by Anna Martin
It was after midnight when he finally got home, sweaty and exhausted, hungry, gritty-eyed, and not sure which of those things he wanted to address first.
So of course, of course, tonight would be one of those nights where a dozen of his colleagues had been invited back to the house for beer and Dance Party on the Wii.
“Hey,” Drew said, sticking his head into the family room and waving. He didn’t want to be a dick.
His housemates, plus the extras he recognized from work, were sprawled over their three sofas and on the floor. There were enough empty beer bottles around for Drew to guess it had been going on for a few hours.
“Drew! You’re home!”
He laughed and leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms over his chest. “Yeah, I am. Is there any food around?”
Dan hauled himself to his feet and came over. “Leftover pizza if you want it.”
“So much.”
“Come on.” Dan shoved him gently toward the kitchen. “Sit down. I’ll fix it for you. Rough day?”
“I got puked on.”
It was a good opener. Dan would sympathize. “Geez, dude.”
“And I pulled a double to get someone out of a hole.”
“Grab a damn beer.”
Drew didn’t drink much. It hadn’t ever been his thing. But tonight was one of those nights when a beer sounded pretty perfect.
He got two from the fridge, popped the tops off both, and handed one to Dan, who was reheating the pizza in the microwave. Dan was the most recent addition to the household; he’d moved in after one of the other girls had taken a job out in Vegas. Drew was secretly relieved to have another male housemate—living with four girls had been a challenge. Now, Dan had become one of his closest friends.
They had a tiny dining table and chairs shoved into the corner of the kitchen, and Drew took a seat, propping his tired feet up on one of the spare chairs.
“Wanna talk about it?” Dan offered as he brought the pizza over to the table and flopped down opposite Drew.
“Not really. Thanks, man. I appreciate this.” He grabbed a slice of pizza and took a big bite.
“No problem. Wanna talk about whoever it is that’s got you checking your phone like a horny teenager every five minutes?”
“Jesus,” Drew said, almost choking on his pizza.
“So it is a someone,” Dan teased. He tipped his beer to his lips, exposing the dark line of his throat. Dan wasn’t gay, and for the first few weeks after he’d moved in, Drew had worked hard to overcome his crush. Dating a housemate, let alone one who was a colleague too, would have been a bad idea.
“Yeah. His name is Cooper. I know him from this ice cream place he works at near my gym.”
“The Dreamy Creamery?”
“You know it?”
“I drive past it twice a day. Takes all my damn self-control not to go in there all the time.”
“Well, when you have a crush on one of the guys who works there, it doesn’t help with the self-control.”
Dan laughed. “So, what, you dating him?”
“Trying to,” Drew admitted. “He’s so out of my league.”
“What do you mean?”
Drew pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, then found a picture of Cooper and passed it to Dan.
“He’s cute,” Dan agreed with a shrug.
“He’s gorgeous.”
“Not out of your league, though.”
Drew huffed a laugh and took another bite of pizza. After the day he’d had, it was pretty fucking perfect.
“I’ve never actually dated a guy before,” Drew admitted, making a snap decision that he could trust Dan with this kind of information.
“I thought you were out.”
“I am. I mean, I’ve been on dates before, and I’ve slept with guys before, but I’ve never had, you know… a boyfriend.”
“Aww,” Dan teased.
“And he’s so pretty.”
“He is. That doesn’t mean he’s out of your league, though. You’re pretty hot stuff yourself. You know. If I were interested in men.”
“Thanks.”
And oh God, that little crush Drew had had since Dan moved in wasn’t all the way gone. There was part of him that would always find his friend attractive. Those things didn’t stop just because Drew had a boyfriend now.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t have had a boyfriend before, if he’d wanted one. There had been opportunities. Drew wasn’t an unattractive person. It was just… there had always been other things in his life that seemed more important than a relationship. In college, when he’d come out, he was determined to get good grades and the experience he’d need to break into an industry that was notoriously fickle. His parents were cool with his sexuality, to the point where they bugged him about bringing a nice boyfriend home.
And at work? Well, it wasn’t exactly hard to find another gay guy at Disneyland. It was, however, a bad idea to date coworkers. Living with three other girls and watching their personal dramas unfold had taught him that much.
So, despite being a young, healthy, objectively attractive gay man, Drew had never had more than a “fuck buddy” arrangement.
Drew finished the pizza and washed it down with his beer. “I’m scared of fucking this up.”
Dan shook his head. “That means he matters. It’s not a bad thing. Just take it easy, enjoy the ride.”
Drew laughed. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. You joining the dance party?”
“Not tonight,” Drew said, taking his plate to the dishwasher and stacking it neatly. “I’m going to bed.”
“All right. Night.”
After a blissfully long shower, and with his bedroom door closed, Drew thought he was tired enough to block out the noise from downstairs and get to sleep. He plugged in his phone and turned off the lamp on his nightstand.
A second later, he rolled over and turned it on again. He grabbed his phone and typed out a quick text.
Good night, gorgeous.
Now he could sleep.
