Home for Christmas

by Sarah Hadley Brook

If he had been punched hard in the gut, it would not have hurt as much as the image of Kris in the arms of Gavin. A primal, possessive desire rushed through him and he instantly wanted to warn off his friend. He started reaching for his phone before he remembered this was nothing but talk. Gavin hadn’t made a move on his boyfriend.

  Boyfriend? What the hell, Joe? Kris isn’t your guy. You have no reason to get jealous.

  “Joey? Are you okay?”

  “Oh, fine. Just fine. Still tired from the long drive, I guess.”

  “Well, have a seat. Michael’s out back getting some wood so we can have a cozy fire in the fireplace tonight while we watch Miracle on 34th Street. As soon as he gets in and Karen joins us, we can eat.”

  Joe sat in the closest chair. His stomach churned, so he wasn’t sure he wanted pancakes anymore. Finding out Danny had groped Kris and asked about a threesome had hit him like a brick.

  He’d fallen hard and fast for Danny, thinking him so sophisticated and worldly. He’d traveled to so many countries and could speak three languages. Joe had felt like a school kid when they’d first met at the coffee shop next to campus.

  He’d been so engrossed in his laptop he hadn’t even noticed the man approach his table. Joe had been taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi while he furiously tried to complete his assignment on time. He’d turned only when he heard someone clear their throat. Danny had been gorgeous, holding a coffee cup in one hand and a donut in the other.

  “Hey, mind if I sit with you?”

  Joe had scanned the packed coffee house. “Sure,” he said, sliding his backpack off the seat next to him and putting it on the floor.

  Danny had smiled as he took the chair and Joe was instantly in awe. He held himself with a self-assurance Joe’d always wished he had. Within twenty-four hours, they were a couple.

  The relationship had started out great, but Joe soon realized Danny needed someone who always looked up to him. Joe had never felt on equal ground. Still, he pushed on, convinced himself they were in love and could work out anything.

  How naïve he’d been. He could still remember Danny’s face when he broke up with Joe. “Hey, it’s been great, but I’m not looking for anything serious now,” he’d said, a smirk playing at his lips, faux sympathy in his eyes.

  Devastated, Joe had stayed in bed for a week. Only after his roommate, Roger, had told him to get over the “asshole” did he start the healing process.

  Now, Joe heard Kris and Karen laughing with each other in the hallway. Kris must have felt him staring because he met Joe’s gaze and that same adorable blush covered his face. He raised an eyebrow at Kris, and without a word, the man came in and took the seat next to him.

  Joe felt the heat instantly. The electricity zinging between them, their arms only inches apart, proved intense. He glanced sideways at Kris. Surely he felt it too, right?

  Kris gave him a half smile and nudged Joe’s knee with his own. The touch went directly to Joe’s dick and he glanced around the table, afraid everyone might see him sporting a boner at the breakfast table.

  Kris coughed and covered his mouth, his lips twitching into a smile. His eyes crinkled as he glanced at Joe’s lap. He coughed again as he tried to cover his laughter.

  Joe smiled back. So he liked to play this game? He smirked and raised both eyebrows. Christmas break would be very interesting.

  Soon, everyone dug into a great breakfast. His mom had gone all out. Along with chocolate chip pancakes, she had made sausage links and scrambled eggs. Joe’s appetite had finally improved. As he speared another pancake and slid it onto his plate, Kris stared at him.

  “Where do you put it all? That’s like, what—your fourth pancake?”

  “Maybe, but I have to stock up on my mom’s cooking! We’ll be back at campus soon enough.” He smiled at his mother as he forked a huge slice of pancake into his mouth.

  Conversation flowed easily, and as everyone chatted about their plans for the day, Joe dropped his knife next to Kris’s chair. He slid back his chair and reached for the utensil, making sure he slid his hand along Kris’s thigh on his way up. Joe bit back a chuckle when Kris blushed.

  “Joey, did you mention Gavin to Kris?”

  Joe glared at his mom. Seriously, she was bringing this up now?

  “What?” She shrugged, clearly confused by his reaction.

