Chapter 2
It was after three o’clock when he finally arrived. He had to use a map to find the building that he’d leased over the internet for his bakery, but Cam finally found it. He pulled up in front of it, and his eyes took on a light of pleasure when he saw the sign that had been put up over the door: ‘The Sweetest Thing Bakery’ in red letters, with hearts in pink and red painted around it. He grinned, feeling like a man who’s just seen his newborn child for the first time. He got out of his truck, and walked toward the front door of the building.
Inside, he saw that the glass display cases that would hold his baked goods were in place, as was the counter with the cash register on it. Small tables were scattered around in the open space in front of the display cases. He could hear hammering sounds coming from the back, and he went over there to peer in side. He saw men bustling around in the kitchen. The big ovens were already in place, and the men were putting in the metal tables where Cam and his assistants would knead and roll out dough, and cut out cookies and donuts and pastries as well. Several of them were installing a pair of large sinks in one corner. The foreman, a man with the start of grey wings in his hair, was giving one of his workers some orders when he spotted Cam standing in the doorway. He frowned and walked over.
“You can’t be in here,” he told Cam. “The place isn’t open yet.”
“I know. I‘m the owner,” Cam told him.
The man’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh? You’re Cam Gallagher? Nice to meet you at last, Mr. Gallagher,” he said, holding out a hand for Cam to shake. “I’m Gil Hinds; we’ve been doing your renovations for you.”
“Yes, I can see that. It looks great,” Cam assured him, and the foreman looked pleased with his praise. “Any idea when you’ll be done?”
“Shouldn’t be more than another week,” Gil said reassuringly. “Then you’ll be able to open your doors for business.”
“That’s great, it gives me time to order supplies and hire some employees,” Cam told him. “Anyway, I don’t want to get in your way. You guys go on with the great work. I’ll come and talk to you tomorrow.”
Gil nodded. “Looking forward to it. Nice to see you at last, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Thanks. See you tomorrow,” Cam left the men to their work, strolling out of his new business and out into the mid-afternoon sunlight. He got into his truck and drove to Attis’s house. He’d be staying with his brother for awhile until he could rent or buy a place for himself. He had a spare key to the house, so it didn’t matter that Attis wasn’t home yet. He toted his luggage inside, carrying it upstairs to the guest room where he always stayed when he was visiting Attis.
Cam unpacked his bags and took a long, hot shower. Then he got dressed, carefully picking out his most flattering clothes. His eyes were nervous in the mirror above the dresser as he splashed on a tiny bit of cologne and buttoned his blue cotton shirt. His fingers were shaking a little. This was the first time that he’d be seeing Victor in four months. He felt both eager and apprehensive. What if the book store owner had moved on? He thought that their relationship was completely over, after all. What if he was dating someone else? Cam felt rather sick at this thought, and prayed fervently that Victor was still single.
He finished his ablutions at last and went downstairs to get in his truck. His stomach was clenching nervously inside of him as he drove to the book store. He was about to put his whole future to the test, so it was no wonder that he felt something like a mild panic attack coming on. He tried to breathe deeply and evenly, but wasn’t totally successful. Finally he pulled up in front of the familiar book store and stopped his truck, staring at the sign above the door as he tried to pull himself together enough to go inside.
‘Come on, Cam, don’t be a chicken,’ he chided himself mentally. ‘You’ve been working toward this moment for four months. Don’t turn into a coward NOW, when you’re almost there. Just go in and talk to him.’
So he did. He got out of his truck and walked toward the front door of the book store, his breathing faltering in his chest and his guts churning inside of him. He pushed the door open, the bell above it tinkling pleasantly. But much to his disappointment (and mild relief), Victor wasn’t behind the front counter. Cam stood in the doorway looking around, wondering where he was. There was no ‘closed’ sign up and the door was open, so he HAD to be here, didn’t he? He started to call out, but froze when a familiar voice spoke from somewhere back in the stacks: “I’ll be with you in a moment,” Victor called.
Cam was content to stand there and wait for him, since he was so nervous by now that it felt like his legs weren’t going to work properly anymore. He fidgeted, pulling at his collar even though the shirt wasn’t buttoned up all the way. Was it stuffy in here? Then he heard footsteps, and felt the return of the panic as a slender figure came out from between two bookcases and started toward him. “I’m sorry; I was shelving some books…” Victor began apologetically. Then he saw who was standing there waiting for him, and he came to a halt. His mouth opened a little, and he stared at Cam in disbelief.
