Chapter 21
If Caleb had to pick a favorite sport, it wouldn’t be soccer—it would be watching Jamie eat Nigerian food.
The spices were killing the man, and he was trying his darndest to hide it.
The night was already perfect, but Caleb couldn’t wait to see what he had planned next. His heart was positively bursting because of how much thought Jamie had put into this date.
After that amazing restaurant—which, honestly, Caleb couldn’t believe he hadn’t found sooner—Jamie was now dragging him excitedly down Old Compton Street.
“Are we going to a pub?” Caleb asked. Jamie slid an arm under his bicep and tugged him forward. “Because I don’t think we need to rush—”
“We’ll be late if you don’t hurry!” Jamie interrupted, picking up the pace.
In classic London fashion, it was starting to sprinkle. If Caleb’s aching shoulder was any indication, more rain was on the way. They weaved through a group of people on their way to the mystery destination. It was Saturday night, so the streets were full of people heading toward pubs.
“What are we going to be late for?” Caleb asked seriously. This part of town only really had bars and clubs.
Ignoring him, Jamie was now using his phone to navigate, turning the screen away from Caleb’s line of sight.
“J, you don’t need to hide your phone. I have no idea where we are.”
The rain was getting heavier now, and Caleb was starting to wonder if Jamie was just lost and too stubborn to admit it.
“J, it’s okay if—”
“Do you see a green light?” Jamie asked suddenly, eyes scanning the old brick buildings.
Caleb glanced around. The bars down this alley looked run-down, and most didn’t even look open.
He frowned at a dilapidated old building. “A green light?”
“Yeah, like a—oh, there!”
Jamie tugged him across the cobblestone, pausing just in time to let a biker pass. Approaching a somewhat grungy door, he pulled it open and ushered Caleb inside.
A tall, bored-looking woman eyed the two of them for what felt like seven full minutes before finally speaking.
“Password?” she asked in a thick German accent.
“Erm…” Jamie tapped his phone screen and read aloud, “Low fidelity?”
She quirked a surprised eyebrow, blew a bubble with her gum, and waited until it popped before pushing open a small, hidden door behind her.
“Enjoy.” She sounded like she hoped they both fell down the steps and died.
Jamie ignored her and excitedly pulled Caleb through the hidden doorway. It led down a dark hallway that smelled of weed.
“Jamie, what are we—?”
“Hurry!”
The further down the hall they went, the louder the music became. The sound of people started filtering through the stone walls.
With a nervous smile, Jamie led down a narrow flight of stairs. “It’s a speakeasy.”
No fucking way. Caleb loved speakeasies, and Jamie, decidedly, did not.
Caleb grinned. “Jamie, this is sick.”
It got darker and darker as they descended. Once they reached the basement, it took a second for Caleb’s eyes to adjust. He felt Jamie’s arm reach for him, wrap around his bicep, and pull him close.
When his vision adjusted, he took in a large, open room. A bar was set up in the corner, where two bartenders were shaking drinks loudly. An enormous DJ table was set up on a small stage. The rest of the room was all high-tops and dance floor, with about fifty people crammed into the small space.
“Is this a concert?”
“Yeah. If you bought a ticket, they sent you the password.” Jamie said, holding up his phone. “It’s an artist you like.”
Caleb looked around. “Who?”
“Uh.” Jamie squinted down at his screen. “Julo Banks?”
Whipping his head around, Caleb reeled. “Wait, how do you know about them?”
“Because they were your most played artist on Spotify last year. I checked.”
Caleb’s chest swelled with so many emotions he thought he might cry.
“This is incredible. I can’t believe this.”
Jamie shrugged bashfully. It was such a striking image: Jamie here, in a dark basement, about to vibe to lo-fi Afrobeats.
After eating Nigerian food.
“J, I don’t even know what to say. This is fucking awesome. This whole night…”
A smile broke across Jamie’s face just as someone flipped on a disco ball, sending light pulsing across the room. The reflections danced over Jamie’s dimples, lighting them up in different colors.
The urge to kiss him was hard to resist. Caleb’s hands fisted at his sides to keep from pushing him against the closest wall and kissing him breathless.
He wanted to so badly. He wanted to tell Jamie that he loved him, that he had missed this desperately. This connection he’d felt with Jamie from day one.
Caleb’s deepest fear was that the accident had severed that connection. But here Jamie was, showing him that it was still there.
As the music picked up, people drifted to the dance floor, and Caleb felt his whole body start to move with the beat.
