Austin was out grocery shopping after work when Ben texted to ask if he wanted to meet up for drinks. Passing on drinks, Austin offered to have coffee with him.
While waiting for Ben at Coffler's Coffee, Austin was thinking he might grab a coffee to take home to Miller too. To pass the time, he talked to the waitress, Kelly, and she asked, "So does Miller have a boyfriend? He was in here with some hot guy a while ago."
"What did this guy look like?" Austin asked and felt his chest tighten.
"Tall, really good-looking, dark hair, earring. They were sitting close. Are they dating?" she asked while Austin realized she must be talking about Lawrence.
"He's just a friend," Austin said, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure.
Even if he was wrong, it shouldn't have been anything to Austin. He and Miller messed around, but what did that mean?
Maybe nothing, or maybe Lawrence was the reason Miller was acting like nothing ever happened. Lawrence was willing to go out of his way to see Miller. It could be that he wanted to be more than just a friend.
Austin didn't know why that should bother him so much, and he got jealous of Wes too. He should want Miller to be happy. It wasn't like Lawrence or Wes were stealing Miller away from him.
He thought about Miller, how he was kind, sweet and warm. But that wasn't all. He was also someone Austin most definitely wanted to fuck. He just didn't know where that feeling came from when he had only ever wanted girls before.
Was it because he liked Miller so much and wanted to be close to him all the time? Was that feeling spilling over into a whole other kind of feeling so that he ended up wanting to be close to him in every way he could?
He didn't know why or where it came from, but whatever this feeling was, it was growing stronger all the time.
Eventually Ben showed up and after bitching about coffee instead of drinks, he told Austin what he'd been up to lately, mostly partying and chasing girls.
He then eyed Austin and asked, "How are things with you? Any plans to move?"
"Why would I want to move?" Austin asked him, getting irritated.
"You're getting way too comfortable over there with that Miller. What gives with the two of you throwing parties together? What's that about?"
"We live together," Austin told him and right away Ben didn't like the sound of that and tried to correct him.
"No, man, no. You are renting a room from him."
Austin corrected him right back. "Two rooms. Remi has his own room, but I'm still just paying for one."
"The fuck, Austin. I warned you, man, not to take favors from him. I warned you," Ben said.
"You don't need to warn me. Miller is a great guy. I like him, and I don't mind doing whatever it takes to pay him back," Austin said, letting Ben think whatever he wanted about that.
"I don't even know what to say to you," Ben said then he told him about some friend of his whose mother was renting out a room above her garage. Ben was talking like any place was better than staying with Miller.
"I like where I'm living and who I'm living with," Austin told him, but he did wonder why everything he said made it sound like something was going on between him and Miller. Did he want to convince Ben of that when he didn't know what was going on himself?
Austin started out desperate to find out what Miller would feel like, taste like, but what else did he want? If this thing with Miller was real then he could take it past just getting off together. But maybe Miller didn't want that. Maybe he wanted someone else.
When he got home, Austin saw that Remi was asleep, then he and Miller started putting away the groceries together. Austin told him about meeting up with Ben.
"He was his usual self?" Miller said like he already knew the answer.
"He was. But Kelly from the coffee shop mentioned that you were there with some good-looking guy," Austin said and watched Miller out of the corner of his eye.
"Who?" Miller asked like he had no clue.
"I think she meant Larry," Austin said watching him even more closely now.
"You mean Lawrence," Miller said like he knew Austin got his name wrong on purpose.
"Right, him. So you and him are pretty close. He drove for hours to see you and all," Austin said, wanting to know where things stood between Miller and Lawrence.
Miller kept putting stuff in the kitchen cupboards as he talked about his friend. "I think it's a two hour drive, but Lawrence has that sports car and he loves to drive it," Miller said with a smile that worried Austin.
"Did you enjoy your drive with him in his awesome sports car? You know, when you went on that coffee date with him," Austin asked and he couldn't keep the sharp edge out of his voice.
Miller turned to him with a frown. "We walked. And why are you calling it a date?"
"That's what it was, wasn't it?" Austin said, pushing Miller for an answer. "Kelly from the coffee shop noticed how close you two were, like a couple."
"And bringing us coffee makes her the expert?" Miller said getting mad and slamming the cabinet door shut.
"You telling me she's wrong?" Austin asked taking a step toward him.
"Why do I need to tell you anything?" Miller demanded.
"Is that your way of saying I got no right to ask?"
Miller raised his chin. "OK. I'll tell you all about me and Lawrence if you tell me why you need to know," Miller challenged him.
Austin knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. "I just. Sorry. I know I don't have the right to be interrogating you." He let out a long, loud breath, his anger leaving him.
Miller didn't let him off the hook. "Then why are you?"
"I thought maybe you had a thing going with him," Austin said and now he could hardly look at Miller.
"Well, I don't."
"Did you and him ever...?"
"No, we're just friends," Miller said, still irritated with him. When Austin didn't say anything more, Miller walked away from him.
Austin got busy with Remi, then he worked on repairing some baseboards upstairs, wanting to finish up before Remi's bedtime.
Staying in his office, Miller kept his distance all evening. When Austin asked if he wanted to eat, Miller said he wasn't hungry, that he had work to finish up.
After picking a fight with him, Austin didn't want to bother him, but he didn't want to leave things like they were either. Once he had Remi in bed, Austin went over to Miller's office.
Hanging out in the doorway, he watched Miller at his desk, frowning at his iPad and the computer screen at the same time. When Miller set aside the iPad then rubbed his eyes, Austin cleared his throat and spoke up.
"If I can get Harriet or Sandy to babysit one evening, you think you might want to go out somewhere to eat or have drinks or whatever?"
Miller just stared at him. "Are you trying to make up with me?" he asked.
"I guess. So what do you say? My treat. I got that bonus for the extra work I did for the rush jobs. I could do the overtime because of all the babysitting you did, so I want to thank you."
Miller wasn't giving in that easy. "You don't need to do that. I like taking care of Remi."
"I'd really like to. We can go somewhere new. Can you do it tomorrow night?" Austin still didn't have a babysitter lined up, but he didn't want to wait and lose this chance.
"I can but..."
"Great." Austin said then he started texting, his heart beating way too fast. "Harriet said she's free, so that will work out perfect." Austin gave Miller a big smile, and Miller sighed like he lost the will to try and talk him out of it.
"I guess we're on for tomorrow night," he said and gave Austin a small smile.
Austin was so happy, but he felt like he was being underhanded too, asking Miller to dinner under false pretenses and just trying to keep him to himself.