“Cam,” he said after a moment, as the other man just stood there in a silent, panicked state. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t sound angry, but he didn’t sound welcoming either. Cam wondered distantly if the panic attack was going to go from mild to full-blown. “I-I…came to see you!” he blurted out.
“I can see that,” Victor replied, folding his arms tightly over his chest in a defensive gesture. “Why?”
“I have something to tell you,” Cam managed to croak. “I’m…moving here.”
Victor’s blonde brows drew together in puzzlement. “Moving here? What do you mean?”
“I’m opening a bakery here,” Cam explained hurriedly, feeling like a little boy being interrogated by a disapproving parent, “It’s only about six blocks away, in fact. It’s called ‘The Sweetest Thing’. And I’m going to be living with Attis until I can find my own place,” he added hurriedly.
Victor was silent for so long that he broke out into a cold sweat. “Why are you telling me this?” the bookstore owner asked after awhile, his voice cool.
Cam struggled to speak coherently, wanting to cringe. Victor definitely didn’t look happy about his news. Maybe he WAS seeing somebody else! Oh, God, he’d blown it! But he still had to go for it, he still had to try. “Because I did all of this for you,” he said desperately. “I want us to be together, Victor. I know it’s taken a long time, but I had a ton of stuff to do before I could move here. And I didn’t want to tell you before it actually happened because if something went wrong you’d be hurt and angry at me. I wanted to be able to walk in here knowing that everything was taken care of, that I could tell you that I was definitely moving here to be with you. And that’s what I’m doing,” he said, feeling slight tremors pass through his body as he stared at Victor with a stricken expression on his face.
The blonde took a deep breath. “Four months is a long time with no word from you, Cam,” he pointed out acerbically.
He did cringe this time. “I know,” he said sheepishly. “And I’m really sorry. I wanted to call you, all of the time…I missed you so much,” he went on woefully, his shoulders slumping. “But are you…seeing somebody else? If you are, I’ll understand…” Cam said miserably, bracing himself for the worst news of his entire life.
Victor blew breath out of his nose in exasperation. “No, I’m not seeing anybody else,” he replied. “Unfortunately for me, I don’t seem to be able to forget a certain person I met five months ago. A baker who doesn’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the drawer,” he added acidly as Cam’s eyes lit up from within.
“Really?” he said eagerly as he took a step toward Victor.
The blonde held up a slender hand forbiddingly. “Cam, you can’t just walk back in here and take up where we left off, not after four months of silence,” he said sternly.
Cam came to a halt, looking worried and anxious again. “What can I do?” he asked, practically wringing his hands, “To make it up to you?”
Victor rolled his blue eyes. “You are impossible,” he muttered to the ceiling overhead. “Why do I like you so much? Oh, hell,” he said, sighing.
Cam was really worried now, but to his shock Victor walked toward him and placed his hand on the back of Cam’s neck. He pulled the taller man down so that their mouths met, and Cam felt his breath leave in an explosive gasp as Victor’s tongue slithered into his mouth. He moaned, pulling the blonde closer. He didn’t quite know what was going on here, but he also didn’t care right at this moment. He finally got to hold Victor again, to kiss him, and he wasn’t going to complain about possible confusion when he got to do that…
The kiss went on for so long that he felt dizzy from lack of air when Victor finally pulled away. The blonde was breathing erratically, and his blue eyes stared up into Cam’s hazel ones searchingly. “Are you sure about this, Cam?” he asked gravely. “I don’t want to get involved with you and then have you decide that you don’t like it here anymore for whatever reason.”
“I’m sure,” Cam replied eagerly, his hands spanning Victor’s slim waist. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have leased a building here in town and had it converted into a bakery. I can show it to you…” he began.
Victor smiled slightly. “I’ve seen it,” he replied. “I did wonder who’d bought the place, but only in an idle sort of way. I never imagined that it would be you…”
“I trained assistants to take over for me with my former employers,” Cam explained, “And I hired a neighbor lady to watch over my dad for me. There’s nothing to hold me back there anymore – everything I want or need is here,” he added sincerely.
