Reid watched Vienna approach. As she passed their table, they smiled at each other, and then Reid turned around and watched her walk away.
He turned back around and put a bite of steak in his mouth. "So, next Tuesday, I have to drive to Chicago for a..." He stopped when he noticed Luke glaring at him. "What?" I'm talking with my mouth full again.
"Nothing," Luke said, picking up his fork and moving food around on his plate.
"Luke. What's wrong?" Reid asked, sighing.
"I said nothing."
"It's not nothing. C'mon, out with it.," Reid said, gesturing at Luke with his fork and then continuing to eat.
"I think you have a thing for Vienna Hyatt....whenever we run into her, you stare at her. And I think she likes you too. I've seen the way the two of you flirt with each other."
Reid nodded and shrugged.
"You admit it?"
"Admit what? That I look at her? I'm just amazed that she was ever with Hank. I mean....look at her."
"You look enough for both of us."
Reid laughed.
"It's not funny, Reid."
"You're jealous of a woman? That's pretty funny."
"I'm not jealous."
"Yes, you are," Reid challenged, taking a sip of his beer.
"I've seen her flirt with you, Reid. And, even worse, you flirt back!"
"Vienna flirts with everyone. I flirt with Lucinda all the time; that doesn't seem to bother you."
"You can't keep your eyes off of her."
"Your grandmother?" Reid said with a mischievous grin.
"Vienna, asshole." Asshole? Luke never curses...except in bed.
"I think straight *women* have a hard time keeping their eyes off of her. She's just put together perfectly. If there's a god, then kudos to him on that particular creation. But just for the record, you 're not bad yourself." Reid reached under the table and squeezed Luke's knee, trying to lighten the mood.
Luke scowled. "Are you sure you're gay?"
Reid laughed out loud. He then leaned in across the table and said quietly, "If what we do in the bedroom doesn't convince you that I'm a fag, I don't know what will."
"I hate that word," Luke complained.
"I love that word," Reid countered.
"Maybe you're bi," Luke said putting his fork down and glaring at Reid.
"I'm not bi."
"How do you know?" Luke asked, a look of disbelief on his face.
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," Reid said, looking up at the ceiling in frustration.
"Answer me." Luke demanded.
"Because I like dick!" Reid said, loud enough so that the woman at the next table turned around and scowled. "And more to the point, *your* dick," Reid said in a softer voice as he threw his napkin down on the table.
Luke stood up and walked toward the lobby of the hotel. Reid rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. Fucking drama queen.
Reid settled their tab and walked out to the lobby to find Luke sitting on one of the loveseats by the piano. He sat down next to him, and ran his fingers through Luke's hair before settling his hand on his shoulder. "Luke..."
"Have you ever slept with a woman?" Luke asked, looking down at his hands.
Reid closed his eyes briefly. "Luke, I don't want to do this here."
"Have you?" Luke asked again.
"C'mon, can we just go home?"
"Answer me, Reid."
"Yes. OK?"
"How many?" Luke asked, staring at Reid.
"One."
"Just one. One time?"
"Just one. Multiple times."
Luke's mouth dropped open. "How many times?"
Reid rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Luke, can we change the subject? It was a long time ago."
"You don't know? YOU DON'T KNOW?!"
"Luke, c'mon...keep your voice down."
Luke huffed. "So, it was enough times that you lost track?...because if it was THREE times, you would know, right?"
"Yeah, sure..." Reid said, clearly getting angry.
"Were you in a relationship with her?" Luke asked, shrugging Reid's hand off of his shoulder.
"She was a friend."
"With benefits?"
"Sure...if that's what you want to call it."
"What I want to call it is a heterosexual relationship!"
"Fine. Call it that. Feel better?" Reid said sarcastically, turning his body away from Luke and running a hand through his own hair.
"Did you enjoy it? The sex?"
"Luke, you're being ridiculous with this. Can we drop it?"
"No. Did you enjoy it?" Luke asked, cocking his head.
"Fine. You want to hear this? Fine. Yes, I enjoyed it. It was sex, Luke. So, yeah...it was enjoyable. Happy?"
"What was it like?"
"Really? You want details?"
"Was it better?"
"Than what we do? Are you crazy?!" Reid said, frustrated at Luke thinking *anything* could be better than what they did together.
"So, then how was it?"
"It was different, Luke. Different. Okay? Can we, please, stop talking about this?"
Luke refused to let go. "But, why, Reid? You were out, so why would you...............were you in love with her?"
"No."
"But you loved her." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes. I cared about her."
"I'm so stupid! You're bi. Oh my god, Reid..."
"Luke, will you stop and listen to yourself? Do I really need to prove my homosexuality to you, of all people?"
"But how, Reid? Why?"
