Chapter Eleven
Cole
Reed pushed the door to his room open, then turned and gave me a big smile.
I wasn’t sure what I had expected. The walls were painted pale blue, but they were covered in framed pictures, posters, and random memories.
It was comfortable and warm, like Reed had left little bits and pieces of himself around.
It wasn’t messy. Everything had a place.
I stopped to look at a collage of photos, admiring the smile on Reed’s face in each picture and the way his eyes sparkled.
He had his arm linked through a small blond man, and jealousy shot right through my body.
I had no right to feel that way. We had lost contact at that point, and I was off in Boston doing my own thing.
I leaned closer, noticing some of the pictures seemed to be focused on a roller rink.
And maybe it was someone’s birthday, because there was cake, party hats, and presents.
“That’s from my eighteenth birthday.” He leaned his head on my shoulder. “Sadly, the rink was torn down a month later, but it was the place my friends and I went to a lot when we were younger.”
I wanted to demand to know who the blond was. He was in a lot of the pictures, snuggled up close to Reed, touching him and smiling with big, wide eyes. Were they more than friends? Instead, I slipped my arm around Reed’s slim waist and tugged him closer.
“You look cute.” I pointed to the photo where he had a party hat on and frosting all over his face.
“Riley tried to force feed me cake.” Reed giggled.
I gritted my teeth. “Mm.”
“Why, Cole Whitaker, are you jealous?” Reed asked. “You don’t have to be. Riley and I were nothing more than friends. He wasn’t my type, and I wasn’t his.”
My gaze moved to the next collage of photos. All kinds of dance photos. Ballet recital. Homecoming, prom. More smiling and laughing.
“And this guy?” I tapped the glass where Reed was locking lips with a tall, dark-haired guy. Dressed in a slim-fitting pink tux that clung to his frame, he looked stunning. “You weren’t just friends with him.”
“We dated most of my senior year.”
“And where is he now? Do I have to worry he’s going to come back for you?”
Reed pushed his way in front of me. “No, Cole, you don’t. I liked Taylor enough, but we were never going to be anything serious. He’s in California, the last I heard.” He smiled at me. “Does that make you feel better?”
“Yes.” No.
What would things have been like if I had realized Reed was interested in me back then? Could we have started something? I regretted hurting him, even though we were only talking via social media. Why hadn’t I pushed him to talk to me when he went radio silent?
Reed kissed me softly. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Should I go downstairs?” I didn’t want his dad to come inside and find me here, then yell at me.
Reed shook his head. “I’m an adult. It’ll be fine.”
I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t argue with him.
Reed grabbed some clothes, kissed me again, and disappeared, leaving me alone.
I continued to look at all his pictures.
There were ones of him dancing, some with his siblings, and then I gasped when I found one of me that I remembered posting on my Insta when my high school hockey team won their championship.
Reed had obviously printed it out. I was holding the trophy above my head, a face-splitting smile on my face.
Even after everything, he had never taken it down.
Maybe it was fate that had brought us back together after all.
And that’s when I noticed what was pinned beneath the picture.
It was the first letter I had sent him. I touched the paper lightly with the tip of my finger and smiled.
“So, did you want...Oh.” Reed blushed when I turned to look at him. “I sort of forgot that was there.”
I motioned for him to come closer, but he shook his head. I sighed. “I’m flattered, baby. You kept this up even though we weren’t talking anymore. Even though I hurt you. You even kept my letter.”
“I obviously like keepsakes. I, uh, kept all the letters you sent me.” Reed turned even darker.
I took two steps closer, cupped his head between my hands, and kissed him, tasting the minty toothpaste on his breath.
I wasn’t romantically inclined. The two girls I dated in high school told me so.
I wasn’t good with flowers or words or remembering things, but maybe I could try harder with Reed.
He pressed his lithe body against me, his tongue touched mine, and he released a soft whimper.
I wanted to make whatever this was with him work.
To count down the days while we were apart to when we could see one another again.
To send texts of “I miss you” and “See you soon”.
To have his picture as the screensaver on my phone.
To tell everyone back in Boston that Reed Kelly was my boyfriend and I was his.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs had us pulling apart just as Silas poked his head into the room. “Just as I suspected.” He grinned, and Reed chased him down the hallway, both giggling the entire time.
“Sorry,” Reed apologized as he stepped back into his room and glided over to where I was.
I hooked my finger into the loop of his jeans and pulled him closer. “You two are close.”
I had always wanted a sibling. Someone who could be a best friend and confidante.
It was another reason I wished Andy and I were closer.
