Chapter Eight #4
It took all he had not to giggle.
“You didn’t bother me. I was up for a few minutes,” he stated, not going into details or answering any other questions in fear he’d slip up.
At his comment, Corbin was getting more frustrated. That was such an obtuse and chilly reply.
He got nothing out of that.
NOTHING.
What had he done?
Why was Alex pulling away from him all of a sudden?
Was he too bossy?
Had he crossed a line?
What was going on?
He was about to explode from not knowing.
So, Corbin had to ask.
“Why didn’t you come to bed?” he asked. “As in with me? Why did you stay in here alone?”
Well, shit.
Alex hadn’t expected him to come right out and ask him. That was problematic.
Now, he’d have to lie.
When Alex looked up, Corbin already knew what was coming. He was a cop before he was a Fed. Alex was fabricating something. It was taking too long to give him an answer.
When he opened his mouth, Corbin stopped him.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Don’t lie. It’s none of my business,” he admitted, a chill in his voice.
There was a harsh tone to that, and that wasn’t good.
In fact, Alex heard the hurt.
Was this upsetting the man?
“Corbin,” he began, about to ask him if he was okay, but he didn’t get to.
Corbin stopped him again.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” Corbin said. “I don’t want to pry into your personal life. You don’t have to sleep with me. You’re entitled to your own space.”
What?
Was?
This?
That was a sucker punch to the chest as those words deflated the moment. Alex was caught so off guard by that, too.
Corbin was to the point.
“I don’t really feel like eating,” he said, putting his own fork down. “You can have mine,” he said, standing up.
Alex stared in horror how this all went sideways because he’d been too obvious and slept alone.
Now, he wasn’t hungry either.
Alex knew enough about relationships that when you did something off, your partner tended to figure it out, and Corbin was reading the room—just not how he should be.
Had he given him the impression that he wanted space?
That was anything but the truth.
He wanted HIM.
“Corbin.”
He shook his head.
“Don’t,” he said, his heart hurting. “I don’t need to hear it. We’ve only been doing this for over a week, and I know I move at a different speed. I’m trying to not be pushy, but it’s difficult. I’m going to go work out. I hope you enjoy breakfast, and it made you happy,” he said.
Because it broke Corbin’s heart.
It was clear that they were NOT on the same page, and no matter what he hinted, or said, he didn’t know how to get Alex there with him. Maybe he just didn’t want to be with him like that.
Maybe something had changed.
When you were trapped in a building with someone for a week, shit could happen.
Right?
With that, Corbin walked out, and Alex sat there staring at his hasty retreat.
Yep.
This was all his fault.
Him trying to be sneaky had come across as him being cold. Alex really only had two temperatures.
Boiling hot.
Or icy cold.
Maybe it was because he was an agent who had to hide what he was thinking during an investigation, or maybe it was because he’d protected himself for so long by being aloof.
That came across that he didn’t care, and sometimes, people picked up on that.
Like now.
Corbin was reading the space as him not wanting to be with him, and that was anything but the truth.
Shit.
This was a mess.
He was stupid in love, and he needed to figure this out, and fast. Only, he was new to this, and he needed to get help so he didn’t ruin the best thing that had ever happened to him.
So, he picked up his phone and went into the bathroom where Corbin wouldn’t hear him talking.
Then, he called backup.
When the phone rang a second time, Noah answered.
“Hey, Alex. You good?” Noah Jackson asked, from across the country. “If you’re looking for the boss, she caught a flight back. She checked in, and she’s good.”
That wasn’t it.
This was a personal mess.
So, Alex kept his voice down.
“I think I fucked up,” he said, knowing this wouldn’t be the first time he’d said those words to his best friend.
He was a serial offender.
As soon as Noah heard that, he expected the worst.
Oh, boy.
He looked over at his husband, and Lawless just shook his head like he wanted nothing to do with this.
Yep.
It was clear that Noah was handling this one alone. Lawless knew this was a bestie emergency, and the naked games they were going to play while locked down in their house was going to have to wait.
“What happened?” he asked.
Alex told him everything, and how he’d slept alone to buy rings to propose to Corbin when he could. Then, he told him how the man picked up on it and clocked it as distance, not planning a good surprise.
Noah considered it, and honestly, out of all of the times that Alex had called him when he’d screwed up, this was absolutely the best kind of mess.
No one was in jail.
No one was being held at gunpoint.
Oh, and no one was crying.
Noah would call this a victory that his bestie was on the way to finding his forever person.