Chapter Five
CAN I take you out for dinner?
Sure :)
Amazing. You free after work tmrw?
Yep. Where we going?
Surprise ;)
Give me a clue here Drew. Do I need to wear a tie?
Haha no. Just something nice.
OK. Call me latr?
Will do x
Something nice.
Fine.
Jeez.
After more angst than Cooper would ever admit to, he settled on a denim shirt and gray slacks. His scruffy beard was just starting to settle in, partly due to his late start that morning and forgetting to shave. He decided to leave it.
Drew’s car was in the garage, so Cooper took his battered truck over to Drew’s place, following the directions he’d plugged into his phone. It was a fairly nondescript family house in a nice neighborhood—quiet at this time in the evening.
With a deep breath, Cooper decided to be brave and go knock on the door instead of calling Drew from the car. They had been dating for a few months now. He could handle meeting Drew’s housemates.
A pretty girl with big eyes answered the door, looking Cooper up and down, blatantly checking him out.
“Hey, Drew, your superhot boyfriend is here,” she yelled into the house. “Hi,” she said, turning back to Cooper. “I’m Lauren.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said with a laugh as Drew appeared behind her.
Lauren ducked under Drew’s arm and disappeared into the house.
“Hi,” Drew said, leaning in for a soft kiss. “You look great.”
“Thanks. You too.”
Cooper found himself being tugged into the house, so he guessed he was doing the meet-the-family thing. He passed a large family room, where Lauren and a few other girls were watching some reality TV show. The kitchen was at the back of the house, and an attractive black guy was sitting at a small table with his laptop. He stood w
hen Drew and Cooper walked in.
“Cooper, this is my housemate Dan.”
“Hey,” Cooper said, taking Dan’s offered hand and squeezing it. “Are you another Disney employee?”
“Do I not look like a prince to you?” Dan said, spreading his arms and laughing. “I offered to put on a wig and a dress and play Tiana, but they said no, for some reason.”
Drew shook his head and smiled. “Ignore Dan, he’s got a bug in his ass about way too many aspects of our job.”
“I have a bug in my ass about the company-prescribed acceptable roles for a black man,” Dan said. “I can be a pirate, a cowboy, a damn chimney sweep, but I cannot be a member of a royal family.”
“Are you serious?” Cooper said.
“When they make a movie with a black prince, I will be first in line to put the tights on.”
“Dan’s a dancer,” Drew cut in. “He likes wearing tights.”
“Drew. No one likes wearing tights. But we do it for our craft.”
“What sort of dance?” Cooper asked.
“Contemporary, mostly. I pick up a few shows a year, but my hard-earned degree at AMDA has mostly sent me off dancing in parades and the Lion King show. Plenty of need for black dancers in the Lion King show.”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not,” Cooper said, not wanting to laugh in case he accidentally offended the guy.
“Nah, man. I’m never serious. Drew will tell you. And the Lion King show is at Disney World, not here. Anyway, I got a class tonight, so I need to run. Good to meet you.”
“Same,” Cooper said with a nod as Dan lifted a hand and ducked out of the kitchen.
“So, that was Dan,” Drew said.
“You’re good friends,” Cooper said.
“Yeah. He gives me shit about being a white boy and the characters I play, but he’s an incredible dancer. He’d be wasted doing what I do.”
“Who else lives here?”
“Me and Dan and three girls.”
“They all work at Disney too?”
“Yep,” Drew said. “Two of them are face characters, like me, and Sarah works in Operations. Basically she keeps the park running.”
“Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“It is. But she fucking rocks it.” He checked his watch. “Okay, we need to move.”
“No problem.”
Drew looked apologetic as Cooper coaxed his truck into starting. “Sorry about the whole car thing.”
“Don’t be. Where are you taking me?”
Drew leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of Cooper’s jaw. “Well, I have a reservation, but we can change it.”
“It’s somewhere in Disneyland, isn’t it?”
“You got me,” Drew said, pressing his face against Cooper’s neck now. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for a romance.”
“That’s cool. It must be something to do with dating you. The place is starting to grow on me.”
He pulled out and headed for the same route he took into work most days. Traffic wasn’t so bad, and the evening was sweet and cool, meaning the lack of decent AC in the truck wasn’t going to kill him.
“I actually got us a reservation at the Blue Bayou. It’s in New Orleans Square, and it’s really pretty.”
“I’ve never been to New Orleans.”
“Me either. The food is good, though.”
“Can we go on some rides after?” Cooper asked, shooting Drew a grin.
“Yeah, of course. The fireworks are at nine thirty, and the park’s open until late.”
“What time’s our reservation?”
“Eight. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Cooper checked the clock on the dash, knowing it was wrong but doing the mental calculations to figure it out. Drew lived much closer to the park than Cooper, and they were whizzing past the Dreamy Creamery in only a few minutes.
“Damn. I wish it only took this long for me to get here every day.”
Drew grinned. “You should look for a place closer.”
“Nah. I like my shithole apartment. It’s nice being able to disconnect after work, you know?”
