Chapter 30 #2
Jamie’s shoulders slumped. He turned in his arms and melted forward, resting his forehead against Caleb’s neck and breathing him in.
“I just want to bike to work.” His voice came out muffled by Caleb’s collar. It was true. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to be okay enough to do the thing he loved.
A gentle hand slid into his hair and squeezed, pressing him closer. “Then I guess I’m getting a bike.”
Jamie’s head shot up. “What? Why?”
“So we can bike together until you feel comfortable on your own.” His head tilted slightly. “Would that help?”
“Yeah. It would help a ton, but—”
“Oi! Caleb, I think I parked illegally!” They both turned to see Angie jogging toward them in her Chelsea practice uniform. “Hey Jamie,” she said, slowing to a stop in front of them. The sun caught the gold in her brown hair, and there was a small, sympathetic smile on her face. “Y’alright?”
“Yeah, Ang. I’m okay.”
She nodded, though she didn’t quite look convinced. Hooking a thumb over her shoulder toward Jamie’s bike, she added, “I’ll grab this, and then do you want to get ramen? I promised Caleb a snack, and I’m starving. Driving is stressful.”
Jamie cracked a smile. “Yeah, I could eat.”
Caleb’s arms tightened around Jamie for just a moment longer, like he didn’t quite want to let go, before finally helping him to his feet.
Muttering into his ear so only Jamie could hear, Caleb said, “We’ll get you back on the road, J. I promise.”
They walked Jamie’s bike to the ramen place around the corner and ate a very early dinner.
That weekend, Caleb sat at the kitchen counter with his laptop, looking at flights.
He’d found a cheap bike on an online marketplace, and he had to admit, his legs were pretty damn sore from just a few park rides.
But it was helping Jamie gain confidence on the road, and that’s what really mattered.
“I think I found a flight.” Caleb picked up his laptop and walked over to the couch to show Jamie.
“Yeah?” Jamie slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes.
He’d just woken up from a short nap. It had taken some convincing to get him to actually lie down and relax instead of stressing over his upcoming exhibit, but within minutes of hitting the couch, the man had been snoring.
Caleb had taken the opportunity to go down to the apartment gym to work out.
Now, over an hour later, Jamie’s curls were sleep-rumpled, and the mid-afternoon light was streaming through the open balcony door, catching the side of his face.
He looked soft and sleepy, and Caleb had the overwhelming urge to pick him up, carry him to the bedroom, and spend the rest of the day making him moan.
A plan for after his flight was booked.
As Caleb approached the couch with his computer, Jamie eyed him suspiciously. “Did you smoke?”
Shit, he forgot he smelled like cigarettes. “Uh, yeah. I went down to the gym and then stepped outside.” A creative way to say he’d beat the shit out of a punching bag and then crushed a pack.
Apparently deciding that a lecture wasn’t it for today, Jamie turned his attention to Caleb’s laptop. “So you found flights?”
“Oh, yeah. My father has a procedure on the twenty-fifth, so I’ll fly out on the twenty-third, and… I don’t know when I’ll be back. It’s a one-way flight—”
“We,” Jamie corrected firmly, reaching for his glasses on the coffee table and sliding them onto his nose. “We will fly out on the twenty-third.”
“J…” Caleb rounded the corner of the couch and sat down. His music hummed softly from the Bluetooth record player in the background.
“I’m going, Caleb.” Jamie turned fully toward him, pulling one leg up against his chest. “I said I was going with you, and I am.”
“J, come on.” Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your exhibit is that weekend. I already feel like shit that I’ll be missing it and the team’s last game—”
“I planned the bloody exhibit, but I don’t have to be there. JB can handle it.” Jamie nodded decisively. “And Clarence.”
“You hate Clarence.”
Jamie scrunched up his nose like a child being forced to eat a vegetable. “I don’t hate Clarence. He’s just a little slimy, is all.”
“You’re not missing your exhibit, Jamie. You’ve worked so hard.”
“And you’re not going to see your family alone.”
When Caleb sighed and looked up, Jamie’s bright green eyes were locked onto him—wide and stubborn, and leaving no room for argument.
“Do you understand that my father will not be nice to you?” Caleb said carefully. “He’ll be a dick. So will Bri, probably. I don’t want to put you in that position.”
“He’s going to be a dick to you, too.”
“Yes, but—”
“But what?” Jamie snapped. The sudden sharpness in his voice startled Caleb.
Jamie almost never raised his voice. “You get to take care of me?” Jamie continued, his voice climbing as he leaned closer.
“You take me to doctor’s appointments, you drive me everywhere, you buy me a bloody bike and spend afternoons at the park with me until I’m comfortable again—” He started ticking off his fingers.
“But what? I don’t get to do anything for you? ”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”