by D. C. Hall
“The lighting in this one is very good.” She stated. The image was a woman standing next to a river. “The artist did a very good job at portraying the dampness of the bottom of her dress. It conveys that she wadded across the water.” Carol gave her a smile.
“I had a feeling you would notice that. Where’d you pick up the attention to detail?” She asked. Betty seemed to contemplate answering for a moment.
“I was raised in a wealthy family. Being so, I was always under scrutiny. Eventually, I decided that I would find the flaws before anyone else could.” She answered honestly. Carol nodded in understanding. “Being perspective has been very useful. It's much easier to tell if someone is trying to swindle you in a business meeting.”
She glanced over at Nathan and Williams. Williams was gesturing to the painting they were looking out and talking happily. Nathan was smiling softly and listening intently. Betty finally looked back to Carol, but cataloged what she had just seen for later.
“Enough about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself, Carol?” She asked.
***
“She's a rather sweet woman.” Betty stated in the car, riding back to the hotel. Williams furrowed his brow as he drove. It had been a long time since he had heard his mother say something nice about someone.
“Yeah, she is.” Williams responded.
“And Nathan seems to be fairly nice as well.” She added. Williams was completely confused now. “He seems to make you happy.”
“Wait a minute.” Williams said, thinking he had caught on to what she was getting at. “We’re not actually a couple, mom. It's just a casual thing.” She looked over at him.
“I'm not worried about what your status is, Eugene. I'm just saying that he makes you happy. I noticed how you two act together.” She stated. “Am I wrong?”
“…No, mom. You aren't wrong.” He answered. This felt strange. She'd never seemed concerned with his happiness before. There was silence now. Williams parked in front of the hotel but Betty didn't move. “It was nice seeing you again, mom. Maybe, we could do something else before you leave town.”
“I've been wrong about something for a long time, Eugene.” Betty said, seeming to ignore what he had said.
“Okay?”
“When you were younger, you would always seem to be brooding. It was very much like your father. So, that's what I thought of you. All I could see was a little version of him.” Betty explained. “You know if your father knew about those photos in that magazine, he'd be rolling in his grave.”
“Maybe not.” Williams muttered. “Are you trying to tell me to avoid any more photos like that.”
“No, Eugene. Let that bastard turn where he's buried.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, don't act so shocked. You know we didn't get along. He was a hateful bastard. Never treated me right. Didn't treat you right.” She stopped for only a moment. “We’re getting off track here. What I'm saying is that, because of the idea that I had that you were just like him, I never bothered to really learn anything about my own son. From what I saw today between the two of you, you aren't him. You can be happy and kind to the people around you. I can see that you weren't the issue. Your father and I were what was keeping you from being happy.”
“I… I don't understand.” Williams said. He'd never seen this side of her. His emotions seemed to swirl.
“I know this has come years too late, Eugene, but I would like to get to know my son. Would you be willing to let me back into your life every once in a while?”
“I guess we could try.” He responded. The conversation ended after that, but it kept repeating in his mind on the drive back home. The snow was starting to fall when he was headed into the house. Nathan had already gotten back. He had planned on making dinner for them both tonight. So, Williams knew he'd find him in the kitchen. Once Nathan saw him, he knew his eyes must be watering.
“What's wrong?” Nathan asked, moving to stand in front of him.
“Nothing, I don't think.” Williams answered. It was the truth. His mother just told him that she wanted a relationship with him. He should be happy, right? So, why were his eyes welling up? “My mom said that she wants to get to know me better.” He felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Nathan was quick to brush it away.
“Do you want her to?” Nathan questioned, concern written over his face.
“I-I think so. I think it would be nice to have at least one of my parents want to know me.” Williams said.
“So, why do you seem so upset?”
