Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Jack

S itting at my desk, I glanced at the time on my computer screen and sighed. I should’ve gone to lunch hours ago, but here I was, still buried in paperwork for a client who somehow found every loophole possible to keep his wallet closed. My stomach let out a loud, embarrassing growl. That sealed it—I was taking a break.

I stretched, got up, and headed toward the breakroom, trying to shake off the morning’s stress. As I walked in, I noticed the basket of glazed donuts on the counter with a brief note: “For Everyone.” I glanced down at the salad I’d brought that morning, and then back to the donuts.

To hell with it. Grabbing a paper plate, I stacked three donuts on it.

“That’d mean an extra two hours in the gym for me,” said a voice from behind. I turned to see David, a guy from accounting, standing there with a clear container of salad in his hand, looking at my donut tower with a grin.

I grinned back, shrugging. “You only live once.”

We both sat down at a table, me with my plate of sugary bliss and him with his sad-looking greens. After a few minutes of munching in silence, David glanced over and said, “Hey, you okay? You look a little wiped out.”

I sighed, still halfway through my first donut, and filled him in. “It’s been a helluva weekend. My roommate Bradley? Got himself arrested. Turns out he was dealing. The police raided our apartment during a party and took him to jail.”

David’s eyes widened. “No way! That’s insane. Are you alright?”

I nodded, though it still felt surreal. “Yeah, just—now we’re in a bind. Our place is crazy expensive, even split three ways. With him gone, Liam and I… it’s gonna be tough.”

David winced. “I feel you. My lease is up at the end of the month, and my landlord’s jacking up the rent like he’s got the last studio in Manhattan. Been looking for options myself. You guys…looking for a roommate?”

Relief filled me. “Yeah, actually, we are. That would help a ton.” I pulled out my phone, and we swapped contact info. “How about this weekend? You can come by, check out the place, see if it’s a fit.”

“Sounds good,” David said, smiling. “And maybe, next time, I’ll let myself have a donut, too. Thanks, man.”

I chuckled, taking one last bite of sugary goodness. For the first time all day, I felt a little less on edge. At least one thing might be looking up.

The elevator at work was packed. I was squished into a corner, trying to keep my cool, but all I could think about was getting out. My mind wandered back to school—those days when it was just me and Liam, carefree, when “stress” was a paper due the next day or squeezing in a nap before class. Lately, though, something was up with him. He’d been closed off. I’d ask him what’s going on, and he’d brush it off. Then I’d be left wondering what the hell was happening in that head of his.

Just then, a woman in the elevator got a phone call, and from the look on her face, it was bad. I felt my anxiety spike, but before I could get sucked into her drama, the doors slid open. I bolted, weaving through the lobby and out onto the sidewalk, trying not to look at my watch. If I missed my train, I’d have to wait another thirty minutes.

I cut through the crowd, made it to the subway entrance, and flew down the stairs, skipping every other step. When I saw Liam on the platform, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. He was standing there, shoulders a little hunched, with an odd expression. And as soon as he glanced up, that familiar smile cracked across his face. I couldn’t help but smile back, but something felt off.

Liam was holding several brown paper bags, all unmarked, stacked awkwardly against his chest. He didn’t look like he’d been at the office; he looked like he’d been out grocery shopping. Without thinking, I reached over and took one of the bags, feeling its weight as I shifted it into my arms. He blushed, and I wondered why he was embarrassed.

“What’s with all the bags?” I asked, curious.

He stammered a bit, glancing at the floor. “Uh, I just… I needed to do some shopping on my lunch break.”

The train pulled in, and for once, there were two empty seats waiting for us. We squeezed in, and I tried to shake off the weird vibe. The bags sat in my lap, tempting me, so I peeked into one, just to satisfy my curiosity.

“Jack, don’t,” Liam hissed, his cheeks going pink. He sounded almost… panicked.

“Alright, alright.” I shut the bag and leaned back, pretending it was no big deal. But something was bugging him, and I could feel the tension between us. So I shifted gears, thinking maybe a little small talk would help.