"Jesus Christ, Luke. I can't explain it to myself, much less you. I was 19, okay? She and I were close...I won't deny that. We were friends. We got drunk and had sex one night, and then it continued because it was easy and comfortable, but then it became not so easy and very uncomfortable, so we ended it. I was stupid about it. It never should have happened."
"Did you stay friends?"
"Yes."
"Do you keep in touch with her?"
"Yes. She's married and has three kids...lives in Phoenix. I see her on Facebook."
Luke stayed silent. Reid put his hand on Luke's knee, but Luke pushed it away. "Luke...c'mon..."
"What about Vienna?"
"What about her?"
"You want her."
"NO! I don't. For fuck's sake, Luke..."
"But the way you look at her..."
"I look at her like I would a painting...or a sunset...I look because she's pretty. That's it. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't appreciate a woman's beauty."
"You really don't want her?"
"Are you fucking kidding me, Luke? Since the day I stepped foot in this damn town, I haven't wanted anyone but you...Fucking Hugh Jackman could walk through the door right now, naked and begging me for sex, and I wouldn't be interested. Luke, you're it. Has that not been clear over the past year? I love you. I don't want anyone else. I waited 36 years to find you. You're the one. The only one. For the rest of my life, if I have anything to say about it."
Luke stared at Reid for a few moments. "Will you excuse me a minute?"
"Sure," Reid sighed.
Reid watched Luke walk away. He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. What the hell? He couldn't believe Luke was making him justify something that happened 17 years ago. I was a fucking kid.
A few minutes later, Reid heard his name. "Come with me, Dr. Oliver." Reid opened his eyes to find Luke standing in between his legs. Hearing "Dr. Oliver" meant one of two things: either Luke was mad as hell at him........or he wanted him. He stood up and followed Luke until they were standing in front of the elevators. Luke hit the "up" button. Reid raised his eyebrows...okay, he was game. "Where are we going, Mr. Snyder?"
Luke pressed the card key into Reid's palm. "Penthouse."
Reid smirked and put his arm around Luke's waist.
"I need you to prove your big, gay love to me," Luke said, smiling.
The elevator arrived and Luke stepped in. He turned around and looked at Reid who was peering inside the elevator tentatively.
"Coming?" Luke asked.
"I hate this thing," Reid said.
"I know," Luke smiled. But then he reached out, grabbed Reid by the front of the shirt and pulled him inside.
Once the doors closed, Luke pushed Reid up against the wall and kissed him soundly. When he pulled back, he said softly, "I love you too."
"I know," Reid said, brushing Luke's hair away from his eyes. "So, what was that about out there?"
Luke shrugged.
"I mean, you're cute and all when you're jealous," Reid said teasingly, "God this elevator is slow," he said, looking up at the lit numbers. He turned back to Luke. "But, really...a woman? Have you not been paying attention to what I like at all?" Reid ran his hand over Luke's ass slowly. "I'm attracted to men. Period. And one man in particular," Reid said, gently tapping his finger on the tip of Luke's nose and following it with a kiss.
Luke wrapped a leg around Reid's calf. "Prove it to me."
Reid smiled and kissed Luke's jaw. "I like razor stubble." He barely brushed his lips over Luke's chin. "And beard burn." He moved his mouth to Luke's neck and hummed against it. "I like Adam's apples." He sucked gently there before moving his hands over Luke's shoulders and down his back to his hips. "And broad shoulders." He ran a hand over Luke's bicep and squeezed. "I like muscles.......and this muscle especially," he said, untucking Luke's dress shirt from his pants. He put his hand on Luke's side, and ran his fingers across the muscle just above his hip. "It's called the external oblique, and it's in the iliac region, in case you were wondering."
"I love it when you talk all doctor-y," Luke sighed.
"In fact, I think your external oblique needs some attention, and if we ever get off of this damn Wonka-vator, I'm going get you naked and suck on it for awhile.....................and while I'm up here," Reid continued, speaking breathily against Luke's ear, "I like stomach hair." He tugged on the hair just below Luke's navel. "....and chest hair...." His hand traveled higher underneath the shirt, across Luke's right nipple. "...and even back hair..." He wrapped both arms around Luke and hugged him.
"I do not have back hair," Luke protested.
Reid laughed. "But you might someday, and I'll like it."
The elevator chimed and came to a halt. Luke stepped out, and Reid followed him, slipping his hand into Luke's. "And I like big, strong, man hands," he said, bringing Luke's knuckles up to his lips.
They stopped in front of the suite door, and Luke pulled the extra car key out of his pocket. "And I really, really, really like this male part," Reid said, brushing his hand over the front of Luke's jeans from behind him.
Luke groaned and turned around to face Reid, his back against the door. "Men are hot," Luke said, smiling.
"Yes, we are," Reid agreed. He brought his hand up to the side of Luke's face and kissed him tenderly. "I love you so much, Luke..."
"I know," Luke said confidently, pulling Reid inside the hotel room.