Chapter 11
JAY
Jay drove back to his sister’s house with a smile on his lips.
He’d truly enjoyed his time with Aaron—from the astonishment of watching the man fly through his shopping list to grabbing some tacos and driving to the vintage store, where Aaron had oohed and aahed over a weathered pirate-chest-style trunk and an ornate mirror that he declared would clash with everything else in the apartment but that he had to have.
Aaron was incredible. Impossible to resist. Jay tried, but it was only a matter of time before his crush would become obvious.
He was still astonished at Aaron’s speed and precision in pulling Jay out of harm’s way.
They’d turned the experience into a bit of a joke by the end of the day, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that Aaron had saved him from serious injury.
As a lifelong athlete, he’d seen his fair share of head trauma, and he was grateful to emerge unscathed.
But it was more than that.
Aaron’s protective instinct stirred something deep inside Jay, something that made him feel seen, sending the butterflies in his stomach into overdrive.
They hadn’t made plans to see each other again, but Jay wasn’t worried. He had Aaron’s phone number and a warm, bubbly sense of anticipation dancing in his stomach.
He pulled into Layla’s driveway and parked next to his own car. There was no time to hop in and drive away before the front door creaked open and two adorable faces peeked out at him. He waved at his nephews and strolled over, bits of sidewalk chalk crunching under his feet.
“Hi, Uncle Jahan,” they said in unison. Simon was a year older than Teddy, but they looked like they could be twins, their faces wearing matching too-innocent grins.
“Hey, kiddos.” Jay squatted in front of them. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” they both responded.
Jay wasn’t buying it. “Where’s your mom?”
“Making dinner,” Teddy said.
“You can go talk to her,” Simon added. “In the kitchen.”
“Yes. The kitchen.” Teddy nodded.
The kids were up to something, but Jay enjoyed his role as the fun uncle too much to ask questions.
He slowly moved through the house, glancing around for sign of shenanigans.
A brief peek into the living room had him breathing a sigh of relief.
Judging by the absolute chaos, the boys were building an illicit blanket fort.
Simon and Teddy escorted him to the kitchen, making sure he didn’t stray off the path, and disappeared as soon as he stepped through the doorway. Layla was chopping vegetables, pausing when Jay walked up and greeted her with the customary kiss on the cheek.
“I hope you know there’s trouble afoot in the living room,” he said, lifting an eyebrow.
“They haven’t exactly been able to contain their excitement.” Layla bit back a laugh. “I finished dinner half an hour ago, but I wanted to give them a little more time to be adorable, so I’ve been prepping their lunches for the week. Did you help your friend move?”
Jay hadn’t been forthcoming about his plans when he came by in the morning, aware of the avalanche of questions that would follow, but Layla deserved some honesty for letting him borrow Paul’s truck.
“I helped him do some furniture shopping,” he said, popping a piece of raw cauliflower into his mouth. “It was fun.”
Layla whirled around with a gasp, the knife clutched in her hand. “Fun? Furniture shopping? What is this, invasion of the middle-aged body snatchers?”
“I think you’ll want to take your insults back when a special something gets delivered to your house tomorrow,” Jay teased, carefully prying her fingers open to remove the knife and set it down.
“You bought me something?” Layla’s eyes could not get any wider. “Are you dying? Am I?”
Jay grinned and handed her the truck key, dangling from a keychain with a mini-bottle of hot sauce. He’d been meaning to ask why Paul needed emergency condiments, but it was late, and Jay was ready to call it a night. He could question Paul’s habits another time.
“Thanks for letting me borrow the truck. I filled it up.”
Layla didn’t move, her concerned gaze fixed on Jay. “You’ve been acting weird lately. Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“Nah, I had a late lunch.” He put the key on the counter and stepped up to hug her. “See you at the next family dinner, unless you need some babysitting first.”
“Yeah,” she said slowly, her eyes narrowing on him in suspicion. “We’ll talk soon.”
Before leaving, Jay paused at the door to yell a goodbye to his nephews, getting two muffled exclamations in return.
* * *
He had five missed calls when he left the gym on Sunday—all from Layla. He called back, not even bothering to listen to the voicemails.
She picked up on the first ring.
“I knew something was going on! Thank you for the gorgeous cabinet, by the way. It was exactly what I wanted. And it came with a large gift basket with a note apologizing for some kind of incident? What happened?”
Jay winced. He hadn’t expected to share that particular tidbit with his sister.
“How about I come by to grab it and tell you in person?”
“Whatever. I’ve already rifled through it, and I’m keeping the chocolate-covered cherries.”
Jay texted Aaron on his way to the car.
JAY: Did you get a gift basket? My sister just called demanding answers and annexing the chocolate cherries.
AARON: Shame, the cherries were good. I would share mine, but they’re loooong gone. You should definitely rush over there before she finds the chocolate marshmallows.
JAY: I will report back.
He didn’t bother stopping for a shower or a change of clothes, heading straight to Layla’s house. She wrinkled her face in disgust as she let him in.
“You’re all sweaty.”
“I was at the gym while you were blowing up my phone. Now I would like my goodies, please.” Jay scanned the living room, the pristine surfaces dashing his hopes for a quick escape.
“Not before you tell me what happened. Don’t move.
” She held up one finger and left the room, coming back with a beach towel.
After spreading it on the couch, she forced Jay to sit next to her and gestured for him to start talking.
