And that’s where my suspension of disbelief ended. Although they looked like adult things that I could imagine in some cute girl’s house, they weren’t in some cute girl’s house. They were in Carson’s house, in his kitchen.
On the shelf above the plates and cups, there were pastel sippy cups next to a jar filled with funky, bendy straws. There was also a beautiful tea set proudly on display. It was pink as well but with delicate gold edges and filigree. I noticed a large wicker basket on the top shelf and wondered if it was a picnic basket, but wasn’t sure.
I didn’t see any baby bottles in the cabinet, or bibs and pacifiers.
Carson likes his littles a bit older, I thought as my traitorous body responded, like me.
Squashing the thought, I returned to the cabinet. All in all, there was a lot of pink.
Of course, I thought it was all stunning, but it told me my chances with Carson were slim to none. It was apparent that he was looking for a girl little and not a boy like me. I don’t know why I even assumed he was gay. I thought the looks he’d been giving me were in interest, but it was clear those looks had been friendly at best.
And the hug. It had been comforting and… tempting, but just that. A hug and nothing more. It was a tad painful to know I’d never stood a chance with him, but I quickly pushed those thoughts away. Every gay man knew straight men were a path that led to heartache and pain.
Deciding I didn’t need to pump Lee for information after all, I pushed Carson firmly into the friend zone, but stayed around to linger over the cabinet. Just because I couldn’t have him, didn’t mean I couldn’t admire his things.
A hand reached over my shoulder and gently closed the cabinet, hiding all of the lovely goodies from my sight. “That’s not the right cabinet,” Carson whispered into my ear as he opened the one next to it. “The glasses are here.”
“Sorry.” My voice was shaky as I reached for the glasses. “Thank you.”
He was standing so close to me I could feel the heat of his body. A sharp pang of need jolted my system. While my brain knew he wasn’t interested in me like that, my body didn’t care. Silently cursing myself, I tried to will away the tingling low in my belly.
“Law wants water, same for Lee. I would like some orange juice.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He paused for a moment before backing away. I felt a brief flash of sensation against my neck. I shivered, knowing it was nothing but air, but imagining it was Carson’s touch anyway.
I readied two glasses of water as well as Carson’s juice and placed them on the table next to their recipients and then returned to the kitchen to make my own drink. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed the jug of milk and poured myself a glass. With a shrug, I opened the freezer and dropped a few ice cubes into my drink.
I gave it a few seconds for the ice to do its magic and then took a tentative drink. The ice-cold milk tingled across my tongue. I eyed the glass and then took a larger sip and wondered why I’d never done it before.
Topping off my glass, I joined everyone else at the table. I took the open seat next to Carson across from Law and Lee. Not wanting to get in the way as hands reached across the table to help themselves to breakfast, I waited, taking another sip of my drink.
Law finally noticed me for the first time and nodded toward my glass. “Everyone thinks I’m weird for liking ice in my milk.”
“It’s good,” I said, uselessly turning my glass around on the table and playing with the condensation on the side.
I didn’t want to be intimidated by Law, but I was. It wasn’t the fact he was wealthy or that he owned his own architecture firm. It was that he was Lee’s best friend, and I wanted him to like me.
Law leaned across the table, a twinkle in his eye to match Lee’s. “Here’s a pro tip for you. You can freeze milk in ice-cube trays. They don’t water it down like regular ice.”
“Weirdo,” Lee said from his other side.
Law turned to Lee with a glare. “I’m not a weirdo. You’re the weirdo.”