18. Jensen
18
JENSEN
The past week has gone by at a snail’s pace. While I’ve spent every night wrapped around Lennox, he’s had school during the day while I had work. Then, some evenings, he would work at Peaches, so each night I made sure to be sitting in a booth watching him. This meant I was up late too many days this week when I had to get up early the next morning. I don’t know how Lennox does the late nights plus rising early. But he does it easily, with a smile on his face.
I pick up my phone, noting there are still no texts or calls from Nick. I’ve tried to reach out at least once a day and he’s ignored every attempt. And it fucking hurts. Nick and I have never gone this long without talking. Lennox hasn’t said much about it, but I know it’s killing him too. He thinks I don’t see the way he’ll casually check his phone, his body deflating when he realizes there’s no messages from Nick.
There’s nothing else for us to do except sit and wait. I keep hoping Nick will reach out, but I hate seeing Lennox so down, which means I’ll probably be seeing him face-to-face sooner than he wants. My phone rings, and I pick it off the table, smiling when I see a picture of Lennox lying on my chest showing on my screen.
“Hey sweetheart,” I answer as I put the phone up to my ear.
“Oh my god, Jensen.” Lennox is breathing heavily, my heart pounding wildly, scared about what’s going on.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up in my seat. My head swivels to where my shoes are sitting on the floor by the front door. How long would it take for me to put them on and rush after him?
“I don’t know whether to get red or white wine,” he says, my eyes closing in relief. “I like white, but I know Tristan likes red. But red is so yuck. But I’m supposed to be a delightful host, which means I have to buy things I know my guests would want. Why is this such a hard decision?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh. “You’re freaking out over wine?”
“Well, duh. I need to make a good decision. This is the first time we’re hosting together. And things must be perfect. Are you sure you’re okay with us doing it at your house? I can totally change it and tell everyone to go to my apartment. That’s fine, if that’s what you want.”
“Lennox,” I cut him off, then wait for him to catch up with me, trying to get his attention. “Breathe. Everything is going to be okay. Whichever wine you choose will be okay. And no, I don’t mind you doing it at my house. I actually really love that it’s where you wanted to have it. So, again, breathe. Grab both a bottle of white and one of red, then come home to me.”
“Okay, yes. Both wines are a great option, ’cause that will just give us even more to drink.” He squeals loudly before adding, “All right, I’ve got the wine. I’m going to go get some meat and cheese and I’ll be right there.”
The phone clicks off and I chuckle, putting it back down on the table. Lennox has been talking about this night nonstop, trying to plan everything down to the last detail. I’m nervous but eager to get to know his friends better. Of course, I wish Nick could have been here, but I can only hope he joins in a future one. While waiting for Lennox, I set up the grill in the backyard. It’s not too cold today, just a slight breeze, so I decided to grill some burgers for tonight. After setting up the barbecue, I head back inside, grabbing my phone and finding the brownie recipe I saved earlier.
I can grill in my sleep. I do at least once a week. But baking? That’s something I’m still not the best at. But I want to make some desserts for Lennox and his friends. Blowing out a breath, I grab a couple of bowls from the cabinet and place them on the table. Checking the ingredient list, I then find each item in my pantry. I follow each step in the recipe, being sure to double-and sometimes even triple-check each part before I move on. I’m putting the tray of brownies in the oven as Lennox walks into the kitchen.
“You’re baking?” he asks, reaching over the counter to push at the bowl of leftover brownie mix. “And you’re making brownies? I can’t wait to taste them.”
“Well, let’s hope they’re edible,” I mutter, shutting the oven door and placing the towel on the counter.
I help Lennox grab the groceries from his car. We take our time, putting everything together and then I cook the different food he bought while he decorates my house. Watching him walking in my space, making it his, has a ton of feelings flowing through my body. He fits. Perfectly. As though he was always meant to be here. I take breaks in between cooking to watch him bounce around the house. I’ve never met someone who’s perpetually so happy. He truly makes my life better by just being in it.