  “Who’s Gavin?” Kris inquired.

  “Yeah, who’s Gavin?” Karen piped up, a smile playing on her lips.

  Joe forced a smile. “My mom thought I should introduce Kris to my friend.”

  Kris blushed again. “That’s sweet, ma’am, but—”

  “None of that ‘ma’am’ stuff. Call me Melody.”

  Kris pressed his lips together and dipped his chin. “Melody, then.” He glanced at Joe. “Um, that’s sweet and all, but I’m sort of interested in someone else right now.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know. Did you know, Joey?” His mother pinned him with a gaze.

  He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Um, I just met Kris yesterday, Mom. How would I know about his love life?”

  Karen giggled.

  Michael glanced at the three of them, his eyes flitting back and forth before he broke into a grin. He leaned back and put his arm around Melody’s chair. “Honey, let it go. They’re not kids anymore. They can handle their own romances.”

  Joe shot him a thankful look and everyone got back to eating, although Karen couldn’t quite contain her giggles.

  “Okay, okay,” his mother said. “I’ll leave Kris alone. But Joey, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

  “Honey, seriously, leave it alone,” Michael warned.

  She turned to her new husband and Joe felt a lump in his throat. The way she looked at him was…well, was with love in her eyes. Joe had never seen her like that and he felt a rush of adoration for her. She had given up so much to raise him. Now she had a chance at love and he’d selfishly been upset about it. He watched as Michael and his mom talked quietly. She finally glanced at Kris, then Joe, and smiled.

  “Oh,” she murmured.

  Joe’s cheeks heated and he concentrated on shoveling the rest of his breakfast into his mouth. He felt a hand stroking his thigh. He met Kris’s gaze and smiled. Suddenly, the silly embarrassment from a few minutes ago had vanished and all he wanted was to hold Kris in his arms. He wasn’t in the right place to do that, though, so instead, he placed his hand over Kris’s and squeezed.

  “So, Karen,” his mom said, turning away her attention from the boys. “What are you majoring in?”

  “Finance. I’ve always loved math.”

  Joe listened as they talked. The idea of going into finance made him blanch. He couldn’t imagine a screen full of numbers all day, every day.

  After breakfast, everyone helped clear the table. Karen announced she had a college friend who lived close and was picking her up to go to a movie and do some shopping. She offered to help wash the dishes, though, so she and Joe’s mom set about putting the kitchen in order.

  Joe had promised to hang with a friend of his and invited Kris along.

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  “His name is Chase, though, not Gavin.”

  Kris only laughed and followed him out the door.

  Soon, they were on the road. Kris put on Walk the Moon and Joe pointed out places of interest as they drove.

  “I definitely need to take you to Crown Center and the Plaza,” Joe told him. “You can’t come to Kansas City at Christmas time and not visit those places.”

  “Karen mentioned Crown Center. Ice skating, right?”

  “That’s one place down there. There’s a ton of things to do. Shops, restaurants, ice skating.”

  “What’s the Plaza?”

  “It’s this shopping and living area built back in 1922. Beautiful Spanish style architecture, tons of fountains. A lot of the buildings are modeled after a town in Spain.”

  “1922?”

  Joe nodded. “It’s gorgeous. Every y
ear they string lights all over the buildings and keep them lit through the holidays.”

  Kris grinned. “You get really excited about this place.”

  Joe smiled back. “My mom used to take me to the Plaza on the weekends just so we could walk around and window-shop. Even as a child, I loved the buildings. I’m sure those visits were what led me to become interested in architecture.”

  “Is that what you’re majoring in?”

  “I want to be an architect. Design beautiful homes that aren’t cookie-cutter.”

  “It must be nice to have a dream and know what you want to do.”

  Joe gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re undeclared?”

  Kris sighed. “Yeah. I really love art, so sometimes I think I might like Art History. Maybe work in a museum.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Then other days I see myself teaching.”

  “What grade?”

  “Elementary or middle school. Not high school.” He laughed. “Have no desire to relive the teen years.”

  Joe laughed also. “No argument here. I could totally see you as a teacher. Maybe you could combine both loves and be an art teacher?”