Victor shook his head, although his lips were still lifting in that slight smile. “You are a romantic, Cam,” he remarked.
“Is there anything wrong with that?” Cam demanded.
“No, not at all. Especially when you’re the opposite of me. I’m a total cynic. I thought that we were over, that you’d never come back here. I tried to resign myself to that fact, but…” his smile disappeared, and a look of quiet misery passed over his face. “I couldn’t,” he added sadly.
“I’m so sorry, Victor,” Cam said unhappily. “But if it’s any consolation, I’ve been miserable too. I hate being away from you.”
Victor sighed, relaxing in his hold. “Welcome back, Cam,” he said, just before he closed his mouth over Cam’s once more.
Cam finally had to pull away from Victor’s lips, much as he didn’t want to. The blue eyes were bemused as they stared up into his. The sight of those kiss-swollen pink lips made him want to do it again right away. Instead he said rather hoarsely: “Wow. That was great.”
Victor’s lips lifted in a slight smile. “Yes,” he agreed quietly. He paused, and then went on: “What now, Cam?”
He had a ready answer for that. “Now I take you out to lunch,” he replied promptly. “On our third date. And I thought we might go see a movie later this evening, when you close the store for the night. We could eat popcorn, watch a movie, and make out in the dark…”
Victor laughed softly, a sight which thoroughly enchanted Cam. “Okay,” he replied. “I think that I’d enjoy that.”
Cam felt great. He slung an arm around his new boyfriend’s waist. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m paying,” he said firmly as he began to guide Victor toward the door of the bookstore.
The blonde gave him a faintly amused look, but let himself be steered. He understood that Cam had been straight up until now; so it didn’t bother him to be treated as though he were a woman once in awhile. Actually, not much would bother him right now. He was still rather out-of-it and exuberant over Cam’s appearance in his store. Frankly he’d thought that it was over, that he’d never see or hear from Cam ever again. And that had hurt; it had hurt far more than he would have thought possible. More than once he’d cursed himself for giving Cam that ultimatum during dinner four months ago; but he’d still known that what he’d said was right. Long distance relationships seldom worked out, and he’d known that he would have been even more hurt if they’d dated for months and had broken up over the distance between them anyway. So when he’d come out of the stacks and had seen Cam standing there in the doorway, his heart had lurched in his chest. He’d felt as though he couldn’t breathe or think.
And then when he’d realized that Cam had come back to beg him to try again, and had told Victor that he was moving here…it was almost too much for him to take in. In the end, he wouldn’t have been able to tell Cam no. Not when he felt so happy to see Cam again, and so relieved that Cam was going to be living and working here rather than over a hundred miles away. Victor glanced at Cam’s profile, marveling at how handsome it was. Strange how much Attis and Cam looked alike, except for size…Attis was like his older brother in miniature. Cam was so big. Victor really liked that fact. It made him feel secure in some way. The hand at his waist was warm and strong. It cradled the small of his back as Cam led the way to his truck outside and gallantly opened the passenger’s side door for Victor.
He climbed into the cab and buckled on his seatbelt. Cam got behind the wheel, glancing questioningly at him. “So where to?” he asked. “I thought I’d let you pick the restaurant, since you live here and up until today I didn’t.”
Victor considered this question thoughtfully. “There is a little bistro that serves very good food not too far away,” he told Cam. “It has a hot beef sandwich that is quite nice and that comes with an au jus sauce. I like to go there at least once a week because I can walk there.”
“Sounds great. Show me where to go,” Cam replied.
Victor gave him directions, and they drove to the bistro. The place was only half full, so they got a good table by the front window. As they waited for their food to arrive, Cam began to tell Victor all about how he’d spent the last four months (besides lonely, that is, without Victor). The blonde listened with interest, sipping his iced tea. He liked how Cam’s face lit up when he talked about the bakery that he was setting up here in town; the bakery that would belong to him and him alone. The obvious pride he felt made Victor smile. He understood, after all; owning the bookstore had always made him feel the same way. Although it would probably be an even stronger emotion for Cam, since Victor didn’t write any of the books that he sold. Cam, on the other hand, would be making every pastry and donut and cake that he sold in his bakery.
