Page 16 of Ancient Obsession

As he waited for his dinner to warm up, Dave sent Cody a text to check in and see how his day had been. A list of complaints came back about the critters he’d had to catch and the damn high school kids taking over the downtown area once school was out. Dave shook his head and replied with an old man emoji that received the expected rant in response.

The kitchen was warm with the smell of the pot pie when Oliver shuffled in, yawning and stretching. He wore a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, and he dropped into the chair across the table with a lazy smile.

“That was pretty fucking hot.”

“Yeah, it was. How’s your ass feel?”

“Tender, but happy.”

Dave leaned back in the chair. “Good.”

The oven timer went off, and Dave got up. The savory smell intensified when he opened the oven door, and his mouth watered.

“This is pretty big, do you want some?” Dave said.

“Well, if you’re offering…”

They ate in comfortable silence for a bit, pausing to blow on forkfuls of food before taking bites. Once his hunger had quieted a bit, Dave decided to ask the question that had been rattling around in his mind lately.

“Are you looking forward to the wedding?”

Oliver appeared surprised by the question. “Yeah, of course I am. Why?”

“Just checking. I know you’re going through some big changes right now, so I wanted to make sure you were still up for it.”

“Still up for it? Where’s this coming from? Am I acting like I don’t want to get married?”

“No. But I know you might be feeling…obligated to go through with it. I proposed after we both experienced a pretty terrifying ordeal at the Morelock Motel, which probably wasn’t my best idea.”

“Hey.” Oliver got up and approached him. He nudged Dave until he scooted his chair back, allowing Oliver to straddle his lap. He put his arms around Dave’s neck and delivered a firm kiss. “I love you, Dave. I am in love with you. I know I may act like I’ve checked out now and then, but I really, truly want us to get married in…” He squinted one eye closed as he thought. “Seventeen days.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Oliver kissed him again. “Despite your brothers.”

Dave put his head back and laughed. “You can’t pick your family.”

“Very true. Although I do like your parents.”

“Because they live in Colorado?”

“No. Not just because they live in Colorado.”

After another kiss, Oliver returned to his seat and Dave’s lap felt chilled.

“Do you want to go over the wedding checklist again and figure out what final things we can mark off?” Oliver asked.

Dave scooped up the last bite of chicken pot pie. “You know the way to my heart.”

“I know my fiancé loves a spreadsheet.”

Oliver rinsed the dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher as Dave opened a bottle of wine. Carrying the glasses into the living room, Dave pulled his computer from the backpack and sat next to Oliver on the sofa. He pressed his leg against Oliver’s as he opened the laptop and pulled up the Wedding Checklist spreadsheet.

CHAPTER FIVE

The following Monday, Oliver arrived on campus an hour before class. He merged smoothly with everyone else headed to the student union, and got in line for coffee. He and Robin had started to meet there before class and spend time afterward to discuss assignments, gossip about the other students, and get to know each other. Oliver ordered his medium dark roast and carried it to a table. Right when he sat down, his phone buzzed on the tabletop with a text from Dave.

12 days! I love you!