His mother would have loved this. But mostly, his mom would’ve loved Jamie.
“Do you, erm…” When Caleb turned, Jamie was eyeing the dance floor, scratching the back of his head. He looked up at Caleb. “Wanna dance?”
“You want to dance? You hate dancing.”
Jamie straightened his spine. “No, I want to.” His eyes darted nervously to the mass of bodies pressed against each other on the dance floor. “Well… I’ll sway with you. If you show me how.”
Fuck, it was cute how hard Jamie was trying. Caleb was completely obsessed with this man.
“Okay,” he said, pulling Jamie’s hand into his own. “Let’s do it.”
As Caleb searched for a good spot, he caught an extremely tall guy staring hard at him.
The man’s dark eyes slid slowly down Caleb’s body and back up again.
Ignoring the creep, he steered Jamie to the edge of the dancefloor near the bar.
Easy to step off if Jamie got tired, but close enough for Caleb to keep an eye on the turntables.
He pulled Jamie in front of him and gently slid both arms around his waist. It felt so good, having Jamie wiggle back into his arms.
“This okay?” he asked into Jamie’s hair. After an eager nod from Jamie, he began to sway to the beat.
With his favorite music filling his ears and Jamie in his arms, no one else in the room existed.
Attempting to sway, Jamie stepped on Caleb’s foot. “Erm, sorry.”
Jamie, the sweetie, never had much rhythm.
With a chuckle, he replied, “You’re good, babe.”
What an amazing night. His belly was full of food that reminded him of his mom. Jamie’s hair smelled like the London rain. The Afrobeats music was working its way into every tense corner of his soul, turning the anxiety of the past few months into something warm and soft.
And on top of all that, his crotch was up against Jamie’s tight, round ass.
He was practically in heaven as his favorite songs played over the speakers.
“Caleb?” Jamie turned his head as much as he could without unraveling Caleb’s arms.
“Yeah?”
Jamie’s lips were moving, but Caleb couldn’t hear him over the music. Leaning down, he asked, “Huh?”
“The loo!” Jamie said, twisting fully in his arms now. “I have to use the loo.”
Caleb smiled down at him. It would only take a few inches of leaning forward to kiss his cheek.
“You did drink a lot of water at that restaurant.”
Jamie rolled his eyes and wiggled out of Caleb’s arms, scanning the room. When he spotted the bathroom, he glanced back with a quick be back look and trotted off.
Without Jamie in his arms, it was a bit easier to move the way he liked. The songs Julo was spinning were definitely meant for grinding, something Caleb was never really into, but he loved to dance. Always had. His mom had taught him at a young age that dancing could cure basically any mood.
And it did. As he danced, he felt the worry and fear of the last few months melt away. Why hadn’t he done this sooner? Had he really let himself turn into some sad, grumpy version of himself?
Arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and he smiled at how much he’d missed Jamie in the short minutes he’d been gone.
“Hey, love.” He chuckled as he leaned into it, thinking of how funny they must look. Jamie was about four inches shorter than him and probably couldn’t even see. Emboldened, Caleb rolled his hips back and ground his ass into Jamie’s crotch.
His blood ran cold at the unfamiliar body behind him. This was not Jamie.
Large arms yanked him closer. “What the—”
A deep voice growled in his ear. “Figured I’d shoot my shot since your little dork left.”
Caleb jerked forward and tore out of the man’s grip, heart hammering. When he turned, the tall guy who had practically eye-fucked him earlier was just standing there smirking. He looked, amused, like a cat who’d cornered a mouse.
“Don’t touch me. Jesus,” Caleb spat, hands curling into fists. Where the hell was Jamie? He should be back by now.
Stepping away from the man, he scanned the room. Jamie stood near the bar, eyes wide, holding two plastic cups in his hands. His eyes were locked onto the tall man.
The loo in this speakeasy was not Jamie’s favorite place. But he persevered, the same way he had with the Nigerian food. Zipping his trousers back up, he washed his hands and got out of there at record speed.
As he exited, a few girls bumped into him with a drunken ’scuse us and a he’s cute.
“Pardon me,” he muttered, heading for the bar.
Overall, Jamie was having a splendid time. Not because these activities were necessarily his favorite, but because he hadn’t seen Caleb smile this big in… well, maybe ever. At least, to his memory.
Per usual, his gaze naturally searched for the familiar muscular form of Caleb—and it didn’t take much. Caleb was alone on the floor, a soft smile on his face as he danced to the beat of his favorite music, head tipped back.