Chapter 3 Jae #3
“While I agree sticking to a plan to the detriment of yourself—and those who care about you—isn’t good, I don’t think having plans in general is a bad thing,” Koda said slowly. “If I had to list another red flag for myself, it’s that I pretty much never have a plan.”
“That’s a green flag in my book, honey,” Hollis said, raising his drink in the air in a toast. “I love that my darling Jae always has a plan so that I don’t have to. I think that makes us even more compatible.”
Koda took a small sip of their drink as they looked at the third card on the table.
“The other relationship I had was a few years ago, and I think the red flag I overlooked was that they never had any plan or vision for us and our relationship. So much so that they started seeing someone else on the side because they figured I’d be fine with that, even though that was definitely not something we’d discussed. ”
“Oof,” Hollis said. “That’s not just a red flag, honey, that’s a whole red billboard."
Koda nodded. “All that to say, I think I’d be very lucky to be with someone who liked to have plans. That’s a green flag for me.”
Jae’s heart skipped a beat, and he reached under the table with his foot until his ankle connected with Koda’s leg. Koda pressed against him, and their eyes met for the briefest of moments. Jae wondered if Koda could read all the longing in his eyes the same way he could see it in Koda’s.
Meanwhile, Hollis slurped loudly at his drink, until the straw made an empty chugging noise. Koda and Jae both reached for the extra drink in the middle of the table and pushed it his way.
“Y’all are just trying to get me drunk so I leave you alone at the club,” Hollis said, even though he obviously wasn’t that upset about it, given that he immediately snatched up the new drink.
“Club?” Koda asked.
They looked at Jae, but all he could do was shrug. “Sorry, I guess my other red flag is that I don’t really handle breakups well. I’ve been a bit reclusive the past few months, and Hollis had to drag me out of the house to this. I have no idea what the plan is.”
“See, this is why me and Koda need you to get your mojo back and be in charge again! All I know is that the fourth stop is a club, and the fifth stop is supposed to be something–” Hollis interrupted himself with a giggle, and Jae realized he should probably get them all some water.
“Actually, they said the fifth stop was something to help us get our mojo back! How convenient!”
Hollis tipped his head onto Jae’s shoulder, and before Jae could lift his hand up to flag down one of the waiters running around, Koda was pushing back from their seat.
“I could use some water, and I’m still a bit hungry, so I think I’ll grab us some more food. How do you feel about sliders and hot pretzels, little one?” Koda asked, and Hollis threw the back of his hand against his forehead, nearly smacking Jae in the face.
“Oh my gods, you’re like a walking green flag.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Anything for you, sweetheart?” Koda asked, casting Jae’s only half finished drink a cursory glance.
“I’m good—or actually, something with caffeine would be nice.”
“Redbull and vodka?”
Jae thought of all the naughty things he’d been thinking at the last bar, and the fact that they were going to a club next. “I think I’m good without alcohol for now. I’d like to have my wits about me at the club.”
Koda’s eyes sparked behind their glasses, and this time it was more than just longing.
Their gaze felt like a physical thing, crawling down Jae’s chest to his bare stomach.
Jae’s dick, which had been relatively well behaved thus far, perked up, and he had to do timetables in his head to keep it under control as Koda headed to the bar, their hips swaying more than Jae thought was necessary.
“You’re definitely not finishing ten drinks tonight,” Hollis said, slurping on his straw right in Jae’s ear. Thankfully, that managed to fully deflate Jae’s dick.
“If you total up my and Koda’s drinks, we’ll probably hit ten.”
“Not fucking five people either… but maybe kissing one?” Hollis teased, smacking Jae on the cheek with a wet kiss. “Other than me, of course.”
“Maybe kissing one,” Jae said, since it seemed Hollis was genuinely rooting for that outcome. The least he could do was agree, right?
“You having fun?” Hollis asked, and Jae stroked a hand through his hair. Hollis chased his hand, nearly losing his balance and falling off his chair.
