Chapter 24
Jay
Early morning light filters through the sheer curtains of my bedroom window as I snuggle deeper into Aiden’s chest. He’s warm, solid, and breathing steadily, blissfully unaware I’ve been awake since before the sun came up, just lying here, soaking him in and replaying last night on a loop.
When he asked me if I liked to top, I nearly came in my pants. I’d hoped he’d want that eventually, but I didn’t expect it so soon. Then again, nothing about this has followed a script, and that makes it feel so right.
Like everything between us, sex feels effortless. We connect on a level I’ve never experienced with anyone else. He makes me feel safe and wanted, yet we can joke and laugh right in the middle of it.
I’ve been making a list of new pet names to spring on him, to see that humorous, annoyed look flicker across his face. It lights me up like nothing else.
I know moving in seems impulsive and fast, but I don’t care. I’m completely and hopelessly in love with him, and he loves me back with an intensity I’ve never known. Staying another minute in this crappy, lonely apartment would have been unbearable.
If you think about it, we’ve essentially been dating for the last several months, just without the physical benefits.
Aiden stirs, pressing a sleepy kiss to my shoulder.
“Baby, I can feel you thinking,” he mumbles. “How long have you been awake?”
Turning over to face him, I brush a sweet kiss across his lips.
“Not long. Just thinking about last night.”
“I can still feel you,” he groans, wincing slightly. “My ass is sore.”
I grin. “I’m sorry, Snoochums. Want me to kiss it and make it feel better?”
“Oh my God, you’re ridiculous,” he laughs, tickling my ribs until I squeal.
Tickling turns into kissing, and kissing turns heated. And just like that, our bodies are tangled in an exhilarating sixty-nine until we’re coming down each other’s throats.
“Nothing like a protein shake for breakfast,” Aiden teases, swatting my ass as he wipes the remnants of my cum from his lips.
“Now who’s being ridiculous?” I fire back, hauling myself out of bed.
I need to take a quick shower and put on some clothes so I can be at work in an hour and look functional.
Aiden’s driving back to Astoria this morning, determined to get everything ready in the apartment for my move this weekend.
Plus, he doesn’t want to leave Maisy and Daisy alone in a new place. The coffee shop manager is checking in on them, but they’re known for wreaking havoc when left to their own devices for too long.
He’ll come back tomorrow afternoon to help me finish packing. He’s already booked a small moving van for Saturday morning, not wasting any time making sure I’m with him.
When it’s time for him to go, it doesn’t sting like it did on Sunday morning. Knowing our separation is only temporary fills me with a calm certainty.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, brushing hair from my forehead and leaning in for a kiss.
As the kiss deepens, I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my entire body against his.
Pulling away, his piercing eyes, flecked with gold, melt me.
“I love you, baby.”
I smile, grounded in knowing how he feels about me.
“I love you, too.”
Driving to work, I’m a hundred pounds lighter than I was yesterday.
Arriving at the office early, I let my boss know of my plans.
He’s fine with it as long as I can still come in once or twice a month.
That’s not an issue. I can stay overnight with my mom if needed, or I can drive back to Astoria since it’s not too far.
My day is packed with team meetings, and it goes by quickly.
Returning home feels so different from last night’s slump through the door. I had come in exhausted, sad, missing Aiden so much that I ached, and counting down the hours until the weekend. Then he surprised me, and everything changed.
When he asked me to move in with him, I could barely contain my excitement. It was adorable listening to him share all the reasons I should move in with him, like I needed any convincing.
Tonight, I’ve got work to do. Fortunately, I never really settled into this place.
The second bedroom still has stacks of boxes I haven’t unpacked, and a good chunk of my stuff is in storage. It won’t take much for me to get ready to move. I’m only bringing a few pieces of furniture; the rest I’ll sell or donate. Aiden has much nicer furniture than I do, anyway.
Now comes the fun part of telling my mom and Heather. My mom will be excited for me, but you never know with my sister.
Heather’s been worried about me in the wake of everything with Ray, and she might see this as too hasty a decision. But I’ve rehearsed my arguments, knowing she can tear them apart if I’m not prepared.
I invited them over to help me pack. They knew I’d be moving out of this apartment, eventually. They just didn’t expect it to be Astoria.
As I’m putting another box together, there’s a knock at the door.
“Hey, sweetie,” my mom greets me as I let them in, carrying more boxes and packing supplies.
She’s always organized and ready to help. Heather follows behind her, holding a bag of food and some plastic totes. They set everything down and turn toward me, with expectant looks on their faces.
I take a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll just rip the band-aid off and tell you. I’m moving to Astoria with Aiden.”
They exchange a knowing look, and my mom gives Heather a nod, our classic family dynamic.
Heather is always the one to take the lead.
I appreciate it sometimes, like when she helped me with Ray.
But in moments like this, I wish she would keep her opinions to herself.
I’m a grown man in my thirties, and I can make my own decisions. I brace myself for what’s coming.
“Jay, don’t you think this is a little too soon?” she starts, her tone sharper than I’d like. “We love Aiden, and we’re happy you’re starting a relationship, but with your history, don’t you think it would be wise to take it slow?”
I clench my jaw and try to stay calm. “Do you honestly think our relationship just started? He’s been my best friend since I was five years old, and I’ve been in love with him since I was a teenager.
“It doesn’t matter how many years we spent apart. The moment I saw him again, it was as if no time had passed. We’ve been building toward this moment for a long time.
“I love him, and he loves me. I’m miserable when I’m not with him. This is happening, and I hope you’ll support us.”
My mom speaks up, giving Heather a sideways glance. “Good for you, Jayson. I’m proud of you, and I’m happy for you both.”
Apparently, my mom and Heather have differing opinions.