After a couple hours, my home is filled with Lennox’s friends, and everyone is having a blast. Declan came over early to help Lennox set up, and then the rest of the guys from Peaches showed up a bit later.
“Hey,” Declan says, walking up to me in the kitchen. I jumped in here real quick to grab another beer before we started a new card game. “I just wanted to thank you.”
“For what?” I ask him, confused. I have no idea why he would want to thank me.
“For making him happy. I’ve been his friend for most of my life. I was there for every disaster boyfriend he’s ever had, and I’ve never seen him this happy. The confidence you’ve given him to be himself…” His voice trails off as he looks behind him toward Lennox.
I follow his line of sight, instantly smiling when Lennox tosses his head back to laugh. He’s wearing one of my black sweatshirts, but he’s paired it with a charcoal skirt that flows when he moves. When he was getting dressed earlier, he kept debating on what to wear, and when I suggested the skirt, his eyes bugged out of his head. Of course, he’s worn skirts around his friends before, but he said they were only at work. He’s never worn one when he’s just hung out with them. When he decided to put it on, I twirled him in my arms, loving that he felt safe enough to wear it. I know he worried about his friends saying something, but one by one, as they walked in, they each commented on how amazing he looked, and I could see his expression brighten with each compliment.
“He’s always been confident.”
“No, he’s consistently been himself. But there has always been a piece of him he’s kept hidden. A piece other men would try to squash. You encourage him. You never attempt to break him down.”
“And I never will,” I tell him honestly. “What he chooses to wear doesn’t bother me. I love everything about him.”
“Fuck, you are cheesy.” Declan laughs, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. “Lennox said you were cute and cheesy, but dirty as hell. I can see it now.” He chuckles again as I stand there staring at him.
Lennox walks into the kitchen and comes to a complete stop. “Oh, no.” He turns to face Declan and points his finger in his face. “What did you say to him, big mouth?”
“Nothing.” He puts his hands up in surrender before laughing again. “Just about you calling him a cheesy, dirty man.”
I groan loudly and Lennox looks at me, his hand covering his mouth while he laughs. “To be fair, that’s a good thing. Being a sensitive, cheesy man who’s also dirty as hell. How could I not brag about that?”
“Thank you? I think?”
“Oh, it’s definitely a good thing.” He pats my chest playfully, then kisses my cheek. “Come on, let’s keep playing.”
We head back out to the living room, where Lennox and I take a spot on the couch next to Cole and his best friend, Oakley. When they first walked in, I thought they were boyfriends as they were holding hands and had been quite close. But when I asked how long they’d been dating, they laughed and told me they were just best friends. I’m not that intimate with Nick, but apparently, some people are extra touchy-feely.
The doorbell rings, and Lennox jumps up to get it, coming back inside with Preston. I’ve only met Preston a handful of times, but he seems to be extra shy, no matter what situation he’s in. He walks in behind Lennox, his shoulders hunched over and he’s holding a plate of food. Everyone says their hellos to him as he sets his container on the counter.
“Is it just you tonight?” Declan asks him and Preston nods his head, taking his bag off his shoulder and placing it down on a stool.
“He, uh—he had something planned for tonight, so I came alone.”
I glance up at Lennox, who gives a shake of his head at Declan. Declan doesn’t bring his boyfriend up again, but now I’m curious about the shy man in my kitchen.
“Well, that’s okay,” Lennox tells him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “We’re going to have a lot of fun tonight and Jensen’s couch is so damn comfortable, so if you wanna crash there, you can.”
“Thanks,” Preston replies. He walks over to the sofa and sits down next to Tristan.
“All right, let’s play some strip poker,” Bash yells, jumping off the couch and showing us the deck of cards in his hands. Where I thought there would be more protests, almost everyone nods their head excitedly.
Lennox chuckles, leaning into my space. “You might have forgotten, but you’re sitting with a group of men who take off their clothes for money. So, we have no problem taking it off now.”