“What do I do?” he whispered. “It’s the opposite. I’m stupid in love, and I want to get married. If we could leave lockdown, I’d drag his ass to the judge. He’s been hinting all week, but I’ve had to play it cool so I could surprise him. Now, I think I just lost him.”
There was only one solution.
“You’re going to have to just tell him,” he said. “He’s been hurt before and has trust issues. In fact, so have you. Forget surprising him. Just go show him what you’ve done, make up, and have some really fantastic sex. This is minor. It’s just miscommunication.”
Alex was worried.
He was the king of miscommunication.
“I’m scared, No. When I say he’s perfect, he makes Lawless look flawed. He made me French toast, and drew a heart on it with whipped cream. He made me the perfect cup of coffee, and carried it into the room I slept in. He’s always protecting me, and trying to woo me. I’m stupid over him.”
Noah was happy for his friend, if he managed to figure this out.
“You can’t ‘plan’ things if your strategy is to be sneaky, Alex. You’re making him paranoid. You’re both Feds, and he was a homicide cop. He’s smelling a lie a mile away.”
Well, yeah, clearly.
Noah was to the point.
“With the relationship being this new, if you’re going to move fast, and I approve of that tactic, you’re going to have to be upfront. It comes off as disingenuous because he doesn’t know everything about you yet.”
Alex listened.
“Trust me, Alex. Be upfront.”
Now, he needed to know.
“Is it crazy that I’m moving this fast?” he whispered.
Noah laughed.
“My dude, no. It’s crazy that we’re all in lockdown or I’d fly there to personally drive your ass to the judge’s chambers. This is the FIRST thing you’ve done that has made sense.”
He laughed.
Noah wasn’t wrong.
It was the first thing that felt right.
His best friend was to the point.
“What is better, Alex? Surprising him or having this be solved?”
He had a point.
He didn’t want to lose Corbin, and especially over something so ridiculous.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’ll go tell him.”
“It’s for the best. You said it’s ridiculous sex, and he’s perfect. I know what that’s like,” he admitted. “Go tell him and be honest. Tell him you wanted to propose, show him the proof, and tell him it’s going to happen one day when you’re out of lockdown.”
That was the perfect plan to save the not-so-perfect plan. Besides, he trusted Noah.
He was his best friend.
“Thanks, No. I love you.”
He reassured him.
“I can’t wait to meet him. I’m happy for you, Alex. Go get your man, and we love you too. You deserve this.”
Actually, Alex believed that.
He did deserve this sweet man.
Hanging up, he grabbed his laptop, and his phone from the bedroom. Then, he headed for the other man’s room. When he knocked, Corbin didn’t answer at first, and Alex was worried.
He touched the knob, and it wasn’t locked. So, he opened it.
Not far away, Corbin was getting changed and he had headphones on, blocking out the world.
And he hated that he’d run in here to hide.
Banging louder on the door, the man turned and saw him. He looked surprised.
“Yes?” he asked, taking off the headphones.
Alex pointed toward the bed.
“Sit.”
Corbin lifted a brow.
“Pardon?”
Alex was to the point.
“You think something is going on that isn’t, and I am really bad at being sneaky. So, we need to have a ‘Come to Jesus’ talk.”
Corbin said nothing.
Why?
He’d been trying to figure out how to undo what he’d just done. Fear had him by the balls, and he wanted to crawl into Alex’s room and beg for another chance.
Because he’d fucked this up.
BIG-TIME.
“Please sit, Corby.”
At the use of his nickname, he did, and he waited for Alex to show him whatever it was that he thought he needed to see. He had been minutes from calling Gene or Ethan, despite them being crazy busy with a killer.
When Alex came over, he opened his laptop and pointed at the search bar.
“Go into the history and look.”
Corbin lifted a brow. He didn’t know where this was heading, and he wasn’t sure if he should invade his privacy and do that.
Oh, he’d love to, but…he had to have some control.
“Uh, really?”
He nodded.
“I have one thing to hide, and if you go in and look, you’ll see what. Go look.”
Color him curious.
Doing what he said, Corbin pulled it up and clicked on the ONLY link for that day.
Much to his surprise, it took him to a website for a jeweler. When he glanced up, Alex didn’t let him talk, but instead, he handed him his phone.
“Go into my personal mail.”
He tried to protest, but Alex wouldn’t let him.
“Just do it, Corbin. It will make sense.”
When he did, he saw an email from the same jeweler, and when he opened it, there was a receipt for a few thousand dollars and a shipping date.
“I don’t understand.”
Alex told him.