Heather sighs. “Fine,” she relents. “I’ll support you. I know this isn’t a new relationship, and I’ll try to give Aiden the benefit of the doubt. It’s just that you’ve been hurt and not the best judge of character. I don’t want to see history repeating itself.”
“That isn’t fair,” I snap, annoyed that she doubts my judgment in my own life. She knows how hard I’ve worked to get here.
“Just because I was in a toxic relationship before, it’s unfair of you to assume this is a poor decision. And Aiden isn’t Ray. I’m safe with him.”
She sighs. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Did I really just hear my sister say I was right? What is happening?
My mom winks at me and smiles. We haven’t done a great job of standing up for ourselves with Heather, but we need to start. I know she means well and wants what’s best for us, but she can be a bit of a bully sometimes. It’s another step in the right direction for me.
We fall into a familiar rhythm, packing up my life once again. But this time, it feels much different. When we packed up my house, which I’d shared with Ray, it was full of pain and regret over wasted years.
This move signifies a fresh start, filled with hope, certainty, and the love I’d only dreamed of.
I can’t wait.
“I think that’s the last of it,” Aiden says as he closes the door of our apartment. “Come here.”
He takes my hand, guides me to the couch, and pulls me into his arms, his lips grazing the back of my neck.
Unloading the moving van has been slow because we can’t stop touching each other. Whether it’s a hand slipping across ribs or reaching out to hold hands, we can’t get enough. After waiting so long for this, neither of us can keep our hands off each other for more than a few minutes.
“Well, we did it,” I say, lacing my fingers through his. “Now comes the fun part: figuring out where to put all this stuff.”
Aiden’s already unpacked his boxes, but he’s left plenty of space for me. Half the closet in our bedroom is empty, ready for my clothes, and the walls are bare, waiting for us to do that together so we can blend his decor with mine.
My boxes are piled in every corner, and my small amount of furniture is temporarily stored in the vacant apartment next door until we figure out where to put it all.
“Let’s make unpacking tomorrow’s problem. Right now, I just want to hold you.”
“I’m good with that,” I murmur, sinking against him.
My eyelids grow heavy, and before I know it, we’re both out cold.
An hour later, I wake up to Aiden’s low voice.
“Were you drooling?” he teases, swiping his finger across my chin.
I swat his chest. “Hey, at least I don’t snore like a chainsaw.”
“I don’t snore,” he insists in mock defense.
“You most certainly do. I’ve shared enough hotel rooms with you, and you absolutely snore, Buttercup.”
He retaliates by tickling my ribs, making me laugh and squirm.
“Well, too late now. No take-backs. You’re stuck with all my noises.”
“I’ll take them all,” I tell him, turning in his arms. “As long as I get to fall asleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning.”
He smiles. “Deal.”
Then he kisses me, slow and deliberate.
The rest of the night, we stay wrapped in each other, not saying much. There’s comfort in the quiet, in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my back, in the simple joy of knowing we’re finally where we’re supposed to be.
The next morning, I’m woken by the sensation of Aiden’s warm, eager lips trailing a path down my chest, his tongue leaving a cool, damp trail across my heated skin as he works his way down to my stomach, before enveloping my aching morning wood.
The wet sounds fill the quiet room, his talented mouth creating a perfect vacuum that sends electric tingles racing up my thighs.
“Oh God, that mouth,” I gasp, threading my fingers through his sleep-tousled hair as he works his magic; my muscles tensing and my toes curling into the sheets as my release builds and finally pulses down his waiting throat.
Looking up at me with heavy-lidded eyes and a shit-eating grin, he slowly wipes the glistening evidence from his reddened lips with his thumb, and my mouth waters involuntarily at the sight of him.
I beckon him with a crook of my finger, guiding him up my body until he’s straddling my chest, his thighs bracketing my shoulders as he feeds me his velvet-skinned cock.
I take him deep, savoring his musky scent as I work my tongue over his sensitive tip, tracing the prominent vein that pulses beneath my lips.
His breathing grows ragged above me, his hips making small, desperate movements until he’s spilling his warm release across my tongue.
“Mmm, baby, that’s the best way to wake up,” Aiden says, leaning down to kiss me deeply, our flavors mingling before he reluctantly pulls away and pads across the hardwood floor to the bathroom.
I’m still lounging in our bed when he returns, my arms propped behind my head on the soft pillow, my muscles pleasantly loose and unwilling to surrender this perfect moment of contentment.
“I’m going to make coffee and breakfast whenever you’re ready to get up,” he says playfully, his fingers finding my toes beneath the tangled blanket and giving them a gentle tug. “All those boxes won’t unpack themselves.”
“I know,” I sigh, stretching, “I just want to be lazy for five more minutes.”
Before he leaves the bedroom, I voice what’s been on my mind. “Hey, we haven’t talked about where I’m going to set up for work. I like having a dedicated space, but we could put my desk in the corner of the living room, if that’s easier.”
Just because I’ve moved in, I don’t want to assume anything or cause him any inconvenience.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gives me a warm smile. “What would you think about sharing the space with me downstairs? There’s that private room with a window overlooking the river right next to my office.”
“I’d love to keep my work and home spaces separate,” I reply, tracing patterns on his forearm with my fingertip. “But you don’t think you’ll get sick of being around me all day, every day?”
He gives my leg a firm squeeze. “Baby, it’s going to be a very, very long time before I’m remotely tired of having you near me.”
That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Beneath all the excitement of moving in together, there’s been a quiet undercurrent of fear.
Even though I’ve made progress in therapy, my doubts and insecurities still raise their ugly heads. But hearing him say that, seeing the love in his eyes, settles something inside me. I want us to go the distance, and I truly believe we can.