Rory just laughed.
“Hmmm... Will is pretty fine,” Tyler commented, earning him a growl from Carmen. Giving his boyfriend an innocent look, Tyler quickly added, “Not as fine as you, of course, my love.”
“Better,” Carmen grumbled. Then he winked and looked at the phone. “Will does have a hot schoolteacher vibe going for him, though.”
“Hand it over,” Jake demanded, holding out his hand. “My turn.”
Tyler dutifully handed it over.
While Drew took a sip of his beer, he eyed his buddy who was staring at his phone.
Jake hummed. “Definitely hotter than in college,” he commented while swiping over the phone’s surface. “Is that the only picture you took?” As Jake asked that, he began tapping at the surface.
Is Jake looking for more photos of him?
Drew frowned. “Yeah. That’s the only one.” When he saw Jake nod in an almost absent manner while continuing to tap his phone, Drew leaned forward. “Hey. What are you doing?”
With the way Devon’s brows were creeping up his forehead, a niggle of concern filled Drew. Especially when Jake didn’t respond.
Rising to his feet, Drew demanded, “Jake? Give me my phone.”
“No,” Jake snapped back. With a quick glance up, he ordered, “Don’t let him near, Ror.”
Rory immediately jumped to his feet, placing his wine glass on the end table where he’d set the bottle earlier. “Stay there,” his friend ordered.
Drew growled, intending to go around him. While Rory was the same height as him—six-foot-four—his build was all wiry muscle. He also took martial arts, which he easily used to deflect Drew’s attempts to get around him and to his phone.
The others quickly jumped from their seats and backed away, giving them both space. Devon even steered Jake, who was still completely focused on Drew’s phone, away from the living space with him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Drew roared, hearing his phone ding, which indicated an incoming text.
Jake grinned widely. “Helping you,” he finally told him, once more tapping on Drew’s phone.
“Damn it, Jake.” Drew tried to duck around Rory, who grabbed his arm and used his momentum to swing him back the other way. “Give it to me!”
“I will not,” Jake told him, still tapping. “I’m helping you set up a meeting with Will.”
Upon hearing that, Drew froze. “What?” His heart skipped a beat in his chest. “What have you done?”
Continuing to grin, Jake stated, “Well, first I texted, Seeing you again was like a sun brightening my dismal life. Your sparkling emerald eyes made my breath catch, and your wide smile made my heart thud in my chest. Please tell me there’s a chance I can show you how much you could mean to me.”
Drew gaped, actually able to feel the blood drain from his face. “What?” he whispered, barely managing to choke out the word.
How could my friend do this to me?
Jake rolled his eyes and finally held out the phone to him. “Here.”
With a shaking hand, Drew took it. Rory read over his shoulder, but with his focus on the screen, he couldn’t move to push him away.
The message was nothing like what Jake had said.
Hi, Will. This is Drew. Since you said you wouldn’t mind having coffee with me to catch up, I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. Do you have any free time this weekend?
To Drew’s surprise, Will’s reply had been almost immediate.
Hi, Drew. Sure. I can meet you for coffee to catch up. How about Sunday at ten?
Jake’s response on his phone read—That would be fine. Do you know Lady Jay’s Coffee Shop on Fourth and Main?
Oh, yeah. That place has awesome cinnamon rolls.
It does! Coffee and cinnamon rolls at ten on Sunday. See you then.
See you.
When Drew lifted his focus back to Jake, who had his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile on his face, he mumbled, “Holy shit.”
His friends laughed, but at least they started offering suggestions about what to talk about.
Chapter Four
Is this a date? It feels like a date. No, he didn’t say it was a date. This is just a couple of college buddies catching up, right? Except, we weren’t buddies in college. But he didn’t call it a date, either.
Will’s thoughts went round and round as he walked toward the coffee shop. He didn’t really want to analyze how he’d felt when he’d read the text from the unknown number. Except, Will didn’t make it a habit of lying to himself.
Excitement. Pulse-pounding excitement.
Why?
