Chapter 25
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
SAWYER
Across the Mars lobby, Logan holds a banana to his lips and mouths the words “One… last… time…” as he lip-syncs to Ariana Grande’s song. I’m not quite so dedicated, but I sing along too, dancing behind the front counter as I swipe in a group of members and hand out towels.
“Have a good workout! Leg day today? Ouch! Good luck!” Everyone gets a high five as they pass through. “Yeah, you got thiiis! Do iiit! Look at that pump!”
Things have been busy today and Gavin has stepped out of his office to help me keep things flowing.
“So, I hear you’ve gotten together with your best friend?” he asks during a small lull in activity.
My cheeks suddenly feel hot, even though I’m not usually one to blush. “Uh, yeah, Preston.”
Gavin gives me a sly look. “Nice. Welcome to the straight best friend club.”
I laugh at the reminder of how he and Beau ended up together.
Everyone knows their story. Beau was the straight best friend and Gavin was hopelessly in love with him for years.
Then Beau got divorced from his wife and Gavin helped patch him up—in all the ways.
Theirs is a romantic happily ever after that I would love to have with Preston.
“Thanks, but, uh, we’re not quite there yet.”
I take every opportunity to tell Preston I love him, but he has yet to say it back.
I’m not worried, per se. The more I think about my conversation with Mom over Thanksgiving, the more I’m coming around to the idea that she’s right: Preston loves me, he just hasn’t figured it out yet.
It takes time for him to sort through his feelings, to understand and accept them.
But that doesn’t mean the feelings don’t exist. It doesn’t mean that he feels them any less potently.
I just have to be patient.
Another wave of members come through and while I’m passing towels out, Gavin gives me a nudge with his elbow.
“Hey, isn’t that him?”
“Who?” I follow Gavin’s gaze toward the front door where the last person I expect to see is standing just inside.
Preston.
Cheeks rosy from the cold. Eyes wide as he takes in the unfamiliar surroundings. Hands clutching nervously at the strap of his bag.
What the hell is Preston doing at Mars? Memories of the last time he showed up out of the blue flash through my mind, and I drop the towels I’m holding to run out from behind the front counter.
“Preston!”
He turns at the sound of his name and his face breaks out into a wide smile. My heart lurches at the sight, but it doesn’t appease my worry.
“Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you hurt?” I grab him by the arms and scan him up and down. He doesn’t look injured, and he’s wearing his own coat this time.
“I’m fine. Everything’s okay. I wanted to, um…” He glances around us and shuffles closer to me. “I thought I could hang out here? If that’s okay?”
“Oh.” I’m dumbfounded. People hang out here all the time. It’s why we have the tables and chairs in the lobby. But Preston’s never shown any interest in doing that before. Hell, he’s never shown any interest in Mars at all.
“Um, I can leave, if I’m not allowed.” He tries to take a step back, but I haul him forward.
“No! I mean, of course you can stay and hang out.” I loop an arm around his shoulders and bring him farther inside. “Did you want to grab one of these tables? Or you can use the break room if you want something quieter.”
Preston nibbles on his lip as he considers his options, then he turns to me. “Where will you be?”
It takes a second for me to answer as my heart ping-pongs around in my chest. “Out here, mostly. We’re pretty busy today.” I wince. “So I might not be able to spend much time with you.”
Preston brightens. “That’s okay. I brought my work and noise-canceling headphones. I just… wanted to be close to you.”
God-fucking-damn. Love and pride well up in me, so much that I’m bursting. “I want to be close to you too.”
I bend to give him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips, but Preston melts into me and makes a needy little whimper. What can I do but linger and savor the taste of him a little longer? Until we’re interrupted by catcalls—assholes.
Preston’s already rosy cheeks redden even more, and I turn around to give Logan and Everest—when did he show up?—the middle finger.
“You remember Logan and Everest?” I ask Preston as I guide him to an empty table. “I think you met them at my birthday party last year.”
“I think so?” Preston says, meaning he absolutely does not remember them. But he still gives them a hesitant little wave and I feel another rush of pride.
Ever since we got back from Thanksgiving, it’s like he’s become a different person.
Or rather, he’s trying to become a different person—a better person.
I’m one hundred percent happy with who he is, but I can tell that this is what he wants.
He wants to grow, to challenge himself, to step outside his comfort zone.
And I couldn’t be prouder of him for it.
I get Preston settled at his table with his tablet and portable keyboard, noise-canceling headphones on. Then I plant a kiss on the top of his head and head back to the front counter.
“Sorry about that,” I say to Gavin, who has watched the whole thing unfold.
