A Whole Latte Sass

by Marguerite Labbe

  Chapter Fifteen

  FELIPE’S STOMACH tightened with nerves as he got out of the car. His parents were home, and so were his grandparents. He should take advantage of that and introduce Trask. But with Trask’s premature silver it made him seem older than he was. Early forties was not ancient. Still, they’d had a few quibbles over Dakota being in a different decade. The tattoos might be an issue for his mom. Trask’s sketchy past that he’d hinted at from time to time would be a stumbling block for his dad. And his lolo…. Felipe shook his head at the thought of his grandfather, who still couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the concept of Felipe being gay.

  At least he could count on Mariana and his lola’s support. He was pretty sure they’d see what he saw in Trask. But he’d really rather save the introductions for Thanksgiving when there would be many guests and his family wouldn’t focus their entire attention on Trask as one unit. That could be scary.

  “Wow, looks like all of your housemates came home at once,” Trask said as he emerged from the car carrying the pizza box.

  Felipe winced. Fuck, he should’ve known Trask would assume he rented with a bunch of other nonrelated people. He had exes who took exception with where he lived, intimating that he was some kind of freeloader leech. Bullshit, but best to get it all out there now.

  “Actually, those two cars there belong to my parents. That out-of-date monstrosity in the garage is my grandparents’ relic. Either they were all out somewhere together, or they all returned at the same time.” Felipe sighed as they headed toward the back and the safety of his apartment. “I really hope it’s the second and I’m not forgetting the first or else I’ll be hearing about it as soon as they realize I’m home.”

  “You live with your parents?” The odd note in Trask’s voice stopped Felipe cold. Ugh, he was not going to be one of those judgmental twerps. Felipe refused to believe it.

  “No. I rent the upstairs apartment from my parents. I pay my rent on time. I pay my share of the utilities, and I even buy my own damn groceries.” Through the back glass doors, Felipe caught a glimpse of the whole clan gathered in the living room, catching up on episodes of Modern Family or Black-ish if he were to guess. Trask peered over, too, and it irked Felipe even more. So what if Trask had been on his own for, like, forever. That way wasn’t for everybody. He liked living nearby. Felipe turned to face him on the stairs. “And just so you know—”

  Trask held up his hand, forestalling Felipe’s escalating tirade. “Chill out, Felipe. I don’t care if you’re still using your old bedroom and your mom is making you casseroles every night or lumpia or whatever you call it. Are you happy here?”

  Felipe blinked in surprise and then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He could safely say that Trask might have been the first boyfriend he’d had since moving upstairs to ask him that. Still, there was something in his voice that set off little warnings. “Yes….” He began walking slowly back up the steps, his gaze still locked on Trask’s face. “It’s close to school and work, and I can keep an eye out in case my grandparents need anything when my parents are out.”

  A pained expression crossed Trask’s face. “You owe no one an explanation, least of all me. It’s a good thing, you being here. I was close to my grandmother once, and I wish I’d been on hand for her, too, instead of halfway across the country.”

  “Once?” Felipe opened the back door and heard the skitter of paws behind him, both big and small. “What happened?”

  Trask’s expression shuttered. “She’s gone. She was sick. She didn’t tell any of us how sick. I can’t really blame her for that, but I wish I’d known.”

  Felipe felt as if he’d stepped over a line. Sometimes he didn’t think before he opened his damn mouth. He knew that when his lola passed, he would be shattered. His earliest memories were of her singing to him as she rocked him in her chair or stood at the kitchen counter making him palitaw while arguing and laughing with his dad’s mom. He didn’t remember his abuela as much as he wanted to, but he did remember how both of his grandmothers were always together. They took care of him while his parents worked, and it didn’t matter whose house he went to in the morning, the other grandmother would show up before long. He remembered the mix of languages flying by, Tagalog, Spanish, and English, as they shared their own stories of growing up and immigrating. It was pretty much the best childhood ever.

  “I’m sorry.” Felipe made room for the pizza box on his coffee table. “Is she that older lady in the picture on your wall?”

  “Yeah, that was her. It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” The distance in Trask’s voice couldn’t quite mask the lingering regret.

