Chap. 2
Neal closed the computer and leaned his head back against the couch cushion. The ache behind his eyes was quickly becoming a pulsing, thumping, irritating mess of a headache. A headache just would not do tonight, not if he still wanted to make the date he had been planning for the past week. Bounding down the stairs, he opened the cupboard door and pulled out one of the many teas that he and his mother favored. After putting the kettle on, he made a trip to the half bath just down the hall in search of the Excedrin he knew would be there.
El sat her grocery bags on the counter and turned the stove eye off before pouring the water into the teacup sitting on the counter. Obviously, Neal had been making a tea, but where was her boy now?
Neal rounded the corner intent on running to the kitchen to get the kettle when the noise suddenly stopped. Satch and Angelo darted for the kitchen as Neal slowly made his way there. His mother was home from the market.
El watched as her furry family skidded across the kitchen floor and stopped at her feet, tails wagging, waiting to be spoiled. Soon after, her son entered the room making a beeline for the tea as he popped two Excedrin into his mouth.
El watched her son breathe deeply, taking in the soothing aroma of the tea before he sipped the golden brew. His beautiful eyes looked weak and his face was pale. Neal had a migraine.
"Thanks for making the tea, Mom."
"No problem, sweetie, just don't let that migraine get out of hand."
"I won't. I think I'm just going to take a nap, maybe between the sleep, caffeine, and Excedrin I can kick thing before it even starts. If I'm not awake by five will you wake me?"
"Sure, now scoot."
Neal grabbed his blanket from the end of the bed and lay on his stomach. Lifting the sides of the blanket to let the dogs under the covers, he sighed and covered his head also. He had forgotten to close the blinds and the curtains on the windows.
El made her way up the stairs after she put the grocery away. She wanted to check on her son. Entering the room, El grabbed another blanket from the top of the closet and spread it over the sleeping form on the bed. She then closed the blinds and the curtains, effectively blocking out the light. Turning to the thermostat, she kicked it up a few notches also. Neal got cold when he had a migraine. With that thought, she gently tucked the first blanket around him and his bodyguards, placing a wisp of a kiss on his head before closing the door halfway and heading back down stairs to start dinner.
Peter looked around before walked into the house. Something felt off. Or maybe he had been an agent for far too long and was becoming paranoid. Yeah, that was probably it. Still, just to be safe, he clicked the locks on the door and activated the alarm as he made his was into the house. He might be a little paranoid but there were people in his home that too important to take chances with.
Following his nose to the kitchen, he found El sliding some bread into the oven. Draping his arms over her head, he kissed her deeply. He loved this woman with all his heart, she needed to here that.
"I love you."
El kissed him back and mouthed the words back at him. The two stood in the kitchen staring into each other's eyes. Only the smell of the bread broke up the gazing. Still as he watched El pull the bread out of the oven, Peter marveled at how lucky he was to have her in his life.
"Where's Neal?"
El blew a lock of hair out of her face and straightened to look at her husband.
"Upstairs sleeping off a migraine. He's got a date later."
That got Peter's attention. Neal had a date? He hadn't mentioned that to Peter.
"Really? Have you met the lucky someone?"
"No. Neal is being remarkably secretive about all this. That makes me nervous."
"I'm sure nothing. Just give him time, he'll come around."
El hoped so. She didn't like the thought of her son being out with someone she didn't know. Yes, Neal was twenty years old, but he was her son. She would always worry.
O.K. so I have an idea for this story that makes me extremely nervous. I haven't decided yet, but I would love any input on the idea. I have a guy friend that is the most wonderful man on Earth. He's also gay and thought having a gay character might be interesting. Let me know what you think.