Trenton tried to pay attention as the owner of Twisted Scissors salon, Danny Evans, regaled him with some story that Trenton had almost immediately lost the thread of.
Danny was the loudest, most flamboyantly out and proud person Trenton knew, and had been cutting Trenton’s hair for years.
Trenton used to feel a little put off by how open and unapologetic Danny was about his homosexuality, but now he considered it one of the man’s finest virtues.
Funny how quickly a person’s perspective could change to reflect their own personal situation.
“So what do you think?” Danny asked. “What would you have said?”
Trenton blinked.
Oh, shit.
He knew he should have been trying harder to listen, but he had just had so many other things on his mind, and it felt like he could only really focus on one or two of them at a time.
“I, ah…” Trenton made eye contact with Danny through the large mirror in front of him. Danny had stopped cutting his hair and was waiting with an expectant look for Trenton’s response. “Well, you know me,” Trenton said, finally. “I would have probably said something dumb without thinking.”
No matter what the topic had been, that seemed like a pretty safe answer. Trenton wasn’t dumb. He knew he had a bit of a reputation for having unpopular opinions—and for not being shy about sharing them.
Danny laughed, but didn’t try to argue. “Sometimes I wish I could just be blunt like that,” he said. “But anyway, what have you been up to? Anything fun and exciting going on over at the shop?”
“The same old stuff,” Trenton said. “I did go see a movie with a… a friend… last week, though. That was fun.” The exciting part didn’t come until after the movie, but Trenton didn’t feel like Danny really needed to know all of that information. “And I’m going to be making a nice dinner later tonight, so I thought I’d stop in and get a trim first.”
“Oh, really?” Danny leaned in, a big smile on his face. “And is this a lady friend that you’ve been spending time with? Is that why you look so… radiant?”
Trenton snorted. “Radiant?” He was certain that he’d never been described with that word before. “That’s a new one for me. So, what would you make if you needed to whip up something good but not too complicated for dinner?”
He had intentionally side-stepped the question about whether his friend was a lady. Did it really make a difference? Trenton could go see a movie or have dinner with a man or a woman just the same, right?
“Have you ever made lasagna?” Danny asked, running his fingers through Trenton’s hair and comparing the lengths of random strands. “It takes a little while to cook, but it’s pretty easy. Just layer after layer of awesomeness.”
Trenton considered the suggestion. They had gone to an Italian restaurant the week before, so chances were pretty good that Scottie would like lasagna. And Trenton loved just about anything with noodles and cheese, so that sounded like a win to him.
“Lasagna could work,” Trenton said. “You say it’s not too hard to make? Like… you think I could do it? Tonight?”
Danny walked over to the front desk and scribbled on a piece of paper for a few seconds before bringing it over to Trenton.
“Here’s a list,” he said. “Get this stuff, layer it in a pan, bake at three seventy-five for forty-five minutes. Easy breezy. Your friend will love it. And if she doesn’t?” He shrugged. “You can always bring the leftovers to me.”
Trenton laughed. “If it goes well, I’ll owe you your own personal lasagna.” He paused, then added, “Or a few cups of coffee. That might be the safer bet. Either way, I’ll let you know.”
“You’d better!” Danny put his scissors away and brushed off the back of Trenton’s neck. “Now, let’s go rinse this off and you’ll be all set for your date.” Danny winked at him. “And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“I’m sorry?” Trenton froze, then swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice calm. “My… secret?”
Danny just smiled. “The lasagna recipe. I won’t tell your friend that you didn’t know how to make it.”
Trenton slumped back into his chair for a moment as he took a deep breath. “Right. The lasagna. Thank you, yes. That will be our secret. You’re too good to me, Danny.”
“You know I like to keep my customers happy.” Danny gave him a mock-serious look. “But if you come back looking for my granny’s apple pie recipe, my lips are sealed.”
“I’ll stick with the lasagna, thanks,” Trenton said, smirking. “But now we have to hurry, since I’ll have to make an emergency trip to the grocery store.”