  When Felipe looked back at him Trask was greeting Sophie, who acted as if she hadn’t seen him in a year. It really was sweet the way they had taken to each other. He’d had no doubt that the puppy had been happy with him, but it was clear she adored Trask and Trask adored her in return. They’d needed each other.

  Felipe looked down as a weight settled against his leg. He smiled at Lady, who looked at him hopefully, and reached down to scratch between her ears. Lady’s tail thumped in acknowledgment as she leaned in a little more with a breathy whuff. She always seemed to know when he needed her. The easy camaraderie between him and Trask had vanished. He didn’t know how to get it back again, and if he’d caused the strain with his defensiveness or if it was just another example of Trask’s overabundance of reticence.

  “You hungry?” Felipe asked, deciding to act as if nothing were odd. If he made a bigger deal out of it, he’d only work himself up. “Let me grab a couple of plates. You want some coffee?” Maybe he could talk Trask into staying the whole night if he played this out right.

  “Sure, but just decaf,” Trask called after him, his voice lighter. “Dark roast if you have it.”

  Felipe looked through his sad collection of coffee. He’d have to be better prepared the next time Trask came over. He’d seen the setup Trask had at his loft. The man took his java seriously. He pursed his lips and grabbed the only decaf he had. It wasn’t dark, but maybe if he poured extra grounds in the filter it would compensate.

  To be honest, he never made coffee himself unless he was cramming all night for a class or putting the finishing details on a costume. He usually hit up the Green Mermaid in town for a triple shot latte before heading to work instead of relying on his own kitchen skills. By the time he hit his little tollbooth from hell, he was all fired up and ready to go. Maybe a little too fired up if he were honest. Espressos and cages did not mix, especially not with a guy like himself.

  While the coffee brewed, he grabbed a couple of chipped plates and talked himself out of fretting. That’s what always got him into trouble. He’d take something small and make it gigantic in his mind, and when he finally spouted off about it, it ended up being a lot more of a spectacle than it needed to be. Granted, Felipe didn’t see a problem with a little drama from time to time. But it could be taken to extremes. Trask already expressed a dislike of needless fuss.

  Felipe poured the coffee and took a cautious sniff. It smelled okay. He grabbed a water for himself and wandered back into the living room. Trask was sitting cross-legged on the couch with Sophie settled in a comfortable sprawl between his knees. “You’re not naked,” Felipe pointed out, handing Trask the coffee. “I thought we decided it would be a naked pizza party.”

  “Neither are you.” Trask set his coffee down and pulled his shirt off. “Why not start with this and we can see where the night takes us?”

  “You just don’t want a wiggling puppy on your naked bits.” Felipe plopped down and stripped out of his own shirt as Lady lay down by the couch. He opened the pizza box and breathed in the scent. Half the pizza was mushroom, spinach, and goat cheese, the other half the same with meat added. Felipe did not have a problem with vegetables on his pizza, but there was no way he was passing up the pepperoni tonight.

  “There is that to consider.” Trask handed Felipe a plate. “Put some of that toasted ravioli on th
ere too. I hope it’s as good as you said it was.”

  “Better.” Felipe put half of the appetizer on the plate next to a couple squares of pizza, then added one of the cups of marinara. It was sad, but that was almost his favorite part. He could practically drink the stuff. He filled his own plate and then sat back, stretching his legs out beside Trask.

  He eyeballed the enigmatic man across from him. Felipe had been doing most of the talking so far. Maybe he could tease some bits out of Trask. He was dying to know more about the man who was seriously starting to hook him. “So, are you going to give me the Trask life story?”

  “Is there anything you want to know in particular or just a general bio?” Trask took a sip of coffee and his eyes popped.

  Felipe gave the mug a disappointed look as Trask set it back down. “It sucks, doesn’t it?”

  “No, no… it might even put color back into my hair. In fact, I’m kind of expecting it to go for a walk right out of my cup about now.” Trask bit into his pizza and shook his head at Sophie when she gave him a soulful look.

