Chapter Twenty-five #2
“No, you won’t, it’s for you. If you crumple it up and throw it away, it’s your rose, do what you want with it.
I just want to give you roses,” Jessie flung his arm about, heat racing up his chest. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t his heat.
It was Nik’s baffled face. Don’t be unwelcome.
It was the furrow of his brow. Don’t be disgust. It was the rose still pushed toward him.
Don’t be mixed signals. Jessie was tired of this game—of wondering if Nik wanted more and being sure he would say if he did. “Nik, I’m in love with you.”
Nik stumbled back a step, mouth agape.
Jessie stared at him, waiting for Nik to say anything, but the fucker stood there with the slapped expression on his mug.
That’s my answer, isn’t it. Jessie nodded, turning hoof and stomping toward his truck.
It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. He wasn’t going to let his bleeding heart get trampled because he saw something where it clearly wasn’t.
What kind of fool am I? No wonder you don’t want a rose.
No wonder you don’t stay in bed in the morning. No wonder...no wonder.
“Jessie,” Nik bellowed his name, but the minotaur was charging to his truck.
Rex stood by the door, eyes wide and confused.
Jessie shook his head. Nik called his name again.
No, don’t do it. Don’t turn around. If he kept his head straight, he’d get home and pretend like he didn’t just confess he loved Nik.
They could go about the evening and Jessie would sleep on the couch like the fool he was.
“Damnit, Jessie, will you just fuckin’ hang on a second!
” Nik roared, snatching his right arm and spinning around.
Jessie stumbled into the hood of his truck before Nik pinned his back to the grill.
“You can’t just go around telling people you’re in love with them and expect them to be ready to hear it. ”
“I don’t! Just you!” Jessie barked, shoving Nik off him with a sharp snort.
“Fine! You can’t just go around telling ME that you’re in love with me and expect me to be ready to hear it!” Nik yelled louder, arms flapping up and down rapidly before he threw the rose onto Jessie’s hood.
“Why not! I’ve been in love with you for years.
You don’t feel the same or something?” Jessie dropped the girls’ roses onto the hood tenderly as to not smash them before he punched Nik in the face or worse.
Rex tip-toed away, typing away on his phone like he weren’t witnessing his brother blow up at his bed sharing roommate.
“I have loved you since middle school, you fucker!” Nik punched Jessie square in the center of his chest, knocking him back a step. “You’re the one who didn’t want me.”
Jessie blinked once. Then twice, and on the third blink he managed to utter, “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve always been here. Waiting for you to want me. Waiting for you to want to be with me,” Nik snarled, punching him again. “Don’t you dare accuse me of not loving you back.”
“Why didn’t you say anything!” Jessie barked. Nik stormed up real close, eyes burning with untold fury. He curled his long fingers around Jessie’s shirt, making sure they were basically nose to nose.
Nik’s voice dropped, to a low rumbling growl. “When? When should I have told you? When you were taking over the business? When you got stabbed? Or when your father was running you through the wringer and you couldn’t stand up straight? Or when you were dating that girl over on Franklin Avenue?”
Jessie inhaled sharply through his nose, realizing very quickly, that he was still a fool.
But he wasn’t a fool who misread the signal.
..he missed them entirely. Have we both been just thinking the other wasn’t interested?
Have we been wasting all this time? Jessie stared at Nik, so angry and tired that he lost all his usual control.
They were both running on fumes. Hitting the brakes, he put a hand over Nik’s.
Jessie did the only thing that made sense in that moment, bringing his best friend’s fingers to his lips and kissing them softly. Nik immediately melted, his shoulder falling down and jaw unclenching. Jessie whispered, “I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to wait for me.”
“I’m a patient guy,” Nik murmured.
“You’re a lot of things, Nikolai Sokolov,” Jessie chuckled weakly, reaching onto the hood of the car to grab Nik’s rose. When he presented it to the man who held his heart for most of their lives, this time Nik took it with a look of tender fondness. “I hope that includes being mine.”
“Wha…when?” Nik breathed, searching Jessie’s face.
“When did I find out?” Jessie arched a brow.
“I never…” Nik trailed off.
“You never had to tell me,” Jessie answered softly. “Well, okay, Pops told me.”
“Why?” Nik scrunched his face.
“He figured I’d eventually run into one of your ma’s old friends or worse.
While Kierra was alive, you never had to worry about them coming around.
She beat the fear of opening their yap to anyone.
Plus, with that whole rumor business, someone made a joke that you were a Bonesaw brother from another mother to Ma and Pops got pissed.
I asked him why he had bone chips on his knuckles and he fessed up.
” Jessie had known for a while. It was simply never important who Nik’s parents were.
Because you’ve always been my Nik. His bugbear glanced down at the flower once more. “So…about that part of you being mine?”
“Always.” Nik tenderly pet the soft petals that suffered a wrinkle or two in the spat then studied Jessie’s face.
Please mean that, Nik. I can’t do this without you.
Nik grabbed the befuddled but desperately in love man by the horns and dragged him in for a sharp kiss.
Jessie hummed happily against their tangled lips.
Only, to their right, someone cleared a throat.
Jessie broke the kiss first to glare at Rex.
His baby brother grimaced, holding up his phone.
“I really don’t want to do this, but Mom’s about to start the shows and this is the episode where we find out if Ricardo had his brain swapped out with his evil twin or if he was the evil twin all along. ”
“Right,” Jessie snorted, nodding. He plucked out his keys from his pocket and nodded to the cabin of the truck.
The lights flashed and the doors clicked open.
Rex threw himself inside with the mad scramble of a child trying not to miss early morning cartoons with his bowl of sugary cereal.
To his delight, Nik took up the roses, head ducked and ears drooped, but not in shame.
He could see the curl of Nik’s smile behind his tusks as he scrambled for the truck.
The petals of his blue rose sticking out the top of his shirt’s front pocket.