Chapter Four #2
With those reminders to himself Jacob carefully pulled open the door.
He set off across the yard. His determined steps ate up the distance between the back of his house and the stairs leading up to James’s apartment.
Nerves tried to get the best of him but Jacob pushed them down.
For over a year he’d been watching, not in a creepy way, just intrigued after realizing James wasn’t the immature brat he’d first thought.
The cold air sent a chill down his neck. Even though it was now January First and it was mid-winter, it didn’t normally get too cold in the city that Jacob had chosen as his home.
Jacob hated the cold. Same as his twin. They’d both chosen to live in parts of the country that didn’t see much snow. Just thinking about the nights that he and his twin had to huddle in one bed with a thin shared blanket turned his stomach.
No. Jacob wasn’t going to think about that. He was not traumatized. He went to a therapist, worked through his issues, and Jacob refused to backslide. Just because James brought out Jacob’s insecurities didn’t mean that Jacob needed to reflect on bullshit.
He took the steps two at a time until he was standing at the front door.
Taking a deep breath, Jacob lifted his hand and knocked. Not too gently where he wouldn’t be heard but not too loud where it sounded angry. Could knocking sound angry? James would probably think so.
Jacob nearly knocked again.
The door swung open and all Jacob could do was stare.
“Ugh, you’re here,” James said. Lifting a dirty hand, James rubbed at the back of his neck.
Dropping his gaze, Jacob tried to figure out what he had interrupted exactly. James had…flour, Jacob hoped that was flour, in his hair, on his cheek, across his nose, and all down the front of his shirt. He really tried not to wince at the mess that he imagined was inside.
James lowered his own eyes. He glanced back up with his cheeks flushed. “Damn, I’m a mess. And I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m glad you’re here. Maybe. I just wasn’t ready.”
An adorable mess. Jacob forced himself not to comment on the curse word.
And what did James need to be ready for?
The boy always gave so much detail in his stories but Jacob often found himself lost at how to respond.
“Is everything okay?” Jacob asked politely.
At least James seemed more amused than frustrated.
“Fine.” James waved his hand, inviting Jacob to enter. “I was trying to make you a cake.”
“Make me a cake?” Those words just didn’t make any sense. Even repeating them didn’t give Jacob the details he needed. It wasn’t his birthday. Also, no one had ever made him a cake for any reason.
James flapped his hands. “Yes! Obviously.”
What was obvious? As James stepped back, Jacob entered the apartment. He didn’t smell anything burning or even cooking. White footprints on the previous gleaming wood floors appeared to come from behind the counter.
He closed the door behind him before turning in the direction of the kitchen. While he couldn’t see the entire space from the door, he could see that flour was apparently James’s enemy. “Did you drop a bag of flour?” That wouldn’t be too hard to clean up.
James rolled his eyes. “No. Well not all of it.”
Jacob nodded. He was actually speechless. When he made his way over, Jacob had imagined that he’d have to force James to accept a gift. All of this was strange. A cake? For him? Why?
James huffed. “Come on.” He turned on his heel to stomp back into the kitchen in just his white socks, leaving more footprints behind and making an even bigger mess.
Not knowing what else to do, Jacob followed the boy, making sure not to step into the mess. He stayed on the opposite side of the counter from where James’s disaster was.
There were broken eggshells in the sink with other ingredients half used. James really had been making a cake.
“You were making me a cake,” Jacob said stupidly. He was a professor with three degrees. That was the best that he could come up with? What did this boy do to him?
“I’m trying!” There was a whine in James’s voice. “I should have just bought one from the store. I didn’t realize…” He huffed. “It’s a lot.”
Jacob nodded. He loved to cook and baking was even better. The thing about baking was following recipes exactly. Jacob had always found the process of baking relaxing. “I can help you.” The offer came out before the thought was even complete in his mind.
James narrowed his eyes. “So I’m the asshole that makes you make your own cake.”
He chuckled. “You’re not making me do anything.
I’m offering.” This he could handle. Jacob hated being out of control, which made him fall back on statistics, facts, and acting like an ass.
James had seen that part of him too many times to count.
Now Jacob could show James something positive about himself.
