Mal paced his entire room, his brother shooting him concerned glances through the crack of his open door. He had been like that all day, never straying more than inches from his phone and jumping every time it went off. He had been on edge, not that he would openly admit it. He had done the hard part, asking Traf to meet him for dinner. That had been in the morning, it was now past noon and he was not prepared in the least. He needed to shower, go buy the food, clean the house, and kick his brother out for a few hours.
Had he done any of that yet? No, he was stuck pacing his room, a ball of nerves. It wasn’t until his brother, Cheese, finally barged into his room that he kicked his ass in gear. Cheese offered to clean the house while he went out to buy the groceries. Mal hugged him, throwing on a jacket before flying out the door. He climbed behind the wheel of his Mustang, gunning the engine and flooring it.
He was so set on the task as hand that he had missed the cop sitting on the side of the road. He was sure he was going to be pulled over for going well over double the speed limit. However, no lights flashed behind him and he could only chalk it up to luck. He tore down the streets, whipping into a parking spot and sprinting into the store. He grabbed a basket, throwing in everything he could possibly need. He had just picked up a bottle of wine when he passed the flowers. He backtracked, going through them until he found the perfect bouquet. He added them to his loot and checked out. He threw the bags in the passenger floorboard, carefully setting the flowers on the seat.
He took off again, stopping by the dry cleaners to pick up the clothes he had dropped off the previous day. His final stop before home was a small bakery where he picked up a beautiful chocolate cake and a dozen white chocolate dipped strawberries. Having everything for the night, he raced home, careful not to take the same way as not to try his luck. He screeched into the driveway, parking crooked but not even noticing. He grabbed the food, carrying it inside before making another trip outside to collect his clothes and roses.
Cheese was just finishing up his cleaning as Mal walked in with his second armful. Cheese took the flowers, putting them in some water but taking the cake and strawberries to put them in the fridge.
“Go, shower, I’ll start cooking,” his younger brother shoved him in the direction of his room.
“Thank you,” Mal said, sincerely meaning it.
He raced to the shower, stripping on the way there. He was naked before he even opened the door to his bathroom. He turned on the water, taking one of the quickest showers of his life. He washed, scrubbing himself clean before jumping back out, wrapping a towel around his waist and using another to dry his hair. He shoved a toothbrush in his mouth as he tried to style his hair at the same time. Realizing that he couldn’t do both at the same time, he took a breath and settled for brushing his teeth before doing his hair. Once he had overcame that obstacle, he stepped back into his room to see his clothes set out on his bed. He silently thanked his brother for the hundredth time that day. He quickly slipped on his black slacks, a white button down, a black vest, and a brown tie. He was just giving himself a once over in the mirror when his brother joined him. He saw his older brother and smiled at the sight before him.
“You look nice,” Cheese told him, fixing the back of his collar.
“Thank you,” Mal said, turning around and hugging his brother.
Mal buried his face in Cheese’s neck, taking a deep breath as his brother rubbed his back.
“You are going to be fine,” the younger reassured the elder.
“But what,” Mal was cut off by his brother pulling away and looking him dead in the eye.
“No what if’s. No second guessing. No doubts. Just be yourself, you know how you feel about him, I’m sure he feels the same way. Now the lasagna is in the oven, the table is set, candles just need to be lit and wine poured. Can you handle that?” Cheese asked, looking him dead in the eye.
Mal took another breath and nodded.
“Good, now I am going to be out with a friend tonight. I’ll probably stay there tonight. Let me know if you need me,” Cheese said, giving him a final hug.
“Thank you little brother,” Mal winked, trying to clear his head.
“Go get em tiger,” Cheese laughed, taking his leave.
Mal walked to the kitchen, the smell of the food hitting him like a ton of bricks. This was really happening. It was going to happen. He checked his phone only to realize he had received a text from Traf saying he was on his way. Mal poured himself a cup of wine, drinking it in nearly one swig. Sure it wasn’t very classy but he needed something to calm his nerves. He doubled checked everything, making sure the flowers were in place, the cake was still good, and the lasagna wasn’t burning.
The doorbell ringing throughout the silent house signaled it was game time. He put on a smile, rubbing his wet palms against the fabric of his slacks before opening the door. There in front of him stood the most gorgeous man he had ever laid eyes on.
Traf stood there, his hand in his jeans pocket, a light blue button down shirt, the top two buttons undone.
“Am I underdressed?” Traf laughed, looking at Mal.
“I might be a bit overdressed,” the blond admitted, hugging the man before pulling him inside.
“It smells good,” Traf smiled, following the blond into the kitchen.
“I have some lasagna for dinner and some chocolate surprises for dessert,” Mal explained, pouring a glass of wine for Traf.
The younger man took it, tapping his glass to Mal’s before taking a sip.
“Candles? This is nice,” Traf told Mal as he inspected the table.
“It was Cheese’s touch before he left,” Mal laughed, pulling the food out of the oven.
He set the food in the middle of the table, pulling out Traf’s chair for him. Once he was seated, Mal served them both before taking a seat himself.
“This is really good,” Traf said after a few bites.
“Again we have to think the little brother. He started it for me, I just made sure it didn’t catch on fire,” Mal joked.
“My compliments to the chef then,” Traf held his glass in a mock toast.
“I’ll pass them along when he comes home,” Mal said.
The two sat in silence for a while, both just enjoying each other’s presence and the food. When they were done, Mal collected the plates, tossing them in the sink before pulling out the desserts.
“Cake and strawberries, special occasion?” Traf raised his eyebrows in question.
Mal was lucky they were sitting in candlelight and it wasn’t bright enough to show the blush that crept up his neck.
“I felt like spoiling you,” Mal admitted.
He picked up a strawberry, holding it to Traf’s lips. The man opened his mouth, taking a bite of the sweet fruit. He licked his lips, never taking his eyes off Mal. The blond finished the strawberry before taking Traf’s hand and pulling him up into his arms.
The two stayed wrapped in eachothers arms, swaying to music that only they could hear. After a bit Mal pulled away, kissing the top of Traf’s head before holding up his finger to signal he would be right back.
Traf stood there confused as Mal vanished into his room. When the blond came back he had a bouquet of red roses in his hand. Traf looked at him, wondering what was going on. The blond stopped right in front of Traf, reaching up with his free hand to caress the man’s beautiful face.
He smiled sweetly at Traf, holding up the roses and looking him dead in the eyes.
“Traf, will you be in a relationship with me?” Mal asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
The raven haired man stood there in shock, unsure if he had heard right. After a moment of silence, Mal grew worried. He was just about to open his mouth to speak when Traf threw himself into the blond’s arms, causing him to drop the flowers in surprise.
“Yes,” Traf breathed out, kissing the blond.