When Gus wakes up in the hospital, he’s surprised to find the stranger who saved his life. He’s even more surprised when that man steps up to support him as he recovers from major surgery.
Seeing Gus sprawled across the bathroom floor, clearly in distress, set off a visceral reaction in Todd, resulting in a driving need to protect him. Finding out Gus has no one to nurse him back to health, Todd offers to help and brings him into his home.
Neither man is looking for love, and Gus has serious trust issues, but the more time they spend together, the harder they fall. Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve just met? Can Gus let down his guard long enough to open his heart?
Todd poured a glass for each of them and joined Gus on the stool next to him, close enough their knees touched. He handed Gus a fork. “Dig in!”
“Mmm,” Gus moaned as he took a small bite.
Todd nearly choked on his eggs and took a swig of his juice as Gus moaned again. “You going to moan all through breakfast?” he teased, his skin heating all over.
Gus blushed, an adorable pink spreading from his cheeks to his neck, disappearing under the T-shirt.
Todd leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Gus’s. “I mean, if you want to, I'm good with it. More than happy to hear you moan, to be honest.” He took another bite and watched Gus as he pressed his lips together, his eyes on his plate. It was interesting to see how shy he could be sometimes, when just days ago they’d practically been fucking through their clothes on a dance floor surrounded by strangers.
“Um, these are delicious,” Gus said wiggling a bit in his seat.
Todd leaned over and whispered, “If good food is all it takes to hear you moan, I’ll be cooking every day.”
Gus gasped and turned to face him, his face crimson, but his eyes wide. “You cook? I mean, more things?”
He laughed at the shocked expression on Gus’s face. “I do. I started grilling years ago and I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. Then I tried some recipes in a slow cooker, so I have a few of those in my repertoire. Now I make meals in the oven, stovetop, air fryer. Honestly, never thought I’d be much of a cook, but I enjoy it. I’ll make anything you want -- just let me know. It’s nice to cook for more than just me.”
“You would seriously cook for me again? Anything?” Gus’s mouth hung open as he stared at Todd.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He wasn’t sure why Gus was so surprised.
Gus shook his head slowly. “I’ve never had anyone cook for me. Ever. Not even my mom or aunt. I mean, yeah, when I was younger, my mom fed me of course -- well, most of the time. Admittedly, there were times she was out of it and there wasn’t anything around to eat. But it was never anything that she cooked. I don’t even remember her making anything like a frozen pizza. If something was supposed to be hot, it got nuked in the microwave. Which is normal I think for a lot of families, right?”
Gus shrugged like it was not a big deal, but Todd knew the truth. According to all Todd had read about it, growing up with food insecurity was traumatizing, and hearing Gus talk about it was heartbreaking. No wonder he’d struggled with accepting basic kindness from Todd -- and why he’d broken down yesterday. Gus wasn’t used to being cared for and he probably feared losing the support.
The Cherry Orchard Community Center actively worked with the town to try to ensure kids and families had access to food, no matter their financial status. Todd had participated in a few food drives and meal services and had sadly learned that more and more families were struggling to feed their children.
“I’m sorry to hear you went through that as a child,” Todd said quietly, his eyes on Gus’s. “You deserved so much better, Gus. I hope you’ll let me show you how you should be treated -- with care and respect.”
Gus blinked rapidly, his eyelashes suspiciously wet, then shook his head. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Todd. You make me feel like I’m worth your time.”
