Rage With Benefits

Bonus: Bryce Meets Ian's Dad for the First Time

"I love you and I appreciate you for doing this, babe."

Ian's voice floated over his head as Bryce stared longingly out the window and into the farm ahead, jealous of the bovines that didn't have to do what he was about to do in about an hour.

"I'm going to jump off this car," Bryce grumbled.

A laugh broke out of Ian. Bryce rolled his eyes, trying to focus on the hand on his thigh instead of the crazy thumping in his chest.

He's going to meet his boyfriend's father for the first time today.

He was almost a year into dating Bryce when Ian decided to rekindle his relationship with his father. Bryce never really got into finding out why or what made him do it. At first, Bryce was a little skeptical considering everything Ian had told him about his old man so far. He was worried for his boyfriend, evidenced by him being constantly near his phone during Ian's first visit to the rehab center where his dad was a resident. When the brunet came home crying, Bryce's anger only stopped when Ian told him everything went well, and that he was just so overwhelmed with emotion that he didn't know what else to do.

Since then, Bryce was happy that his boyfriend had the chance to reconnect with the dad he looked up to as a little kid. At least one of them gets to do it, he said. Soon, the once-a-week visit turned to two, which quickly turned to three, which continues today. One time he brought Evie, and it took a while before he was able to convince Olivia but the next thing they knew, she was coming too, and before anybody could start counting, three months had gone by.

Now it was Bryce's turn.

The way to the center was like a death march. His heart was pounding, and it shouldn't be too long before dark crescents form under his arms with how much he was sweating.

Bryce was a natural at meeting his past girlfriends' parents for the first time. He'd throw the charm, the jokes, the two-bit flattery; the works. Sometimes he'd flirt with the moms, tell them they're breathtaking, adding in a little polite "respectfully" before turning to their husbands to tell them how lucky they are.

None of those ever failed to give him that shiny seal of approval from every girlfriend's father he ever met. Not one. Bryce used to think it was God-given gift, but with the way things are going with Ian and how boundlessly, humming-in-the-kitchen happy that man is making him today, he realized that it was because he didn't care about his past relationships, at least not to the same extent he does now with Ian.

He didn't care whether or not those fathers liked him because he knew those relationships would end before they could even get the chance to change their minds. He knew that if he screwed it up, another one will come along.

But this was different. This was the love of his life for gods' sake. The boarding gate closed the moment Ian became his boyfriend and no one's allowed to run for second. Bryce can't screw anything up because he will die alone if this relationship ends.

He will not screw it up.

"Any topics I should steer clear from?" he asked.

Ian pondered for a moment, abruptly slowing the car down, the force slightly jolting both him and Bryce forward, but his face remained the same. Bryce opened his mouth to scream, but knowing how sensitive his boyfriend gets when his driving is criticized after he just got his license a month ago, he wisely decided to bite his tongue. There wasn't anyone else on the road anyway. Besides, if he gets paralyzed from a fiery car crash maybe Ian's father would be more inclined to like him out of pity.

"He has an irrational beef with white people rapping, so whatever you do, don't bring up Eminem," Ian said. "He's working on it. You know, among other things."