  Kris’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “I’ve thought about that, too.” He sighed. “I know I need to make a decision soon. My dad wanted me to go into finance like Karen, but I hate math.” He gave an exaggerated shiver.

  “You’ve got time. You’ll figure it out.” Joe took Kris’s hand. “Is this okay?”

  Kris beamed. “More than okay,” he whispered as he squeezed Joe’s hand.

  Chapter 6

  Joe pulled into the half-circle drive in front of a sprawling ranch home that looked like it came directly out of the 1960s. The avocado green paint was in pristine condition. A restored blue Corvette sat near the house, and Joe could almost imagine he was in a scene from Mad Men. Chase’s father was a dentist and made a good living, but he was also stuck a few decades back.

  “Wow, this is crazy!” Kris murmured.

  “Wait until you see the inside. You’ll think you’re visiting the Brady Bunch.”

  Kris clapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head as they climbed out of the car. He followed Joe along the walkway to the door.

  Joe rapped his knuckles on the wood. Seconds later, Chase ushered them inside. Joe watched Kris as his wide gaze swept over the mod style furniture from the 1960s, the dazzling white star chandelier, and the baby blue carpet in the living room.

  “Joe! Been too long,” Chase crowed as he hugged him. “Ready for a Madden beat down?”

  “Whatever. Seem to remember I won the last three times.”

  Chase laughed. “That just means my time is coming!”

  “Poor delusional Chase.” Joe introduced Kris.

  Chase raised an eyebrow, but Joe didn’t offer any more information.

  “Hi,” Chase said as he offered his hand. “Welcome to the 1960s.” He swept out his arm. “My dad’s a little obsessed. You like Madden?”

  Kris shook his hand, then held up both hands and retreated. “I’m not into video games too much. But I don’t mind watching Joe crush you.”

  Chase laughed again. “Funny man!”

  The three men spent the next few hours playing games, chatting, and getting to know each other. As they were getting ready to leave, Kris made a quick visit to the bathroom.

  Chase grabbed Joe by the elbow. “So, what’s the scoop?”

  Joe glanced down the hall. “I don’t know, man. I…I think I really like him, but I just met him yesterday.”

  “He’s hot.”

  Joe laughed. “I thought you played for the other team.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty.” He grinned. “But really, he’s so much better than that Danny guy. What an ignoramus. Ugh.”

  Joe’s eyebrows rose. “You didn’t like Danny?”

  “Hell, no! Nobody did. A pompous ass. An idiot who thought he was better than everyone else.”

  A wave of nausea hit Joe. “I ran into him yesterday. He’s getting…well, he might already be…fuck. He and the guy he left me for are getting married today.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. It’s just that I’m all mixed up about things. I thought I was finally over him, but seeing him—hearing he was getting married—brought up a lot of feelings. It was hard yesterday. And now…now I think there’s a chance he may have cheated on me.” He snorted. “Honestly, I was such an idiot, Chase. How did I not see it all? How can I trust my feelings about any man now?”

  “Ready?” Kris asked.

  Joe jolted and looked up. God, had Kris heard him talking about Danny? “Uh, yeah. Let’s hit the road.”

  The men said their good-byes, then Kris followed Joe out the door.

  * * * *

  They rode back to Joe’s in uncomfortable silence. Kris barely looked at him, but his face told Joe that he indeed had overheard the conversation with Chase.

  Once Joe pulled into his driveway and parked, he turned off the car. Kris continued to stare out the passenger window.

  “I guess you heard me talking about Danny?”

  Kris only nodded.

  Joe wanted to reach for him, but wasn’t sure if he should. “Could you look at me please?”

  Kris finally faced him, and his eyes looked damp.

  Fuck. The last thing Joe wanted to do was hurt him. “Look, here’s the deal. Danny dumped me at the beginning of the semester. When I say dumped, I mean dumped. All over me. Took up with another guy. I haven’t dated since. I ran into them yesterday and they announced they were getting married. Today.” He flicked his fingers against the steering wheel. “It fucking threw me for a loop. Danny always said he didn’t want a commitment, but within a few months he’s getting fucking married?” His voice raised in volume and he caught himself when Kris’s eyes widened. “Sorry. I thought I was over him. I am over him. I think I’m just dealing with feeling rejected all over again.”

