"Sorry," he said as he began to put the sweats on. I automatically reached out to support his weight and help him work the pants over his feet. The man was positively gorgeous when he was flustered.
I almost told him not to be sorry because I'd enjoyed the view, but I caught myself in the end and instead said, "I once photographed this naked tribe in Congo, so trust me, it's not an issue."
It was a lie, of course. Not the part about Congo, but the issue part. I definitely had issues because I could only feel disappointed as I watched Lex pull his sweats up. I cursed myself for the errant thought and then took Lex's hand in mine again. I led him through the living room, explaining how to get to the kitchen. Brewer, who'd been lying on the couch, jumped off and hurried to Lex's side. The dog's behavior both amused and intrigued me. The husky mix had always been protective of me, but I'd never seen him behave around someone like he did Lex. And the fact that he tried to protect Lex from bumping into things and even showing enough intelligence to try to lead Lex around objects was mind blowing.
Once I got Lex settled at the small kitchen table, I began working on dinner. "Do you want to test your sugar before we eat?" I asked.
Lex nodded. He seemed to hesitate and then he said, "Do you have my bag?"
I stilled in the process of reaching for a pan. I'd forgotten that I'd removed the bag from the room so he wouldn't hurt himself with the contents. If he was asking me about the bag's whereabouts instead of remarking about going back to my bedroom to get it, he likely knew I’d taken it.
"Um, yeah," I mumbled as I grabbed the bag from the bench where I kept my boots and coat. I'd actually taken his supplies with me when I’d gone to check on his cabin. I handed him the kit, but he didn't call me out on the fact that it had been in my possession the whole time. "You need any help?" I asked.
Lex shook his head. "No, thanks."
I returned to the stove and began getting out the various pots and pans I'd need to make the stir-fry I was planning. I watched Lex out of the corner of my eye. He moved with familiarity as he tested his blood. I heard a beep, meaning the value was on the screen, but when I started to move to his side so I could read it to him, he hit a button on the little device and a robotic voice called out the number. I was glad to hear that the number was in the safe zone. I continued to work on dinner as Lex slowly sorted through his little bag and pulled out all the different items. I watched from my peripheral vision as Lex took the insulin patch and lifted his shirt, or my shirt rather, and placed the little device on his abdomen. I found myself getting stuck on the ridges of his muscles as he made sure the small patch was secure. It wasn't until Lex said, "Is something burning?" that I realized I was staring.
"Shit," I barked when I saw that the veggies in the pan had started to brown. I let out a string of curses as I removed the smoking pan from the burner and dumped the pan in the sink.
"Everything okay?" Lex asked. I could hear the humor in his voice. The whole scene felt oddly domestic. It reminded me of the early days of my marriage when my wife and I had taken turns cooking dinner. Warmth accompanied the memory for all of about three seconds before the bitter truth of my situation returned.
"Gideon?" Lex asked. I realized I hadn't answered him.
"Yeah, everything's okay," I responded. I tried to keep my voice light, but Lex's next words made it clear I hadn't managed it.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
That was absolutely the last thing I wanted to do. "Are there any vegetables you don't like or can't eat?" I asked, avoiding his question entirely. "Is chicken okay with you?"
I didn't miss the way Lex took a long time to answer. I didn't dare look at him, not that it would've mattered since he wouldn’t be able to see me. But I didn't want to see his disappointment that I’d sidestepped yet another one of his questions. "Chicken sounds good. And as long as the vegetables came from the ground, grew on a tree, or fell from the sky, I’ll eat them.”
I found myself chuckling. "I haven't been to the city in a while. Are divebombing veggies a problem down there?"
Lex's soft chuckle was music to my ears. I sent him a side glance as I began prepping the food all over again. He was fussing with the controller for his insulin pump. This time I didn't even consider asking him if he needed help. Instead, I listened as he spoke into the device, which looked a lot like any old smart phone. He waited for the thing to calibrate and then it was reading off his blood sugar. The value matched almost perfectly with the measurement he'd taken just moments before. My curiosity got the better of me. I left the stove off and went to sit in the chair next to Lex's. "Do all insulin pumps have voice technology?" I asked.