Sadly, Will knew the answer to that, too. It had been quite a while since he’d been pursued by anyone. Over the last few years, he’d been so focused on his career that he hadn’t made time to date.
Except, this isn’t a date, right?
God, I don’t know!
After spotting Drew sitting at a table through the coffee shop window, Will forced back his confused mental ramblings. He paused at the door and took a deep, steadying breath. Then Will grabbed the handle and pulled open the door.
Will strode inside, the fragrance of sweets and coffee wrapping around his senses. Inhaling deeply as his mouth watered, he turned and met Drew’s gaze. After dipping his chin in a nod, Will headed to the counter.
There was only one person before him, so the wait wasn’t long. He requested a double caramel macchiato and a cinnamon roll. Mentally, he ordered himself to spend an extra fifteen minutes on the treadmill when he worked out that evening.
December in Oregon could have unpredictable weather, and it was supposed to storm that evening. He’d converted his basement into a home gym years before. As much as he loved running, he had no desire to do it while drenched if he didn’t have to.
Taking his coffee and pastry, Will headed toward the table where his coffee companion rose from his seat. “Hi, Drew,” he greeted. After placing his purchases on the table, Will held out his hand. “Good to see you again.”
Drew grinned broadly, placing his hand in Will’s. Just like the first time, the big man squeezed lightly and didn’t release him right away.
“It’s good to see you again, Will,” Drew told him. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
“Sure,” Will replied, uncertain what else to stay. He cleared his throat and tugged gently on his hand.
A hint of pink filled Drew’s cheeks as he released him and cleared his throat. “Oh. I already got us both a cinnamon roll.” He indicated the two pastries already on the table as he took his seat. “But I didn’t know what kind of coffee you’d want.”
Flattered, Will smiled as a butterfly fluttered in his gut. “Oh, wow. Thanks.” Easing onto his seat, he offered, “How about I take that home, and before we leave, I’ll grab whatever pastry you want for you to take home.”
Drew’s brows shot up in obvious surprise. A second later, a pleased smile curved his thick lips. “Hey, thanks.” He picked up one of the forks on the table and began pulling off the outer ring of the icing-topped pastry. “So, I have a confession to make.”
Grabbing his own fork, Will cocked his head. “Um, okay.” He started to cut into his cinnamon roll even as he smirked. “That’s never an ominous way to start a coffee date.” Realizing what he’d said, he shifted in his seat. “Uh, not that I expected this to be a date,” he said, trying to back-track. “Because I’d never want to presume. I only mean—”
“I want it to be a date,” Drew cut in, stopping his yammering. “I really do.” Stabbing the bit of cinnamon roll he’d unfurled, he admitted, “But I wasn’t the one who texted you.”
“Huh?” Will frowned. Before popping his bite of food into his mouth, he asked, “Then who did, since you’re obviously here?”
Drew’s cheeks darkened. “I was telling my buddies about running into you, and—” He paused and heaved a sigh while grimacing. “Well, Jake knew I wouldn’t have the balls to actually message you, even though I wanted to, so he swiped
my phone. He’s the one who actually opened contact.”
Unable to help himself, Will chuckled softly. “Opened contact. Interesting way to put it.” Seeing the rosy hue of embarrassment darken Drew’s cheeks, he sobered. “Well, I’m glad he did. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date.” Will realized there was something important he needed to know. “Since you want this to be a date, should I assume that you’re out as gay?” After a second of hesitation, he added, “Or bi?”
Lifting his hand in a so-so gesture, Drew admitted, “Gay, yes. I’m not in the closet anymore, but—”
When Drew hesitated, Will pressed, “But?” With his coffee companion continuing to pause, he knew he needed to press the issue just a little. “Look, Drew. You’re a good-looking guy, and I think you realized I was attracted to you in college.” Duh. I kissed him, after all. “But I refuse to be anyone’s dirty little secret. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt,” he quipped, trying to soften his strident words. “If you’re not comfortable with admitting you’re on a date with me, then maybe it would be best if we just stayed friends.”
