14. Ash

CHAPTER 14

ASH

We managed to unpack all the boxes we'd brought from the studio, as well as the ones Jay had hidden in his spare bedrooms, all with minimal pouting from the man. He had wanted to give up halfway through, but that was easily remedied with a quick blowjob to rejuvenate him.

His place went from looking like a model house to an actual home with the addition of all the items he'd collected throughout the years. And as I helped him unpack, I was able to catch a glimpse of the years that I'd missed out on. The quarter collection he'd started his second year of college. His love for random trinkets he'd found at little shops around Houston. Of course, we had to take a break so I could tease him about the two boxes filled with Beanie Babies .

"Just you wait, these babies will be worth a fortune in the future," he'd argued. I laughed as I watched him carefully hug them to his chest. I knew there was no way in hell he'd ever sell them, even if they sold for a million dollars. We arranged all the tiny stuffed toys in the tall glass cabinets that had already been there the first time I visited his place.

Jay claimed that I had too much time on my hands playing the good Samaritan and helping him settle in. I'd never tell him this was all part of my grand plan.

I still worried there wasn't enough to keep Jay here—that I wouldn't be enough to keep him here. Jay might have said he was scared of what he'd find from traveling, but I knew the fear wouldn't stop him forever. He was a lot braver than he gave himself credit for. But maybe now that all his stuff is out of its boxes, he'd hesitate about leaving permanently. Maybe he'd return to me.

Flat, empty boxes were stacked by the front door, but the rest of the house was neat and tidy. It only took one trip for Jay and me to bring the boxes to the recycling bins. I walked him back to the stairs and pulled him in for a surprise kiss.

His eyes were wide when I pulled back, and his gaze flicked around as if to check if anyone saw us. I laughed and lightly stroked his cheek. I really did like that he worried about me. But like I'd told him earlier, I wasn't going to hide him from the world.

There were things I needed to figure out regarding my future in football and the renewal of my contract, but there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty—I wasn't going to compromise my budding relationship with Jay. Not after my feelings finally reached him.

We finished mid-afternoon, which left me plenty of time to go home and get ready for tonight's date. I already couldn't wait to return to his side. Being beside him was comforting, so not even an hour later, I was already out my door.

It was still a bit early for dinner, but I had too much restless energy to wait inside my apartment for time to tick down. I could wait at Jay's instead if he wasn't ready.

I made a quick pit stop before heading over to Jay's place. My heart was beating hard against my chest as I climbed his stairs. It wasn't like I'd never been on a date before, yet somehow all of this still felt new to me. Excitement was a tame word to describe what I was feeling.

And when that door opened, I was surprised to find Jay was already ready. His curls were still damp, like he'd just gotten out of the shower, but he was looking so sexy in a white-collared shirt and casual slacks that made his long legs look like they went on forever.

I gulped, then shook my head at the realization that I'd been staring. Jay smirked but didn't call me out on it. Returning his smile, I took out the item I hid behind my back and gave it to him.

Jay raised an eyebrow at the red rose, but in the end he took it and brought it up for a sniff. "This is all feeling so proper. I've never gotten a rose before," he said, nose still pressed into the flower .

"I did warn you earlier, and there's always a first time for everything," I teased, but then a burst of worry shot up, making me wonder if this was too much. Maybe men in their late twenties weren't supposed to give each other flowers, and that was just an unspoken rule I hadn't known about.

The shy smile that appeared once he'd finally lifted his face up again dispelled any insecurities I had about proper dating protocol for our age. We'd make up our own rules, and everything was on the table as long as it made him happy.

"I'd invite you in, but I don't think I'll let you leave if I do, and you're probably still set on a proper dinner," Jay said. The shyness had completely morphed into the sexy, confident Jay I'd gotten used to in the last few days.

"As tempting as that is, you're right. I have big plans for us tonight," I replied.

"Another one of your crazy plans?" he asked. He locked his front door, then took my hand so naturally it had me wondering why we'd never done this before.

"You secretly love my plans, don't you?" Jay only smiled in reply. With my face stretched so wide as well, we walked to my car.

"So what's for dinner?" Jay asked once we got onto the main road. I drove with one hand on the steering wheel, my other kept prisoner on my lap as Jay played with my fingers.

