Chapter 12 Possessive Blue
Jealousy
The following week felt strangely normal.
Not normal in the sense that Liam's life had suddenly become simple.
University deadlines still existed.
The graduate program still waited for an answer.
His parents still called every few days asking questions about the house and his future.
Nothing about those things had changed.
What had changed was the way he carried them.
For the first time in months, he didn't feel alone.
The realization appeared in small moments.
A good morning text from Mason before work.
A joke shared over coffee.
A conversation that lasted longer than either of them planned.
Simple things.
Yet somehow they made everything else feel lighter.
The relationship still existed in an uncertain space.
Neither of them had rushed to define it.
Neither wanted to force promises they weren't ready to make.
Instead, they were learning each other.
One day at a time.
And Liam found himself happier than he'd been in years.
Which was exactly why the attention surprised him.
It happened Tuesday afternoon.
A long study session had just ended, and Liam was crossing campus toward the student center.
The weather had finally turned warmer.
Students filled the walkways.
Conversations drifted through the air.
Everything felt busy and alive.
Liam adjusted the strap of his backpack and checked his phone.
A message from Mason waited.
Mason: Remember to eat lunch today.
A smile immediately appeared.
The man had somehow become convinced Liam forgot basic human necessities whenever exams approached.
The accusation wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Liam typed a response.
Liam: Bossy.
The reply arrived almost instantly.
Mason: Experienced.
Liam laughed softly.
Then slipped his phone into his pocket.
"Well, that explains it."
The unfamiliar voice made him stop.
A tall blond guy stood nearby.
Someone from one of his literature electives.
Liam recognized him immediately.
Evan.
Friendly.
Popular.
The kind of person who never seemed nervous around anyone.
Liam wasn't sure they'd ever had an actual conversation.
"Sorry?"
Evan smiled.
"Now I know why you're always looking at your phone."
Heat immediately touched Liam's face.
Wonderful.
Exactly what he needed.
Embarrassment in public.
"I was answering a message."
"Clearly."
The grin widened.
Liam wasn't entirely sure where the conversation was going.
Unfortunately, he found out quickly.
"I've been trying to talk to you for weeks."
The statement caught him completely off guard.
"What?"
Evan laughed.
"You look surprised."
"Because I am."
The honesty earned another smile.
Liam shifted awkwardly.
The realization arrived slowly.
Then all at once.
Oh.
Oh.
The attention suddenly made sense.
And because life apparently enjoyed making things complicated, Evan was objectively attractive.
Confident.
Easygoing.
The type of person Liam might have been interested in a year ago.
Maybe even a few months ago.
Now?
The feeling simply wasn't there.
Not even a little.
Which somehow felt like the most important realization of all.
"You want to get coffee sometime?"
The question arrived casually.
As though the answer was obvious.
Liam hesitated.
Not because he was considering it.
Because he wanted to respond kindly.
Evan seemed nice.
There was no reason to embarrass him.
"That's really flattering."
The smile on Evan's face suggested optimism.
Then Liam continued.
"But I'm seeing someone."
The words felt surprisingly good.
Simple.
Honest.
True.
Evan blinked.
"Oh."
For a brief moment, disappointment appeared.
Then he nodded.
"Well."
A laugh escaped him.
"That would've been useful information earlier."
Liam smiled apologetically.
"Sorry."
"Nah."
Evan waved it away.
"Worth a shot."
The easy acceptance immediately lowered Liam's anxiety.
No drama.
No awkwardness.
Just two adults having a normal conversation.
The interaction lasted another minute before they headed in opposite directions.
Liam continued toward the student center.
The smile remained.
Not because someone had flirted with him.
Because of what he'd felt when turning the offer down.
Certainty.
Complete certainty.
There hadn't been a second of hesitation.
Not because Evan wasn't attractive.
Because Liam already knew who he wanted.
The realization warmed his chest.
Unfortunately, the universe wasn't finished with him yet.
Later that afternoon, Liam stopped by a local coffee shop to finish reading assignments.
The place sat only a few blocks from campus.
Students filled most of the tables.
The familiar smell of coffee and pastries hung in the air.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Until the front door opened.
And Mason walked inside.
Liam's pulse immediately betrayed him.
The older man spotted him almost instantly.
A smile appeared.
Small.
Private.
Entirely too effective.
Liam smiled back.
Then noticed something unexpected.
Mason wasn't alone.
A customer stood beside him discussing paperwork.
