Will studied his face in the mirror. He wasn't aging badly and had definitely seen worse. Plus, it wasn't as if men weren't given a free pass when it came to getting older. At least he didn't have grey hair. What would he do the day it started coming in? Could he pull off distinguished? Maybe. If not, there was always the option of touching up. Taking a step back, he looked at his body. That was always going to look good. If the face ever let him down, Orlando could always make him put a bag over his head.
"Cantaloupe or watermelon?" Will asked Orlando as they moved through the produce section.
"Doesn't matter to me," Orlando said, smiling.
"Watermelon it is," Will said, picking one up. He paused then grabbed a cantaloupe. "Might as well get both. Shy likes--" He stopped, frowning as he looked down at the fruit. How long had the kid been gone and Will still couldn't get used to the fact that he was no longer living with them. "I'm sorry," Will said when he saw the hurt look on his husband's face, however fleeting it may have been. "Let's get some strawberries instead."
"You're turning him into a fucking fairy," Tobias sneered at his wife.
Inez clenched her jaw. "They're bubbles, Tobias. He likes them." She watched her toddler giggling and chasing the soap bubbles she was blowing across the backyard. "Sometimes I think you don't like seeing your son having fun."
"Why should I? I didn't even want him."
Glaring at her husband, Inez splashed some of the soap onto his pants and received a hard slap to the face in return.
"Bitch. I'm going to be late."
Tobias stormed back into the house and Inez continued blowing bubbles for her son.
Will smiles when he sees it's Peter calling him. "Hey, Pete."
"Amy Winehouse is dead," his friend says.
Will rolls his eyes. "Peter, that's not funny. You need a new--"
"I'm not joking this time. She died today."
Will frowns and turns on his computer. "You always tell me that because you think it's some kind of punchline but--" He stops when he sees the headlines. "Shit..."
"Sorry, man. I know you like her. But you can't be surprised this happened."
"It doesn't matter if I expected it or not," Will says quietly. "I was always hoping for the best."
Will rushes down the stairs, grabs his backpack and races out the door just as the school bus reaches his stop. He gets on and grins when he sees Pete sitting in the back.
"You got it?" Will asks, flopping down next to Peter.
"Yeah." Pete opens his backpack and shows Will the liquor bottle.
Will grins. "Sweet. Think your dad'll notice it's gone?"
"Nah. I got it from the case in the garage."
"Okay, so after school?"
Peter nods. "Your dad'll kill you if he finds out."
Will laughs at his mother's beaming face as he enters the kitchen. It's only his first morning back at home, but it's as if he never left for college. Well, except for the wife in his bed now.
"Fantastic," he says, kissing Inez good morning before grabbing a cup of coffee.
"Where's Talia?"
"Sleeping. Where's Dad?"
"Work." Inez sits down with her son.
"How about I take my favorite girl out for lunch today?"
"What about Talia?"
"Not invited."
"Will..."
"Mom, I missed you. Can't I spend some time with you?"
"Ugh, I hate this," Will complains. "The heat I can take, but I can't stand the humidity."
"Worried it'll mess up your hair?" Peter teases.
Will scowls. "You're so funny. If you must know, I can't stand feeling so sticky."
Peter reaches over and trails a finger down Will's bare chest and stomach, stopping at the waistband of his running shorts. "That's not true. In fact, I know you love getting sticky."
Grinning, Will steps closer to his friend. "It's different when you're the one responsible for it."
"I would hope so," Peter laughs, pulling him in for a kiss.