“I’m out to my friends,” Drew told him, lifting his hand to stall Will’s denials. “And I’m sorry someone asked that of you.” Then Drew reached over and traced his fingertips over Will’s hand where it rested on the table, although he didn’t actually take his hand. “I’ve never told my dad I’m gay, but if I was ever serious about anyone, I would.”
“Really?” Will couldn’t keep the surprise from his tone.
Drew nodded. “Really.”
Will didn’t know if he believed Drew. He’d heard those words before. However, the fact that he was out to his friends certainly settled some of his reserves. After all, Drew had told him one of his buddies—a guy named Jake—had helped him set up the coffee date.
Wait. I’m totally getting ahead of myself.
“Okay, soooo... where do we go from here?” Will asked, only after saying the words realizing how awkward they sounded. Will knew it was his turn to blush by the warming of his neck. “Um, sorry. Been a while since I dated.” He did his best to cover his faux pa by taking a sip of his drink.
Yeah, I’ve already said that, too. Dang it!
Chuckling, Drew shrugged. “And I’ve never dated.” Then he waggled his eyebrows. “But I hear you’re supposed to share life experiences, likes and dislikes, and shit like that.”
Will snorted as he nodded. “Got it.” Stabbing his fork into his cinnamon roll for another bite, he asked, “So, how long have you worked at that clinic as a physical therapist?”
“I did my apprentice work there and was really fortunate to get hired on right out of college,” Drew told him, sporting an expression of relief. “It helped that my mentor really liked my style. Oh, that’s Mister Mindrid, by the way. He was the one Pete was actually supposed to see.”
Will nodded. “What was up with the scheduling change, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“Jillian can be a little scatterbrained sometimes,” Drew told him with a grimace. “Especially if she’s distracted by flirting with someone.”
“You mean by flirting with you?” Will asked pointedly, unable to help himself. Seeing Drew wince, he snorted. “Yeah, I noticed. Does she not know?” Another thought entered his mind. “Or is she one of those women who thinks if you get together with the right girl”—he lifted the hand not holding his fork and made air quotes—”suddenly you won’t be gay anymore?”
Drew shook his head. “Naw, she doesn’t know.”
That brought Will up short. “Are you not out at work?” When Drew had said his friends knew and he was no longer in the closet, he’d made assumptions.
I should know better than to do that.
“The other physical therapists know, and they don’t care,” Drew answered. “I told them when they offered me the job. I didn’t want it to cause problems later on.”
“Ah, okay.”
That was good.
“What about you?” Drew asked, bring his coffee to his lips. “What are you up to these days?”
“I’m a music instructor and assistant band director at Colina High School,” Will told him. “I’m also the drum major for the marching band.”
Drew nodded, his brows furrowing. “Uh, so what does a drum major do?”
Swallowing his bite of food quickly, Will thought about how to explain. “I essentially lead the band, even though I don’t play an instrument in it. It consists of leading them while marching, controlling how fast to march and play the music, deciding what to play, as well as when to take breaks or start playing again.”
With parted lips, Drew eyed him up and down. “Wow,” he murmured. “Sounds complicated.”
Will shrugged. “I suppose.” It had taken him almost a decade to get to his level. “Now it’s pretty second nature to me.” Giving Drew a disarming grin and willing to push the attention to something else, Will pointed out, “You probably put in just as much work to get your position. I remember you played football in college.”
Drew’s lips curved into a fond smile as he appeared to be mentally recalling his past. “Yeah.”
“I’d think going from football to physical therapy was a big change,” Will pointed out before sipping his coffee. “Why’d you do it? Didn’t want to go professional?”
Rolling one massive shoulder in a half-shrug, Drew told him, “My dad wanted me to go professional.” He scoffed and shook his head. “He still doesn’t understand why I quit, but once I come out to him, he will.” Frowning, Drew muttered, “Or he’ll never talk to me again.”
“This is our first date, Drew,” Will stated solemnly. “Shouldn’t you wait until we discover if we’re really into each other first?” He didn’t want the handsome man putting his life into upheaval if after a week, they discovered they weren’t compatible. “We should really get to know each other before you make that kind of decision.”