“Can you even bake a cake?” James questioned him suspiciously. “Don’t you have people who do that for you?”
Jacob set the package he’d brought James on the clean corner of the counter.
“What’s that?” James asked.
“I bought you something,” Jacob confessed.
“Why?”
“Why are you making me a cake?” Jacob retorted.
James huffed. “I might have overreacted last night. You were very nice to help calm me down and get me inside. Also, I really don’t want to get kicked out of the apartment. I could stay with friends. Probably. But Scott likes it here.”
“Why would I kick you out?” No, that wasn’t important. It was ridiculous but not important. “Never mind. Please believe me that I have no intention and would never kick you out of the apartment. This is your home for as long as you want to live here.”
James’s entire body seemed to relax. Like he’d been holding himself stiff. The boy’s lips even twitched. “That’s good to know. I am sorry. I acted like an asshole and you didn’t deserve it. You were more of a friend than a landlord. So thanks.”
“And the kiss?” Jacob hadn’t meant to ask. He’d promised himself. It was impossible to forget how soft James’s lip had been. How right James had felt on his lap. There had been dreams in which the two of them had gone much further than a simple kiss.
The boy’s face burned brighter. The red flush going down his neck.
“My apologies,” Jacob said quietly. “I did not mean to bring it up.”
“You sound so proper,” James replied. “It was a kiss. I’m sure you’ve kissed plenty of men.”
“Is that so?” Jacob lifted a brow. He enjoyed James challenging him.
The brat was strong in the boy. Just Jacob’s type.
Damn, and Jacob was trying to convince himself to get over his little crush.
He couldn’t stop himself though. This was friendlier than they’d ever been to each other.
Jacob needed to push just a bit. “Do I seem the type to go around kissing every person that I run into?”
James snorted.
“Or is it all the people that I have in and out of my house,” Jacob teased.
James dropped his chin. “That was rude. I’m sorry.” When he looked back up, his eyes held frustration. “I don’t know why I always let you push my buttons.”
Jacob couldn’t explain as he had the same question. The tension on his side was from attraction. James just didn’t seem to like him. Not that he wanted to start that conversation. They were getting along. “I will attempt to resist antagonizing you. But the gift is my apology to you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” James said. “I was the asshole this time.”
When it was normally Jacob who was the asshole? Had that been what James meant. “I crossed a line—”
“Oh please!” James rolled his eyes. “Not this again. It was just a kiss!”
“I need you to know that I would never take advantage of you or a situation like that again.”
“Fine, fine. We’re both just sorry-ass—”
He cleared his throat while scowling at James. “I don’t think you should finish that sentence. We’re trying to get along, remember?”
“That might be harder than I imagined.”
Or maybe James saw it as some sort of foreplay.
Maybe he needed someone to challenge him?
Now was not the time to think about that.
This was his chance to show James that Jacob could be nice.
That Jacob wanted to spend time with him.
They did have things in common. “Now, about this cake,” Jacob said.
“I…made a mess,” James said, lowering his eyes back down to the counter.
“Nothing that can’t be cleaned up,” Jacob assured him. “Do you have a recipe you were trying to follow?”
James pointed toward a tablet on the counter.
Walking around, Jacob ignored the way his shoes crunched something under him as he came up behind James to peer over the boy’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know what flavor you’d like best so I went with vanilla. That seemed the safest,” James explained.
Even though he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, Jacob appreciated the effort. He might not understand why James had decided on making him a cake but it made Jacob feel important. Like maybe he hadn’t totally made James hate him.
Caging James between his arms, Jacob rested his chin on the boy’s shoulder as he read over the simple recipe. He didn’t know what had gone so wrong for the boy. James didn’t move until Jacob backed off and that was to peer up at Jacob with a question in his eyes.
“Let’s clean up this mess first, then we’ll start over,” Jacob suggested. He rolled up his sleeves and reached for a sponge to wet.
“Are you sure?” James shifted from one foot to another. “I just wanted to do something nice for you. You know, as an apology and to thank you. I didn’t mean for you to have to…help.”
Maybe it was time that Jacob took a step out of his comfort zone and was honest. “I want to do this. It gives me an excuse to spend more time with you.”
James’s eyes widened. “You want to spend time with me?”