Chapter 12
Lucas
The next Monday in the office, Dominik and I decided it was time to let Jason know about our relationship. The knot in my stomach had been tightening all morning. Dom had been surprisingly calm, a steadying presence beside me as we walked the familiar halls of Blackwood Architects. But for me, the thought of this conversation with Jason felt like stepping off a very high ledge.
We’d asked Jason to meet us in the conference room, a neutral space that somehow felt less… personal than either of our offices. He arrived with his usual booming energy, a half-eaten sandwich in hand. “Alright, boys, what’s so urgent? Got a client emergency?”
He took a big bite, oblivious to the carefully constructed composure Lucas and I were trying to maintain. Dominik cleared his throat. “Actually, Jason, it’s… personal.”
Jason stopped chewing, his brow furrowing slightly. He looked from Dominik to me, a flicker of concern in his eyes. “Personal? Everything alright?”
I finally found my voice, though it felt rough around the edges. “Yeah, everything’s… good. It’s just… there’s something Dominik and I wanted to talk to you about.”
Dominik placed a reassuring hand on my arm, a small, grounding gesture. He took the lead. “Jason, as you know, Lucas and I have been working together for years. We’ve been friends for over twenty years. Good friends.” Jason nodded slowly, still looking slightly confused. “Yeah, of course. What’s this about?”
I took a deep breath. There was no easy way to say this. “It’s… more than just friends, Jason.” The sandwich in Jason’s hand stilled. He looked at Dominik, then back at me, his expression slowly shifting from confusion to something akin to… comprehension? Or maybe just utter bewilderment.
Dominik squeezed my arm gently. “Lucas and I… we’re together. As a couple.” The silence in the room felt thick enough to cut with a blueprint cutter. Jason just stared at us, his mouth slightly agape. Finally, he swallowed hard. “Together? Like… dating together?”
I nodded, my gaze fixed on the worn grain of the conference table. This was the moment. The moment our professional lives, our carefully constructed normalcy within the firm we’d all built, could shift irrevocably.
Jason leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and the silence stretched, each second feeling like an eternity. My heart hammered against my ribs. Then, he let out a long, slow whistle. “Well, damn. Didn’t see that one coming.”
My shoulders tensed, bracing for… well, I wasn’t even sure what Disappointment? Disapproval? Awkward jokes? But then, a slow smile spread across Jason’s face, a genuine, if slightly surprised, grin. “Huh. Lucas, you sly dog. Keeping secrets, are we?” He looked at me, his eyes surprisingly warm. “And Dominik. Well, you’ve always been the quiet one. Guess you had other things on your mind.”
The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. This wasn’t the explosion I had feared. “So,” Jason continued, leaning forward again, his initial shock seemingly wearing off. “How long has this been… a thing?”
Dominik and I exchanged a look. “It’s been a few months,” Lucas admitted. “We wanted to… be sure. Before saying anything.”
Jason nodded slowly. “Right. Sure. Well.” He paused, then clapped his hands together, the sudden sound making me jump slightly. “As long as you two are happy, that’s all that matters. You’re both damn good at your jobs. What you do in your own time is your business.” He grinned again, a wide, genuine smile. “Though I gotta say, the office dynamics just got a whole lot more… interesting.”
Dominik let out a relieved sigh, his grip on my arm loosening slightly. I felt a wave of unexpected warmth wash over me. It wasn’t the rejection I had braced for. It was… acceptance. “Thanks, Jason,” Dominik said, a genuine smile finally breaking through his own tension.
“Yeah, thanks,” I echoed, the knot in my stomach finally unraveling.
Jason stood up, grabbing the rest of his sandwich. “Just… try to keep the office PDA to a minimum, alright? Some of us are trying to concentrate on blueprints here.” He winked, then headed for the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a building to design. And apparently, a whole new office romance to subtly observe.”
He left, leaving Dominik and me standing there, a shared sense of relief washing over us. It wasn’t the dramatic coming-out scene I had envisioned. It was… surprisingly okay. More than okay. It was acceptance, from the man who had been like family for years. And in that moment, standing beside Dominik, the future felt a little less daunting, a little more… ours.
◆◆◆
A few weeks later, Molly called, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Guess what? I met someone.” I smiled, genuinely happy for her. “That’s wonderful, Molly! Tell me everything.”
She launched into a detailed account of a charming lawyer she had met at a legal conference, her enthusiasm infectious. As she spoke, I realized how far we had all come. The initial awkwardness and uncertainty had paved the way for unexpected connections and genuine happiness, albeit in a form none of us had initially envisioned.
The three of us had dinner a few weeks later, Molly beaming as she recounted her blossoming romance. There was a comfortable camaraderie between us, a shared history that bound us together in an unexpected way. As I watched Dominik and Molly laughing together, a sense of contentment settled over me. Our journey had been unconventional, filled with its share of confusion and uncertainty, but it had ultimately led us to a place of genuine connection and unexpected happiness.