“So you’ll need to find an apartment or house to rent,” Victor noted absently. “Or are you going to keep living with your brother?”
Cam shook his head. “I’ll be staying with my brother for now, but not for long. I don’t want to get in the way. Attis is happily living with Blake; I’d just be a third wheel. Besides, Blake and I aren’t exactly good friends.” He went on dryly. “We get along for Attis’s sake, but there’s not much love lost between us.”
Victor chuckled. “Clashes between big brother and lover, those aren’t terribly uncommon,” he noted.
“Yeah, well, that’s why I want to move out as quickly as I can. That and the ear plugs,” Cam said wryly.
Victor’s brows lifted. “Ear plugs?” he repeated.
Cam grinned. “I had to buy a pair and wear them at night because Attis and Blake get pretty loud…especially Attis. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than having to listen to your brother going at it with his lover when you’re trying to sleep.”
“Oh,” Victor’s lips twitched. “I see.”
Cam laughed. “It’s funny now, but it wasn’t at first,” he said with a grin. “If looks could kill, the one I gave Blake that first morning after would have done him in on the spot.”
Victor trapped a long finger on the table thoughtfully. “I live in a large house that’s been divided into apartments,” he told Cam. “And the one right next to mine is going to be empty soon. The tenants are moving into a real house because they need more room. They have two children, you see,” he went on for Cam’s edification. “You could rent that apartment.”
Live right next door to Victor? That sounded like the best idea that he’d ever heard! “When does it open up?” he asked hopefully. If it was going to take awhile, he might have to try someplace else. He just didn’t want to impose on Attis for months on end.
“In no more than two weeks,” Victor replied. “Probably less. My neighbors are moving out as we speak. I’ll talk to my landlord and ask him if he wouldn’t be willing to let you have the place almost right away, and that we’ll do any cleaning that’s necessary. If you want to, that is.”
“Hell, yes!” Cam cried, and then looked rather embarrassed over his eager outburst. Victor smiled, shaking his blonde head.
“I’ll call him, then.”
Cam felt satisfied as they finished their lunch and talked. He liked talking to Victor. The blonde was erudite, learned, extremely intelligent, and had a droll sense of humor. He would make straight-faced jokes that took Cam by surprise, because Victor simply didn’t look like the kind of person who would ever make jokes. He had great fun, and was disappointed when Victor consulted his watch and said reluctantly: “I’m afraid I need to get back to the store, Cam.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, getting to his feet. “I’ll just pay the check and we’ll get going.”
Victor’s lips quirked up on one side. “So are you going to pay the check every time we go on a date?” he asked curiously.
Cam blinked. It had never occurred to him that he shouldn’t just pay the check. He was an old-fashioned sort of gentleman in his own way, and opening doors and picking up the check were ingrained into his nature. But still, Victor wasn’t a woman. He shouldn’t be treated like one. Besides, even if a woman had asked Cam not to behave that way, he would have acquiesced anyway. He always wanted to treat a woman the way she liked to be treated, and it was the same with Victor. “Err…we could split it,” he said.
Victor smiled. “Actually, I don’t mind if you pay it,” he teased. “As I’m never going to be rich operating my bookstore. I just thought that I’d poke you a little bit about your automatic assumption that you should pay the check. I think it’s rather cute, actually.”
Cam turned rather red and ran a hand distractedly through his hair. “I can’t help it…” he began.
Victor waved a long-fingered hand casually in his direction. "I know you can’t. I never said that I didn’t like it, did I? I just find it a little amusing. There aren’t too many men left like you, Cam,” he added as he got to his own feet. “And I personally believe that the world could use a few more.”
Cam didn’t know what to say to this, but Victor merely set his hand on Cam’s forearm. “Lead on, gallant sir,” he murmured for Cam’s ears only.
Cam’s face felt hot from his blush as they went up to the front counter so that he could collect and pay the check. Victor was still smiling slightly, obviously enjoying his unease. They exited the bistro together, and he drove Victor back to his bookstore. Cam left him there with a last lingering kiss, promising to come and pick him up again after he closed the store for the night so that they could go see a movie together. Then he drove away, not really wanting to but also not wanting to hang around Victor’s store all day and bug him.