“Okay, stay still,” Jae said, wrapping his arm around Hollis’ shoulder for balance and returning to stroking his hair.
“Fun?” Hollis pressed.
His hair shifted under Jae’s fingers, revealing his sweet puppy dog ears, and Jae realized with a sinking feeling that it’d been a long time since he’d seen them.
It was one of the easiest ways for him and his best friend to connect, and Jae had lost it because Robert had prioritized everything in his life over Jae, and his happiness.
Jae stroked one of Hollis’s ears, and he whined happily, not a care in the world, just like his beagle.
“I’m having a great time, Hol,” Jae said, trying to put all of these tiny revelations—and not so tiny feelings—behind his words.
“Not just because of the sweet and attractive alpha?”
“No,” Jae said, turning sideways in his seat so he and Hollis were facing each other.
There was a stray lock of hair across Hollis’ forehead that always seemed to fall out of place when his ears came out. Jae brushed it aside and placed a soft kiss in its place. “I’m having a good time because of you. My sweet and attractive best friend, who means the world to me.”
Hollis’ ears wiggled, and he planted another, much sweeter kiss on Jae’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I’m really grateful you stuck by me for so long, and that you invited me tonight,” Jae said, right as Koda returned to the table with three waters and an energy drink.
Their eyes were soft as they took their seat.
Jae tried to give them the warmest smile they possessed and Hollis whined happily again as he accepted his water.
They chatted more about red flags, and Hollis shared some red flags he’d encountered in his hookups. The food arrived piping hot, and Hollis made Jae blow on it for him, something that brought that soft look back into Koda’s eyes.
After Robert, if a lover or partner didn’t accept, and hopefully love, Hollis, that would be the biggest red flag of them all. Jae was deeply grateful it seemed he didn’t have to worry about that with Koda.
When it was almost time to leave, Koda bought himself and Hollis energy drinks, “for the road!” as Hollis eagerly exclaimed.
The alcohol seemed to be doing a good job of keeping Hollis warm, so he clung to Jae’s side on the walk to the club, and Jae assumed that meant there was no way he’d be getting anything even resembling alone time with Koda.
That was okay with him. Maybe they could all dance together, and Jae would save their next kiss for after the bar crawl.
Their large, fairly drunk group paused outside the club to receive instructions from the shifter leading the crawl before they all filed down the stairs.
“Alright, my dears!” Hollis crowed as they entered the dimly lit club.
Music was pulsing just past the entryway, and the smell of warm bodies and pheromones was potent, even to Jae’s nose.
“You heard our fearless leader, we have exactly one hour until we’ll meet back up outside to go to the final bar.
That means you have one hour to do whatever you’d like. ”
“Are you sure–” Koda tried to say, but Hollis waved his hand in the air.
“You both are far too cute, and it’s making me and my beagle a little antsy, so I’m going to go take it out on some nice shifter on the dance floor.”
“Fair enough,” Jae said.
His own duck was beginning to grow antsy.
He hopped back and forth between feet, wondering what they could get up to with their fated mate with a full hour on their hands.
Everything from dancing to kissing to continuing to chat and get to know each other sounded like good options.
However, so did a few of those naughty images from before.
It had been several months since he had sex, and all that pent up need was starting to pool in his belly.
“We should put timers on our phones,” Koda said gently, and Hollis rolled his eyes but obediently took out his phone, and Jae did the same.
“There you go, darling,” Hollis said, showing Koda his timer before giving a campy salute and sauntering off deeper into the club.
Although there were still lots of pink shirted, and non-pink shirted, shifters milling about in the entryway, Jae was suddenly, achingly aware that he was alone with Koda. His fated mate.
Koda was looking at him with an unreadable expression, too many emotions to track flitting across their eyes, only to disappear when they tilted their head in inquiry.
Jae’s duck remembered the sweet way Koda had offered Jae their hand back in the bathroom, and together, he and his duck held out their hand for Koda to take.
They took it, and allowed Jae to lead them deeper into the club like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Like this was exactly what had been meant to happen tonight all along.