Welcome to Blissville

by Walker, Aimee Nicole

  I didn’t like that he was nervous around me and said the first thing that came to mind. “You’re really good at your job.”

  Chaz snorted a little and said, “It’s not like I rescue kittens like you do.”

  “Technically, the firemen are the ones rescuing kittens,” I said teasingly. “I just treat them.” I offered him what I thought was a friendly smile, but I must’ve showed too much teeth and looked like a shark because he looked even more uncomfortable.

  Chaz broke eye contact and glanced around the salon before he looked back at me. “Josh is ready for you now, Dr. Vaughn.”

  I perked up a little bit at hearing him say my name. “You know who I am?” I asked.

  “You’re hard to miss,” Chaz said, blushing profusely. Was he nervous and pink-cheeked because he felt the same level of attraction?

  It shouldn’t have mattered, but I liked the attention and the thought that I could still rattle someone. I had spent so many years focused on my schooling and training to become a veterinarian that I lost who I was as a man. Yes, I had Gabe in my life, but our relationship had deteriorated before we moved from Miami and it hadn’t improved in the few months we had lived in Ohio.

  We were great friends, but the physical part felt more like we were going through the motions instead of the burning passion you’d expect with a committed, happy couple. The insane attraction I felt for Chaz told me that I wasn’t in love with Gabe any longer, no matter how much I loved him. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up, and neither was Gabe until a year of living in Blissville had passed.

  Oddly, we remained good friends, and there were a few times when loneliness drove us toward each other for physical release the year that followed our breakup. It never felt right afterward, and I could tell we both regretted it. It was the loneliest time in my adult life, and I started playing online video games to pass the time each night and weekend. I had made some friends, but I missed the physical touch of someone, and my right hand just wasn’t cutting it.

  I knew Gabe had made the decision never to let it happen again when I flirted with him in the lobby of my animal hospital a year after our breakup. His body stiffened, and he frowned when I placed my hand on his arm. I knew then that he’d met someone, or at least thought he had. I was happy for him because he deserved great things.

  The flirty interaction I had with Chaz Hamilton in the exam room immediately afterward made me realize that I deserved to be happy too. I wasn’t sure that Chaz was that guy, but my body sure lit up like the Fourth of July when he was near. The words that came out of his mouth weren’t always meant to be sexy, but I could easily mistake them as such. I’d interacted with Chaz many times since I became single, but I never got the impression that he was into me after his initial reaction during my first visit to the salon when I caught him unaware. In fact, he rarely made eye contact with me so you can imagine my surprise when he locked eyes with me as he blew me… I mean blew his eyelash on my finger. He looked like he wanted to kiss me really bad and I knew damn well that I wanted to lay one on him. I don’t know what would’ve happened if Terry hadn’t interrupted us.

  It wasn’t long before it became obvious who had captured Gabe’s attention. I watched from the sideline as my good friend—as I preferred to think of Gabe—fought hard to win Josh Roman’s heart. It wasn’t an easy battle by any means, but damn the way they sparked when they were together made it obvious that it was worth it.

  By that time, I’d connected with a guy named Drew online. He was everything I wanted in a man—funny, feisty, and his dirty talk made me hot. We started out playing video games, but that turned into something sexual in a hurry. It seemed like Drew was as lonely as I was and I started hinting around that I wanted to meet him after a few weeks of chatting and jerking off together. Columbus wasn’t that far north, and I thought it was worth a shot. We had similar interests in life, and we sparked. At first, Drew kind of blew me off like I was joking, but then he completely disappeared when I came right out and asked him if we could meet.

  I had never felt so rejected in my life. My brain constantly spun around all the reasons why he didn’t want to meet. Was he worried that I wouldn’t find him physically attractive? Was he in the closet about his sexuality? I confess that our conversations didn’t go that deep, we just pretended that our dicks were going deep in each other. I don’t know how long I messaged him without a reply before I gave up.