Go to Next Chapter
It was after three o’clock when he finally arrived. He had to use a map to find the building that he’d leased over the internet for his bakery, but Cam finally found it. He pulled up in front of it, and his eyes took on a light of pleasure when he saw the sign that had been put up over the door: ‘The Sweetest Thing Bakery’ in red letters, with hearts in pink and red painted around it. He grinned, feeling like a man who’s just seen his newborn child for the first time. He got out of his truck, and walked toward the front door of the building.
Inside, he saw that the glass display cases that would hold his baked goods were in place, as was the counter with the cash register on it. Small tables were scattered around in the open space in front of the display cases. He could hear hammering sounds coming from the back, and he went over there to peer in side. He saw men bustling around in the kitchen. The big ovens were already in place, and the men were putting in the metal tables where Cam and his assistants would knead and roll out dough, and cut out cookies and donuts and pastries as well. Several of them were installing a pair of large sinks in one corner. The foreman, a man with the start of grey wings in his hair, was giving one of his workers some orders when he spotted Cam standing in the doorway. He frowned and walked over.
“You can’t be in here,” he told Cam. “The place isn’t open yet.”
“I know. I‘m the owner,” Cam told him.
The man’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh? You’re Cam Gallagher? Nice to meet you at last, Mr. Gallagher,” he said, holding out a hand for Cam to shake. “I’m Gil Hinds; we’ve been doing your renovations for you.”
“Yes, I can see that. It looks great,” Cam assured him, and the foreman looked pleased with his praise. “Any idea when you’ll be done?”
“Shouldn’t be more than another week,” Gil said reassuringly. “Then you’ll be able to open your doors for business.”
“That’s great, it gives me time to order supplies and hire some employees,” Cam told him. “Anyway, I don’t want to get in your way. You guys go on with the great work. I’ll come and talk to you tomorrow.”
Gil nodded. “Looking forward to it. Nice to see you at last, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Thanks. See you tomorrow,” Cam left the men to their work, strolling out of his new business and out into the mid-afternoon sunlight. He got into his truck and drove to Attis’s house. He’d be staying with his brother for awhile until he could rent or buy a place for himself. He had a spare key to the house, so it didn’t matter that Attis wasn’t home yet. He toted his luggage inside, carrying it upstairs to the guest room where he always stayed when he was visiting Attis.
Cam unpacked his bags and took a long, hot shower. Then he got dressed, carefully picking out his most flattering clothes. His eyes were nervous in the mirror above the dresser as he splashed on a tiny bit of cologne and buttoned his blue cotton shirt. His fingers were shaking a little. This was the first time that he’d be seeing Victor in four months. He felt both eager and apprehensive. What if the book store owner had moved on? He thought that their relationship was completely over, after all. What if he was dating someone else? Cam felt rather sick at this thought, and prayed fervently that Victor was still single.
He finished his ablutions at last and went downstairs to get in his truck. His stomach was clenching nervously inside of him as he drove to the book store. He was about to put his whole future to the test, so it was no wonder that he felt something like a mild panic attack coming on. He tried to breathe deeply and evenly, but wasn’t totally successful. Finally he pulled up in front of the familiar book store and stopped his truck, staring at the sign above the door as he tried to pull himself together enough to go inside.
‘Come on, Cam, don’t be a chicken,’ he chided himself mentally. ‘You’ve been working toward this moment for four months. Don’t turn into a coward NOW, when you’re almost there. Just go in and talk to him.’
So he did. He got out of his truck and walked toward the front door of the book store, his breathing faltering in his chest and his guts churning inside of him. He pushed the door open, the bell above it tinkling pleasantly. But much to his disappointment (and mild relief), Victor wasn’t behind the front counter. Cam stood in the doorway looking around, wondering where he was. There was no ‘closed’ sign up and the door was open, so he HAD to be here, didn’t he? He started to call out, but froze when a familiar voice spoke from somewhere back in the stacks: “I’ll be with you in a moment,” Victor called.
Cam was content to stand there and wait for him, since he was so nervous by now that it felt like his legs weren’t going to work properly anymore. He fidgeted, pulling at his collar even though the shirt wasn’t buttoned up all the way. Was it stuffy in here? Then he heard footsteps, and felt the return of the panic as a slender figure came out from between two bookcases and started toward him. “I’m sorry; I was shelving some books…” Victor began apologetically. Then he saw who was standing there waiting for him, and he came to a halt. His mouth opened a little, and he stared at Cam in disbelief.
