“Come here, Jay,” he says playfully. “You don’t have anything toworry about with me. What I want is right here in bed with me.”
“Just don’t hurt me, okay?” I ask. “I’m fine if you change yourmind, but talk to me. Don’t make a fool out of me. That’s all I’m asking.Because that…that’s too much for me. Feeling like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot.” He kisses me, and I relax into his hold.
He pulls away slowly, rubbing his nose against mine, his scruffscratching softly against my face. He leans back until he’s looking into myeyes once again.
“I won’t betray you, Jay. I wouldn’t do that. I know we’re stillfiguring each other out. Learning who the other is. But that’s not me. And oneday I’ll show you that, and you’ll trust me the way you should have been ableto trust those other assholes.”
I blush. He has me totally losing my cool tonight. Letting himthrough every barrier I’ve worked so hard to create throughout my life. It’snice knowing that I’ve met someone who I feel comfortable letting it all downaround because it’s so hard acting tough all the time. Hard to act like I’m strongenough to handle anything when all I really want to do is break down and cry.
He kisses me, his warm lips and wet tongue destroying whatlittle remains of those boundaries within me.
Just don’t let me down, Reese. Please don’t let me down.
***
“Hey, man,” Tyler says as he enters the break room.
Considering he saw Reese and I together last night at themovies, I’ve been wondering how he’d react to us at work today.
He didn’t say anything about it while we were on the floortogether. Acted like he hadn’t noticed anything was up. But now that he’sentering the breakroom, acknowledging my existence, I’m a little concerned. Ikinda wish we hadn’t been scheduled for lunch at the same time.
He heads to the wall of mini-lockers opposite the table I sit at.He retrieves a brown paper bag like the ones he usually brings his lunch in. Hesits in the chair adjacent to me at the main table.
“Hey, Tyler,” I say for politeness’s sake. I take a bite out ofa ham and cheese sandwich I made this morning. Tyler opens his bag and unloadshis lunch.
“So how long you guys been seeing each other?” he asks withouthesitation.
I eye him uneasily.
“I’m not judging. My brother’s gay. I’m totally down with it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Our parents are dicks about it, but it’s not a big deal,and one of my wife’s best friends is gay. Hell, if I’d known about either ofyou guys, I would’ve fucking been trying to hook him up. He’s on the prowl fora new man right now.”
“You sure weren’t like this when I first started working here.”
“I was a little nervous. I don’t think anyone told you, but youwere replacing my old job because I couldn’t work fast enough. I had backsurgery a few months before you got here, and it hasn’t been an easy recoveryfor me. Your position opened up because Reese realized he had to move me aroundso we could keep up with deliveries. He thought he might not be able to keep meon because he wouldn’t have a place for me. I was just lucky that he ended upfighting to keep me with the owners.”
Once again, I’m confronted with evidence that Reese isn’t just agood boss. He’s a good person.
Not only for making peace between us, but because he didn’t justlet them sack Tyler when he was struggling—most people wouldn’t have given ashit.
Reminds me I’m real lucky to be with him.
27
Reese
The Uber car heads through a neighborhood in Buckhead.
“Definitely not living over here on the salary Tyler makes atthe factory,” I say.
“His wife’s an attorney,” Jay says. “She handles domesticdisputes. I imagine she makes plenty of money.”
“Apparently.”
