Chapter 4 #2
Jesse’s eyes flitted over to Arthur. Arthur was smiling, his chin lifted toward the sky, his eyes exploring the clouds.
Despite Arthur’s rosy cheeks and red-tipped nose, he looked completely comfortable in the frigid weather.
Jesse had to fight to contain a bitter laugh.
Arthur would be the type to enjoy the winter months.
He seemed like the sort of person who could truly enjoy life’s pleasures as they presented themselves and could find happiness in life’s harshest moments, too.
He seemed . . . na?ve in a way. Which made sense, perhaps.
Arthur Hughes had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Jesse O’Connor, on the other hand, only owned three spoons, and every one of them was made of cheap pewter.
Arthur caught Jesse staring right before they reached the shop.
“What?” he asked Jesse, still smiling as though he thought that the world was wonderful and fair and filled with possibility.
Jesse let out a fast breath, causing a little cloud of vapor to puff into existence in front of his face.
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s cold.”
Arthur hummed and nodded. “It is cold. But I like it.”
“I can tell.”
“Oh, really? How?”
Jesse replied, “I’m not sure if you’ve stopped smiling since we stepped outside.”
“Well,” Arthur began, pausing to shrug his shoulders innocently, “the snow is very pretty.”
Damn, the way Arthur said that, it was .
. . oh, it was too endearing. The little lilt in Arthur’s voice sent Jesse’s heart a-flutter.
Arthur’s smile broadened, and Jesse soon found himself smiling back.
It felt as though Arthur’s continued optimism was unearthing something in him—some nugget of playfulness he had buried long ago.
“It’s snow,” Jesse said, his tone now markedly lighter. “Sunsets can be pretty. Snow is a nuisance.”
Arthur let out a little scoff-laugh before taking out his keys and unlocking the door. After pulling it open, he stepped aside and swept his hand out in front of him, gesturing toward the entryway.
“You first, Mr. O’Connor. We can’t let these beautiful snowflakes continue to torture you with their magnificence.”
Jesse rolled his eyes, but the fluttery feeling in his chest only intensified from being subjected to more of Arthur’s boyish charm and silliness.
Stepping into the shop, Jesse immediately removed his hat—a black woolen flat cap—and moved to hang it on a nearby hook, but Arthur took it from him before he managed to.
Arthur set his own hat on one of the hooks.
“I haven’t bought one of these for myself yet,” Arthur said, putting on Jesse’s hat. “I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. I’ve been wearing homburgs and top hats for as long as I can remember.” He struck a pose and caught Jesse’s eye. “Does it suit me?”
“Uhm . . .” Jesse’s face began to burn. Arthur was so obviously being flirtatious. “It’s . . . nice enough.”
Arthur scrunched up his nose and removed it.
“Message received. I shall stick with my homburg.”
Arthur hung the flat cap on a hook and began unfastening the buttons of his overcoat.
Meanwhile, Jesse was still too flustered to even move.
He hadn’t meant for Arthur to think that he was insulting him.
But he couldn’t have simply complimented him either.
Truthfully, Jesse preferred Arthur without either of the hats.
Arthur’s hair had the nicest, softest wave to it.
When Arthur turned to hang up his coat, he looked over at Jesse and chuckled.
“Are your fingers too frozen to work buttons?”
Jesse blinked twice as Arthur’s words settled into his brain. Unless he wanted to wait for Arthur to unbutton his coat for him (Dear God, the man probably would do it, too, wouldn’t he?), he realized that he better unfreeze himself.
So, Jesse murmured a soft, “No, sorry,” and began unfastening the buttons of his coat.
He tried not to imagine what it would be like to have Arthur unbutton them instead. Or what it might be like for Arthur to unbutton other things as well.
Ignoring the thought, Jesse turned to hang up his overcoat as Arthur strolled farther into the shop.
Once Jesse turned back around, Arthur said, “I’m ready to make a fool of myself by trying to operate one of these. Which one should we start with?”
Jesse swallowed thickly, burying his refound sense of playfulness and his thoughts of Arthur in bed and the constant hum of want that was making his mind slow and his heart race.
Arthur Hughes was not someone who Jesse should let himself start to like in either a romantic or a sexual way. Or both ways. Especially both ways.
Determined not to fall in love or in lust, Jesse put on what he thought was the most stoic expression he could muster so that he could safely resume the lesson with Mr. Arthur Hughes.
***
Hours later, Jesse was mentally and emotionally exhausted, his body heavy and his mind slow.
All because of Arthur Hughes. Damn, the man was infuriating.
He couldn’t make it five minutes without being hopelessly charming, either by saying something playful or by complimenting Jesse on his teaching prowess or by behaving like an excitable puppy.
Even worse, though, was the fact that Arthur hadn’t stopped being flirtatious.
It was as though the man had no instinct for self-preservation.
No sense of propriety that someone like him must have been expected to possess.
Which, of course, only made Jesse want him more.