With a sigh, he recounted yesterday’s events.
She paid close attention, nodding along and popping chocolate into her mouth at regular intervals.
When he finished speaking, she arched one eyebrow and pursed her lips.
“So this guy, Aaron, he just ran in and grabbed you?”
“Yeah. He has quick instincts, I guess.”
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed. “And how do you know him?”
Jay wavered. He wasn’t ashamed of his lifestyle, but he also wasn’t about to tell his sister he’d joined a BDSM club. “We met at a bar.”
“Mmmm-hmmmmm.” She drew the sound out, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Stop that, you’re being annoying. Can I please have my stuff so I can go?”
“Are you dating?” Layla asked, acting as if Jay hadn’t said a word.
“No, we’re just friends,” Jay huffed out, folding his arms across his chest.
“Right… Okay, I get it.” Layla nodded in understanding, and Jay would have been relieved if not for the knowing smile that warned him the interrogation was far from over.
“I totally get it. You met this random dude at a bar, went furniture shopping with him, then he heroically saved you from a rabid bookshelf, but you’re just friends. ”
When Jay opened his mouth to argue, she leveled him with a look. “Can I remind you that when you first moved out, you refused to go shopping for adult furniture, even though Mom and Dad offered to pay for it?”
“I’ve matured?” Jay shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say. He’s a great guy who just moved to the city, we work on the same block, and we’ve hung out a few times. That’s it. Pretty sure he’s not interested in me anyway.”
Layla’s features softened, and she patted Jay’s hand. “My sweet little brother. How long has it been since you dated someone? Did something happen?”
“I hate when you go all big sister on me.” Jay swatted her away half-heartedly. “Nothing bad happened. Relationships just don’t work out for me. I date people for a few weeks, and then it always crumbles apart. So, what’s the point of even trying? Maybe I’m not meant to find someone who fits me.”
“You are. You absolutely are. I know that there’s a lot to your life I don’t know, but what I do know is that you’re a sweet, lovely person. Everything else is…important, but secondary.”
“There are plenty of sweet, lovely people in the world that never get lucky and find love.”
“Yes, there are.” Layla stared at Jay with unusual intensity. “Which is why you’re going to make sure you’re not one of those people. Make an effort, take a chance, and ask that guy out.”
Layla wasn’t wrong—if he wanted a partner and a family, he had to do something. He couldn’t watch from the sidelines forever.
But he could put it off for another few weeks.
“Do I have to do it right this second?”
“No, but you should do it soon. Strike while it’s hot and all that.”
With a sigh of agreement, Jay heaved himself up from the couch. “Well, you’ve done a fantastic job distracting me with your pep talk, but I still want my treats. Or what’s left of them.”
“Shoot,” Layla smirked and pointed to the kitchen. “It was worth a try. They’re on the counter.”
Jay left some sweets behind for his nephews and waved his sister goodbye on his way out.
He didn’t want to show it, but their conversation had overwhelmed him.
Layla’s words made sense, but she wasn’t the one with a backlog of failed relationships.
She had a loving marriage and great kids.
It was easy for her to tell him what to do.
After going home and taking a shower, he spent the rest of the day sprawled on the sofa, a soccer game in the background, making his way through the snacks.
He had to give props to whoever was in charge of their customer relations—the gift basket was the fanciest he’d ever seen.
But even the caramel-covered cake pops couldn’t distract Jay from his thoughts.
He wasn’t ready to ask Aaron out on a date.
They got along as friends, the occasional flirting gave him hope, and the heat between them at the shibari workshop had been undeniable, but was there more to it?
What if all Aaron wanted was a casual hookup?
Would Aaron even want to date so soon after his divorce?
Ugh. The divorce.
The very notion of it intimidated Jay. Aaron had been with his husband for sixteen years.
He was used to being with someone who knew him, knew his moods and his body, could anticipate his every need.
No wonder the red bracelet never left his wrist. How could he ever find a better Dom than his ex-husband? Who could ever measure up?
Layla’s words flitted through Jay’s mind, and he laughed mirthlessly. Lovely and sweet—hardly a catch. Not for the first time in his life, he wished he could be more, be someone else entirely. Someone confident and assertive. Someone who deserved the impressive, gorgeous man consuming his mind.
No, he would not be asking Aaron out anytime soon, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find reasons to spend time with him. Perking up, he grabbed his phone and pulled up the Chain Reaction monthly calendar. After scanning through the upcoming events, he spotted one Aaron would enjoy.
He switched to the texting app and realized he’d forgotten to send a follow-up to their earlier exchange.
JAY: The marshmallows were safely escorted to my house, where they were promptly eaten.
AARON: Excellent! I was starting to get worried you were having a stand-off with your sister.
JAY: She used a variety of tactics to distract me, but I emerged victorious.
AARON: I never had a single doubt :)
Jay stared at the screen, willing himself to come up with an organic way to pivot the conversation. His mind was blank.
JAY: So, I know you usually go to the club on the weekends, but there’s a modeling night next Thursday, and I think you’d like it. Some people dress up and model, others show up with their cameras. I’ve never participated, but it’s fun to watch.
AARON: I saw that on the events list! Wasn’t sure what it was all about, but it sounds fun. Friday looks like a light day anyway, and who needs sleep?
JAY: Not me after eating ten pounds of sugar today. On that note, good night.
AARON: Sweet dreams.
It wasn’t a date, but it was something to look forward to.