Chapter 1 - Dave's Lover Returns
Leroy arrived home after being on deployment for a year and dropped his duffle along with a few other things in his room. He looked around the house, he was amazed it was decently kept clean for two bachelors living there. Leroy knew Dave was at work, but he didn't know where his brother, Chris, was.
He doubted but he checked the fridge and as he figured it was pretty much empty. He laughed to himself, he wished Dave would learn to cook. Dave knows how to cook an egg, boil or fry it, but ask him to make something as easy as spaghetti and he would find some way to fuck it up. Leroy knows Chris was no better at cooking, so Leroy doesn't know how they survived this past year. Actually, he does, either they were eating out, or their moms were cooking for them.
Leroy made a list of what they needed from the store and went to change into civilian clothes. He headed to the store, hoping this evening would go by quickly because he couldn't wait to see Dave. Leroy had truly missed him and the few phone calls, letters or emails they were able to share, just isn't the same as being able to hold one another.
When Leroy went into the store, he wore earbuds to block out anyone around him. He wasn't quite ready to socialize with anyone other than Dave. So he wanted to make this trip as quick as possible, basically, get the food they needed and head back to the quiet house.
*
Dave saw Leroy from a distance and smiled. Just by coincidence, he and his partner were driving through the parking lot of the grocery store. They were heading to a diner that shared the same lot for their dinner break. "I've never seen you smile like that before, what brought it on?" Terry asked.
Dave smirked, "I just saw someone which I haven't seen in a very long time."
Terry laughed, "Dave, the way you looked, it seemed like you wanted to jump out of the car and run up to whomever you just saw."
"I would love to, but I can wait until I get off shift to see him."
"Him? May I ask who you just saw?" Terry asked.
Dave smiled again and looked extremely happy. "My, Leroy."
"He's home? Why didn't you take today off? Hell, if he was coming home today, why didn't you take the week off? And what are you doing sitting here in the car, park it and go into the store and find him." Urged Terry.
"Because we're not open about our relationship. Leroy just always gives me a window of a few days that he could be back, even though he generally knows which day he is returning. Anyways I will see him tonight when I get off shift." Dave responded with a ton of excuses.
"Damn it, Dave, will you just go in and at least say hello to your man, or are you afraid you two will." Terry laughed before finishing his comment. "God forbid, hug in public?" He teased Dave because Terry was openly gay and he didn't know why in this day and age anyone would hide it.
Dave laughed, "No, I'm not afraid. We will hug in public, it's just that we haven't seen one another in a year, so I don't want to get emotional in public."
"Oh my God, you're the girl in the relationship, aren't you?" Terry was just teasing Dave. "Park this damn car and go in and see the man you love."
"Only if you will come in with me," Dave stated, and Terry laughed.
One of the perks of being a police officer is that you can park just about anywhere you like, so Dave pulled the cruiser into the fire lane. They walked into the store and started looking for Leroy down each of the aisles. Dave spotted him in the frozen foods and just watched him at first.
Leroy was looking at his list, and at the frozen vegetables, he always does the store backward. He knows he should start in the dairy or deli areas then work his way to the frozen section, but he wasn't planning on spending that much time in the store. Leroy looked up after grabbing what was needed from the case and smiled. He saw Dave from a distance, and he actually felt his heart leap.
Dave walked down the aisle, Leroy pulled out his earbuds and walked up to him. Giving Dave a huge hug and a kiss on the lips, which the kiss shocked Dave. Before letting the hug go, Leroy whispered in Dave's ear. "I've missed you."
"So have I, I love you, Leroy," Dave responded.