  “Rejection sucks. Which is why I’m not sure…”

  Joe sighed. “I know we just met yesterday and it’s not fair for me to ask you to wait until I figure out…what I’m feeling.”

  “Look, I get it,” Kris said a little too forcefully. “I’ve had a crush on you since last year, and then by some cruel twist of fate, I meet you on the same day your ex announces he’s getting married.” He blew out a deep breath. “We just met, we really don’t know each other. Let’s just skip it and be friends. You say you’re over Danny, but I don’t think so. Although, I don’t know why.” Kris grew more agitated. “He’s an ass. He cheated on you. He treated you like trash and you deserve to be treated like a king.”

  “Whoa, calm down. You’re right. He’s an ass. But you’re wrong about one thing. I really am over him. It’s just residual effects—if that makes sense—that I’m dealing with.”

  Kris’s hazel eyes pinned him down.

  Joe lifted his hands. “Okay, okay. Maybe I’m not as over him as I thought. Or at least over the hurt. And finding out from you that he wanted to cheat on me—hell, probably did cheat on me—is hard for me to wrap my head around.”

  Kris sighed. “At least you’re being honest and not leading me on.” He shifted in his seat and reached for the door handle. “Look, we’re both too old to believe in that whole love-at-first-sight thing, right?”

  Joe felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Was he being an idiot? Was this a chance he should be taking? God, he didn’t want to hurt anyone and he didn’t want to hurt either. He nodded. “Okay, but I think we can stay friends.”

  “Fine. See you inside,” Kris said, his voice clipped as he climbed out and headed into the house.

  Joe waited a few minutes, lost in thoughts of Danny. The funny thing was, every time he pictured Danny, he saw hazel eyes instead of blue. Kris’s hazel eyes.

  * * * *

  When he finally reached for the door, he nearly ran into Michael.

  “Sorry, Joe. Didn’t
see you there.”

  “It’s fine.” He waited for Michael to move out of the way so he could enter the house, but the man just stood there. “Is there something else?”

  Michael looked uncomfortable and glanced away. “Yeah, well, your mom…she decided it wasn’t a good idea to have you sharing a room with Kris.”

  Joe stared at him for a moment to make sure he wasn’t joking, then started laughing. “Seriously?”

  Michael nodded. “We’re moving Kris’s things and the rollaway bed into the room your mom uses as an office.”

  “I understand, but trust me, there’s no reason to move him. We’re not…we’re just…friends,” he said, a little flustered.

  “Sure, Joe.” Michael clapped him on the shoulder before he stepped out of the way and let Joe head up to his room. Alone.

  Chapter 7

  The next day dragged by. Joe did his best to steer clear of Kris, but he had to see him at meals and, of course, his mom dragged them all together in the evening to watch another Christmas movie. She was a bit of a nut when it came to old holiday films, and in the past, Joe had always enjoyed their movie time. It had become a tradition to watch one, drink cocoa, and have holiday snacks.

  Now that Michael was here, it changed the dynamics, but Joe tried to put on a positive face for his mom. He didn’t want her worrying about him or thinking he had a problem with his stepfather.

  As they all sat together in the living room, debating what to watch, Joe’s phone pinged. He slipped it from his pocket just as Michael and Karen voted for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. He glanced at the screen.

  Chase: You busy?

  Joe: Sort of.

  Chase: Going to show at P&L. Join?

  That sounded great. Anything to get away from Kris. It was killing Joe that the guy wouldn’t even look at him, and he’d barely said a word to Kris since they got back from Chase’s yesterday.

  “Hey, guys, would you mind if I head out?” he asked, his eyes on his mom.

  Her eyebrows rose. “Why?”

  He shrugged and glanced at Kris just in time to see him look away. “Just need to get out. Chase is heading to the Power & Light District for a show.”