It had been a wonderful week. The sun had been out, the wind had been blowing, and the summer heat had almost disappeared, taking the humidity with it. That was a short-lived reprise though, because when Mateo went to go check the mail, the humidity had came back, far worse than before, and there were gray clouds, billowing in. The hope that Serone would grill them some fresh fish from the river quickly diminished, as he went down to the mailbox. They didn’t get mail everyday, not because there wasn’t mail, but because of how far out from town they were. Mateo was grateful the mailman was even willing to come out this far a couple of times a week. He opened the red, rusty mailbox and grabbed out two envelopes, both addressed to Serone. As he made his way back to the house, he could already feel the occasional drop pelting against the top of his head. It was a literal damper, and a damper on his mood.
Inside the house, Serone was leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen, looking out in the hallway, a beer in one hand. At the sight of Mateo, he held out his free arm. Mateo hesitated for a moment, not wanting to lash out at him for his sudden mode change, but instead choose to walk up to the older man, let him wrap his arm around him and pull him against his chest. Mateo receipted the hug, wrapping both of his arms around his waist and burying his face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath. Serone smelled like sawdust and smoke, with a hint of this morning’s coffee lingering on his breath, as he placed a kiss on Mateo’s forehead.
“You’re going to be alright,” Serone said, pulling back a bit, to look him in the face. “We’re still having fish for dinner, I caught them this morning, they’ll just have to get cooked inside instead of on the grill,” he assured, brushing a piece of hair out of his face.
“It’s not that,” Mateo said, waving a hand dismissively, before stepping back.
“You don’t have to explain yourself, just don’t go all quiet on me,” Serone said, letting him have his space. “How about you set that on the coffee table and come back? I’ll get you a beer,” Serone suggested, tilting his head to the side.