A prompt a week - 7. Queeny's Decision - Prompt 303

“How did you get into my room?” Max stood looking down at the calico cat that had claimed the center of his bed as her own.

“Meeoiw,” the cat rolled over and stared at Max a moment. Then she stood, stretched, walked up to the pillows and lay down again.

“Well, gee, thanks for the answer, Queeny.”

The cat simply closed her eyes and ignored Max.

He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes. He only wore shoes when he left the farm. His feet hurt after hours of walking around with Chrissy, Matthew, and Robbie. It was always nice seeing them, but small doses of each other was what allowed their friendships to endure. The thing was he knew if an emergency arose, one call and they would all find a way to each other’s sides.

“So much better,” Max muttered as his bare feet hit the soft shag rug by his bed. He stood and began to strip off his shirt when he spotted the ring. What the hell am I supposed to do with you?

The phone rang a moment later.

“Hello, Max speaking.”

“Hiya Maxie. How are you?” The deep voice cut through the silence of his room.

“Daniel?”

“Who else calls you Maxie?” There was a deep laugh. “Wanted to check on you. I know you were going out today to see your friends. How are Robbie and the gang doing?”

Daniel had been a friend of his for a year now. He had come to help him out when he first inherited the farm. The first year had been a bloody disaster, with Max knowing absolutely nothing about farming. He probably would have lost the whole thing if Daniel hadn’t come out to help him. He had allowed his defenses down and filled Daniel in all about his three closest friends, even inviting him over the one time Robbie had come over for a visit. Robbie and Daniel hit it off. He had found someone he could talk with out here in the middle of nowhere.

“Not bad.” Max found himself shrugging and almost laughed as he realized Daniel couldn’t see it.

“Not bad? Gee that is all kinds of descriptive there, Maxie. What’s wrong? You sound distracted.”

“Nothing.” Max stopped and looked at the ring he wore. The dark blue of the lapis seemed to pull his eyes to it. He could see tiny speckles of gold in it as well. “I just sort of got a surprise while I was out with them.”

“Oh? Did they take you out for dinner? No … that can’t be it. You say you guys always do dinner and a movie when you get together. Okay so what was your surprise?”

“Hmm. It might just be easier to show you. Care to come over for breakfast?”

There was a moment of silence on the phone and just as Max felt he had made a mistake Daniel spoke again.

“Sure. What time do you want me there?”

Max smiled in relief. “Say about eight in the morning, Dan. I can whip us up something hearty, and I promise just to have coffee ready for you. I know I have milk in the fridge.”

“Okay, Maxie. I’ll see you then.”

Max sat down on the bed and petted Queeny. “You know, Queen, I don’t know if I just made a mistake or not, but sort of glad he is coming over.”

­_ * _ * _ *

The coffee was percolating on the stove and the front burners were on and hot. Max wasn’t sure what Dan might like to eat but he had already made a rasher of bacon, a package of sausage he found in the back of his freezer and had made up some pancake batter.

Max was on his way to the table with a container of orange juice when he nearly tripped over Queeny.

“Queen go find a spot to curl up in. I swear you are out to kill me.”

The cat walked over the chair and leapt up onto it. Max spotted Queen and dashed right over.

“Oh, no you don’t. I don’t need you eating the bacon or anything.” He carried her over to the door and put her outside. “Go earn your title as the Queen of mousers. Go kill a few for me.”

Queen turned and walked away from the door, her tail held high in the air.

Max was about to go back to the stove when he heard the sound of tires on the dirt road leading to his house. Looking out he spotted Dan’s old blue Ram truck rolling down the driveway, a dusty trail blowing in the wind behind him.

Max walked over and turned off the front burners and went out to wait for his guest. He watched as Dan pulled up to the side of the barn and parked beside it. A moment later he saw Dan’s boots as he slid out of the truck and onto the ground.

“Hey, Dan. Glad you could make it.”

Dan leaned back into the truck and came out with a bag. “Me too. I got up extra early today and met Sam as he opened his bakery. Got us some fresh crumb buns and a few Danish. I remember you saying you liked them.”

Max smiled. It wasn’t often he got pastries. In fact, he usually considered them a luxury so he did without. It was nice that Dan brought them with him for breakfast.