The two men headed toward the counter.
Liam returned his attention to his laptop.
At least he tried.
A few minutes later, another familiar voice interrupted him.
"Evidently rejection isn't fatal."
Liam looked up.
Evan.
Again.
Apparently the universe had developed a sense of humor.
The blond student carried a drink and an amused expression.
"Good to know."
Liam laughed.
Evan sat briefly across from him.
"Still taken?"
The question sounded teasing rather than serious.
Liam rolled his eyes.
"Very."
"Tragic."
The dramatic response earned another laugh.
They chatted casually for a minute.
Nothing flirtatious.
Nothing inappropriate.
Just conversation.
Unfortunately, Liam wasn't the only person watching.
Across the coffee shop, Mason glanced over.
Once.
Then again.
The second look lingered.
Something shifted in his expression.
Not dramatically.
Subtly.
Yet Liam noticed.
Because he'd become very good at noticing Mason.
The older man looked away almost immediately.
The moment passed.
At least outwardly.
Evan eventually stood.
"I'll stop bothering you."
"You weren't bothering me."
The blond student smiled.
"Tell your mystery person they're lucky."
Then he disappeared toward the exit.
Leaving Liam frozen.
Because he suddenly remembered Mason was still there.
And there was a very real possibility he'd witnessed enough of that conversation to draw conclusions.
The thought followed Liam until Mason finally approached his table.
The customer had apparently left.
Coffee sat in Mason's hand.
A suspicious expression sat on his face.
Liam immediately became curious.
"Hi."
"Hi."
The answer sounded perfectly normal.
Almost too normal.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
Mason looked offended.
"What?"
"That."
Liam pointed.
"The face."
"I don't have a face."
"You absolutely have a face."
The older man sighed.
A reluctant smile appeared.
"There was a guy."
Liam blinked.
Then immediately understood.
The realization made him bite back a grin.
"There was."
Mason took a sip of coffee.
The movement seemed entirely casual.
His expression wasn't.
"Seemed friendly."
The understatement nearly killed Liam.
"Friendly."
"Very friendly."
Now the smile became impossible to suppress.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The strange look.
The carefully neutral tone.
The questions.
Jealousy.
The realization settled warmly inside his chest.
Not because he enjoyed making Mason uncomfortable.
Because it revealed something.
Something the older man probably hadn't intended to show.
Mason cared.
Deeply.
Enough that seeing someone else pay attention to Liam bothered him.
The thought felt unexpectedly precious.
Across the table, Mason watched him carefully.
As though waiting for an explanation.
As though trying not to ask for one.
And for the first time, Liam saw it clearly.
The possessiveness hidden beneath all that patience.
The protectiveness.
The feelings Mason tried so hard to keep controlled.
The older man might not have said a word.
But his eyes already had.
And judging by the way he kept glancing toward the door Evan had disappeared through, Mason had discovered emotions he could no longer hide.
Claiming Space
Mason hated jealousy.
Mostly because it made him feel ridiculous.
He was thirty-four years old.
He owned a business.
Paid taxes.
Spent his days fixing problems and managing responsibilities.
He should have been far beyond the stage of sitting in a coffee shop wondering why another man's smile bothered him.
Yet here he was.
Driving home and thinking about a blond college student named Evan.
The situation irritated him more than he cared to admit.
Not because Liam had done anything wrong.
Quite the opposite.
The younger man had been polite.
Respectful.
Clear about being unavailable.
There wasn't a single reason for Mason to feel threatened.
Unfortunately, emotions rarely cared about reason.
The truth was simple.
Liam had options.
That realization followed Mason for the rest of the afternoon.
It stayed with him during a service call across town.
It lingered while he reviewed paperwork.
It even survived an hour spent crawling beneath a customer's house.
No matter how busy he became, the thought remained.
Liam was young.
Smart.
Kind.
Attractive.
Of course people noticed him.
Of course they were interested.
Why wouldn't they be?
The answer seemed obvious.
Which somehow made everything worse.
Because Mason understood exactly what Liam could have.
Someone younger.
Someone without complicated history.
Someone who didn't come with a failed marriage and a decade of regrets.
The thoughts arrived uninvited.
And once they started, they proved difficult to stop.
His phone buzzed shortly before six.
A message from Liam appeared.
Liam: How's your day?
Mason stared at the screen.
A smile appeared despite himself.
Somehow, that simple message immediately improved his mood.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Mason: Long.