“Cam,” he said after a moment, as the other man just stood there in a silent, panicked state. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t sound angry, but he didn’t sound welcoming either. Cam wondered distantly if the panic attack was going to go from mild to full-blown. “I-I…came to see you!” he blurted out.
“I can see that,” Victor replied, folding his arms tightly over his chest in a defensive gesture. “Why?”
“I have something to tell you,” Cam managed to croak. “I’m…moving here.”
Victor’s blonde brows drew together in puzzlement. “Moving here? What do you mean?”
“I’m opening a bakery here,” Cam explained hurriedly, feeling like a little boy being interrogated by a disapproving parent, “It’s only about six blocks away, in fact. It’s called ‘The Sweetest Thing’. And I’m going to be living with Attis until I can find my own place,” he added hurriedly.
Victor was silent for so long that he broke out into a cold sweat. “Why are you telling me this?” the bookstore owner asked after awhile, his voice cool.
Cam struggled to speak coherently, wanting to cringe. Victor definitely didn’t look happy about his news. Maybe he WAS seeing somebody else! Oh, God, he’d blown it! But he still had to go for it, he still had to try. “Because I did all of this for you,” he said desperately. “I want us to be together, Victor. I know it’s taken a long time, but I had a ton of stuff to do before I could move here. And I didn’t want to tell you before it actually happened because if something went wrong you’d be hurt and angry at me. I wanted to be able to walk in here knowing that everything was taken care of, that I could tell you that I was definitely moving here to be with you. And that’s what I’m doing,” he said, feeling slight tremors pass through his body as he stared at Victor with a stricken expression on his face.
The blonde took a deep breath. “Four months is a long time with no word from you, Cam,” he pointed out acerbically.
He did cringe this time. “I know,” he said sheepishly. “And I’m really sorry. I wanted to call you, all of the time…I missed you so much,” he went on woefully, his shoulders slumping. “But are you…seeing somebody else? If you are, I’ll understand…” Cam said miserably, bracing himself for the worst news of his entire life.
Victor blew breath out of his nose in exasperation. “No, I’m not seeing anybody else,” he replied. “Unfortunately for me, I don’t seem to be able to forget a certain person I met five months ago. A baker who doesn’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the drawer,” he added acidly as Cam’s eyes lit up from within.
“Really?” he said eagerly as he took a step toward Victor.
The blonde held up a slender hand forbiddingly. “Cam, you can’t just walk back in here and take up where we left off, not after four months of silence,” he said sternly.
Cam came to a halt, looking worried and anxious again. “What can I do?” he asked, practically wringing his hands, “To make it up to you?”
Victor rolled his blue eyes. “You are impossible,” he muttered to the ceiling overhead. “Why do I like you so much? Oh, hell,” he said, sighing.
Cam was really worried now, but to his shock Victor walked toward him and placed his hand on the back of Cam’s neck. He pulled the taller man down so that their mouths met, and Cam felt his breath leave in an explosive gasp as Victor’s tongue slithered into his mouth. He moaned, pulling the blonde closer. He didn’t quite know what was going on here, but he also didn’t care right at this moment. He finally got to hold Victor again, to kiss him, and he wasn’t going to complain about possible confusion when he got to do that…
The kiss went on for so long that he felt dizzy from lack of air when Victor finally pulled away. The blonde was breathing erratically, and his blue eyes stared up into Cam’s hazel ones searchingly. “Are you sure about this, Cam?” he asked gravely. “I don’t want to get involved with you and then have you decide that you don’t like it here anymore for whatever reason.”
“I’m sure,” Cam replied eagerly, his hands spanning Victor’s slim waist. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have leased a building here in town and had it converted into a bakery. I can show it to you…” he began.
Victor smiled slightly. “I’ve seen it,” he replied. “I did wonder who’d bought the place, but only in an idle sort of way. I never imagined that it would be you…”
“I trained assistants to take over for me with my former employers,” Cam explained, “And I hired a neighbor lady to watch over my dad for me. There’s nothing to hold me back there anymore – everything I want or need is here,” he added sincerely.
