesn’t last long. It’s a shame, because Patrick’s smiles are lovely. At the same time it’s not all that surprising, given that his boyfriend might be taking him out into the woods to murder him. It doesn’t seem like something to smile about.
There’s a little park on the corner a few blocks past the garage, and it becomes clear that this is the destination Patrick has in mind. They stop in front of an old-fashioned metal slide and a set of playground equipment that has seen better days.
Patrick lets go of David’s hand and takes a seat on one of the swings, tilting his head at the one next to him.
“We should talk about inventory,” David says, gingerly sitting down on the swing and testing it to make sure it will hold his weight. “Then at least if there’s an accident we can claim it was a work meeting.”
“I don’t want to talk about inventory,” Patrick says.
David rolls his eyes. This goes without saying - of course Patrick doesn’t want to talk about inventory, or anything neutral and pain-free. Probably Patrick wants to lecture David on the appropriate type of relationship that lends itself to moving in together, and the ways in which their relationship just isn’t the moving in together kind. David imagines Patrick will do this in a very gentle and thoughtful way, and they’ll move past it, and everything will be okay, at least until David oversteps again. In some ways it will be better, even, because then David will know exactly where they stand.
Patrick catches himself with his feet, stopping his swing and then pushing off at the ground, until he is swinging in sync with David. He grins softly at David and holds out his hand again, like he did outside the store. David takes it, and the motion throws off David’s rhythm, making his swing veer sideways and twist off course. Patrick hangs on until they steady, swinging slowly back and forth together.
“I signed the lease on the new apartment today,” Patrick says. “During lunch, I met Ray and signed the lease.”
“That’s good,” David says, watching his sneakers get dusty as his toes push up puffs of dirt. “He really wanted that commission.”
“I had to put down first and last months’ rent, and a security deposit. It’s a twelve-month lease.”
David looks up and finds Patrick looking right back at him. He feels like he’s missing something.
“Um, that’s good?”
Patrick lets go of David’s hand and David’s swing twists again, until David puts his feet down to stop it. “You and I weren’t on the same page about the apartment,” Patrick says, looking frustrated.
“That has been made abundantly clear to me.”
“No, I mean…” Patrick stands up and the swing bumps against the back of his legs. “When I came here, I didn’t know how long I’d be staying. Renting a room at Ray’s was easy. I really didn’t think I’d be here long at all, I just had to go somewhere…”
David stands up too. It’s no fun swinging by himself, and besides, when Patrick gets that look on his face, David has to be closer to him. Patrick still feels guilty about leaving his hometown, even though he clearly needed the change. David’s hands land on Patrick’s shoulders and he rubs his thumbs over the cool cotton of his shirt. “It’s okay,” he says automatically.
“No, I haven’t even said….” Patrick presses his lips together and tries again. “The thing is, looking for a real apartment with a lease, I thought I was showing you something. Telling you something – something good.”
David meets Patrick’s gaze, and suddenly, looking into those warm brown eyes, he gets it. “A lease like that is a commitment.” A shiver runs down David’s spine.
“Yes,” Patrick says, and David can feel the immediate relief in his shoulders. David pulls him in close, hands sliding around his back, and Patrick melts against him. “David, I swear to god, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never even considered that you would think about moving in with me yet.”
“You were trying to make a grand declaration about the strength of our relationship, and I was afraid it was the opposite,” David says, almost to himself, as he holds Patrick against him. “Does that bode well for our future?”
Patrick breathes out a laugh. “I don’t know. But having some privacy does, right?”
David pulls back and lets the hope that has bubbled up inside him spread to his face. “Definitely.”