That settled, Grayson went over to Nolan, who had actually penciled a lot of things into the room.
“So here are my thoughts,” Nolan said. “We basically divide the space into five zones. This corner here is the reading nook. I’m gonna ask Travis to build some custom bookcases so we can put all those books on display. Maybe even see if we can get some more donated. It’d be nice if they had books with queer characters and not just, like,Moby DickandThe Scarlet Letter. I have a friend in publishing. I’ll give him a call, and maybe we can pull something together. At least maybe he’ll give me some titles and I can buy them myself.”
“Cool. Sounds good.”
“Okay. This area over here is for the tabletop gamers. I figured we could maybe put in some high tops and stools. And more shelving to store games. Then over here, the lounge. Big comfy seating and a smart TV so they can stream stuff. Maybe a video game console too. Depends on what we can get in donations. And then over here will just be a hangout space, basically. Couches, room for people to sit and chat. Maybe a mini fridge for snacks and beverages. In the middle, I want to put a huge table. I’ll ask Travis for help with that too. Marcus said they eat most of their meals in the kitchen, but the table could still be a communal meal spot or just a place to sit and do homework or study together or whatever. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great plan. What are we doing for colors?”
“Not a hundred percent, but I was thinking light walls and floors. Maybe off-white or cream paint. Did you know the Restoration Channel has its own paint line? I can use whatever I want from the store room on the fourteenth floor as long as I flash the label at the camera when we’re filming. What do you think of cream or off-white for the walls?”
“I think that’s fine. You don’t want anything too dark or it will absorb light.”
“Right, exactly. The windows aren’t very big when you consider the size of the space. I want to replace those heinous fluorescent lights with some more modern light fixtures too. Nothing fancy, they can be fairly utilitarian.”
“This sounds like a great plan.”
“I want it to be a space that teenagers actually want to hang out in. It shouldn’t feel so prison cafeteria, you know? And Marcus said they do a lot of programming for LGBTQ kids in the region, so the space is used by more than just the kids who live in the shelter. We’ll have to pick durable materials for the floor and the furniture. Speaking of which, how’d it go with the furniture guy?”
Grayson explained about the warehouse and the truck.
“Okay. Cool. Good. This might actually come together.” Nolan rolled up the floor plan and slid it into a tube so he could take it with him to the site the next day. “How are you doing?”
“I’m… okay. It actually felt good to talk to those kids today. Well, Brian is a lot.”
Nolan laughed. “He is, yes.”
“It feels good to be doing this for them. It’s a shame that any of them have to be homeless at all, but at least they have a place like Rainbow House to go to. So I want to make the space look amazing.” And Grayson felt that deep in his gut. He’d meant everything he’d said to the kids earlier.
“Good. I think it will be.” Nolan leaned over and kissed Grayson. “Fun fact. I did your laundry a couple of nights ago. So you’ve probably got enough clean clothes at my place that you don’t have to go home tonight if you don’t want to.”
Wow. How great was Nolan? “I really don’t want to go home. I’ll have to, at some point this week, but the clothes help.”
At this point, Graysonwaskeeping a lot of stuff at Nolan’s. Partly, it was convenient. Nolan lived within walking distance of the Restoration Channel studios, so it was easier to walk home with him than go back to Brooklyn sometimes. Grayson had started bringing overnight bags when he knew he’d want to stay at Nolan’s and then just… leaving clothes behind. But now Nolan’s loft was starting to feel like home much more than the room in Grayson’s apartment had ever done.
Still, though, Grayson knew better than to invite himself to move in with Nolan. Nolan probably wasn’t ready for that, especially considering all the changes that would have to happen when the new arrival showed up. Though he didn’t like it, Grayson knew it was smart to wait to make any decisions until after the baby came. That was what Nolan would tell him.
And besides, Grayson really did have to decide if living with a baby was what he wanted. Because moving into Nolan’s home, being his partner, meant Grayson would have to be a father too. Otherwise, there was no way to make it work. He couldn’t just be fun Uncle Grayson.
But that decision was still six weeks away.
Nolan yawned. “Well, now that we’ve sorted that, I’m tired. Also, I’ve been wanting pizza all day. Is that weird?”
“One of the kids mentioned it and I’ve been wanting pizza every minute since.”
“That must be why. I’m gonna call the place on Sixteenth and we can pick it up on the way home.”
EVERYTHING INthe Rainbow House common room came together more easily than Nolan had expected. He’d picked a slightly boring but neutral cream color for the walls, and the kids had spent an entire day painting. But on the wall at the end of the room, he and his crew had decided to do something different. He let Grayson pick the color, and they’d painted it vibrant electric blue, just for fun. Grayson suggested that the kids could add a mural there at some point in the future if they wanted. Though some of the kids seemed game, there wasn’t enough time to squeeze it into this week.
Travis got his boyfriend Brandon to come to the site, and together they got four bookcases and the big table built with remarkable speed. Travis and Brandon also did most of the flooring install themselves. While they were doing that, Nolan and Grayson drove a rental truck to a warehouse in Elizabeth, where they picked out some plush bluish-gray sofas in a durable fabric that was machine washable. They also got some matching chairs and end tables and a mess of accessories—pillows, blankets, ottomans—and loaded it all into the truck.
Then they spent all day Saturday pulling it all together. Travis and Brandon had done a tremendous job on the bookcases. Grayson put all the books on shelves, and Nolan’s friend Stephen came by with a box of books donated by the publisher he worked for. They also got a TV donated from the electronics store where one of Grayson’s roommates workedandthe hottest new gaming console and a few games. Nolan took a break to walk to a department store near Union Square and bought a bunch of board games that he carried back to set up in the gaming area.
Overall, Nolan was pleased with the design. Timeless, clean, durable, functional. It was so much brighter and warmer now. He thought the kids would be thrilled.
In lieu of the mural, each of the kids had also made a drawing, so Nolan framed them and hung them on the blue wall.
After they finished decorating that night, Nolan took Grayson home. Grayson seemed mildly irritated that the purple shirt he wanted to wear for the reveal was in Brooklyn, but he found clothes he was willing to wear on television the next morning, partly by raiding Nolan’s closet.
