Chapter 20

Twenty

Will

" Mayaaaaa ! Hey girl!" Will shouted, pulling the keys out of the ignition of the car and bursting out of the driver's side seat and into Maya's arms. They had pulled into the driveway of her house in Boulder, Colorado, in the early evening.

Will and Maya wrapped their arms around each other in a huge hug.

" Gah , I missed you!" Will said, hugging Maya tight, her long black hair with a huge pink streak in it spilling onto Will's shoulders.

"I missed you too! I saw you like three weeks ago and it feels like it's been a year. I am so fucking stoked that you're here," Maya said.

Finally, they let go of each other. Will turned back to the car and saw Jacob getting out of the passenger side, stretching and yawning as he got out. He smiled, walking over to Maya.

"Hi Maya, I'm Jacob. I've heard so much about you," he said, smiling and holding out a hand.

"Hi, Jacob! Oh come on, I don't do handshakes. I do hugs," Maya said, bypassing Jacob's outstretched arm and going in, wrapping her arms around Jacob instead. Maya faced Will as she was hugging Jacob and mouthed the word cute to him silently.

"Ok guys, come on in. I've gotta give you the tour. This house is so adorable it almost makes it worth still living with roommates," Maya said, heading toward the front door. Will loved the house already. It was in a quiet but modern neighborhood, the kind of place where he could see settling down eventually. He walked up the front steps, following Maya, with Jacob close behind him.

Maya gave them a tour, showing them the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and finally they went upstairs and she showed them the room they'd be staying in.

"So this is the room for you guys. It's got the queen-sized bed which I of course put clean sheets on, and the air mattress there on the floor. You guys get to duke it out to see who gets which bed," Maya said, winking at Will.

Will smiled. "You can have the bed, Jacob. I'll be nice," he said, smiling at Jacob.

They headed back downstairs.

"So. I have wine, I have beer, I have everything that you see here," Maya said, gesturing at various bottles on her kitchen counter.

"Oooooh…" Will said, rubbing his hands together and examining the various drinks. He turned to Jacob. "I should warn you that when Maya and I get together, we can tend to party pretty hard."

"If by party you mean get drunk, gossip, and laugh at jokes no one else would find funny, then yes, we party very hard," Maya said, laughing.

Will was so relieved to see Maya. He had been having an amazing time with Jacob the past few days, but Jacob was… complicated. Especially after last night. If Jacob was openly gay, interested in a relationship, and not moving to another city, Will would be kneeling at his feet for the opportunity to date him. But he was a straight guy who wanted a wife and kids, and Will didn't know if he was just interested in him for the duration of this road trip. There was no denying the connection they had; Will had come harder than he ever had last night, and also felt at home in Jacob's arms. But looking at him today was breaking his heart a little bit. He felt like he wanted more than Jacob would ultimately want to give him. And so he'd try to play it cool.

"Make me whatever your latest mixologist concoction is," Will said to Maya, sitting down on a barstool at her kitchen counter.

"Coming right up. I've been experimenting with this elderflower liqueur, you will loooove it. Jacob, can I get you anything?" Maya said, looking at Jacob standing next to Will.

"I don't think I'm gonna drink tonight, actually. I'll have a coke," he said.

"Oh! Okay. No problem, we've got tons of sodas in the fridge. Feel free," Maya said, as she prepared her and Will's drinks.

"You sure you don't want anything, Jacob?" Will said, looking over at him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. You guys feel free, though," Jacob said, grabbing a soda from the fridge.

Will could tell that something was slightly off with Jacob today. He figured that Jacob might be regretting the previous night. It would explain his not drinking, and would explain why he had said earlier that he "sure as hell wasn't going to tell anyone" about what he had done with Will.

Will looked over at Jacob as he sat on a barstool near him, and felt a pang of sadness. He hadn't considered that last night might have been the only time Jacob would kiss him like that, and hold him as he fell asleep.

"So tell me what you guys have been up to! You've been on the road, what, like three days now? You being inspired by the great open roads of America?" Maya said, handing Will his drink and taking a sip of her own.

"Yep, this will be our fourth night on the road. It's actually been way more low-key than I expected – when you think of doing a cross-country trip, it seems like it'll be mind-numbing hours of driving. And a lot of it is, but I feel like I've gotten to see cities I may never have otherwise gotten to," Jacob said.

"Yeah, definitely… it' been fun. And I would never have done it on my own, so I'm glad this guy dragged me along," Will said, tugging on the top part of Jacob's sleeve.

"Yeah, it really seems like you guys made fast friends. Will was telling me that he felt terrible barging into the house of a stranger back in New York and now here you are on a road trip together. It's awesome," Maya said, smiling and raising her eyebrows at Will.

"Yeah, it definitely is kinda crazy, but it's been really good," Jacob said, taking a swig of soda.

