-Devin-

It had been two weeks since Avery showed up at my condo. Two weeks since I'd confessed my feelings and he'd returned them. Two weeks since he'd asked me to be his boyfriend. Just fourteen days, but those days seemed so long when I was here and he wasn't. I knew Avery needed to wrap up his work at the camp and say his goodbyes, but I wanted him with me. He was all I could think about.

I opened our messages on my phone, knowing it was the fifth time I'd checked this hour. He was on his way to Bellevue, and last time he'd texted me, he said he was halfway between the camp and my condo. I scrolled upwards, smiling as a picture of his excited face filled the screen. We called each other every night, and during the day we texted and sent pictures. His were mostly pictures of nature, with a couple cute selfies every now and then.

I smirked to myself as I scrolled further up. The pictures I'd sent had been far less innocent. I wanted him to know what he was missing. I wasn't ashamed to say that more than one picture of my dick had made it to his phone. He refused to return the favor, going on about what would happen if his phone got hacked or if he accidentally sent the picture to the wrong person. The most daring he'd been was sending a picture of him in bed from the shoulders up, leaning against the headboard without a shirt on. It was typical Saint Avery, and I thought it was adorable.

He was spending the weekend with me before he started his first week on the job at my dad's firm. I wished I could have him to myself for longer, but I knew there would be plenty of weekends together in our future. Before I could start imagining all the things I wanted to do to him, I heard a knock on the door. Eagerly, I went to it and flung it open.

Avery was standing there, a bag slung over his shoulder. The moment I saw those familiar big blue eyes and soft brown hair, everything felt right again.

I pulled him inside and dropped the bag from his shoulder before taking him in my arms. I held him tightly against me, breathing deeply as I buried my face in his hair. "I'm so happy you're finally here," I murmured.

"Me too." He lifted his head and kissed me, and heat coursed through my body.

I picked him up, and he laughed as he put his legs around my waist. Pushing him up against the door, I kissed his neck and jaw.

"Can we spend all weekend in bed?" I murmured, my lips against his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

"I wish, but I have a lot to do. I need to get clothes for the days I'm in the office, and start looking for an apartment, and probably a car too, and -"

I cut him off by pressing my lips against his, and then I walked us to my bedroom.

-

Later, I pulled Avery close to me so his head was resting under my chin. Having him back in my arms and back in my bed was everything I had dreamed it would be. He was worth every second of two weeks of waiting.

I hadn't told him I loved him again since blurting it out the last time I was with him. It didn't feel right to say it over a text or in a phone call, and I knew I'd said it too soon anyway. But he was here now, and I wanted him to know.

"I love you," I murmured, absentmindedly running my hands through his hair.

He was silent for a moment, but then he pushed himself up onto his elbow and looked down at me. His smile was tentative. "I really care about you," he said. "I'm happy we're in the same place again."

I guess he still wasn't ready to say it back to me. Which was fine, because not much time had passed after I'd last said it and we'd been apart for all of it. I smiled back. "Are you okay that I said it again?"

"Yeah, it's okay. I just...I'm not there yet," he replied, trying to meet my gaze.

"And I told you last time that I understand. Take your time."

-

The next morning, we spent a couple hours in bed and then ran the shower out of hot water. At Avery's insistence, we ventured out so he could get clothes for work.

"What's your dad's firm like? Do I need a suit? Or is it mostly business casual?" he asked.

"Business casual is fine. You won't need a suit unless we have some sort of banquet, so don't worry about that now."

"Turn here," Avery said, pointing to a shopping center on the right. The plaza held one of our local second-hand stores.

I wrinkled my nose. "I thought we'd just go to the mall."

"This isn't as expensive. I get most of my clothes here anyway."

I don't think I'd ever set foot in one of these stores, and I wasn't impressed once we were inside. The overhead lighting was harsh and the store had an odd smell to it. I followed Avery as he browsed through racks of clothing.

"You can find designer stuff here," he said. "I found a nice rain jacket from Columbia once and I've had it for years."

"If you say so," I replied, eyeing the sweaters on the rack. Most of them I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. Sure, there were a few designer brands, but they looked older than Avery and I.

Avery had two pairs of dress pants and three shirts on his arm. "I'm going to try these on."

I trailed behind him. "Do you think they'll fuss if I go in the dressing room with you?"

He turned. Despite the stern look on his face, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I'd rather not get banned from the store."

Grinning, I sat outside and scrolled through social media on my phone as I waited. He came out a few minutes later.

"Any luck?"

"No," he said with a sigh. "None of it fit right. And these were the only pants in my size."

My eyes swept over his body. "You're so tiny. I'm not surprised."

His jaw stiffened at my words.

"Hey, I didn't mean that in a bad way. I love your body. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Being small isn't a good quality if you're a man," he said. "No one takes me seriously and it's almost impossible to find clothes."

I'd never thought about that before. To me he was just Avery, my amazing, smart, kind, and hard-working boyfriend. He'd had everyone's respect at the camp.

"Come on, let's go somewhere else," I said, taking his hand. "You're not having any luck here."

As I drove us over to the Bellevue Square mall, all I wanted was to cheer him up. I could tell he was worrying by the way he was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Your first week is going to go great," I assured him. "Everyone at the firm is nice. They'll love you. And they're going to be really impressed with your ideas for the project."

