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As he drove, Caleb searched his brain for another topic of conversation. He glanced at Aaron in the seat next to him, and all he could think about was how terrific he looked.
“So, how’s your foot?” Aaron asked.
“Good. I iced it when I got home and took some ibuprofen. Honestly, today is the best it’s felt in weeks. I’m checking in with my physical therapist on Monday, and I’m confident that they’ll report my recovery is going just as they hoped.”
“Happy to hear it. I’m sure the team will be glad to have you back, especially since it means they won’t need to maraud their way up here from New York. I didn’t want to have to get my armor out of storage.”
“Do you really have armor?” Caleb stole a look at Aaron to see if he was serious.
Aaron looked at Caleb and then to the back seat, as if what he was about to say was a secret that needed to be closely guarded. “Maybe.”
“Really?”
“It’s not like an entire hulking metal thing. It’s just some leather armor and chain mail.”
Damn. Was he serious? Flashes of Aaron in armor ran through Caleb’s imagination. He’d once dated a guy who sometimes asked him to wear his jersey while they were having sex. Aaron dressed as a knight would be very hot, maybe more so if Caleb was in a jersey. Role-play wasn’t usually his thing, but this had potential.
“I used to go to renaissance fairs in college,” Aaron explained. “I paid a lot of money for it. I keep it for Halloween because the kids seem to love it, plus it’s perfect for any parties I might go to because—well, who doesn’t like a knight?”
“That’s more clever than what I do if I’m pressed into Halloween events.”
“Let me guess,” Aaron jumped in. “Hockey player?”
“Or hockey coach, which only requires a suit and a dry-erase board with a rink diagram on it.” Caleb pulled into the parking lot of FG Plate. “We should do Halloween sometime and you can be the knight who rescues the hockey player—some sort of a temporal displacement mashup.”
“I’m sorry—temporal displacement mashup? Did you really say that?”
The idea was ridiculous, but if Caleb was honest, it still sounded fun.
“I’ve watched enough Star Trek to know weird shit can happen with time travel.”
Aaron laughed and shook his head. Caleb actually wasn’t sure where he wanted things to end up with Aaron, at least from a relationship standpoint. The fact that Aaron seemed relaxed and at ease meant that, to Caleb’s mind, their evening was off to a pretty good start.
“I hope this is okay.” Caleb changed the subject as they got out of the car. “Pam’s rarely wrong about food.”
“I have no doubt it’ll be great. They’re all about farm-to-table, getting most of the ingredients from area growers.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t been.”
Aaron shook his head and focused on the sidewalk. “Teacher’s salary.”
Caleb suddenly felt like a dick. He’d assumed since Aaron had lived in LA for so long that he’d made a decent salary, and living in Foster Grove was cheaper than living in most cities on the East Coast. Aaron’s cross-country move might have been less about nostalgia for his old hometown and more out of financial necessity. His older car and the aging apartment building that he currently called home suggested that he might not have money to spare for a night out at a fancy restaurant. Not that any of that mattered to Caleb.
He held the door for Aaron, and they stepped inside FG Plate to find the couple dozen tables at near capacity with a few parties waiting.
“Well, tonight’s on me.” Caleb stepped up to the host stand before Aaron could argue. “Hi. We’ve got reservations for two, under Carter.”
“Yes, sir.” The young host—Caleb guessed she was a high school senior—checked the list. “Yes. Just one moment.”
“I can’t remember ever needing reservations to eat anywhere in town. Even on the weekend.” Caleb returned his attention to Aaron. “It’s really changed in the past couple of years. Where it was mostly chain restaurants, now there’s all these local places.”
“It’s a more refined town than when we were growing up. I was shocked when I came back.”
“I need to get here more often.” As he said it, Caleb realized that he meant it. In just the few days he’d been back, he’d surprised himself at how much he enjoyed being back in Foster Grove.
“You should. New York really isn’t that far away.”
“You sound like Pam or my parents.” Caleb smirked at Aaron. “A summer at home with family and friends might be perfect.”