“I still feel like I've been ripped off.” He didn't think about it before he said it. It almost shocked him. “Why did I have to be twenty three before my mother decided that she wants to know me?” Anger was starting to flare up inside him. “Why wasn’t I good enough before? What could I possibly have done as a kid that made her think that I was just like my father? Why couldn't she have paid attention back then?” The tears were rolling down his face now.
Nathan grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. Williams buried his face into his chest and gripped his shirt tightly. Nathan just held him close and swayed them back and forth gently. He leaned his cheek on the shorter man's head and only raised up to press a kiss into the soft hair. Nathan was silently vowing to make sure that Betty didn't make Williams feel like this anymore.
***
The snow quickly made a blanket on the ground outside. Williams and Nathan were peering out the front door at it. Nathan was holding back an urge to jump down past the steps and land in the snow. He didn't want to look like a child in front of Williams, but he also didn't want to risk slipping and busting his ass.
“It's pretty.” Williams stated, watching the other man chew his lower lip. “I kind of thought you'd be playing in it by now.”
“Don't act like you know me.” Nathan said, placing a hand on Williams’s hip. “…Since I said that, are you going to judge me for building a snow man?” He questioned and got a laugh as a response.
“Go have fun.” Williams replied.
“What, you aren’t going to join me? We could make ourselves into snowmen.”
“I'll let you handle the sculpting. I'll make us some hot chocolate.” Williams said. He pressed a slow kiss to Nathan's lips. Nathan pulled him close and deepened it. Their kisses seemed to be getting more sensual lately. Nathan reframed from telling Williams that he took his breath away. Instead, he just offered a smile when it was over. Williams blushed at the half lidded eyes that were looking at him.
“Don't look at me like that.” Williams said, pushing Nathan gently on the chest.
“Like what?” Nathan asked quietly. He pressed his forehead against Williams’s and kept his arms around his waist.
“In that sickly sweet way. I'm going to start thinking you like me, with the puppy eyes you've been giving me.”
“Well, I can't have you thinking that. I just won't look at you anymore.” Nathan replied, getting an eye roll. Williams felt fingers move up the back of his shirt. “Can I still touch you?”
“Do whatever you want, Nathan.” Williams responded before Nathan ducked his head to kiss against Williams’s throat. Williams held his hands on Nathan's shoulders and closed his eyes. He let out a few sounds of contentment before Nathan stopped and pulled back.
“Oh, but you get to look at me like that?” Nathan grinned and chuckled at Williams blushed and looked away.
“Just go make your snowman.” Williams said before the two separated. Williams went into the kitchen and pulled out two mugs. While he made the hot chocolate, he realized that it still felt like the blush was on his cheeks. He knew Nathan had him flustered. It wasn't that hard for him to. Now, it seemed like all Nathan had to do was look at him a certain way and his heart would start doing summersaults. Williams accidentally saying he loved him the other day didn't help. He was telling the truth when he said that he didn't love him, but he knew he was on the fast track to loving him. He just hopes he didn't slip up again.
H
e left the two cups of his chocolate on the table and went to go tell Nathan it was ready. He got to the door just in time to see Nathan lifting the head onto a snowman. Nathan grinned up at him, cheeks and nose red from the cold. A few snowflakes clung to his hair. Williams thought he looked adorable.
“Hot chocolate is ready.” Williams stated.
“Come let me take a picture of you with snowman Eugene, first.” Nathan called. Williams looked at the snowman and back to Nathan.
“What makes him snowman Eugene?” He asked, coming down the steps. It just looked like a normal snowman. The bottom was a little excessive.
“He's short and cute.” Nathan responded. Williams stood next to the creation while Nathan pulled out his phone.
“He’s got one hell of an ass, doesn’t he?”
“I may have got the proportions a little off.” He pulled up the camera before aiming his phone. “Although, your ass is one of my favorite parts.” Williams smiled at blushed at that. The photo quickly became a favorite of Nathan’s. He sat it as Williams’s contract photo before sliding his phone back into his pocket. When he did a snowball hit him square in the chest. “Oof, what was that for?”
