Chapter 27

27

JASON

I swallowed, nerves and emotions swimming in my system. I'd spent most of my early teen years wondering why I was different. Why I wasn't horny all the time like the other guys in the locker room. Why none of that held any interest for me. I'd later figured out I was ace and had assumed it just meant my life would look different. I thought I had plenty of love to give, but I figured it would be more like the friendship kind of love. Like the way I felt about Will. I hadn't given up on the idea of having a family necessarily, but I had figured it would be a much harder road for me, if at all.

Zach and I had shared a kiss. It would be ludicrous to jump to any sort of conclusions about a serious future for us. But now there was… possibility . I was capable of lust and attraction. I now understood what it felt like to want . A door had been opened, and I'd taken a step through. But what did that mean when the guy I was finally feeling these things for was leaving in just a few days?

"So what now? What does this mean…for us?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I'm leaving on the third."

The euphoria from only moments before faded as the mantle of reality settled heavily on our shoulders. I looked down at our hands, still clasped together between us. I studied the way his smaller hand fit in mine, the contrast of his olive-colored tone with my ruddier complexion. I liked the look of it, but even more importantly, I loved the way it felt. Like the final twist of a Rubik's cube when all the colors are lined up perfectly. I'd never held hands like this before, and I wasn't ready to let go.

"Maybe we just take it day by day? This is new for both of us." I squeezed his hand. "You're important to me. I don't want to rush…whatever this is just because you're leaving. We can talk and text just like we did before. Nothing has to change, really."

"Can I still kiss you? At least while I'm still in town."

I smiled. "Definitely."

This time, when our mouths met, it was with intention. Purpose. Passion and lust and…something deeper I didn't know how to name. I gripped his face with both hands, holding him in place as I plundered his mouth. As inexperienced as I was, I was moving entirely on instinct, trusting Zach would let me know if I veered off course.

He didn't though. His tongue met mine, thrust for thrust, tangling and teasing as we devoured each other. My cock wept in my briefs, my too-tight pants like a straitjacket for my dick, but I paid it no mind. At that moment, nothing mattered but the sensation of Zach's mouth on mine. Every nerve ending in my body was focused on the exact spot where our lips connected and our tongues glided. I didn't know if anything would ever feel as good as this kiss with this man.

It was everything.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Drea's voice. "Zach? Dad's looking for you."

We pulled apart, chests heaving as we struggled for air. His lips were shiny and red, his eyes gleaming with unbridled lust, and his hair was mussed where I'd run my hands through it. He looked like he'd been ravaged.

"Zach? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah! I'll be out in a sec!" he called, his eyes never leaving mine. "We should probably head back out there," he said more softly.

I nodded, not wanting this moment to end. We both stood, and I ran my fingers through his hair, smoothing it back down as best I could. I tucked in my shirt where it had pulled out in the back, willing my dick to calm down as I did so. There was no way I was going to be able to hide any sort of erection in these pants. Zach adjusted himself, mirroring my thoughts, which did not help my situation in the least, but I smiled and shrugged, acknowledging I was in the same boat.

He leaned in and kissed me, this time with much more restraint, then smiled. "You ready to go out there?"

"I'd rather stay in here."

He pressed his forehead against mine, a little awkward with the three-inch height difference but endearing nonetheless. "Same."

He backed away, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him. He tugged the door open and there were Drea and Mandy, standing with arms crossed and wearing smug expressions.

"Did you two finally figure your shit out?" Drea asked with an arched brow.

"God, you're a pain in my ass," Zach responded, flicking her in the nose playfully.

Mandy's face had I told you so written all over it, but she didn't offer further comments.

"Dad really was looking for you. So"—she looked pointedly at our joined hands—"how do you want to handle this?"

Zach looked at me as if wanting confirmation that I was in agreement with what he was about to say. "I think we would like to keep it quiet for now. We don't want to rush anything."

When I nodded my assent, he gave my hand a squeeze, then let it go. I missed the contact immediately.

"Totally your call," Mandy said, and Drea nodded.

"There you are." Mr. Jacobs stood at the end of the hall, looking annoyed. "What are you doing back here? I've been looking for you."

We all turned to face him, but it was Zach who responded. "We were just taking a breather."

Mr. Jacobs sighed impatiently. "Well come on out here. There's someone I want you to meet."

While Zach made the rounds with his dad, the girls and I made our way over to one of the side tables laden with a mixture of finger foods and desserts. We piled food onto our plates and found a spot to eat and gossip about the people in attendance. A few folks stopped and said hello, making small talk and asking after my parents. It was impossible in a town such as this not to run into at least a few people who'd known you since you were in diapers. Thankfully, I was only left to my own devices for about an hour before Zach returned, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the girls.

He led me through the throngs of people and upstairs into the kitchen, where he stopped to grab sodas from the fridge before leading the way down the hall to his room. "I thought we could play Xbox while we wait to ring in the new year," he said, flipping on the light and setting the sodas on the table beside the bed.

"Your dad won't come looking for you?"

"Nah. I'm officially off-duty."

I noticed he and his dad seemed to be getting along better since he'd been home. Perhaps the semester away had been good for their relationship. I hoped so.

Zach fired up the gaming system, shuffling through a selection of games. We settled on the latest NBA game, sprawling out on the floor, side-by-side, knees touching. It wasn't long before we got lost in the game, trash-talking and flipping each other shit. It was like old times. Like it had been before he left for LA. And it was a relief that even after our kiss earlier and the evolving feelings between us, we could still have that easy friendship we'd so effortlessly developed over the summer. I didn't want to lose that and hadn't realized how much I'd needed to know it was still there until now.

Just before midnight, he paused the game, setting the controller down and hopping up to stand. "Be right back," he said with a smile before exiting the room.

I stood, stretching my back and legs, as I'd spent nearly an hour on the floor while we played, and crossed over to look out the window at the lake.

Moments later, he returned with two glasses of champagne.

"I wanted to ring in the new year right." He came over to where I was standing, handing me a glass. "Are you going to kiss me at midnight?"

Looking at the time on my smartwatch, I took his face in my hand, brushing a thumb across his cheekbone. "Looks like you're just in time."

I leaned in, pressing my lips to his, marveling at the way my stomach swooped each time we came together like this. It reminded me of that feeling you get when driving country roads and you crest the hill just right. For a split second, your heart is in your throat while your stomach drops, and you're weightless.

That's how I felt kissing Zach.

Weightless.

He pulled away, smiling in wonder, and I was sure I had a similar look on my face. He held out his glass in a toast. "Happy New Year, Jason."

"Happy New Year."