Victor shook his head, although his lips were still lifting in that slight smile. “You are a romantic, Cam,” he remarked.
“Is there anything wrong with that?” Cam demanded.
“No, not at all. Especially when you’re the opposite of me. I’m a total cynic. I thought that we were over, that you’d never come back here. I tried to resign myself to that fact, but…” his smile disappeared, and a look of quiet misery passed over his face. “I couldn’t,” he added sadly.
“I’m so sorry, Victor,” Cam said unhappily. “But if it’s any consolation, I’ve been miserable too. I hate being away from you.”
Victor sighed, relaxing in his hold. “Welcome back, Cam,” he said, just before he closed his mouth over Cam’s once more.
Cam finally had to pull away from Victor’s lips, much as he didn’t want to. The blue eyes were bemused as they stared up into his. The sight of those kiss-swollen pink lips made him want to do it again right away. Instead he said rather hoarsely: “Wow. That was great.”
Victor’s lips lifted in a slight smile. “Yes,” he agreed quietly. He paused, and then went on: “What now, Cam?”
He had a ready answer for that. “Now I take you out to lunch,” he replied promptly. “On our third date. And I thought we might go see a movie later this evening, when you close the store for the night. We could eat popcorn, watch a movie, and make out in the dark…”
Victor laughed softly, a sight which thoroughly enchanted Cam. “Okay,” he replied. “I think that I’d enjoy that.”
Cam felt great. He slung an arm around his new boyfriend’s waist. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m paying,” he said firmly as he began to guide Victor toward the door of the bookstore.
The blonde gave him a faintly amused look, but let himself be steered. He understood that Cam had been straight up until now; so it didn’t bother him to be treated as though he were a woman once in awhile. Actually, not much would bother him right now. He was still rather out-of-it and exuberant over Cam’s appearance in his store. Frankly he’d thought that it was over, that he’d never see or hear from Cam ever again. And that had hurt; it had hurt far more than he would have thought possible. More than once he’d cursed himself for giving Cam that ultimatum during dinner four months ago; but he’d still known that what he’d said was right. Long distance relationships seldom worked out, and he’d known that he would have been even more hurt if they’d dated for months and had broken up over the distance between them anyway. So when he’d come out of the stacks and had seen Cam standing there in the doorway, his heart had lurched in his chest. He’d felt as though he couldn’t breathe or think.
And then when he’d realized that Cam had come back to beg him to try again, and had told Victor that he was moving here…it was almost too much for him to take in. In the end, he wouldn’t have been able to tell Cam no. Not when he felt so happy to see Cam again, and so relieved that Cam was going to be living and working here rather than over a hundred miles away. Victor glanced at Cam’s profile, marveling at how handsome it was. Strange how much Attis and Cam looked alike, except for size…Attis was like his older brother in miniature. Cam was so big. Victor really liked that fact. It made him feel secure in some way. The hand at his waist was warm and strong. It cradled the small of his back as Cam led the way to his truck outside and gallantly opened the passenger’s side door for Victor.
He climbed into the cab and buckled on his seatbelt. Cam got behind the wheel, glancing questioningly at him. “So where to?” he asked. “I thought I’d let you pick the restaurant, since you live here and up until today I didn’t.”
Victor considered this question thoughtfully. “There is a little bistro that serves very good food not too far away,” he told Cam. “It has a hot beef sandwich that is quite nice and that comes with an au jus sauce. I like to go there at least once a week because I can walk there.”
“Sounds great. Show me where to go,” Cam replied.
Victor gave him directions, and they drove to the bistro. The place was only half full, so they got a good table by the front window. As they waited for their food to arrive, Cam began to tell Victor all about how he’d spent the last four months (besides lonely, that is, without Victor). The blonde listened with interest, sipping his iced tea. He liked how Cam’s face lit up when he talked about the bakery that he was setting up here in town; the bakery that would belong to him and him alone. The obvious pride he felt made Victor smile. He understood, after all; owning the bookstore had always made him feel the same way. Although it would probably be an even stronger emotion for Cam, since Victor didn’t write any of the books that he sold. Cam, on the other hand, would be making every pastry and donut and cake that he sold in his bakery.