“What, like I don’t, you mean?” Drew teased.
“That wasn’t what I meant, but now you’ve mentioned it, yes. I think you’re a little crazy for doing your job in the first place, let alone going back voluntarily when you’re not working.”
“But it’s Disneyland.”
Cooper laughed and shook his head. “Yes, dear.”
The park was busier than Cooper had expected, and he let Drew take his hand as they wound through the crowds of tourists. It was approaching twilight, and around him, things were starting to light up.
“Come on,” Drew said, tugging Cooper’s hand. “You can look around later.”
“I wasn’t looking,” Cooper protested.
Drew took his hand back as they walked into the restaurant and he stepped over to the hostess.
“You’re right on time,” she said, smiling, and led them through to—
Oh wow.
In here, it was nighttime already.
Lanterns were strung across the sky, which was moody and dark. There was a huge tree in one corner, and Cooper was pretty sure there was some kind of soundtrack playing, because he’d never heard crickets inside before. Drew had his hand on Cooper’s lower back, gently guiding him through the café tables to a little space for two near the back of the restaurant.
“That’s the Pirates of the Caribbean ride,” Cooper said as he sat down, noticing the boats for the first time.
“Yeah,” Drew said. He was grinning. “Do you like it?”
“Low blow,” Cooper complained. “I’m never going to be able to top this.”
“It isn’t a competition,” Drew laughed.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Cooper honestly didn’t know there was anywhere in Disneyland where you could order fifty-dollar entrees, but apparently this was the place to do it. The food was Cajun, what you’d expect from a New Orleans–themed restaurant, and Cooper shook his head as he skimmed the menu.
“The filet is really good here,” Drew said.
“I might get jambalaya. I haven’t had good jambalaya in ages.”
“Sounds good.”
Drew hooked his ankle around Cooper’s under the table and ordered for them both when the waitress came over. Cooper pressed his lips together and decided to be totally, utterly charmed by Drew’s old-fashioned manners.
“Sprite?” he said when the server left them.
Drew looked mortified. “I’m so sorry. Did you want something else? Let me call her back.”
“No, no,” Cooper laughed, grabbing Drew’s wrist, then linking their fingers. “I was thinking we could maybe have a beer.”
“Oh,” Drew said. “Well, you can’t get a beer here. So….”
“No beer?”
“No alcohol on-site. Well, except Club 33, and even I can’t get us a reservation there.”
“What’s Club 33?” Cooper asked, feeling gossipy as he leaned forward and propped his chin on his hand.
“The secret club next door,” Drew replied, matching his tone. Cooper laughed.
“Secret club? I wanna go!”
“Well, rumor has it membership costs twelve thousand dollars a year. There’s a fifteen-year waiting list to become a member, and I have neither the money nor patience for that.”
“That’s… obscene.”
Drew cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “It’s a status symbol, I guess.”
“Wow. What other secrets do you have?”
“Club 33 isn’t really a secret. I don’t think there are many anymore. There’s a lot of former cast members who put it all online.”
“Isn’t that a bit sad?”
“Yeah, it ruins the magic, I think.”
“Doesn’t working here ruin the magic?” He gestured around the restaurant. “I mean, we’re literally sitting in a New Orleans side street in the middle of the
night. In California. But you know how it’s all done.”
Drew was already shaking his head. “I like it. You can know how all the tricks are done, but there’s some stuff you can’t explain. That’s the magic.”
Cooper grinned as the waitress came back with their drinks.
“So, you planning on working here forever?” Cooper asked.
“I won’t be able to do my current job forever. The guys have it a little easier than the girls—they get too old for the roles and are moved on to other jobs. It’s not so bad for us. I suppose it’s a good job to do while I try and make the acting thing work.”
“Has anything come up recently?”
“Yeah, actually,” Drew said, ducking his head. “I’ve got a callback for an audition next week.”
“Awesome.”
“Yeah, I’ll let you know how it goes. How about you? Any plans?”
Service was quick here, and before long, their server was back with their entrees. Cooper took a bite of his jambalaya, decided it was pretty damn good, made Drew take a bite, then leaned back and sipped his Sprite.
“I’ve been thinking for the past few years….”
“Tell me.”
“It’s stupid.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”
Cooper grinned. “Well, a while back I saw a post on Craigslist for an ice cream truck. A vintage one. It was about fifteen thousand—I know, right? So cheap—and I thought, you know, one day, I might do something like that. I reckon it could do well in the right neighborhoods in San Francisco. This hipster ice cream truck selling homemade ice cream.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“It’s not much of a grand dream,” Cooper laughed.
“Don’t put yourself down like that. It would mean owning and running your own business. That’s something a lot of people aspire to.”
“Maybe. It’ll probably never happen. We’ll see.”
They watched the boats from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride drift past for a while, watching the boat’s occupants watching the restaurant-goers back. Cooper nudged his foot against Drew’s ankle again, content to listen to him talk about all of his insider secrets.
“Do you want dessert?” Drew offered as their plates were whisked away. “Or we could always stop at the candy store on the way out.”