  I found myself confiding the pseudo relationship to Gabe, expecting him to laugh at me. Instead, he was supportive and told me to hang in there. He told me to have faith and assured me that Drew would reappear in my life if he was the right guy for me. Unfortunately, I never heard from Drew again but there was that saying about a window opening after a door shut.

  That was how it felt when Chaz and I shared the second encounter in the exam room after Diva bit his finger. I learned that he’d given me the nickname of Dr. Dimples, which meant he thought about me more than he let on. I also learned through Josh that Chaz was a gamer too, and I made a suggestion about connecting with him online. He didn’t look receptive to the idea, and I didn’t have much time to mull it over because I had to run out to the Handerneskis’ farm to deal with Tank, the bull.

  A few days later, I stopped by the salon on my way to work to get wax for my hair. The only people inside were the three amigos, Chaz, Josh, and Mere because it was early and they had just opened. It was clear that they were so engaged in their conversation that they hadn’t heard the little bell over the door ring.

  “I know where you’re going with this, Josh. I’m telling you the likelihood that I’m playing games with Dr. Dimples into the wee hours of the night are slim to none,” Chaz said. Oh, that got my attention. It was obvious then that Gabe had told Josh about my gaming and Josh decided to push his gaming friend in front of me during his vet appointment. I should’ve been embarrassed by his meddling, but I thought it was cute.

  “You wish you were,” Meredith said sassily. Josh looked up at me then, his eyes as wide as headlights. His mouth opened to warn his friends, but nothing came out. Josh looked like a fish, and I almost took pity on them and made my presence known, but I was glad I hadn’t when I heard what Chaz said next.

  “Okay, maybe I do. Are you happy now? If I admit to jerking off while thinking about the good doctor will you shut up about it?” Chaz asked.

  “Uh…” Josh said gracelessly.

  “So what if I want to take in every stray cat I find so that I can look at him and smell his body wash. You think I’m the only one? Please,” Chaz said, waving his hand exaggeratingly. “If that man knew how many people fantasized about his hunky body then he’d never leave his house.” Really? Me?

  Meredith turned to look at Chaz just then and let out a high-pitched squeak when she saw I had overheard every single word they said. Apparently, Josh’s stunned silence and Meredith’s shock was enough to alert Chaz that I was in the room.

  “That Dr. Rogers is sex on a stick,” Chaz said. It would’ve been a good rebound had Dr. Rogers not been older than dirt. “If you’ll excuse me, I just remembered that I have some, um, inventory to order before the day gets away from me.” He mumbled something softly to his friends that I couldn’t make out. I watched Chaz leave the room with his back ramrod straight, which did nothing to deter my eyes from feasting on his delectable ass.

  A smile spread slowly across my face when I realized that Chaz wasn’t immune to me after all. “Good morning,” I said cheerfully to Josh and Meredith, who wore matching looks of mortification. “I just stopped by to grab some hair wax. I’m almost out.” I felt like I was in a daze when I walked over to the display case and grabbed the product off the shelf.

  “Honey, that’s the wrong kind of wax,” Meredith said, then walked over to save me from myself. “The ladies use that for other things.”

  “Some men too,” Josh reminded her.

  “True,” Meredith agreed.

  “Ouch,” I said with a shiver. “I�
�ll stick with hair wax, thank you.” Then I recalled Chaz’s comment about how he preferred to suck smooth testicles over hairy ones. Luckily for me, there was more than one way to get smooth balls.

  Out of the blue, Josh invited me to share Easter dinner with them. I knew he was still playing his hand at matchmaking and I didn’t see the need to stop him. If he thought I was a good match for Chaz, then I thought I should give it serious consideration. The attraction was obviously there between us, and we both liked playing video games. I didn’t commit to the invitation, but it was the best offer I’d had in a long time. Still, I didn’t feel comfortable showing up at Josh’s house if Chaz didn’t know I was coming or didn’t want me there.

  I decided to look up his phone number in our computer system once I arrived at the animal hospital. It felt a little sketchy looking up Chaz’s contact information, but I couldn’t exactly ask Josh for it because that would only encourage him. It wouldn’t be right to contact Chaz at the salon either, so I felt like I had no other choice but to take matters into my own hand. I had snickered at the thought because that was all that I had been doing lately.

