Love Means No Boundaries - Andrew Grey

particularly graceful eater,” Robbie said softly, hoping only Joey could hear. “I tend to spill food off the plate and don’t realize it.”
He felt Joey’s hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about anything; just enjoy. Eli’s a great cook.” Robbie took him at his word and ate, enjoying every bite.
    At first the conversation centered on him, with everyone asking a ton of questions, but then the conversation shifted to the business of the farm, and Robbie ate slowly and listened, taking in everything: how the cattle were doing, their plans for getting in enough hay, the condition of the fields and seed. It felt so normal, and Robbie found he was smiling to himself, thinking they’re treating me like anyone else. In his experience, there weren’t many people who did that, and he really appreciated it.
    His phone ringing interrupted dinner, and he put down his fork and fished it out of his pocket. “Hi, Mama.”
“Are you doing okay, honey?”
“I’m fine. Mama, we’re having dinner.” These calls were really getting on his nerves.
“You know you have a delicate digestion. I hope they’re feeding you things you can eat.”
“I’m just fine, Mama. I need to finish eating so they can show me around, and I have rehearsal all morning tomorrow, so I won’t be able to answer the phone.”
“Okay, good night, honey. Call me after rehearsal.” She hung up, and Robbie went back to his dinner, the conversation picking up where it left off, to Robbie’s relief and gratitude.
After dinner Joey guided him all around the house, highlighting the placement of all the furniture, the locations of the bathrooms, and everything he could need. “I’m going to get your 15
Andrew Grey
    bags, and then I’ll take you up to your room.” Robbie settled into one of the chairs and let the sounds of the house roll around him. Eli was in the kitchen doing dishes, and then Robbie heard a soft giggle and a splash. He figured Geoff had joined him and that the dishes would wait. A soft moan drifted to his ears, and he smiled as another splash was followed by definite sounds of kisses. The back door opened and banged shut, heavy footsteps walking through the kitchen. “I’ve got your suitcases, and I’ll take them upstairs, but I thought you might want this.” Robbie felt his violin case rest on his lap, and his hands wrapped around it instinctively. “I’ll be right back.” Robbie heard heavy clomps on the stairs followed by doors opening and closing and clomps again.
    Robbie felt Joey approach, and then a hand touched on his arm. “I’ll help you up the stairs.” Just like before, he guided him up through the rooms and up the stairs. “Your room is at the top of the stairs to the right. My room is across the hall. There’s a bathroom right next door.” He felt Joey lead him there, explaining where all the important things were before leading him back to the bedroom.
“Your suitcases are on the bed, and I put your jacket on the footboard.” Slowly, he led Robbie around. “There’s a nightstand on either side and a dresser to your right.” Robbie ran his hand over the smooth wood, before feeling down the front and pulling out a drawer.
    “Thank you.”
“Do you need help putting your things away?”
“No, if I do it myself it’s easier for me to find things later.” He began opening one of the suitcases, “I could use your help with my tux though.” Robbie lifted the garments out of the case and handed them to Joey.”
“No sweat, I’ll hang it up for you.” He heard Joey move around the room and the closet door opened and closed. “Do you want to come back downstairs?”
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Love Means … NO Boundaries
Robbie shook his head. “No, I’ll finish unpacking and then go to bed.”
“Okay, I’ll get you up for breakfast. Good night.” Robbie heard Joey leave the room, closing the door behind him as he continued with his unpacking. Yes, indeed, he really was going to like it here. These were good people.
It took him a while to unpack and make sure he was familiar with everything in the room. He also made a couple trips to the bathroom to make sure the path was engrained before getting undressed and climbing into bed.
Robbie was tired, but his mind just wouldn’t shut off, so he lay there listening and wondering about Joey. The man fascinated him, and he had no
logical reason why. Footsteps on the stairs told him the others were going to bed as well, and after some movement in and out of the