  The teasing note in Trask’s voice set Felipe at ease. “I guess if we’re going to continue to see each other, I ought to learn a little more about the art of coffee brewing.”

  Trask looked thoughtful a moment. “I’d be happy to teach you.”

  That had to be a good sign. Felipe smiled as he picked up another slice. “So, Trask Briscoe 101, are you from Richmond? You’ve got a twang sometimes that just doesn’t seem to fit the area.”

  Trask shook his head as he took another sip of that awful coffee. “South of San Antonio, but I’ve lived in the Richmond area about twenty years now. How about you? Born and raised in Southern Maryland?”

  “Yep, though when I was younger, I spent many of my summers in either Manila or Bogota visiting family. Mom and Dad were very insistent that I get to know my scattered cousins. Then the rest of my mom’s sisters came here, so we haven’t been back to the Philippines since.” Felipe looked off thoughtfully, remembering all the sights and smells. “I’d like to go back one day. See if it’s like what I remember.”

  “What about Colombia?” Trask asked. “You ever get there anymore?”

  Trask knew his geography. Felipe couldn’t remember if Trask said he’d gotten his GED, but from the number of books Felipe had seen at Trask’s apartment, he had many varied interests. “Last time I went was right after graduation.”

  “So you’re a first-generation American?” Trask tried the marinara and added a little more to his plate.

  “On my mom’s side, on my dad’s, second. He was born down the road in the next county. Then he met Mom, bought property out here and built this house, then added on to it bit by bit.” Felipe realized that Trask was getting him to do all the talking again. Granted for Felipe it didn’t take much, but Trask had a way about him that just encouraged yapping. “What about you? Do you know where your folks come from?”

  “I haven’t a damn clue.” The note in Trask’s voice was final, and Felipe blew out a breath. He wouldn’t poke that prickly pear today, and he was okay getting Trask’s story in bits as he grew more comfortable talking about it. He’d just have to glean the knowledge or get Trask in his bed again and learn through osmosis.

  Sophie seemed to realize she was not going to be able to sucker Trask out of free food. She stood up, smacked her tail against Trask’s chin, and hopped down to curl up with Lady. Felipe snickered and ran his toes over Trask’s side. “She told you.”

  The corner of Trask’s mouth lifted in a brief smile, and he stretched out his legs, too, tangling them with Felipe’s. “So what appointment did you have today?” Felipe asked, changing the subject before Trask got even more closemouthed.

  “You talk a lot, don’t you?” Trask cocked his head with a faint smile.

  “I do, I really do.” It had been a chief complaint of a few boyfriends and friends, though Morris usually didn’t mind unless a car trip got too long. “Is that going to be a problem? I might as well know now. Because I can go nonstop. It gets me into trouble all the time.”

  “Only if you feel the need for me to talk as much.” Trask leaned forward to grab another slice of pizza. “I’m a much better listener than I am a talker if you haven’t noticed.”

  “I may have picked up on that.” With Trask it didn’t feel awkward. Maybe it was because he really did listen and Felipe’s chattering wasn’t just background noise to him. He listened, commented, and asked questions in return that only got Felipe talking more.

  “But to answer your last question, I went to a friend’s NA anniversary meeting. He wanted me to speak.” Trask’s expression was thoughtful. “I don’t like to lead meetings, but for Joe I make an exception and don’t bitch.”

  “NA?” Felipe thought he should recognize the term. He knew he’d heard it before.

  “Narcotics Anonymous,” Trask said, his dark gaze steady. “I’ve been going to meetings off and on since I was eighteen, though, in the beginning, it was more off than on. Joe became my sponsor about seventeen years ago. Because of him and NA, I finally was able to stay clean for more than a year. If you were looking at my pictures, he’s the old man with me.”

  That explained a lot, actually. Felipe’s dad hired some of the guys from the long-term rehab place down the road. Felipe got to know a few of them when he’d worked with them. Most of them were pretty good people, though their eyes contained some demons. One OD’d when he was only one week away from completing the program. That had been a blow to the whole crew. Felipe had never forgotten him. He had been only twenty.

  “How many years do you have?” Felipe asked quietly.