"There's a good restaurant I know near what I have planned after dinner south of downtown. Does casual sound good?" I replied, taking my hand back to make a turn. I liked how Jay kept his hand on my thigh and waited until my hand became free again.

"Sounds good, though now I'm curious about what you have up your sleeve for later."

I took a quick peek at him and found him watching me. Giving him a quick, innocent smile, I said, "I'm choosing to keep you in suspense."

He pinched my thigh softly and grumbled under his breath, but he quickly changed the topic to reminisce about old landscapes.

Apparently, he hadn't ventured around Austin much since returning, having been too busy with the opening of his studio, and was surprised to see how much the area outside of downtown had changed. He asked about some of the local restaurants that a lot of us used to frequent in high school, which had us going down memory lane.

Half my high school memories were filled with him, mostly because Jay had been a huge part of Howie's life and I was Howie's best friend. After that fateful day on the bleachers, I'd been too aware of my crush on him and I'd been too shy to get closer to him.

He was always in my periphery, but out of reach, so it awed me that I could reach out for him now and he would happily take my hand out in public as we left the parking lot of The Other Diner.

We walked into the cozy restaurant and were quickly led to our seats. Jay looked around, appreciating the decor. The place gave off a hidden gem vibe, which was further proven when our food came out.

Jay's eyes squinted in appreciation at the first bite. "Wow, how did you find this place?" he asked as he ate another mouthful, closing his eyes again to enjoy the food. He reminded me of a cat snacking on his favorite treat, and I had to push down the urge to call him cute out loud.

"The place belongs to an old college classmate, Katy. We had a group project and met up here for it. The food was delicious, so I just kept coming back," I said with a shrug.

Jay took another bite, his eyes never leaving mine as he asked, "You sure it was only because of the food that you kept returning?"

A smirk slowly tugged at my lips. "Why Jaydan Cobb, is that jealousy I hear?"

He grumbled and stabbed at his food, which had me laughing and taking his free hand. "While the siblings were easy on the eyes, and Katy had a sass to her that I found endearing"—more stabbing at his food ensued—"there was never anything between us."

That seemed to pacify him. He took a few more bites, then looked at me again with worry as he pulled his hand out of mine. "Shit, is it okay to be so open where people who know you might see?"

"Relax, darlin'." I reclaimed his hand and watched him melt a bit. I'd noticed last night he reacted differently when I called him that, which only made me want to use the pet name on him even more. "Besides, from what I remember, neither of the siblings were into football, so they wouldn't care if they saw us. And who's to say they're even here right now?—"

Just as soon as the words left my mouth, a familiar figure came out from the back. Tall with dirty blond hair and boyish looks that would mature handsomely in a few years, was one of the siblings I'd just been speaking of.

Speak of the devil.

Mackensie was his name. Though I'd returned to dine here over the years, we'd never really chatted outside of a professional setting. The only reason I'd even remembered his name was due to it being gender neutral like mine and my sister's.

He caught my gaze, his eyes landing on where I'd still held Jay. For a brief second, I wondered if Jay's worries hadn't been unfounded, that Mackensie would spill about seeing me on a date with a man before I could tell the team myself. Maybe I was a fool to bring Jay here.

Then he shot me a reassuring smile, and the kindness in his eyes told me he'd keep his lips sealed about this little outing.

I smiled back in thanks, then turned back to face Jay, who had a knowing expression, and gave my hand a squeeze. "Is it my turn to tell you to relax, ‘ darlin '?"

The brief second of panic must have shown on my face, and instead of getting jealous that I was staring at another man, he chose to comfort me. Though he did look awfully cute when he was acting all jealous. "That's Katy's brother. How do you know that wasn't our secret signal to meet in the back?" I teased.

Jay leaned a bit over the table like he was going to tell me a secret. "Because you said there was never anything there, and I trust you."

His words were a direct hit to my soul. "Fuck, now I feel bad for teasing you," I said and held a hand to my heart.

Jay laughed and leaned in closer. I met him halfway. Our lips met in a chaste kiss that was brimming with more emotion than the quick kiss inside a restaurant could allow, but it was still beautiful, regardless.

"Then I hope your surprise after dinner is more than enough to make up for it. Though with you, I have no doubt it'll be another adventure," he said, his voice as playful as mine was.

I laughed and stole another kiss and promised that I wouldn't betray his expectations.

He'd given me his trust, and that was fucking everything.