If Mav and Jax hadn’t moved, if things had been different, who knows what could have been?
It wasn’t like I was going to transfer colleges and move to North Carolina, right?
“Yeah, he’s all right.” Reed chuckled. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He touched my face lightly.
I pushed the thoughts of what might have been out of my head. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is this date we’re going on.” I forced a smile.
“Oh-kay.” Reed rose onto his toes, brushed his lips against mine, and hummed happily. “We should probably get going if we want to get a good seat. That place fills up quickly.” He grabbed my hand, and we hurried downstairs.
REED WASN’T KIDDING. The place was already packed when we arrived, and the movie wasn’t scheduled to start for another hour.
We were able to secure a decent seat and spread out the blanket Reed had taken from his place.
Plenty of people recognized Reed, calling out to him or stopping to say hello.
He was quick to introduce me, saying my parents had recently moved into the house next door but nothing more.
I respected that, but I wanted him to tell the world I was his boyfriend, and he was mine.
I mentally pinned that conversation to revisit when we were alone.
Something we could talk about in private.
As the sun set, we went to get food separately, so we didn’t lose our spot. When we settled, I reached over to link my fingers with Reed’s. He looked over at me and smiled, a blush creeping up his neck.
“This is pretty dope.” I told him. “We don’t have anything like this in Boston.”
“Or New York,” he added. “It’s a big, loud city. Probably the same for you.”
I nodded. “I mean, I love it, but this is something altogether different.”
“I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until now.” Reed squeezed my hand. “You said you weren’t too keen on the PDA, but you’re doing just fine, Casanova.”
I chuckled. “It’s you.” I also wanted to claim him. I had seen more than a few guys checking him out, and I wanted to make sure they knew he was mine.
“Is it now.” Reed popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth.
I noticed he hadn’t ordered a lot of food, just a small tub of popcorn and a bottle of water.
Maybe he wasn’t hungry or was nervous about eating in front of me.
We had eaten together the other night. I decided not to comment on it.
I, on the other hand, had ordered a loaded cheeseburger and large fries.
I was always starving, but that was the life of a hockey player.
I reluctantly released Reed’s hand so I could eat just as the movie started.
I had seen 28 Days Later once before, just after he had mentioned he liked the movie.
It was hard not to enjoy it. The fast movie zombies, the terrifying way Cillian Murphy’s character woke up alone in an empty hospital, and how horrifying the entire plot was.
Plus, I mean, Cillian Murphy was also very easy on the eyes.
At some point during the movie, Reed wiggled closer to me.
His body was warm against mine, and he smelled sweet and heavenly.
He took my hand again and leaned his head on my shoulder.
I couldn’t stop the way my cock reacted, plumping up in my jeans, and I soon forgot all about the movie playing in front of us.
I desperately wanted to kiss Reed, push him over on the blanket, and have my way with him.
But I wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be appropriate, and I was also a gentleman.
I could wait until we got back to my place to kiss the ever-loving hell out of him.
Once the credits had rolled, we cleaned up our mess, tossed the garbage, and picked up the blanket, which I tucked under my arm so I could grab Reed’s hand again.
We walked back to my car, where I opened the door for him.
He beamed at me as he climbed inside. I climbed into the driver’s seat and drove us home.
Once I parked in the driveway, I turned to ask Reed if he wanted to come in, but he was already climbing into my lap, his hands in my hair and his mouth on mine.
“Thank you,” he whispered in between kisses. “Tonight was perfect.”
I chased his lips. “You’re welcome. That’s what I was going for.” I gripped the back of his neck. “Stop moving.”
“Sorry.” Reed giggled, and the sound did nothing to soothe my aching dick. He scraped his nails over my scalp. “No one has ever done anything like that for me before.”
I grunted. “I find that hard to believe.” I dropped kisses against his mouth and jaw. “You’re serious.”
“I am,” Reed murmured. “I think most of the guys I’ve been with think I’m easy. And maybe they’re right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be wooed.”
Jealousy burned in my veins. I didn’t want to think about the guys who’d come before me. “They were stupid. They couldn’t see how amazing you were. Smart, beautiful, and funny. You’re the whole damn package, baby. You deserve to be wooed.”
“And you said you were bad at this.”
“I’ve never really had a reason to try.”
Reed tilted my head up. “Take me inside, Casanova. Try a little harder for me.”
I kissed him again, my tongue sliding between his lips. “Since you asked so nicely, baby...”
I reached down to unhook my seat belt while Reed opened my door and climbed out. Taking his hand once again, I led him into the house.