“No worries.” He considers Preston for a moment before speaking again. “He’s pretty special, isn’t he?”
I struggle to breathe around all the emotions swirling in my chest. “Yeah, he is.”
I keep an eye on Preston while I work. Most of the time, when I glance over, he’s bent over his tablet, brow furrowed in deep concentration. Every once in a while, I catch him watching me, just sitting there gazing at me with his elbow on the table, chin in hand.
Donnie stops by to do some paperwork. Beau checks in a few times too. Neither of them mentions Preston directly, but the encouraging smiles they give me say they’ve both seen him sitting there.
At the end of my shift, Logan comes bounding up to me. “Hey! Are you coming to drinks after work? Connor can’t make it, but Everest and I are still game. Preston’s invited, of course.”
I glance at Preston just in time to catch him in the middle of a yawn. “I don’t know. I should probably get him home.”
Logan tilts his head and gives me a pointed look. “Why don’t you ask him instead of making the decision for him?”
Goddamn. I glare at Logan and his uncharacteristically wise piece of advice. “Fine.”
I jog out from behind the front counter and plop into the empty chair at Preston’s table.
He lights up when he sees me and pulls his headphones down around his neck.
“How’s it going?” I ask, pointing at his tablet.
Preston nods enthusiastically. “Good. The last set of results is really promising. I think I just need a few more tweaks to really nail it.”
“That’s awesome,” I say, and Preston beams. “Logan asked if we want to get drinks after work.”
“Oh, uh…” Preston peeks over at Logan who’s still leaning on the front counter. Logan gives him a wave and Preston ducks his head shyly.
“We don’t have to. We can go home if you want,” I say, not wanting Preston to feel pressured by Logan’s exuberance.
“But you would normally go with them, right?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “Normally, I would.”
Preston lifts his chin and looks me directly in the eyes. “Then let’s go.”
“Are you sure?” I don’t want Preston to push this “new and improved” scheme too far and end up crashing and burning. Baby steps are key to things like this.
“Yes, I’m sure. Let’s go.” His tone is final and I fall a little more in love with him right then.
After work, Everest, Logan, Preston, and I go to the bar down the street.
“Are you coming to the New Year’s Eve party?” Logan asks, as we take our seats. But before any of us can answer, he charges on. “Jay’s coming. My boyfriend. We’ve been seeing each other for six months now. Well, almost six—five and a half.”
“And we’ll finally get to meet this mysterious boyfriend at New Year’s?” I ask. Despite listening to Logan talk nonstop about the guy he’s dating, none of us have actually met the guy before.
“Yes, you will,” Logan says with determination. “There’s nothing mysterious about him. He’s normal. Perfectly normal. He’s perfect.”
“I’m still not convinced he’s real,” Everest says.
“He is real!” Logan exclaims.
“Uh huh, sure. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Old Preston would have tuned out by now. Hell, old Preston probably wouldn’t have agreed to come to begin with. But new Preston is valiantly trying to follow our conversation, gaze flitting back and forth between us as we speak.
Under the table, I take his hand and intertwine our fingers. He scoots his chair over so it’s flush with mine and leans his head on my shoulder.
The waiter comes by with our drinks. Beers for me and Everest. A margarita for Logan. And a glass of wine for Preston.
“I still can’t believe you know nothing about the guy,” Everest says, picking up where he left off.
Logan scoffs. “I know tons about Jay!”
“No, you don’t,” Everest says with a laugh. “What does he do for work? What company does he work for? Where is he from? Does he have any siblings? What about his parents? You haven’t even been to his place before or met any of his friends.”
“I know he likes red wine, he listens to true crime podcasts, he likes the theatre.” Logan ticks each item off on his fingers.
“You’ve just described ninety percent of the city’s population,” I point out, taking a sip of my beer.
“Whatever,” Logan says haughtily. “What’s important is that he’s a good person and he’s kind to me and I love him.”
Which isn’t nearly as shocking a statement when it comes from Logan, but next to me, Preston shifts.
“You good?” I whisper the question to Preston as Everest and Logan continue arguing.
“Mmhmm.” He shifts again. “Your friends are funny.”
I laugh out loud, but Everest and Logan are too wrapped up in their argument to notice. “Yeah, they are. You tired?” I ask, noticing Preston’s eyes drooping a bit.
“A little. But this is nice. We don’t have to go yet.”
I blink a few times to let Preston’s comment sink in. He never would’ve said something like that before Thanksgiving. He’s trying so hard and he’s doing so well. I always knew he could do anything he set his mind to, and I was right.