Drew’s smile appeared almost chagrined. “Will, I never forgot you. Not in all these years.” Snorting softly, he muttered, “Did you know I used that single kiss as a benchmark for every other man’s, and they all fell short?” Sighing deeply, Drew admitted, “After the first couple of years, I stopped kissin’ altogether. It always left me feeling... disappointed.”
Will gasped softly. His heart thudded in his chest. He felt a mixture of shock and pride. “Wow,” he finally managed when he realized Drew stared at him expectantly. “Th-That’s... amazing.”
Clearing his throat, Drew shifted in his seat. “Anyway, to answer your question,” he began, obviously trying to change the subject. “I was injured in my junior year. Knocked me out for the season. I was impressed with every aspect of physical therapy and sports medicine and asked my therapist a million questions.” Shaking his head, Drew smiled wryly at him. “No way did I wanna go through years and years of medical school to be in the sports medicine field, but the therapy aspect really drew me. I switched majors my senior year, much to my dad’s disappointment.”
“The whole professional football thing, huh?” Will confirmed.
Drew nodded. “He thought I was good enough, but I didn’t want to devote my life to a sport where I would have to hide who I am.” Grimacing, he added, “Of course, I didn’t tell him that. He still can’t figure out why I’m such good friends with Jake, who’s openly gay and married to his husband, Devon.” Drew’s cheeks began to pinken. “He’s made a comment or two about how people could get the wrong idea, so maybe I should find a nice girl to settle down with.”
Will grimaced. “Think you coming out is going to throw him for a loop? Or be pissed?” He’d heard of so many different reactions from family.
“Not sure,” Drew admitted. “But I’ll deal with it.” Then he pushed away his now-empty plate and wrapped both hands around his paper cup. “What about your family? How’d yours take it?”
“It’s just me and my mom,” Will told him, thinking of his mother, who still attended pride parades with him. “I came out
to her when I was thirteen.”
Drew gaped. “Thirteen?”
Will chuckled at his expression. “Yep, when I told her I wanted to marry Dwayne Johnson.”
To Will’s pleasure, Drew tipped his head back and laughed.
Chapter Five
“So, how did your date go?”
Drew whipped around, surprised to see a smirk on Mister Alex Mindrid’s face. The man was usually so focused on work that his smiles were always professional. He also rarely questioned anyone’s personal life.
“Uh, great,” Drew replied automatically. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly asked, “How’d you know I had a date?”
Alex’s smirk turned into a grin. “No one smiles that big on a Monday morning unless they’ve had a fantastic weekend.” He even waggled his eyebrows playfully. “Ergot, a date.”
Laughing, Drew nodded. “Yeah. I guess that’s true.”
Sobering, Alex stated, “Please tell me you didn’t finally give in and take Jillian on a date.”
Drew rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “Of course not. I’m gay, remember?”
Alex shrugged. “Sometimes people do weird stuff to get someone off their back. Maybe you’re grinning so widely because you took her out and gave her the worst date in history.” He chuckled at his own idea. “That way, she’ll never angle for another date from you again.”
Snorting, Drew rested his hand on his hip. “Damn. Wish I would’ve thought of that.” He scoffed as he added, “Of course, probably not the best way to handle it since it would make office life awkward.”
“True.” Tucking his clipboard under his arm, Alex asked, “So, who was the lucky guy?”
“His name is Will, and he’s going to be escorting the client I’m seeing in fifteen minutes, if you want to meet him.” Drew’s heart began to race. He’d never mixed business with pleasure before, and he wondered if this was crossing a line. “Uh, but Will isn’t my client. He’s the driver.”
“Ah, yes.” Alex nodded. “Rafe told me about the scheduling mix-up. Thank you for stepping in.” A scowl suddenly tugged at his lips as he told him, “This isn’t the first mix-up like this, but I sure hope it’ll be the last.”
The Drum Major’s Passion Page 3