He tried to give me a smile, but it was half-hearted.

In the mall, I took him to an upscale men's clothing store. I'd purchased a lot of my work clothing here and I knew it'd be much better than anything in that dingy second-hand store.

Avery hesitated outside the entrance. "Dev, isn't this really expensive?"

"It's worth it, I promise. And even if you don't end up buying anything, it's a good way to get a sense of what you're looking for in terms of fit and style. If this doesn't work out, there are plenty of other stores."

Reluctantly, Avery followed. As he started looking around, I pulled the manager aside and gestured to Avery. "I'm here with my boyfriend. Whatever he wants, ring it up. Here's my card," I said, handing it over. This was one problem I could solve for Avery.

"Yes, sir," the manager said. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you or your boyfriend."

After Avery had collected a few things, a sales associate took us to a dressing room. "They won't say anything if I come in with you," I told Avery, giving him a smile.

The lighting in this store was low and flattering, and it smelled of men's cologne. It was a vast improvement over where we'd been earlier. As Avery pulled off his shirt and unzipped his jeans, I let my eyes wander.

"Maybe being in here with you is too much temptation," I said as I reached out and ran a hand across his abs.

"Behave," he scolded. "I need to get this done."

He tried on a pair of pants and a few shirts, and they all fit perfectly, as I knew they would. Quality made a difference. When he took those items back off, I opened the door and handed them to the sales associate waiting outside.

"They're keeping them outside the dressing room, right?" Avery asked. "I'll have to narrow it down when I'm done."

"Yep, they keep it all on a rack," I lied, knowing those clothes were going straight to the register to be rung up.

I handed Avery a pair of dark tan pants. The moment they were on, I had to actively resist reaching out and grabbing him. His ass looked amazing. "Those will go great with a dark navy blazer," I said, trying to stay focused. "Here, try this one on."

"Wow, I really like it," Avery said, staring in the mirror. "And I love these pants," he said, running his hands up and down the front of his thighs. "They're so soft."

"Your ass looks great in those pants," I replied, my voice low. "I say you get them. Mostly so I can take them off you."

When Avery was dressed in his own clothes again, he looked at the price tag on the pants, and I saw his face fall and his lips part in surprise. Quietly, he said, "No, I can't afford it. It's alright, I'll find something similar in another store."

He looked embarrassed, and I saw a hint of worry in his eyes. I hadn't meant to make him feel bad.

I knelt down in front of him. "Do you think I'd bring you to a store you can't afford, let you find something you love, and then let you walk away without it? I'm going to buy the pants for you. I had never planned on letting you pay."

Nervous, Avery fidgeted with the price tag. He looked uncertain. "Devin, that's sweet, but I can't let you buy these for me. They're really expensive."

"You do remember that I'm a spoiled, rich asshole, right?"

"But it's your money," Avery insisted softly. "You don't need to be buying me things."

"But I want to buy you things. You deserve it."

"What if we split the cost?" Avery suggested. "Or it can be like a loan and I can pay you back over the next couple months."

"Shush," I said, putting a finger over Avery's lips. "We're doing no such thing. It's a gift and it makes me happy to buy it for you. Besides, didn't you once say that it's what wealthy people do with their money that counts? Like help others? I want you to have nice clothes for work, not just spend all my money on myself. I can't think of a more deserving person than you. Especially for putting up with all my bullshit at camp."

Avery finally cracked a smile. "You were pretty awful."

"I was," I agreed, grinning. "Come on. Let's take these up to the front."

Before I could move, Avery grabbed my face and kissed me hard. "Thank you."

"You can thank me when we get home. I want to see your ass in those pants again," I said, pulling Avery close and letting my hands wander.

When we made it up to the register, Avery carefully placed the pants on the counter.

"Will that be all, sir?" the manager asked, directing the question at me.

"That's the last of it," I replied.

"The last of it?" Avery asked, turning around and looking at me quizzically.

I smirked. "I got you everything else you liked too."

Avery's mouth fell open. "What?"

I stepped past Avery as the manager put the pants inside the large bag sitting on the other end of the counter. I noticed Avery's eyes widen when he saw the bag.

"Your total comes to $1,341.52," the manager informed me, pulling my credit card out of the chip reader and handing it back to me.

Avery looked absolutely horrified. "Devin!" he squeaked in protest. "You can't!"

"Too late, already did." I tucked my wallet back in my pocket and grabbed the large bag from the counter. "Let's go get dinner."

Avery followed me out of the store, tugging on my arm. "You can't buy me all that. That's more than I've spent on clothes in my entire life. We have to return some of it," he pleaded.

I stopped in my tracks. "Look, I've spent money on the stupidest shit all my life. Let me spend it on something worthwhile for a change."

He opened his mouth to argue, but I put a hand over it. "I already told you, but I'll say it again. You deserve it. Do you understand?"

He nodded, and I saw a faint sheen of tears in his eyes. I leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose before removing my hand. He lunged forward and hugged me tightly, so hard that I thought my ribs would crack.

"Let go," I wheezed. "I want to eat, not suffocate."

"I'm paying for dinner," he said as he released me, steeling his voice with determination.

"Okay," I agreed. "I won't argue if my boyfriend wants to buy me dinner."