  “It’ll be sixteen this spring.” Trask’s solemn expression gave no hint to how he felt about reaching that milestone, but Felipe had an inkling of how difficult it must have been at the time.

  “That’s pretty freaking amazing.” Felipe set his plate aside and took Trask’s empty one to add to the stack. “It was nice of you, about your friend I mean. I’m sure it meant a lot to him.”

  “I think it did. He saved my life, my sanity. I wish my grandmother had lived to see me get clean. She died when I thought I hit the bottom, and I didn’t realize how much further I could fall.” Trask shook his head and then fixed Felipe with a look that sent a little thrill of excitement through him.

  Then Trask crawled over to him and Felipe’s heart beat a little faster. “You look like a man with some serious intentions.”

  “I have a few thoughts in mind about what we could do with the rest of our evening.” Trask’s lips nibbled along Felipe’s jaw. “I kinda bared it all earlier during the meeting. I’m not sure if I’m up for another tell-all tonight. But it’s a start at least. Is that going to be okay?”

  “I thought you were going to sidestep all my questions, but you didn’t. I think I can handle it.” Felipe’s thoughts scattered as Trask rubbed his jaw against Felipe’s. It was kind of difficult to think with Trask’s beard rasping against his skin.

  “I’ll answer your questions.” Trask pulled back, his eyes warm as he looked down at Felipe. “You have a right to know about the man you’re sleeping with. But you’ll probably get them in dribbles as I work up to it.”

  Trask told him more than he knew. Felipe was a firm believer in actions, and every time he was with Trask the attraction grew. “Despite popular opinion, there are times when I can be patient.” Felipe slid his arms around Trask’s neck and drew him back down. “But not when you’re half-naked. We can talk later. Kiss me now.”

  Trask caught Felipe’s mouth in a heated, devouring kiss, his callused palms sliding over Felipe’s bare skin. Then he couldn’t think anymore, only feel as Trask branded and claimed, giving Felipe back everything he’d dished out earlier and pushed him even further. Felipe’s heart squeezed. Oh man, he was in it deep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  TRASK AWOKE to the insistent chirp of a phone alarm and the sensation of a warm naked body pressed against his own. Sophie yipped i
n excitement and scrambled onto the bed for good-morning nuzzles and licks that involved cold noses and wet tongues. Trask rubbed her head as he tried to figure out when the hell they made it back to the bed. Trask thought back on the hormone-crazed blur of last night and grinned as he remembered the stumbling, groping, heated trip in the search of more condoms.

  “Fuck,” Felipe groaned. “Motherfucker, I will end you if you don’t shut up.”

  Trask opened one eye as Felipe shifted next to him, slapping the floor as he searched for his phone. “Not a morning person, huh?”

  “Fuck mornings, fuck alarms.” Sophie licked Felipe’s face when he lay back, and Felipe cussed again. “Sophie! Cut it out. I don’t want love. I want fucking sleep.”

  Trask snickered and began to laugh as Felipe focused a baleful eye on him, his dark hair a wavy, tumbled mess. “You find this amusing?”

  “This is a whole side of you I didn’t expect.” Trask expected the morning to be awkward, but it wasn’t at all. Not with Felipe. “You were all smiles and sunshine for breakfast at my place. You had to wake up even earlier for that. Now you’re snarls and surly glares.”

  “That was different.” Felipe poked his side. “Anticipation of a date with the most interesting guy I’d met in a long time dragged me out of bed with a cheerful attitude. The only thing I have to look forward to right now is being late for work and then stuck in a box for eight hours with nothing to entertain me but stupid drivers. I’d much rather stay here curled up with you.”

  That prospect did suck. Trask would go mental with a job like that. He didn’t know how Felipe handled it. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  Felipe poked him again. Trask caught his finger and brought it to his lips. Felipe’s eyes got to him on a visceral level. The deep warm brown expressed every emotion before Felipe had a chance to open his mouth. They could be warm with affection, bright with mischief, or glinting in irritation as they were now. With Felipe, he’d never have to guess where he stood. He was capable of creating drama, but Trask got the sense he was not one to play games.