Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

Lora said. "That seemed to go amazingly well."
    He smiled at her. "Yes, I agree. The growth appears at first glance to be a fatty tumor, but we will run the biopsy, regardless, to be sure. It was growing around the ligament, so it would have been causing him considerable pain. I expect that he should recover fully. We'll wait for the biopsy results, though, and discuss further treatments, if necessary."
    "Sounds good. Call me if you need me, Cory," Lora said. She patted Cory's shoulder before heading out to the door.
    Susan and Penny began gathering the supplies and carrying them out.
    He turned to Cory. "You'll let me know right away if you have any concerns, no matter how trivial they seem." TJ wasn't asking.
    Cory nodded, never taking his eyes off Bogo, who was now shaking his head repeatedly. TJ flinched when the lion whimpered. He was sure the cat was probably seeing all kinds of trailers from the drugs. TJ wished there was a better combination with fewer side effects.
    "Okay, well, we have to move on if we are going to make all of our rounds, today." TJ didn't want to leave. "I'll have my radio on though, so you can call me if you need me." He couldn't help himself. He reached out to squeeze Cory's shoulder once before turning to head for the truck.
    Cory caught his wrist and pulled him back around. He fisted his hand on the front of TJ's shirt and pulled him in for a deep kiss that seemed filled with more than words could say. He stepped away quickly. TJ realized Cory's eyes were moist, and he swallowed twice before saying, "I'll call you tonight."
    TJ brushed a finger down his cheek. He took one final look at Bogo. Then, he forced himself to walk away.
    ****
    Stepping from his Subaru Outback the following day, Cory tugged down his tight, black fitted T-shirt. It simply said Pride across his chest in a rainbow of colors. He checked his matching rainbow Vans to be sure the laces were tied, absently running a hand across his hair to smooth it into place. He took a deep breath and walked towards TJ's front door.
    Cory glanced at the number again, before ringing the bell. He looked around at the bland condo complex. All of the buildings were painted white, with black doors and boxwood hedges. Very few of them had any defining features. One door, down the way, sported a seasonal, spring wreath of plastic flowers. Another had a single potted, wilting plant on the stoop. There didn't seem to be any sign of life.
    The door opened suddenly, and Cory held back a laugh as he took in TJ's idea of casual. He wore pressed khaki dress slacks and a white button down shirt. At least, he had left off the tie and his sleeves were rolled up to show his tanned, sculpted arms.
    "Hi," Cory smiled. He noticed the smooth skin at the base of TJ's throat.
    "Hi," TJ said stepping back. "Come in. I need to finish something up before we go."
    Cory felt mildly disappointed when TJ turned and walked back into the house without kissing him. He followed TJ inside, admiring his rear view, but he froze mid-stride when he glanced around and saw the living room. It was furnished like a hotel, all matching with no personality. There were paintings on the walls, but they looked like they'd come from the local department store. There were no photographs, magazines or plants. Nothing personal of any kind.
    "Come on back," TJ called from down a hallway. "I'll just be another minute."
    Following TJ's voice, he found the man seated at a table beside a sliding glass door in the kitchen. He was typing furiously on his laptop. Everything was sparse and neat in this room, too. He crossed to a small shelf of knick-knacks on the wall beside TJ's head. He picked up the blocked, wooden, painted cow and frowned at it. "Where did you get this?"
    "Hmmm?" TJ had a confused look on his face for a moment. Then, he chuckled, "It came with the apartment. My stuff's in storage while I look for a permanent place."
    Relief washed over Cory. Still, he noticed there wasn't a single dish in the kitchen sink, and the only sign that anyone lived in the condo was the small laptop case and a neat stack of papers beside the computer. He needed to work on Dr. Dismal, find a way to loosen him up.
    TJ shut down his computer, and stood. "Sorry," he said. "Had to finish up my case notes for the day. I tried to have them done before you arrived."
    "No problem." Cory stepped into TJ's personal space and took a deep breath, inhaling that delicious and mysterious smell that drove him nuts.