way.”
Tom snorted. “Yeah, right. Baby steps.”
“That’s better than standing still,” Cal pointed out. “So what’s next?”
“I invited him over to watch a movie.” Tom cleared his throat. “Friday night. Were you going out?”
“I guess I am now,” Cal said, pretending to be cheerful about the idea. “That’s great. Good for you.” He hoped it sounded more convincing than it felt.
“You think? I kind of feel like I’m stumbling around in the dark here. And crashing into things. With my bare toes.” Tom looked surprisingly vulnerable, and Cal felt a surge of protectiveness. This Joe better not do anything to hurt Tom, or he’d have some explaining to do.
“You’re doing fine. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Tom glanced at the clock. “Hey, it’s not even that late. You want to watch The Daily Show ?”
“Of course.” It had become a bit of a routine for them, sitting down to watch it before retiring to their respective rooms, and Cal found himself enjoying the rather domestic ritual more than he ever would have guessed. They’d curl up on the couch, usually with Tom’s feet poking him in the thigh, and afterward say good night and go to bed.
Tonight, Cal half expected Tom to be less likely to want to sit close to him. It turned out that he opposite was true. Tom, whose couch it was, after all, decided to turn during a commercial break, and lie full length along it, draping his legs across Cal’s knees.
“Do I look like a footstool?” Cal inquired.
Tom grimaced. “Sorry. My calves are cramping up and stretching out helps. I guess I overdid the jogging yesterday and today. I was worried about going out and then the date. Running calms me down.” He began to draw his feet back. “I’ll grab a cushion and lie on the floor.”
“No,” Cal said, wondering at himself. “It’s okay.” He patted one of Tom’s shins. “They don’t weigh that much, even with all those muscles.”
Tom started to reply and then groaned piteously, reaching down to rub at his calf. “ God . Okay, that really hurts. Ow . It feels like the muscles are actually tearing in half.”
It wasn’t a good idea, and Cal knew it, but he knocked Tom’s hand out of the way and wrapped his own hand around the calf Tom had been rubbing. “Stop. Let me.”
Tom went quiet, his eyes wide. Cal could feel him attempting to relax, but even with that, his calf muscle was tight, almost in spasm.
“You shouldn’t run so hard.” Cal began to massage Tom’s calf with a gentle touch. “You need to find something else to do when you’re worrying if this is the result.” He dug his thumb into the muscle carefully, not using too much pressure. Tom moaned. “Tell me if it’s too hard.”
“No, it’s good.” Cal flashed on an image of Tom saying the same thing during a far more intimate moment.
“Easy,” Cal murmured. “Relax.” The TV became background—he had no idea if the show they’d been watching had ended or if it was still playing—as he concentrated on easing the tension out of Tom’s calves. He spent some time on the right calf, then moved to the left for a while before switching back again. “Is this helping?”
“Yeah.” Tom's voice was as tight as his muscles had been. Cal glanced up at him and saw the uncertainty in Tom’s eyes. He’d started this with no thought of anything apart from easing Tom’s pain—Cal knew firsthand how agonizing a cramp could be. With anyone else it, though, it would’ve been an excuse to touch, the massage quickly abandoned as his hands slid teasingly higher. He couldn’t do that to Tom. Tom, thanks to Cal’s own efforts, was interested in someone, happy with how his first date with Joe had gone.
Cal made an effort and looked away from Tom’s face, continuing the massage for a few moments more as if he hadn’t seen that confusion in Tom’s eyes.
“You’ve loosened up,” he said and took his hands away from Tom’s
Tom snorted. “Yeah, right. Baby steps.”
“That’s better than standing still,” Cal pointed out. “So what’s next?”
“I invited him over to watch a movie.” Tom cleared his throat. “Friday night. Were you going out?”
“I guess I am now,” Cal said, pretending to be cheerful about the idea. “That’s great. Good for you.” He hoped it sounded more convincing than it felt.
“You think? I kind of feel like I’m stumbling around in the dark here. And crashing into things. With my bare toes.” Tom looked surprisingly vulnerable, and Cal felt a surge of protectiveness. This Joe better not do anything to hurt Tom, or he’d have some explaining to do.
“You’re doing fine. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Tom glanced at the clock. “Hey, it’s not even that late. You want to watch The Daily Show ?”
“Of course.” It had become a bit of a routine for them, sitting down to watch it before retiring to their respective rooms, and Cal found himself enjoying the rather domestic ritual more than he ever would have guessed. They’d curl up on the couch, usually with Tom’s feet poking him in the thigh, and afterward say good night and go to bed.
Tonight, Cal half expected Tom to be less likely to want to sit close to him. It turned out that he opposite was true. Tom, whose couch it was, after all, decided to turn during a commercial break, and lie full length along it, draping his legs across Cal’s knees.
“Do I look like a footstool?” Cal inquired.
Tom grimaced. “Sorry. My calves are cramping up and stretching out helps. I guess I overdid the jogging yesterday and today. I was worried about going out and then the date. Running calms me down.” He began to draw his feet back. “I’ll grab a cushion and lie on the floor.”
“No,” Cal said, wondering at himself. “It’s okay.” He patted one of Tom’s shins. “They don’t weigh that much, even with all those muscles.”
Tom started to reply and then groaned piteously, reaching down to rub at his calf. “ God . Okay, that really hurts. Ow . It feels like the muscles are actually tearing in half.”
It wasn’t a good idea, and Cal knew it, but he knocked Tom’s hand out of the way and wrapped his own hand around the calf Tom had been rubbing. “Stop. Let me.”
Tom went quiet, his eyes wide. Cal could feel him attempting to relax, but even with that, his calf muscle was tight, almost in spasm.
“You shouldn’t run so hard.” Cal began to massage Tom’s calf with a gentle touch. “You need to find something else to do when you’re worrying if this is the result.” He dug his thumb into the muscle carefully, not using too much pressure. Tom moaned. “Tell me if it’s too hard.”
“No, it’s good.” Cal flashed on an image of Tom saying the same thing during a far more intimate moment.
“Easy,” Cal murmured. “Relax.” The TV became background—he had no idea if the show they’d been watching had ended or if it was still playing—as he concentrated on easing the tension out of Tom’s calves. He spent some time on the right calf, then moved to the left for a while before switching back again. “Is this helping?”
“Yeah.” Tom's voice was as tight as his muscles had been. Cal glanced up at him and saw the uncertainty in Tom’s eyes. He’d started this with no thought of anything apart from easing Tom’s pain—Cal knew firsthand how agonizing a cramp could be. With anyone else it, though, it would’ve been an excuse to touch, the massage quickly abandoned as his hands slid teasingly higher. He couldn’t do that to Tom. Tom, thanks to Cal’s own efforts, was interested in someone, happy with how his first date with Joe had gone.
Cal made an effort and looked away from Tom’s face, continuing the massage for a few moments more as if he hadn’t seen that confusion in Tom’s eyes.
“You’ve loosened up,” he said and took his hands away from Tom’s
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