Dan walked over and Max opened the door so they could go inside. As they entered, Queeny slipped past Max and ran inside as well.

“Damn cat does what she wants,” Max chuckled as he entered the kitchen.

Dan walked over to the cabinet and took down a plate. He put the pastries on it and carried them over to the table.

Max poured them both out a cup of coffee and set one down before Dan.

“So, show me the ring.”

“Sure …” Max paused and looked at Daniel. “I never did tell you it was a ring.”

“Damn, I blew it, didn’t I?” Dan blushed and looked at the table.

“Okay. What the hell is going on?” Max grabbed a seat and sat down across from Dan. “Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

Dan ran his hand through his hair.

“You’re a pain in the ass. You don’t let anyone in, and when you do it is only for short periods of time.” Dan looked up and his deep green eyes flashed. “So I called in help. If you remember I was showing you how to tie knots a few months ago. I tied that one around your finger and then made you slip out of it. That is how I got your ring size.”

“Tricky bastard.” Max sat back and waited for Dan to continue.

“Yeah, well this tricky bastard needed help so I called Rob. Rob in turn called Chrissy and Matt. You have good friends. I’ve been talking to all them off and on for the last three months. Chrissy is the one who found the ring for me. All three had your size. Rob said if we didn’t end up finding one, he had a friend who was doing jewelry now and he would simply ask her to create something.”

“Well what did you need a ring for anyway?”

Dan shook his head. “If you’ll wait, I’ll tell you.” Dan took a sip of his coffee, splashed a bit of milk into the cup and then took another before he spoke again. “Chrissy managed to find the one she thought would work, took pictures and sent it to all of us. I fell in love with it. Matt said you always loved blue, and Robbie just said if it was what I wanted then go for it. I bought the ring over the computer, had them hold it and told Chrissy. She arranged with the owners the little stunt so you would get the ring and not have to worry about paying for it.”

“You could have given it to me yourself! I am not that bad you know.”

“Right. Like the damn blanket I gave you for Christmas?”

Max went to say something and then stopped.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. It was a simple damn blanket and you made it into world war three. It was just a gift, but you couldn’t graciously take it in the manner it was given.”

“I … I didn’t have anything for you.” Max looked down at that table, a blush coming to his cheeks.

“Was I looking for a gift? Sometimes you’re simply an ass.”

“So,” Max spoke in barely a whisper. “Why a ring?”

Dan took a crumb bun and ripped a piece off. He took a bite and then a sip of coffee. The whole time he never once looked up at Max. He coughed before he spoke again.

“Let’s see. We have dinner three to four nights a week. We talk nearly every day. You tell me what is wrong in your life. I tell you what is wrong in mine. We are both gay and single. Oh yeah, and I’ve fallen for you, you idiot. Rob spotted it the night we met, and the first time you left us alone asked me how long we had been dating.”

“Rob did?”

“Yeah.” Dan took a moment to really look at Max. “So those three friends of yours said you would freak out completely if I proposed to you with the ring. Chrissy suggested I give it to you and let you get used to having it on. Matt is a sneaky bastard. He was the one who arranged for the English girl to be the one to talk to you. He said you have a thing for accents.”

“Damn prick.” Max shook his head and tried not to smile.

“Well, Chrissy called after you got the ring, saying you were staring it constantly and even though she had said if you didn’t like to take it off. Instead, she said you covered the ring with your other hand but made no move to take it off.”

“I slept with it on last night.”

Dan smiled.

“I should be really pissed off at you. I couldn’t figure out how they let me leave with the ring.”

“Well now you know. So?” Dan's voice cracked as he asked his question.

“So?”

Dan narrowed his eyes.

Max got up and walked around the table. Neither of them were exactly sure what he had planned to do, but he tripped over Queeny and landed in Dan’s lap. A moment later the two were kissing.

“I take it that is a yes then?” Dan asked when they finally came up for air.

“I think the answer better wait till after breakfast.”

“Fuck breakfast. I want my answer!”

“Well I figured we were going to finish breakfast in bed,” Max smiled as he headed down the hall leaving a gasping Daniel rushing after him.

Queeny simply cocked her head, watched the two men close the bedroom door, and jumped up onto the table to eat the bacon that had been left there.