Gravity (Greenford #2) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,17

“I thought everyone would win this way.”

“Well,” Sam said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I guess the best place to start would be the cafeteria. Since I still need to grab something to eat.”

“Perfect!” Dean Thomas hurried back to his door. “If either of you needs anything, let me know. I’ll make sure there’s someone to show you around the physical health facilities later, Caleb.”

“Of course, sir, thank you,” Caleb told him but the man was already halfway to closing his office door.

“As polite as ever,” Sam noted, though Caleb could swear there was affection in his voice.

“I distinctly remember that being the first thing you noticed about me,” Caleb said.

Sam snorted. “It was. Always was one of your defining features, at least in public.”

Caleb wasn’t sure he wanted to know what the rest of his defining features were according to Sam. “Well, I could go with a cup of coffee. Has the food and drink improved over the years?”

Sam laughed at that. “God, I almost forgot how bad it used to be.”

Caleb couldn’t help the warm feeling that flushed through him at the sound of the man’s laughter. Humor had always been one of Sam’s most prevalent traits, and Caleb had envied how easily Sam could laugh at seemingly anything. Of course, the first time that humor had faded away and given rise to a flash of anger in what had felt like no time at all, had been disconcerting. But that was Sam, an odd mixture of laidback, excitable, and emotional.

“C’mon,” Sam said, nodding toward the door. “Let’s get me some food and you some caffeine.”

Caleb followed him obligingly, looking him over once Sam had turned to walk out. He had been so taken aback when he’d stumbled upon the other man on Saturday, he hadn’t had a chance to look him over save to see that he seemed to be doing well.

Sam had always been on the small side, though he’d never come across as frail or overly little. There had been a strength to him, and though Sam had never been one to work out very much, there had always been that hint to his frame that said he could probably build muscle easily.

It wasn’t the first time Caleb had seen the man dressed up, as his job in Portland had required it. The sight of charcoal gray slacks was nothing new, though Caleb was pretty sure the old slacks had never hugged Sam’s ass quite like they did as they walked out of the administration building and toward the cafeteria. He wasn’t surprised to see that Sam had gone with a deep red for his tailored dress shirt. It had always been a good color on him, contrasting well with his slightly dark complexion. And it amused him that the man’s tie was a brilliant yellow, with little screaming opossums as the pattern.

“I like the tie,” Caleb told him, meaning it.

Sam looked up, a surprised smile flashing over his features. “Thanks. I almost wore the grumpy cactus one, but it wouldn’t have gone with this shirt.”

Caleb blinked. “You still have that?”

Sam laughed. “Of course I do. I loved that thing when you gave it to me and I love it now. It’s a miracle it’s lasted as long as it has, but damned if it hasn’t held in there, practically looks new.”

Caleb smiled at that, unconsciously reaching up to smooth his own black tie. The grumpy cactus tie had been an impromptu gift on Caleb’s part, as well as a bit of an inside joke between them. Sam had always teased Caleb for both looking and being grumpy, and for his part, Caleb had always compared Sam to a cactus. Sure, the man could be friendly, warm, and personable, but when it came to someone getting too close, the man could lock up and get prickly.

Or at least, he did when they’d last been together anyway.

It was a testament to Sam’s sense of humor, and maybe his awareness of what he was like, that he’d accepted the gift with a delighted laugh. The tie was bright pink, but the pattern was little cartoon cacti in pots, each of them with a furious scowl on their faces. It had fit with their back and forth jokes, and it suited Sam perfectly, as the man had always bemoaned that there weren’t enough silly ties in the world that suited him.

“Do you still wear that silly underwear too?” Caleb asked as they strolled across the clean sidewalk