I Have to Have Him (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

            I sighed again, tucking the black dress shirt into the grey pants I was wearing before putting on the grey jacket that went with it and brown boots. After grabbing an apple from the kitchen I made my way to the publishing house for the first printed copy of both books. I had a brief meeting about the scheduling for upcoming events. The one I was looking forward to most was the Q&A for copies before the release date. There will be ten giveaways so ten lucky people will read the second installation before anyone else. It’s months away but that’s the only thing I’m looking forward to right now.

            After the meeting I took the first copies with me. My father didn’t know but I decided to revive our old traditions and hand him the first copies. He thinks we’re just having lunch, which has become a regular thing for us. Lunch with my father has become the most promising, uplifting, positive thing in my life. Who would have thought? Certainly not me.

            There was a jewelry store I remembered that wrapped gifts. I used to know the owners quite well but according to the new owners they sold the business. I couldn’t let anyone outside of my family and close friends see the books yet so I had to buy a gift bag and gift-wrap tissue paper. Something gold caught my eyes as I was catching out—a watch. I liked watches and I liked giving my friends watches. My father and I had many traditions, like every couple years I’d give him a new watch. He only ever wore the watches I bought him and I remember being baffled one day after realizing he still wore the same watch many years after I had given it to him. I thought it was outdated and got him a new one. He never stopped wearing the first watch until the screen cracked even though he had a new one he never touched. It was irreparable. It was time for a new watch.

            I gathered up my purchases then thanked the elderly Asian woman and went to my car where I neatly placed the books in the gift bag, covering them with the paper to hide the contents and made it look good. The bag and the expertly wrapped Rado Men's Integral Goldtone Steel and Black Ceramic Quartz Watch sat on the passenger seat as I drove to the restaurant.

            The first thing I handed my father was the box with the watch. He knew what it was right away and started laughing.

            “I stumbled and broke the last one you gave to me two years ago in Germany. I looked at so many watches and for the life of me I couldn’t purchase one.”

            “Now you have one.” I said. He smiled and patted my hand thankfully. Sometimes words aren’t enough so why even attempt to say anything when just a look or a small gesture sums up everything up.

            I rubbed my hands together and smiled at the plate of quesadilla and guacamole. Spanish food. Oh yeah!

            “I have something for you,” I said after swallowing down a mouthful of yumminess.

            “What?” He asked, shoving his big finger and thumb in his mouth to get rid of the sauce from the short ribs he was having. He groaned, “I miss food like this.” Reaching underneath the booth, I searched with my hand until I felt the gift and placed on the empty space of the counter. “More gifts?”

            I shook my head. “It’s more of…I don’t know. I thought it’d make you happy and I really wanted to do this.”

            The confusion on his face was the funniest look I’ve seen on him in a long time. It wasn’t just confusion though, it was mixed with curiosity and happiness.

            Upon opening the bag and removing the papers, his hand immediately went over his mouth and he held his head down. The emotion was just streaming off of him as he picked up the cloth napkin and held it over his face. His shoulder shook visibly and I felt my eyes burn with hot tears from watching him tear up.