Thank God the lesson was over.
Out of politeness, Jesse was waiting with Arthur for his carriage to arrive, the two of them standing side-by-side in front of the large front-facing window of the shop, watching the snow fall.
Arthur pressed his hand to the glass. Jesse could feel the man’s yearning.
If Jesse had suggested it, Arthur would have leapt at the chance to wait outside instead.
Jesse shut his eyes and tried not to like it.
Why was every single thing about Arthur Hughes so endearing?
Jesse was startled by the sudden sound of Arthur’s voice.
“I rarely ever played in the snow as a kid,” he said. “What about you?”
Opening his eyes, Jesse shrugged and said, “Uhm. Sometimes.”
Arthur nodded, pursing his lips.
“I’m not saying I never played outside, but it wasn’t as often as I would have liked.
I was kept fairly busy, you see. Between school and practicing the cello and social events and family things, I .
. . well, I found it hard to find time to play freely, especially once my parents made the choice to keep me home from boarding school.
” Arthur chuckled softly to himself. “I say ‘choice,’ but, really, I forced their hand. I struggled with following the rules.” He looked over at Jesse with a smirk. “I really wasn’t too keen on them.”
Jesse’s stomach flip-flopped.
“Are you surprised?” Arthur said.
Jesse wasn’t surprised in the least. He silently shook his head.
Laughing, Arthur shoved his hands in his pockets. “I couldn’t help it. Still can’t, sometimes. Actually, I think being told that I should behave one way makes me want to behave in the exact opposite manner, though I typically manage to overcome those urges nowadays. I have to.”
Fondness unfurled in Jesse’s chest. Its warmth was so consuming that it helped Jesse realize he might not mind waiting outside in the cold for a while.
Jesse took hold of the sleeve of Arthur’s coat and tugged once.
“Come on,” he said, starting toward the door. “I know you’ll be happier out there.”
“Ah, but you’ll be more miserable,” Arthur said, though he still followed.
“I won’t be,” Jesse promised, concentrating on the warmth in his chest.
Jesse stepped out first. He immediately had to fight back a shudder. But then, he turned to see Arthur’s ridiculous child-like grin, and the sensation faded a little.
Arthur opened his mouth wide and tilted his head back.
And then, like the ridiculous person he was, he stuck out his tongue.
Jesse rolled his eyes, though he wouldn’t try to pretend that he wasn’t enjoying Arthur’s continued .
. . whatever this was. Watching Arthur Hughes catch snowflakes on his tongue, Jesse’s entire body began to hum and tingle from the overwhelming feelings of like.
Finally, Arthur closed his mouth and spun in a little circle. Once he stopped, he caught Jesse’s eye and smiled.
“Thank you for suggesting that we come out here,” he said, his voice soft and filled with the utmost sweetness.
Jesse merely nodded, his body still vibrating and warm.
A carriage pulled to a stop a few feet away.
“Well, it looks like our fun has come to an end,” Arthur said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. He held out his hand for Jesse to take. “Thank you for the lesson, Jesse. Sincerely.”
Jesse’s mouth curled into a reluctant smile. “Anytime.”
Jesse clasped Arthur’s hand. Even through the thick fabric, the touch from their handshake sent a shiver up his spine. Once Arthur released Jesse’s hand, the man started toward the carriage but stopped to look over his shoulder before stepping inside.
“It was a pleasure to spend time with you, Mr. O’Connor. I hope to see you in the shop sometime soon. I’ll be sure to keep you abreast of the news regarding the fair, especially if it looks as though I’ll need your help with a presentation or two.”
Jesse nodded curtly. “Sounds good.”
Arthur stepped into the carriage, and Jesse started for home, now left to contend with the lingering unwanted feelings of like by himself.
After a few minutes of walking, Jesse reached the stop for the streetcar.
Leaning against the post, he began to replay the meeting with Arthur in his head.
Jesse could scarcely even believe how the lesson had unfolded, let alone make sense of it.
In a matter of hours, Mr. Arthur Hughes, snobbish son of Warren Hughes, had become Arthur, a charming and playful man who was the textbook opposite of the word “reserved.” And Jesse O’Connor’s whole carefully constructed persona had proven to be as flimsy as a house of cards, a couple of Arthur’s sweet smiles and funny remarks toppling it completely.
Despite his efforts, it seemed that Jesse O’Connor was still Jesse Wolff, the boy who had fallen too fast and too hard for a member of Chicago’s elite, only to then have his heart shattered to pieces and be made to feel small.
History, it seemed, was repeating itself.
Closing his eyes, Jesse took a long breath and focused on the feel of wet snow peppering his face. No matter Arthur’s charms, Jesse couldn’t let himself surrender to this burgeoning crush.
But, oh God, how he wanted to.
Letting his mind linger on the beautiful, ridiculous man, Jesse imagined what it would be like to kiss him. Before he even realized what was happening, he opened his mouth.
And caught snowflakes on his tongue.