Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Jake pushed the front door of Bliss Beans open and entered with a bounce in his step. The jingling of the bell overhead drew Blair’s attention. A smile stretched across his face that never failed to send a flush of warmth through Jake’s chest.
“Hey, babe,” Blair said as he crossed the floor and pulled him in for a kiss.
Blair leaned back, an expectant expression on his face, but Jake only grinned as he took in the coffee shop, which was closed for a private event tonight. Blair and Traci had already moved the back tables against the wall and formed a circle with the chairs.
He and Blair had started their own HIV and AIDS support group a couple of months after they’d started dating—the day after Jake had first met Blair—holding it at Bliss Beans, and so far, it had been well-attended. Jake was certain a good part of that had to do with the snacks and drinks Blair made specially for those nights. Speaking of which, Blair had arranged an array of healthy treats on one of the larger tables. Jake’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since an early lunch. His nerves had been strung too tight to keep anything down.
“Is there anything left for me to do?” Jake slipped out of his jacket, snatching a smoked salmon cucumber bite on his way to the back room to hang his coat up.
“Hey! Those are for the members.” Blair huffed at Jake’s chuckle, following on Jake’s heels. “What did the doctor say?”
“Mmm. This is amazing,” Jake said around the fresh and smokey appetizer, hoping Blair made extra.
He hooked his jacket on the back of the office door and spun around. He reached for Blair, pulling him into his arms.
“Well?”
“Priorities, Bliss,” Jake said before leaning in and claiming Blair’s mouth.
It had been hours since he’d last felt Blair’s silken lips against his own, and he wasn’t about to let another second pass him by. That and Blair was fun to tease.
Blair snaked a hand behind Jake’s neck, sliding his fingers into Jake’s hair and sending a rush of desire through his veins. How could it be that every time he touched Blair was like the first time? That giddy feeling when the butterflies in his stomach took flight and promised something magical ahead. And that promise had never failed to deliver. Every single time.
Jake leaned back, reining himself in. “If we don’t stop now, we’ll be late for our own meeting.”
“You started it,” Blair said with a playful note in his soft voice. “And I’m waiting for an answer.”
Jake grinned at the impatience in those warm brown eyes. Blair’s hair was due for a trim, but Jake liked the extra bit of length. Liked how his brunet strands curled at the end and wrapped around Jake’s fingers and framed Blair’s youthful face. God, he was beautiful. Jake didn’t know what forces had been at work to put Blair in his path, but he sent a silent thank you out into the universe. For the gazillionth time.
“I love you,” Jake whispered, twirling a curl around his index finger.
“I know.”
“Cheeky.”
Blair snorted. “I love you, too. Now please , tell me.”
“So . . .”
“Ugh. You’re killing me here,” Blair groused. “Out with it.”
“Undetectable.” Jake couldn’t have stopped the smile that stretched across his face if he’d tried. He’d stuck to his regime until the new habit had become autopilot. And with Blair’s help, he’d changed his lifestyle for the better. Eating healthy, though, that was because of Blair and the magic he worked in the kitchen, and working out regularly. One of his favorite times of day was when he and Blair ran around the seawall in the mornings before work.
“I knew it.” Blair cupped his face in both hands and kissed him. “I had no doubt you’d get your viral load there.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Jake said between Blair’s kisses.
And he meant it. He didn’t know what he would have done if he hadn’t stumbled into Bliss Beans all those months ago. He remembered feeling so lost, with no idea how to move forward or what to do next. But Blair had been there and had taken the time to show a total stranger that he had a full life ahead of him. That all his dreams were still attainable.
“You did the work,” Blair countered and kissed him again. “This calls for a celebration.”
“Yeah?” Jake slid his hands down Blair’s back and cupped his butt cheeks. “I know just how, too.”
The door swung open, and Traci poked her head inside. She froze, as did Blair, and Jake started laughing.
“Well.” Traci quickly recovered. One eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip, the other still on the doorknob. “At least you’ve both got your pants on this time.”
Blair dropped his head back and sighed. “That was one time.”
“Whatever.” Traci turned away with a smile she couldn’t hide, mumbling something about not being paid enough. A second later, her voice echoed down the short hall. “Right yourselves and get out here. People are arriving.”
“You heard the lady,” Jake teased.
He pulled Blair in for another kiss, keeping this one rated-PG, and slid his hands down Blair’s chest before putting some distance between them.
“After you,” Blair said.
Half a dozen people were already mingling by the snack table when Jake returned to the main dining room.
“Hey, Jake. Blair,” David said, his eyes bright and glittering. “Traci catch you two naked in the office again?”
“Oh my god,” Blair groaned as Jake and David laughed. “ One time .”
“Good to see you, David,” Jake said, giving the older man a hug.
Since that first support group meeting Jake had attended with Blair, David had become one of his favorite people. He always had a new story to tell about his youth and his experiences living with HIV, and always in a humorous way. Jake and Blair were now regulars at David’s weekend brunches. Just as David had become a regular at their support group. He still attended Trent’s group, as did Jake and Blair, though not as often.
“I invited a friend tonight,” David said as he loaded a plate with appetizers. That man had an appetite that could put an Olympic athlete to shame.
“Oh? What kind of friend?” Jake only now realized he’d never seen David with a partner.
David snickered. “Not that kind of friend. A Jake.”
Blair frowned. “A Jake ?”
The door swung open, the merrily jingling bell at odds with the young man who walked in with a dark cloud over his head so tangible, Jake felt the weight of it all the way across the room. Was that how he’d looked when he’d been first diagnosed? At his first support meeting? Probably. Though he’d had Blair there to help guide him through it.
“Ah. There he is now,” David said.
Jake turned to meet Blair’s gaze. Understanding in the warm depths of his eyes.
“A Jake,” Jake said softly.
At Blair’s nod, Jake planted a quick kiss on his lips before crossing the room to meet David’s new friend.
“Welcome. I’m Jake.” He extended a hand in greeting to the newcomer. “Don’t worry, we’ve got you.”