Danny gestured toward the back of the salon. “Your sink awaits. Let’s get a move on.”
Trenton stood up and followed his hair stylist to the back of the shop. Even though he wasn’t ready to share any information about Scottie with the guy, Trenton really did like Danny’s company.
He wondered if Danny had a friend of his own to make lasagna for. In the years that Trenton had been going to Twisted Scissors, he’d heard Danny mention a date every now and then, but nothing serious that he knew of, and he had never seen a ring on his finger.
If Danny didn’t already have someone, Trenton hoped he found someone who would make him feel special sometime soon.
Just the way Scottie made Trenton feel.
Everyone deserved someone like that in their life, and Trenton knew he was damn lucky to have found his special person.
His special friend.
“Oh my God, you made lasagna?” Scottie exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as Trenton set the dish in the center of the table. “That must have taken you hours. I’m seriously impressed.”
Trenton grinned. As tempting as it was to play it up, he couldn’t pretend that he had worked that hard. And he couldn’t take all of the credit.
“Well, I borrowed a good recipe, so it wasn’t too hard.” They both sat down at the table and Trenton gave a half-shrug. “But I mean, if you’re really impressed, you can always make it up to me later…”
Scottie shot him a look that was a little playful and a whole lot of sexy. “In that case, I’m super impressed. I’ll have to think of something good to show my gratitude.”
Trenton’s cock throbbed under the table, and he suddenly felt like the temperature had gone up by at least ten degrees in the room.
“That, ah…” Trenton swallowed hard. “That sounds like something I might be really interested in.”
“I hope so,” Scottie said, winking. “I don’t just go around showing my, um, gratitude to just anyone, you know.”
Trenton laughed. Even though it was going to be an excruciatingly long night if he stayed hard as a rock under the table, he was willing to risk it if it meant getting to see more of this playful side of Scottie.
“I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve actually seen you,” Trenton said. “But I guess it’s really only been a few days. Is that weird?”
“If it is weird, then we’re both weirdos together,” Scottie shrugged. “Because it really does feel like it’s been ages. But Sasha is with Jack and Calvin tonight, so we’ve got plenty of time to catch up.”
“Perfect,” Trenton said, trying to ignore all of the dirty thoughts that had suddenly popped into his mind at the news they potentially had all night together. “How is Sasha doing? Still recovering nicely?”
“She’s doing so well,” Scottie said, nodding enthusiastically. “Every time I update Lane on what she’s doing or how she’s acting, he always says that she’s a champ. It will still be a while before she’s completely healed, but she definitely seems to be well on her way.”
“That’s so good to hear,” Trenton said, meaning it. “She’s such a good dog. Such a fighter.”
“She really is. She got really lucky that day, and I’ve been lucky to have her with me ever since.”
Scottie’s eyes were getting bright with emotion, so Trenton reached over and took his hand. “She’s lucky to have you, Scottie. Anyone would be.”
The words had just slipped out, but Trenton had meant them. Scottie made everyone’s life brighter just by being there, and Trenton didn’t mind letting him know that.
Still, between the talk of Sasha and what Trenton had just said, the vibe had turned from playful and sexy to something that felt a lot more serious.
“This food smells delicious,” Scottie said, flashing a smile that Trenton could tell was masking something else. “You don’t even know how much I’m looking forward to this meal.”
Trenton returned Scottie’s smile and turned to dish up the lasagna onto each of their plates. The change in topic hadn’t been a subtle one, and Trenton hoped that he hadn’t upset Scottie with anything that he’d said.
Maybe he had just been ready to move on from the more emotional topics, too. Trenton certainly couldn’t fault him for that.
“I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week,” Trenton said. “Now, just as long as the lasagna tastes as good as it smells, we’ll be in good shape.”
“I think it’s going to be really good,” Scottie said, his bright smile back in full force. “I think this whole night will be really good.”
Trenton hoped he was right on both counts. But he honestly wasn’t too worried.
With Scottie around, it was almost guaranteed to be a good night.