Little Ollie giggled as David continued to hold him tightly.
His former boyfriend took a hand and brushed some of Ollie's unruly hair away from his face.
"Alright then!" David exclaimed. "First thing we have to do is get you enrolled in pre-school."
While Oliver felt perfectly OK with surrendering himself into David's strong hand, the thought of being sent off to pre-school didn't win him over. "No," he spoke softly. "Wanna stay with you!"
David smiled. "Yeah, buddy, and we will spend lots of time together," David promised. "But I work during the day."
"Take me with you," Ollie chirped, offering what he thought was a happy compromise.
"Nah, I'd want to know you are having fun and learning things," David said. "Besides, did you forget? My sister manages a pre-school daycare."
While Ollie tried to gather his scattered thoughts, David twisted the big ring off his boyfriend's little finger before Ollie even realized what was happening.
"What you doing, David?"
David pocketed the ring. "That's not really something a little boy like you would wear," he explained.
Ollie nodded. He felt nervous about the ring being removed, but he also felt blissfully content in David's embrace.
David carried his tiny boyfriend over to the sofa. He pulled Ollie into his lap while he phoned his sister. Ollie listened as David concocted a believable story about one of Oliver's nephews staying with him for a while. "But we need a good daycare for the little guy while we're at work," David said, looking down at Ollie and giving him a wink.
David listened and soon finished the call. "Great. Thanks, sis. We'll see you in the morning."
When he put his phone away, David looked down and grinned. "I'm the best boyfriend ever, huh?" David asked. "I'm going to make sure that you get the full experience of being a kid again."
Ollie felt butterflies wiggling in his stomach. He appreciated David, but some part of his brain wanted to nitpick about the unilateral pre-school decision.
"Just for a wittle while?" He asked with his cute lisp. "I'm ak-shually twenty-thwee!"
David's expression turned stern. "Don't be ridiculous, Ollie." He stood and lifted Ollie off the couch, carrying him through the house. He stopped in front of the mirror in the hall, letting Ollie see himself, cute, little, and helpless, in David's arms.
"Now, does that look like you're twenty-three, Ollie?"
"No, but..."
"How old is my itty-bitty guy?"
Ollie concentrated and tentatively help up four fingers. "That's right," David exclaimed. "You're four! You just forget all about being some stupid twenty-three-year-old guy, OK?"
Ollie agreed...