  I was battling my conscience in my small office as I stared at the information in front of me. “It’s not like I’m going to jot down his address and stand outside his window while he undresses or…”

  “Why the hell not?” Alyssa had asked, scaring the daylights out of me.

  “Damn it, Alyssa,” I said once I dislodged my heart from my throat. “I thought I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that.”

  “Sneaking up?” she asked incredulously. “Love, a woman my size doesn’t sneak anywhere.”

  “You mean perfect-the-way-you-are size?” I asked. Alyssa, like so many people, had a skewed idea of what beauty was and felt like failures when their reality didn’t live up to that image. I had been there before and even still battled body issues decades later.

  “I love you, Kyle,” Alyssa said affectionately. “That’s why I want you to quit moping around here and meet a guy who makes you happy.”

  “I’m trying,” I said.

  “Not hard enough. It’s clear that you and Chaz are attracted to one another. He practically trips over his tongue when you walk into the room, and it’s equally as obvious that you’re drawn to him.” I would’ve argued with her the day before, but I’d overheard what Chaz said at the salon. Well, unless he used the nickname Dr. Dimples on more than one person. The thought made me jealous, and I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t call him.

  “Okay,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. “I’ll call Chaz tonight. I’m expecting you to keep quiet about this.” I gave her a pointed look that said I meant business. Alyssa had been the town’s biggest gossip until it backfired on her and she found herself as the subject on everyone’s tongues when she and her husband separated.

  “I would never discuss your business with anyone,” she said then added, “not your personal business either,” when I didn’t look convinced.

  I weighed the pros and cons of calling him for the rest of the day and the one that followed. It was nearly ten o’clock at night by the time I worked up the nerve to call him. I almost hung up the phone like an immature teenager when Chaz answered.

  “Hello?”

  I said nothing at first. Hell, what the hell was I supposed to say to him? I didn’t want to rat Josh out, but I couldn’t just show up at Easter dinner either.

  “I can hear you breathing through the line,” Chaz said irritably into the phone. “Either talk dirty to me or hang up.” I opened my mouth but nothing came out. “Never mind.” I could tell he was about to hang up and knew I had to act fast.

  “It’s Dr. Dimples,” I blurted out. “I mean Kyle.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t tell by Chaz’s tone if his surprise was good or bad. “Uh, what’s going on?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Well, I’m calling because I was invited to Easter dinner and…”

  “Who invited you?” he asked, almost accusingly.

  “Does it matter?” I replied. The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight between friends.

  “Actually, it matters a lot. Let me guess; he’s about five foot nine, has platinum blond hair, and is shacking up with your ex.” Chaz paused for a second then said, “Scratch the last part because that was just catty and mean.”

  His discomfort made me chuckle. I thought his habit of blurting out whatever came to mind was cute and endearing. “It’s okay; you didn’t hurt my feelings. I’m happy for Josh and Gabe.”

  “You know what?” Chaz asked. “I already know the answer. I’m curious why you’re calling me. It seems like you’re asking my permission to come to dinner.”

  “In a way, I guess that I am. I don’t feel right showing up if it’s going to make you uncomfortable,” I told him.

  “Why would I be uncomfortable?” Chaz asked in a high-pitched voice that told me he was extremely nervous. “Josh makes a great ham, and you probably don’t want to miss it.” His words were stilted and made it obvious that he wasn’t at all comfortable with me showing up.

  “I’ll give it some thought,” I said noncommittally. “Have a good Easter if I don’t see you.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Once again, I couldn’t get a handle on Chaz’s feelings. He had sounded sincere and discouraged at the same damn time. How did someone do that?

  I changed my mind about going to Easter every half hour leading up to the day. In fact, I sat outside the house that Josh used for his salon and his residence for a good fifteen minutes before I worked up the nerve to ring the doorbell.

