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“What did you bring?” Sam opened the bag to look inside.
“Caden said the Chinese place by my office was a favorite of yours,” Carson informed him. “I got you beef fried rice, egg rolls, and sweet and sour chicken.”
Sam licked his lips. “All my favorites.” He started to dig into the bag.
Carson thought about stopping him and addressing the lack of little items but decided to let the boy fill his belly first. They had time to get to know one another and Carson didn’t want to pressure Sam if he wasn’t comfortable sharing with Carson yet.
He took over filling the plates and Sam walked to the fridge.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Water, please,” Carson answered. He wanted a clear mind and didn’t drink soda.
Sam pulled out a bottle of water and a jug of lemonade. He set the water in front of Carson then poured himself a glass of lemonade. They sat beside each other on the bar stools.
“Thank you so much for bringing me dinner,” Sam said.
“You are quite welcome. You looked tired and I wanted to do something nice for you.” He made Carson feel like he’d done something absolutely wonderful even though all Carson had done was pick up some food and bring it over.
“Yeah.” Sam moved the food around his plate. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Nightmares?” Carson asked. They had talked briefly about Sam having nightmares by text but when Carson tried to bring it up lately, Sam would say he was fine. Carson suspected that Sam wasn’t dealing with what happened properly.
Sam shrugged.
Carson hummed but didn’t push any further. He wanted them to have a satisfying meal and honestly they weren’t even dating. Carson had no control over Sam, and even though he wanted nothing more than to spoil the young man, they needed to have a serious talk before they engaged in any kind of relationship. “Eat. When we’re done, we’ll relax on the couch and talk.”
“Can…can I sit on your lap again?” Sam asked quietly.
“If you’d like.” Carson wasn’t used to hearing the hesitation in Sam’s voice. Sam was usually sassy and teasing but Carson was good at reading people. Sam hid himself from even his friends and was it wrong that Carson wanted to be the one that Sam opened up to?
“I feel safe there,” Sam whispered. He finally took a bite of food.
Carson had to remind himself to eat as well. He wanted nothing more than to pull Sam into his lap right then and there, but he had to stand by his word. They ate slowly, talking about their days and keeping things light.
Once he was satisfied that Sam had eaten enough as Sam pushed the remaining food around on his plate, Carson leaned over and took the fork from his hand. Sam’s bright eyes met his as he blushed.
“Why don’t you go sit on the couch while I put the food away and clean up?”
“I can do it,” Sam argued.
“I know you can, baby boy, but I’m here to take care of it tonight. Go get comfy.”
Sam nodded before he slipped off the stool and shuffled to the living room.
Thanks to the open concept apartment, Carson could keep his eye on Sam as he moved around the kitchen. The food was easily put in the fridge then Carson washed off the plates and silverware before stacking them in the dishwasher. He wiped down the island where they’d eaten then refilled Sam’s lemonade and grabbed his bottle of water.
Flipping off the light of the kitchen, Carson strode around the room until he stood in front of the couch. He set both drinks down on the side table then held his hand out to Sam.
Frowning, Sam placed his palm in Carson’s and Carson tugged. As soon as Sam was off the couch, Carson slipped around the boy to sit in the corner of the couch and pulled Sam into his lap.
Sam let out a long breath before he turned his head and buried his face in Carson’s chest.
Carson cupped the back of Sam’s head and closed his eyes as peace filled him.
Even at the very beginning of his relationship with Billy, Carson had never gotten to enjoy just sitting and holding his boy. Billy had always been moving, anxious, high, or whatever had been going on with the boy at the time. Sam was still in his arms like he never wanted to move. Carson wouldn’t force Sam to move if the boy wanted to stay in his arms. They needed to talk but that could wait until Sam was ready.
The couch was unbelievably soft and comfortable. Carson hadn’t planned on spending that night on the couch but he’d wanted to make sure that Sam hadn’t woken in pain. He’d drifted off before Sam had crawled into his lap. Even now Carson could feel himself drifting with the sweet boy in his arms.