“What? I can't have some fun too?” Williams was already gathering up more snow. Nathan narrowed his eyes before joining in. After a few minutes of them hurling snowballs at each other, Nathan found that Williams was a much better aim. He tried to move quickly to dodge one of the incoming shots but just ended up being hit before his feet slid out from underneath him.
“Shit,” He yelped before landing flat in the snow. Nathan laid there for a moment, feeling the cold of the snow and listening to Williams’s footsteps crunching in the snow.
“You okay?” Williams asked, looking down at him.
“I’m fine. I think I just broke my ass.” Nathan replied, sitting up. Williams reached a hand towards him.
“Would hot chocolate make you feel better?” Williams said, pulling him to his feet. Nathan rubbed his tailbone before shaking off the snow.
“I think it would.”
***
Going into March gave them a few changes. Williams and his mother had come to the agreement to try to get together at least once a month. Williams had also found a much smaller house to move into. The mansion was being sold after Betty said that she didn't want it either. Nathan decided it was best for him to stay in his old apartment at night instead of joining Williams in the new house. Williams had found that a little disheartening. And, Brad was a lot closer to getting everything prepared for his business. Nathan would have to pick a final decision soon.
Right now, they were sitting on the sofa in Williams’s house. Williams sat in the middle while Nathan had his back against the arm and his legs over the other man's lap. He had a notebook in his lap and a pencil in his hand. Williams let his hands rest on Nathan's legs.
“Tammy is really good.” Nathan stated, reading the top name from his list. “I could give her a call to see if she's available. If she isn’t, my next choice would be Leesa.”
“I'm going to have to trust your judgement on this one. I don't know anybody on that list.”
“Do you know any accountants?” Nathan questioned. Williams gave a nod.
“I know a really good one.” Williams stated, and Nathan furrowed his brow
“Who?”
“Well, his name is Nathan, but occasionally, I like to call him 'sweetheart’.” He answered with a grin. Nathan rolled his eyes but still smiled.
“That was cheap.” He felt Williams’s hands rub against his knees gently.
“…So, you’re really sure about this?” Williams asked. Nathan looked up from his notes to him. “I mean about quitting.”
“Yeah. Brad got stuff together a lot quicker than I thought he would. We’re opening at the beginning of June. I'll have to quit by the first of May to get ready.” Nathan answered. He knew that Williams wasn't really happy about it, but he also knew that he wouldn't try to hold him back.
“I'm happy for you.” Williams said quietly, gently squeezing Nathan's thigh
“You know if you’re mad, you can tell me?”
“I'm not mad.”
“Disappointed?”
“…Maybe.” Williams answered. “It's just that I got really used to having you around.”
“It's not like I'm going to disappear. We’ll still see each other.” Nathan stated. He pulled his legs off of Williams’s lap before turning around. Now, his legs were hung over the arm rest while his head was placed on Williams’s thigh. “We can have date nights.” The other man smiled at that.
“Are you really going to call them dates?” Williams questioned. He ran his fingers through the other man's hair softly.
“Maybe not dates. But, we’ll hang out. If we happen to make out at some point, so be it.” Nathan said. They both knew it might as well be dates now, but until someone broke and said how they felt, they would just continue with what they were doing.
“Speaking of dates or not dates, I wanted to ask you something. There's a business party with some of the bigger businesses in town. Would you like to be my plus one?” Williams asked. Nathan looked up at him with a perplexed expression.
“You want me to go with you to a party with a bunch of snotty rich people?” Nathan replied.
“You seem to like me okay.”
“You aren't snotty. Why don't you take your mother?”
“Mom has her own invite. Besides, who do you think I’d rather spend the night with? The man I see almost everyday and can cuddle with or the woman I've seen like three times in the past year and won't show facial expressions because she's afraid of wrinkles?” Williams asked, laying a hand on Nathan's chest.