“So you’ll need to find an apartment or house to rent,” Victor noted absently. “Or are you going to keep living with your brother?”
Cam shook his head. “I’ll be staying with my brother for now, but not for long. I don’t want to get in the way. Attis is happily living with Blake; I’d just be a third wheel. Besides, Blake and I aren’t exactly good friends.” He went on dryly. “We get along for Attis’s sake, but there’s not much love lost between us.”
Victor chuckled. “Clashes between big brother and lover, those aren’t terribly uncommon,” he noted.
“Yeah, well, that’s why I want to move out as quickly as I can. That and the ear plugs,” Cam said wryly.
Victor’s brows lifted. “Ear plugs?” he repeated.
Cam grinned. “I had to buy a pair and wear them at night because Attis and Blake get pretty loud…especially Attis. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than having to listen to your brother going at it with his lover when you’re trying to sleep.”
“Oh,” Victor’s lips twitched. “I see.”
Cam laughed. “It’s funny now, but it wasn’t at first,” he said with a grin. “If looks could kill, the one I gave Blake that first morning after would have done him in on the spot.”
Victor trapped a long finger on the table thoughtfully. “I live in a large house that’s been divided into apartments,” he told Cam. “And the one right next to mine is going to be empty soon. The tenants are moving into a real house because they need more room. They have two children, you see,” he went on for Cam’s edification. “You could rent that apartment.”
Live right next door to Victor? That sounded like the best idea that he’d ever heard! “When does it open up?” he asked hopefully. If it was going to take awhile, he might have to try someplace else. He just didn’t want to impose on Attis for months on end.
“In no more than two weeks,” Victor replied. “Probably less. My neighbors are moving out as we speak. I’ll talk to my landlord and ask him if he wouldn’t be willing to let you have the place almost right away, and that we’ll do any cleaning that’s necessary. If you want to, that is.”
“Hell, yes!” Cam cried, and then looked rather embarrassed over his eager outburst. Victor smiled, shaking his blonde head.
“I’ll call him, then.”
Cam felt satisfied as they finished their lunch and talked. He liked talking to Victor. The blonde was erudite, learned, extremely intelligent, and had a droll sense of humor. He would make straight-faced jokes that took Cam by surprise, because Victor simply didn’t look like the kind of person who would ever make jokes. He had great fun, and was disappointed when Victor consulted his watch and said reluctantly: “I’m afraid I need to get back to the store, Cam.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, getting to his feet. “I’ll just pay the check and we’ll get going.”
Victor’s lips quirked up on one side. “So are you going to pay the check every time we go on a date?” he asked curiously.
Cam blinked. It had never occurred to him that he shouldn’t just pay the check. He was an old-fashioned sort of gentleman in his own way, and opening doors and picking up the check were ingrained into his nature. But still, Victor wasn’t a woman. He shouldn’t be treated like one. Besides, even if a woman had asked Cam not to behave that way, he would have acquiesced anyway. He always wanted to treat a woman the way she liked to be treated, and it was the same with Victor. “Err…we could split it,” he said.
Victor smiled. “Actually, I don’t mind if you pay it,” he teased. “As I’m never going to be rich operating my bookstore. I just thought that I’d poke you a little bit about your automatic assumption that you should pay the check. I think it’s rather cute, actually.”
Cam turned rather red and ran a hand distractedly through his hair. “I can’t help it…” he began.
Victor waved a long-fingered hand casually in his direction. "I know you can’t. I never said that I didn’t like it, did I? I just find it a little amusing. There aren’t too many men left like you, Cam,” he added as he got to his own feet. “And I personally believe that the world could use a few more.”
Cam didn’t know what to say to this, but Victor merely set his hand on Cam’s forearm. “Lead on, gallant sir,” he murmured for Cam’s ears only.
Cam’s face felt hot from his blush as they went up to the front counter so that he could collect and pay the check. Victor was still smiling slightly, obviously enjoying his unease. They exited the bistro together, and he drove Victor back to his bookstore. Cam left him there with a last lingering kiss, promising to come and pick him up again after he closed the store for the night so that they could go see a movie together. Then he drove away, not really wanting to but also not wanting to hang around Victor’s store all day and bug him.
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