  The look on Chaz’s face was a mixture of relief and anxiousness like he wanted me to be there but wasn’t sure he should. I got to meet Josh and Gabe’s new neighbor, Emory Jackson, who was a really good-looking guy, and Jonathon Silver, who owned a club in Cincinnati. I wasn’t expecting to see the new faces, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

  I learned that Chaz and I had something else in common besides World of Warcraft and our friends. We both loved Friends and proceeded to quote the show throughout the night. We started watching the show on Netflix after we ate and the next thing I knew it was after ten o’clock. Josh and Gabe had fallen asleep on the couch indicating that we’d more than worn out our welcome.

  I walked Chaz to his car once we left, but wasn’t exactly sure what to say or do. I’d never been a suave guy, but he had my tongue tied and guts twisted in a knot. “That was a lot of fun,” Chaz said, leaning against the car so he could look up into my face.

  “It was,” I agreed. I should’ve asked Chaz if he wanted to do it again at one of our places, but I didn’t. “Drive carefully,” I said, stepping back.

  “You too,” Chaz said softly. There was a host of unspoken things shared between us in a glance, lust and desire were the two predominant ones.

  Over the next few months, we circled each other. Showing up for Sunday dinner at Josh and Gabe’s house became my normal thing, and I found myself looking forward to it more and more each week. The dinners turned into barbecues and cornhole tournaments once the weather turned nice. Chaz and I made a formidable team and had a lot of fun playing. I found myself drawn to him more week after week until I thought I would die if I didn’t at least give him a kiss.

  I got my chance on Independence Day. Our small town put on one hell of a festival that ended with fireworks behind the high school at the edge of town. I was supposed to go to the fireworks display with my parents, two of my sisters and their husbands, but I didn’t feel like sitting in the bleachers at the high school field with the rest of the town and surrounding county. Instead, I drove my truck to a pull-off in a farmer’s field on the other side. I knew I’d have an incredible view without the crowd. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who knew about the pull-off. I smiled when I backed my truck up next to Chaz’s car.

  He had been stretched out on the hood of his car looking up at the night sky. “How’d you know to find me here?” he asked when I got out of m
y truck. The suspicion in his voice made me smile.

  “Honestly, it was pure coincidence,” I told him. “I was trying to avoid the crowds.”

  “Me too,” he confessed. “Things are getting really hectic at the salon with the expansion and Josh’s upcoming wedding. I just wanted to take in the beauty without all the chaos.”

  “Do you want me to leave?” I asked sincerely. He’d told me that his role had increased at the salon with the expansion, and he seemed to be enjoying the new position, but I didn’t want to invade his quiet time.

  “No!” Chaz exclaimed.

  “Want to sit on the tailgate of my truck with me?” I’d been tiptoeing around my growing atraction for too long, so my invitation held a hint of innuendo in it.

  “Um, yeah,” Chaz said, but he didn’t sound excited.

  “I’ll share my milkshake with you,” I offered. “Peanut butter chocolate.” I knew it was his favorite and in fact ordered it on my way out to the field because he’d been on my mind. “I have to warn you that it’s made with frozen yogurt and skim milk though.”

  “Share the same straw?” he asked incredulously as he slid off the hood of his car and made his way to me. I expected him to scoff about the ingredients, not the method of drinking them.

  “Is that a problem for you? You kiss people don’t you?” I asked.

  “Not for a while, but yeah,” he said. I liked that he hadn’t kissed anyone recently and decided that both our dry spells would end that night.

  “Same for me,” I admitted to Chaz. He snorted like he didn’t believe me. “It’s true.” Chaz hopped up beside me on the tailgate and eyed my milkshake. “I bet I have an extra straw in my glovebox if you don’t want to suck on mine… my straw that is.”

  It was getting darker by the minute, but I could see the gleam of his teeth when he smiled. I also caught the twinkle of mischief in his eyes when he made a small “O” with his lips and lowered them slowly to the straw. Chaz hollowed out his cheeks when he sucked the creamy concoction into his mouth. He knew damned well what he was doing and where my mind would go with his little antics. When he pulled back, there was a dribble of the milkshake at the corner of his mouth.