"Maya. Tell me about your awesome grad school life. I wanna know everything! Mostly gossip, though, y'know," Will said, laughing. The drink that Maya had made him was really good, if a little strong.

Maya sighed. "Well, grad school is super hard already, like I've told you. But Boulder is the best. I seriously have fallen in love with it completely, I never want to leave."

"This area really is beautiful, even just driving in the mountains were gorgeous. You're lucky to live here," Jacob said, nodding.

"I really am thankful. But hey, Will said you're going to San Diego, right? That's gonna be fucking awesome too," Maya said, taking another sip of her drink.

"Yeah, it's weird to think I'll be there in just a few days. I have no plans other than starting my new job, and I'm nervous as hell for that," Jacob said. "I don't know how I'm gonna meet people without school, either," he added.

"I know. It's hard, even in grad school. But," Maya said, raising her eyebrows and looking at Will, "remember that cute girl I told you about on the phone? She's coming tonight, to the club. I'm hoping I can make something happen." Maya smiled mischievously at Will.

"Girl, you will make something happen. I know you can. I'm excited to meet her. What's her name?" Will asked.

"Sarah. And be nice! We can't be too crazy around her, I'm trying to make a good impression," Maya said, laughing.

They chatted in the kitchen for a few more minutes, and Jacob got up to go use the restroom. As soon as he was out of earshot, Maya leaned in close to Will.

"Will. Holy shit. First of all, he is wicked hot, so kudos to you on that. Second, what is the deal? Are you guys a thing ? Y'know…" Maya whispered eagerly in Will's ear.

"I don't know, Maya. Yeah, he is… intensely hot," Will said, closing his eyes momentarily and letting out a small sigh. "But he's straight . Or so he says. I don't know! I'm as confused as you are, girl. I really like him, but I'm not gonna let myself get hurt again. I want a real boyfriend . And I don't think he's gonna want the same thing," Will said, sighing and shrugging.

"Whatever you say. If you ask me, he fucking wants you. I can tell just from how he looks at you. Did you see his eyes when you gave him that little tug on his hoodie? I melted! …Shit, he's coming back," Maya said, pulling her drink up to her lips.

"So what time are we heading out?" Jacob said, walking back into the kitchen.

Maya looked at the time on the microwave.

"I say we go grab some dinner now, maybe walk around Downtown Boulder and I'll show you guys around, then we'll head to the club?" Maya said, smiling.

"Beautiful. Let's do it," Will said, finishing his drink.

They walked downtown, found a great Korean place to eat dinner, and then meandered around downtown Boulder for an hour, taking in the sights.

Will was already falling in love with Boulder – there was so much going on, but it didn't have a huge, "big-city" feel. It was quaint, calm, and the mountains hovering in the distance cast a beautiful backdrop against every street.

He was feeling loose after the drink Maya had made him, and the two more drinks he had ordered with dinner. Even Jacob was starting to loosen up, without alcohol. Will figured he was warming up to Maya and Boulder, and getting over the anxiety of meeting Will's best friend. Will felt his lustful attraction to Jacob coming to the forefront again, and he ignored the confusion he felt deep down. If Maya wasn't there, he would have stopped right on the sidewalk and pulled Jacob in for a kiss, in front of all the shops and passersby.

After it had been dark for a while, they made their way to the club. Maya called Sarah to tell her directions to the club, and Will turned around to face Jacob.

"Hey, you," he said to Jacob, his voice low.

"Hi," Jacob replied, giving him a sweet smile and stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.

"How are you doing? You having an okay time? I'm sorry we're drinking and you're not, I really don't want you to feel left out," he whispered to Jacob. Will placed his hand on Jacob's chest and lightly ran it down to his stomach, grabbing one of Jacob's wrists through the hoodie and giving it a little squeeze.

"I'm doing great. Really. I'm loving Boulder. Don't worry about me anyway, have a good time with your friend. She's awesome," Jacob said, with a small smile.

"Okay," Will said. He wanted to push Jacob up against the wall that they were standing by, wanted to run his hand through Jacob's short hair and pull him close. But he couldn't do any of that in front of Maya. When he turned back towards her, he saw a cute, tiny blonde girl with short hair walking up.

"There you are! Hi!" Maya said to the blonde girl, giving her a hug.

"Will, Jacob, this is Sarah. She's in my grad program. Sarah, this is my best friend Will from college, and his friend Jacob," Maya said.

Sarah said hi, and in a few more minutes they were inside the club. Will instantly knew that Maya and Sarah could be a great couple – they were already so cute together, and they weren't even dating yet. He really hoped it could work out between them. Will turned to look at Jacob and thought, well, guess we're on a double date . He didn't say it out loud, unsure of how Jacob would feel.