We play a few rounds of poker, where I make a complete embarrassment of myself. These guys must moonlight at a casino or something because most of them still have most of their outfits on, while I’m sitting at the table in just my briefs and one of my socks. I probably should have gotten rid of my other sock a long time ago, but for some dumb reason, I held onto it. Lennox passed out my brownies earlier, and they were a big hit with everyone. I’ll call it a win since I didn’t see anyone spit one out into their napkin.
Bash sticks his lollipop into his mouth while he shuffles the deck of cards again. “Maybe we should play something new. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m 100% enjoying the view, but I don’t want to be on the other side of Lennox’s wrath when Jensen has to strip down completely naked.” Bash fans himself dramatically and I chuckle.
“It’s only fair for Lennox to share. He gets to stare at his man nude all the time. We deserve a little goodness, too,” Declan adds, tilting his head back and laughing loudly when Lennox glares at the both of them. “You know we’re just fucking around with you. Come on, let’s play a different game. We’ll even let Jensen get dressed again.”
I stand up and grab my clothes when my doorbell goes off again. Without waiting to change, I walk to the door, swinging it open. Jonas looks me up and down before raising his eyebrow.
“I didn’t think it was this kind of party.” He smirks, his bulging arms on display in his tight-as-hell shirt.
“Heh. Come on in,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around my stomach. “The guys are down the hall in the living room. I’m gonna get dressed.”
After getting my clothes back on, I go to the front where Lennox and Tristan are setting up the karaoke machine that Tristan brought over. Jonas found a spot on the couch next to Preston, whose cheeks are bright red. He’s whispering in his ear and I’m not sure if his blushing is from Jonas or the alcohol. Jonas says something else in his ear that has him tossing back his shot and shaking his head.
Bash makes everyone take another shot as the karaoke gets set up. I’m not much of a singer, but I’ve had a couple shots, so if I were to sing in front of a room of strangers, now would be the time. Tristan goes first, showing off his amazing voice as we all listen in awe. Lennox and Declan do a duet, flaunting some dance routine to an *NSYNC song they must have practiced a hundred times. My turn comes around and I shake my head no, but when Lennox flashes me his big doe eyes, I roll mine, knowing he has me under his thumb. I sing a Nickelback song, much to the chagrin of others. If they’re making me sing, then they’re going to listen to what I want to play.
Tristan convinces Preston to belt it out with him, and they have the time of their lives dancing around the living room.
“Holy shit! I can’t believe the voices on both of them,” Lennox tells me as he sits in my lap. I rub my hands up and down his thighs, slipping one underneath his skirt. “Oh, are you being dirty right now, Jensen? You know we’re in a room full of my friends,” he chides, wagging his finger in my face.
I lean forward until my lips are next to his ear, “So you’re telling me, if I said I was so fucking horny right now, and I wanted to put my cock in your mouth, you would say no?”
Lennox’s chest rises rapidly, his eyes darting around the room. “That’s not fair,” he whines, squirming on my lap. “You know I can’t say no to that.”
I kiss his cheek, smiling, “I’m just kidding, sweetheart. Hang out with your friends and have fun. But I promise you, once they all leave, I’m going to come down your throat.”
“Oh god, yes,” he moans quietly. “That’s so fair.”
Lennox and his friends play games for a few more hours. Preston and Jonas leave first, but Preston’s too drunk to drive, so Jonas offers to take him home. Shortly after them, Bash, Tristan, Cole and Oakley head out, leaving Lennox, Declan, and me.
“Do you care if I crash on your couch tonight?” Declan yawns, pulling his shirt over his head. Guess he’s not waiting for an answer. He plops down on the cushion, closing his eyes. I snatch one of my extra blankets and a pillow from my bedroom and bring them out for him to use.
“You have some pretty great friends,” I tell Lennox later that night when we’re in bed. We’re both satisfied from having come in each other’s mouths during our shower.
Lennox snuggles in closer and kisses my pec. “Yeah, they’re truly amazing.” I’m so damn thankful I met them.”
His eyes drift closed, and I pull him tightly against me. There was only one thing missing tonight.
Nick.
I guess it’s time I go talk to him in person.