Nick felt bad, as he’d kept checking the time during Danny’s show. Of primary concern to him was still having enough time to make dinner for Ryan (he’d settled on a baked pasta dish), though he hadn’t forgotten that the casino boss, Ed, was to sit in and judge the show. He wasn’t hard to spot after a few moments, and with him were a couple of others that Nick assumed to be security, but he couldn’t be certain if they were co-workers of his, or possible employees of the vampire they were supposed to be spying on.
Between stealing glances at the boss to gauge his reaction over the show and checking his watch, he’d missed out on some things here and there, though the show wasn’t all that horribly different from the previous ones. Still, she put on a much better show than normal, so when he felt it was okay to leave, he dropped a tip and made his way out, picking up any last minute things he needed from the store before getting home to begin prep work on dinner. Prep wasn’t complicated, just a little timely (as all good pasta can be). He placed dinner in the preheated oven, saying a small prayer that he wouldn’t be interrupted by people tonight unless it was actually important as he did so.
Chase whined at him a little, and looked at the door, then back to him. Setting aside the cleanup for now, he put Chase on his leash and then headed out the door to take the dog for his walk and a bit of play before making his way back inside, feeling distracted all the while by thoughts of his new friends and the recent stressors they’d caused him, intentional or not. It was getting to the point where, at times, he was very tempted to have a drink, and he found the struggle to resist rather difficult. He knew he needed to call his sponsor and admit to the struggles, as well as actually having had a drink that one time due to Liv – or even attend a meeting, but he was stubborn. Asking for help for something like this was hard for him, and admitting to the struggles was like admitting defeat, and he didn’t like it.
By the time he got back to the apartment though, he’d managed to shake the memories of annoyance by paying close attention to the very ecstatic Chase, a dog who was all too happy to have his vest off and play in the other room while Nick worked on cleaning up the mess he’d made from prepping dinner and loaded up the dishwasher; all the while the sound of happy puppy noises and squeaking toys sounded from the other room.
Three years. That’s how long he and Ryan had been together before their breakup. With a sigh, he looked at the time. Plenty of time still until he showed – if he ended up showing at all, though Nick hoped he still chose to. He sat down on the couch and absent-mindedly watched – and sometimes played with – the dog, his thoughts turning to happier times, like their first kiss. It was a surprise thing, something Nick hadn’t expected at all. The two of them had been friends since middle school, and they’d often hang out to watch things together at someone’s house or another. They were 15, and had been getting ready to watch a movie over at Ryan’s place while his parents were away.
Ryan looked up from the kitchen counter and over at Nick while he got drinks from the fridge, dumping microwave popcorn into a bowl as he worked up his nerve.
“Hey Nick?” he’d asked. “Is it ok if I tell you something?”
“What’s up?” he’d said, a couple of sodas in each hand.
“Well, you see…”
“No…”
“Knock it off, I’m serious. You have to promise not to let anyone know, okay?”
“Alright, ok. I got your back, don’t worry. Just get it off your chest, so we can get to the movie.”
Ryan had bit his lip for half a second, then moved over to Nick, getting close. He’d looked down for a second, and took initiative before his bravery left him, and kissed, leaving Nick stunned. Nick couldn’t remember what ran through his head, just recalled being stunned, liking it, and kissing back.
“You can’t tell anyone, ok?” Ryan had said, sounding a little scared. “My parents can’t find out, alright.”
“I won’t tell anyone.” he’d promised.
And he never had, until recently. They’d had some great times together over the years, with nor fighting or arguing (disagreements didn’t count) worth mentioning. Especially memorable was their first time, where they’d snuck out of homecoming during their homecoming junior year to head out into the desert in the truck Nick borrowed from his Dad. They’d gone off the road a bit to a more or less secluded place, and had experienced each other in the bed of the truck. It had happened a good few times after as well, and as he thought about these memories, he was remembering the way Ryan felt under his hands, the way he tasted when Nick kissed him, and the moans he made in more intimate moments.
It was Chase’s cold nose nudging him out of concern that brought him out of his reverie. He was getting worked up, and needed to bring himself down, as the food would be done soon and Ryan would arrive around the same time, theoretically. He took a quick, cold shower to cool off steamy thoughts, dressed, and had just finished setting the table after pulling the food out of the oven, when a knock sounded at the door.