“Alright, you have a point. That doesn't change the fact that it's going to be filled with a bunch of rich people.”
“Okay, I just thought I'd ask.” Williams noticed the slight irritation on Nathan. The man in his lap let out a low sigh.
“When is it?” He asked.
“Next Saturday.”
“What do I need to wear?”
“A tux would be preferable, if you have it.”
“You're lucky you’re adorable.” Nathan said with narrow eyes. “You owe me one after this.”
“I’d be happy to repay you.” Williams responded with a wink. Nathan felt his cheeks burn. He might collect on that one soon.
***
Williams wouldn't mention the flutter in his chest at seeing Nathan in his tux. He wouldn't mention the way his brain was pulling up an image of Nathan at the alter. He was not in love with him. Now, if he could just convince himself that. Now, however, Nathan was standing at a party, looking very unimpressed.
“I promise, we won't stay long.” Williams stated, handing him a glass of champagne.
“Just worry about having fun. I'll be alright.” Nathan responded. Williams wanted to take his hand and kiss him on the cheek, but he wasn't sure if now was the time. It made things easier when Nathan weaved their fingers together and squeezed gently. Williams gave him a soft smile. He'd have been completely content to stand there with him and chat in the corner quietly, but there was a wrench thrown in that plan quickly.
“I see you brought your friend, Eugene.” He heard his mother's voice. They turned and froze. Betty wasn't the problem. Her plus one was. “Nathan, this is Martin. Martin, this is Nathan.” She said. Martin moved like he was going to shake Nathan's hand with a smile, but Williams stepped between them.
“Trust me. We know each other.” Nathan responded, glaring at him.
“What's the matter? Are you still mad at me, Nate?”
“Don't talk to me.” Nathan snipped. Betty wasn't sure what was going on. Martin looked over to Williams.
“Mom, what are you doing with this guy?” Williams questioned.
“We were talking about business. I'm not sure what the issue is.” Betty replied. “Was your break up worse then I remember?”
“Something like that.” Williams
said. Nathan glanced at the other two.
“You dated him?” Nathan asked. He only got a small nod as confirmation. That explained a lot about Williams’s self esteem.
“How's your nose Williams?” Martin chimed in. Nathan wondered about the interaction before something clicked.
“Wait, he's the one that broke your nose?” Nathan questioned. He flipped over to anger. “You broke his nose. You fucking scum.” Nathan growled. Now, it seemed to Williams that instead of blocking Martin from Nathan, he was holding Nathan back. The accountant was leaning heavy at his back like he would bolt at any second. Williams glanced around at the party. There weren't any eyes on them, but he wanted to keep it that way.
“Maybe we should get out of here.” Williams said and pulled Nathan to get him away. He offered some resistance, still staring Martin down like he was ready for a fight. Williams tugged again, getting him to follow.
“That was unfortunate.” Martin said, turning back to Betty. “I suppose we could discuss the merger while we're here. Would you like a glass of champagne?”
“Martin, what did you do to irk that boy?” Betty asked.
“I don't know. He's never explained it to me.” He replied.
“You're a bad liar. Forget about the agreement.”
“Wait, Betty. We can discuss this.”
“Are we going to discuss how you broke my son's nose?” She watched him search for words. He gave up after a moment, and she walked away from him. He knew that his last line to the wealthiest family had been cut.
Outside, Williams and Nathan were getting into the car. Williams was frustrated at how the night had gone and was concerned about how Nathan was feeling. He turned to the other man and saw him with his head leaned back. His jaw was clenched in irritation.
“Why didn't you tell me?” He asked quietly. Williams let out a low breath.
“What do you mea-.”
“Don't fuck with me, Eugene. Why the fuck didn't you tell me that you knew Antoine? Why didn’t you tell me he was the one you got into a fight with?” He wasn't yelling, but he was highly pissed. Williams opened his mouth to answer before closing it again. Nathan just stared at him, waiting for some kind of an answer.