“Hey, there’s this guy in my office named David. He’s looking for a place. I thought maybe, with Bradley gone, we could use the extra rent money. It’d help.”

But Liam stayed quiet, staring straight ahead, gripping his bag like it was a life raft. I felt a pang of frustration, like I was locked out of some big secret he was carrying around.

“What’s wrong, Liam?” I almost asked. But I held back, letting the silence fill the space between us.

The rest of the train ride was tense. Liam kept his mouth shut, staring out the window like he could will the tracks to move faster. When we reached our stop, he bolted out the doors, and I followed him, carrying one of his mystery bags. We made it back to our apartment building and stepped into the lobby, where Nessa was behind the front desk, typing away.

Then, as if in slow motion, the bag Liam was holding split at the bottom. A big, industrial-size bottle of lube hit the marble floor with a loud thud. Liam’s mouth dropped open, frozen, and I caught Nessa’s smirk as she glanced down at the bottle. She bent to pick it up, eyebrows raised.

“Good lord, hon. Planning on giving someone the weekend of their life?” she quipped, handing the bottle back to Liam, who was blushing furiously. I snickered, and when Nessa shot me a wink, I almost lost it. “Love the name of that stuff. The Happy Ending Helper.”

“Thanks, Nessa,” Liam muttered, tucking the bottle under his arm. We made a beeline for the elevator, and the minute we got inside, he turned his face away, like he could somehow hide from me.

When we got into the apartment, I dropped my bag on the coffee table and turned to him, grinning. “Okay, Liam. What’s with the lube? And what else is in those bags?”

His cheeks went pink, and he shook his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled, reaching to take the bags I was still holding.

As he grabbed one, though, it split open too, and a box slipped out. I bent down to pick it up, realizing immediately what I was holding: a fleshlight, right there in all its glory. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh my god,” Liam whispered, wide-eyed, and for a second, he looked like he was ready to melt into the floor. I burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.

“Did you just get super horny on your lunch break or what?” I asked, still chuckling. Liam’s hand went up to his mouth, biting his lower lip. Then he looked away, but he didn’t deny it. Instead, he bolted for his room.

He was back in a moment, face still flushed, and took the fleshlight from me, along with the other bags. I crossed my arms, smirking. “So, what other sexy stuff did you buy?”

Liam’s face was so red I thought he might actually burst into flames, but then he straightened his shoulders and looked me right in the eye. “This is nothing to be ashamed of. I have a sex life, and I’m proud of it,” he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as me. “Mind your own business.”

Of course, I couldn’t help myself. I snatched a bag out of his hands and dumped it out right there on the coffee table. Massage oils, a dildo, a sleek-looking vibrator, and… several pairs of lacy, very not basic underwear tumbled out. I lost it, laughing so hard my sides hurt.

Liam slumped onto the couch and buried his face in his hands. “Dude, what’s gotten into you?” I managed between laughs. Then I picked up the dildo, holding it up like a trophy. “Actually… don’t answer that. I think I know what will be…”

Liam leapt off the couch, grabbed the rest of his… collection, and dashed to his room, slamming the door behind him so hard the walls shook. My laughter faded, and guilt settled in. Maybe I’d taken it too far. The guy looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, and I just kept pushing him.

I walked over to his door, lifted my hand to knock… and then dropped it. Liam was probably dying from embarrassment, and me hanging around would only make it worse. So, I headed to my room instead.

I slipped out of my work clothes and pulled on some gray sweats and a T-shirt. But then, as I laid back on the bed, an image popped into my head—Liam, alone in his room, maybe trying out that vibrator. It caught me off guard. My eyes drifted shut, and suddenly I was picturing him stretched out on his bed, naked, flushed, his hand moving lower…

I swallowed, feeling a wave of heat roll through me. I’d always known Liam was attractive—more than attractive, really—but he’d been in the friend zone for so long it just never crossed my mind to think of him that way.

Until now.

I placed my hands behind my head, lying there, letting the image of him play out in my mind. And for the first time… I didn’t push it away.