Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

corner. Finally, steeling his nerves for the coming conversation, he stepped into the apartment proper.
    Everything looked the same. The soft, black suede couch was littered with the throw pillows that Erik refused to part with upon moving here. He insisted they added ambiance. And now, if only in his own mind, Ted could agree they did give the room a comfy feeling. The coffee table held that morning's paper. The curtains were pulled partially closed, only allowing a small stream of sunlight through to light the room.
    A beanbag chair, another holdout from Erik's previous apartment, held a place of honor near the bay windows at the rear of the room. Crisp wooden shelving lined the walls and held their plants and knick-knacks. Since he was being honest, it was a beautiful blend of their lives. Neat, but homey.
    The only thing missing was Erik, who always greeted him at the door. Ted's forehead crumpled. Where was he? Panic spiked in his gut. "Erik?"
    "Kitchen." The smooth baritone came from the small room to his right just before Erik stuck his head through the archway. "I didn't hear you come in."
    Ted's stomach settled a bit at the sight of the deep brown eyes and quirky smile of his lover. The silly notions flitting around his head all day fled and the warmth of Erik's gaze wrapped around his heart like a fleece blanket. "I'm moving slow today, I guess."
    Immediately, Erik dropped the dish towel he'd been wiping his hands on to the counter and rushed to Ted. "Are you okay?" He ran his hands briskly over Ted's chest and stomach, then lifted Ted's face to inspect him. "Are you hurt, Teddy?"
    Ted swallowed, feeling foolish and small for his thoughts during the day. It must have shown.
    Erik reared his head back, his gaze sharpening. "What have you been stewing on all day, professor?"
    Shrugging, Ted looked away. It was stupid, really, and he saw it now. The way Erik had first assumed that Ted had been injured was typical of the way Erik treated him. He always worried over Ted, wanted him safe, happy... loved.
    "Oh, honey." Erik wrapped him in a tight hug. "What am I going to do with you?"
    Burying his face in the crook of Erik's shoulder, Ted let out the breath he'd been holding. The tension constricting his muscles eased some too. "I'm so sorry."
    "For what?" Erik pulled back, then framed Ted's face in his palms to place a soft kiss on his lips. "We'll discuss why you didn't call me to talk about this, but for now, dinner is waiting."
    ****
    Erik led the way into the kitchen, settling Teddy at the table before pulling out plates to hold the homemade pasta and sauce he'd been laboring over for the last couple of hours. He rarely prepared his own dough these days but this weekend had felt like it needed it. And now he knew exactly how right he'd been.
    That Teddy had thought something was wrong with them, even furthering that with not feeling comfortable enough to call and talk about it, hurt Erik in a way that he'd not felt before. He had no one to blame but himself. This last gaming project had lasted months with late hours into the night to conference with the other designers in Japan. He'd been going to bed as Teddy was getting up for work, with nothing more than sleepy kisses as they passed each other in the doorway of their bedroom.
    He'd missed Teddy badly, but the man needed his sleep if he was going to keep up with the kids in his classes. Middle-schoolers could be brutal if they smelled weakness in a teacher. Not that Teddy wouldn't have stayed up later if Erik had asked. Erik just hadn't wanted to put him in a position to choose.
    But now the game software was complete and sent off for testing. It would take at least a month for beta gamers to truss out the bugs in the code. Time to focus on what was really important.
    Teddy.
    Erik pulled himself out of his thoughts to see his lover staring at him with wide eyes and realized he must have mentally wandered off for far longer than it felt. He smiled before turning to lift the lid from his simmering sauce. The woodsy scent of oregano and thyme, tomatoes and hand-ground sausage drifted up to fill the air. His stomach rumbled and he was grateful to hear Teddy's chuckle from the table.
    The low scrap of a chair on the floor alerted Erik that Teddy had risen, and when his lover's arms wrapped around his waist he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling. Teddy was shorter by only a couple of inches so their bodies aligned perfectly.
    Teddy's breath warmed Erik's skin